Communication Skills for Social Workers in Counseling

Engagement Strategy for Faith

Introduction

The essence of effective counseling is not in trying to totally understand right from the start the client’s story—but rather in communicating genuine empathy and compassion so that the client feels comfortable enough to actually begin to share. That is why it is important for a social worker to be able to draw upon a range of counseling skills, such as the skill of furthering responses or focusing, for it is through the application of these skills that one can create a therapeutic environment where a client like Faith feels truly heard and supported and willing to share her story. This paper looks at the application of these skills and others, and discusses how they can be used to establish a connection with Faith and what ethical guides are available to help as well.

Skills of Engagement

Engagement is a foundational skill in social work practice. It involves establishing a collaborative relationship with the client. It is typically characterized by having and conveying a sense of mutual respect, trust, and understanding between practitioner and client. According to Sheafor and Horejsi (2006), engagement is the initial phase of the helping process where the social worker and client come to understand one another and establish a working relationship. Key skills of engagement include active listening, demonstrating empathy, asking open-ended questions, and validating the client\\\\\\\'s feelings and experiences.

Application of Engagement Skills to Faith’s Scenario

There are many ways to engage a client, and more will be said on this in the following sections, but for now, a quick example shows how active listening, open-ended questions, and validation (along with empathy demonstrations) can all be used to help. For example, given Faith\\\\\\\'s history and the emotional weight of her experiences, one would do well just to listen actively to her. This means being fully present, not interrupting, and giving her the space to share her story. Likewise, one would do well to show empathy, which is really just about understanding without judgment or criticism and sharing the feelings of another. Asking questions like, \\\\\\\"How do you feel about graduating?\\\\\\\" or \\\\\\\"What are your hopes for the future?\\\\\\\" can be helpful in terms of encouraging a client like Faith to open up and share more about her feelings and concerns. And validating Faith\\\\\\\'s feelings about her disability, her relationship with her mother, and her fears about the future can help her feel acknowledged and understood.

Internal Responses to Faith’s Scenario

It is natural for social workers to have internal responses when hearing a client\\\\\\\'s story. Faith\\\\\\\'s story could prompt feelings of sympathy, admiration for her academic achievements despite her challenges, or concern about her increasing isolation. It is important to be able to recognize these feelings, as they can influence the therapeutic relationship. Self-awareness and reflection are necessary so that a social worker\\\\\\\'s personal feelings do not overshadow the client\\\\\\\'s needs.

NASW Code of Ethics and Decision Making

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics provides guidelines for social workers so that they can act in the best interests of their clients and in an ethical manner. Several principles are applicable in Faith\\\\\\\'s case.

Self-Determination (1.02)

Faith has the right to make decisions about her life. As a social worker, one must respect her choices, even if they differ from what the social worker might consider \\\\\\\"best\\\\\\\" for her.

Cultural Awareness and Social Diversity (1.05)

Faith\\\\\\\'s experiences with disability might shape her worldview. The social worker should approach her with cultural humility and not presume to have walked in her shoes so to speak.

Privacy and Confidentiality (1.07)

Faith\\\\\\\'s story is deeply personal. The social worker must, therefore, protect her and tell her so that she knows her rights regarding confidentiality.

Building Rapport with Faith

To build rapport, the social worker has to consider Faith\\\\\\\'s strengths, as this is key to developing trust and mutual respect. Her academic achievements, resilience through multiple surgeries, and self-awareness in seeking help are all strengths that can be acknowledged by the social worker. The social worker can empower Faith and foster a sense of hope for the future if there is focus on these strengths. Plus, it is important to focus on understanding and acknowledging the challenges she faces, such as her strained relationship with her mother and her fears about the future. To do this, however, one must have a sense of the problem at the initial outset based on what is presented and what strengths the client has that the social worker can work with.

Presenting Problem and Unique Strengths of the Client

Presenting Problem

Faith is experiencing a significant life transition as she prepares to graduate from high school. She is struggling with the fear of leaving her familiar environment. This conflict is absorbing and has caused her to withdraw from friends and activities. Her increasing social isolation and reluctance to leave her home are the cause of the consultation as it has concerned her mother.

Unique Strengths of the Client

Faith has shown resilience throughout her life. In spite of her challenges, she has never required an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or other academic accommodations. Her intellectual giftedness has allowed her to excel in school. Her decision to consult, even if prompted by her mother, shows a level of self-awareness and openness to get help, which is admirable.

Factors Impacting Communication of Empathy and Potential Responses

At this point, the social worker must also be aware of factors that might impact the client, such as countertransference or one’s own views on race or gender or sexuality.

Countertransference

Faith\\\\\\\'s story might evoke strong feelings of sympathy, admiration, or even overprotectiveness. If the social worker has personal experiences with disability or knows someone who faced similar challenges, there might be a risk of projecting feelings or experiences onto Faith, potentially clouding judgment or influencing the relationship.

Gender Identity

If the social worker’s gender identity is different from Faith\\\\\\\'s, he might have to be more intentional about understanding her experiences from a female perspective, especially considering societal expectations and pressures that young women might face.

Race and Ethnicity

If I come from a different racial or ethnic background than Faith, I might not immediately grasp certain cultural nuances or experiences related to her identity. Thus, I should approach her with cultural humility and a willingness to learn.

Age

Being of a different age group might influence my perspective on Faith\\\\\\\'s challenges. If I am older, I might underestimate the pressures she faces, forgetting how it is for young people.

Religion

My religious beliefs might shape my worldview and values. I would have to set aside those beliefs so that they do not overshadow Faith\\\\\\\'s experiences or lead to biases in understanding her struggles.

Social Class

If I come from a different socioeconomic background, I might have to be more aware of potential biases or assumptions about Faith\\\\\\\'s experiences, resources, or opportunities.

Sexual Identity

Even though Faith\\\\\\\'s sexual identity has not been explicitly mentioned, it is necessary to approach her without any assumptions and be open to understanding all aspects of her identity that might influence her experiences.

Ableness

If I do not have personal experience with disability, I might need to be intentional about understanding the unique challenges and experiences Faith faces due to her congenital physical disability.

Using Counseling Skills to Engage and Communicate Empathy for Faith

As stated earlier, skills to engage are necessary for establishing empathy and trust. In this section, more detail is given on to what these skills are and how they can be used.

Furthering Responses

Furthering responses is also known as minimal encouragers. It consists of brief verbal and non-verbal cues that convey interest and encourage the client to continue speaking (Ivey et al., 2018). With Faith, furthering responses can be used to show genuine interest in her story and encourage her to delve deeper into her feelings and experiences. For example, when Faith talks about her fears of leaving her familiar environment, one could say, \\\\\\\"Tell me more about that,\\\\\\\" or \\\\\\\"How does that make you feel?\\\\\\\" which would then prompt her to explore her emotions further.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves restating the client\\\\\\\'s words in a concise manner to clarify and confirm understanding (Egan, 2013). When Faith discusses her relationship with her mother and her feelings of blame, I might say, \\\\\\\"So, you feel that in some way, your mother is responsible for your disability, even though you know it\\\\\\\'s not founded on factual reasons?\\\\\\\" This would show understanding and also gives Faith with an opportunity to reflect on her feelings.