Critical Thinking as an Integral Part of Social Work

Question One

In social work, critical thinking involves the ability to look at a situation or an individual from a neutral and objective viewpoint without necessarily making assumptions about them or jumping to conclusions. As a social worker, I have the role of experiencing, observing, and reflecting on everything that happens around me. I am also responsible for obtaining relevant data from the interviews conducted, research, case notes, and being aware of prejudices, stereotypes, and biases without influencing my action plan in helping my clients. Having understood that critical thinking is an essential skill in the practice of social work, my judgment, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills have improved. These skills are related and affect each other. For instance, the decision-making process is an integral part of problem-solving, and so is judgment (Facione & Facione, 2008).

My understanding of critical thinking has helped improve my decision-making skills since I can now think through my options clearly before choosing the best option. The primary goal of decision-making should be to arrive at a practical conclusion, and critical thinking determines the soundness of the deduction. Also, as it involves reasoning, creativity, and logic, critical thinking helps me analyze information deliberately to make sound decisions and judgments. I can now apply the mentioned aspects of critical thinking appropriately to make better decisions and solve problems. For instance, problem-solving requires one to be creative with the ideas generated as a possible solution. I can reason well enough while looking at the logic behind every thought before finally deciding on the best choice to...

Problem-solving requires innovative solutions, which can only be obtained if I apply critical thinking and its components such as those mentioned (Facione & Facione, 2008).

Question Two

My understanding of critical thinking is that it is the ability to analyze and synthesize information profoundly and to be able to evaluate and apply the information appropriately. The necessary thinking process follows the following steps; "knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and action." The first step, knowledge, identifies the problem for which a solution is sought and is emphasized by asking relevant questions that help deepen one's understanding of the problem. Comprehension involves developing a deep understanding of the problem and the facts that accompany the problem. The application process completes the second step of comprehension and completely understands the various resources and attributes required to solve the problem. This is achieved by creating a link between the resources and the information. An analysis follows and involves identifying the situation and the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges in solving the identified problem. It also requires setting priorities regarding the leading causes of the problem (Tilbury, Osmond & Scott, 2010).

This is then followed by synthesis, which involves the formulation of the solutions to the problem. The solutions generated are carefully evaluated and prioritized depending on what is best for the client, after which the most advantageous is selected. The final step is implementing the action plan. This involves building an evaluation for the problem and implementing the action plan to ensure that the solution is executed. Critical thinking is an integral aspect of social work that involves helping different people from various walks of life. In social work practice, we are destined to come across populations…