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Undoubtedly, the role of the social worker is a challenging one.
This may be because of its unlikely position, balanced between “the individual and society, the powerful and the excluded” (Davies, 2013, p. 3).
Social work is a unique profession because of its breadth and depth of engagement and the many governmental and private organizations with which it engages.
Not only does it help individuals and groups solve problems in psychosocial functioning, but it also attempts to support them in their life-enhancing goals and ultimately create a just society (Suppes & Wells, 2017).
This article provides a toolbox for social workers, with a selection of assessments and resources to support them in their role and career.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.
Demanding professions require dedicated and supportive resources that transform social work theory into practice. The following worksheets and tools target some of the most challenging and essential areas of social work (Rogers, Whitaker, Edmondson, & Peach, 2020; Davies, 2013):
“Understanding emotion arises from the combined consciousness of how we perceive emotions and use our intellect to make sense of them” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 47).
For social workers, emotional intelligence is invaluable. They must develop and maintain awareness of both their own and their client’s feelings and use the insights to select appropriate interventions and communication strategies without becoming overwhelmed.
The Reflecting on Emotions in Social Work worksheet encourages social workers to stop and consider their feelings following an initial client visit.
In the worksheet, the social worker is guided to find some quiet time and space to reflect on:
Being self-aware is a crucial aspect of social work and will inform the ongoing relationship with the client.
Mirror neurons fire when we watch others performing an action or experiencing an emotion. They play a significant role in learning new skills and developing empathy for others’ experiences (Thomson, 2010).
Social workers must become more aware of service users’ experiences, as they can influence and affect the interaction with them.
Use the Fostering Empathy Reflectively worksheet to improve the understanding of your own and others’ emotions and increase the degree of empathy.
Observing others can make social workers more aware of human behavior and the emotions and thoughts underneath to increase their capacity for empathy.
Reflecting on situations encountered on the job can help social workers fully consider their own and their clients’ thoughts and feelings before drawing conclusions. Indeed, “successful reflection emphasizes the centrality of self-awareness and the capacity for analysis” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 64).
Use the Reflective Cycle for Social Work to reflect on events, incidents, and behaviors in a structured and systematic way (modified from Gibbs, 1988).
Good communication skills and confidence in social interactions are essential for social work. There will be times when you need assertiveness to challenge others to ensure the client’s needs are met (Rogers et al., 2020).
However, like all skills, social skills can be learned and maintained through education and practice.
The Preparing for Difficult Social Interactions worksheet considers how a situation or event may unfold through focusing on the essential issues.
Practice and role-play can help social workers prepare for a more successful social interaction and gain confidence in their coping abilities.
“Change can become difficult for service users when they are ambivalent about the extent to which the change will be beneficial” (Davies, 2013, p. 451).
One method used by social workers to explore their clients’ intrinsic values and ambivalence is through motivational interviewing (MI). MI has four basic principles (modified from Davies, 2013):
The Motivational Interviewing in Social Work worksheet uses the five stages of change to consider the client’s readiness for change and as input for selecting an appropriate intervention (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1986; Davies, 2013).
The client should be encouraged to create and implement a plan, including goals and details of the specific tasks required.
Rogers et al. (2020) identified several fundamental values that social workers should be aware of and practice with their service users, families, and other organizations with which they engage. These include:
The Respectful Practices in Social Work worksheet encourages reflection on whether a social worker remains in touch with their values and the principles expected in their work.
Social workers should frequently think of recent examples of interactions with clients, families, and other organizations, and ask themselves (modified from Rogers et al., 2020):
A regular check-in to ensure high standards are being maintained and values remain clear will ensure the continued professionalism expected from a social worker.
Questioning is a crucial skill for social workers, often undertaken in emotional and challenging circumstances.
The following questions provide practical examples; practitioners should tailor them according to timing and context and remain sensitive to the needs of all involved (Rogers et al., 2020; Suppes & Wells, 2017; Davies, 2013).
Open questions encourage the respondent to reflect and respond with their feelings, thoughts, and personal experiences. For example:
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Typically, closed questions are used to find out personal details such as name and address, but they can also provide focus and clarity to confirm information. Closed questions are especially important when dealing with someone with cognitive impairment or who finds it difficult to speak up, and can lead to follow-up, open questions.
Hypothetical questions can be helpful when we need the service user to consider a potentially different future, one in which their problems have been resolved. Such questions can build hope and set goals. For example:
“Focusing on strengths helps to move away from a preoccupation with risk and risk management” and builds strengths for a better future (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 243). Strengths-based questions in social work can be powerful tools for identifying the positives and adopting a solution-focused approach.
Awareness of strengths and past behaviors can help the client arrive at positive solutions and hope.
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Interventions in social work are often described as having four stages: engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation (Suppes & Wells, 2017).
The assessment stage typically involves:
Assessment is an ongoing process that typically focuses on risk. It begins with the referral and only ends when the intervention is complete or the case closed.
Assessment will need to be specific to the situation and the individuals involved, but it is likely to consider the following kinds of risks (Rogers et al., 2020; Bath and North East Somerset Council, 2017):
Risk management does not remove risk, but rather reduces the likelihood or impact of problematic behavior. Risk assessments are performed to identify factors that may cause risky behavior or events (Davies, 2013).
The wording and detail of each will depend on the situation, client, and environment, guided by the social worker’s training and experience.
A child’s safety is of the utmost importance. As part of the assessment process, a complete understanding of actual or potential harm is vital, including (modified from Bath and North East Somerset Council, 2017):
Social workers must use professional judgment to assess the level of risk and assure the child’s ongoing safety.
According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW, n.d.), “social workers are at the forefront in preventing domestic violence and treating domestic violence survivors.”
The figures related to domestic violence are shocking. There are 1.3 million women and 835,000 men in the United States alone who are physically assaulted by a close partner each year (NASW, n.d.).
The NASW offers valuable resources to help social workers recognize the signs of existing domestic violence, prevent future violence, and help victims, including:
SocialWorkersToolBox.com is another website with a vast range of free social work tools and resources. This UK-based website has a range of videos and educational toolkits, including:
Many of the worksheets are helpful for sharing with parents, carers, and organizations.
Here are three insightful podcasts that discuss many of the issues facing social workers and social policymakers:
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Social workers should be well versed in a variety of theories, tools, and skills. We have plenty of resources to support experienced social workers and those new to the profession.
One valuable point of focus for social workers involves building strengths and its role in solution-focused therapy. Why not download our free strengths exercise pack and try out the powerful exercises contained within? Here are some examples:
Other free helpful resources for social workers include:
More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, but they are described briefly below:
Commitment and self-belief can increase the likelihood of successful future behavioral change.
The idea is to commit yourself to making a positive and effective change by signing a statement of what you will do and when. For example:
I will do [goal] by [date].
While negative thoughts may not accurately reflect reality, they can increase the risk of unwelcome and harmful behavior.
This cognitive psychology tool helps people identify distorted and unhelpful thinking and find other ways of thinking:
Individuals can then reflect on how this more balanced and realistic style of thinking makes them feel.
If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.
Society and policymakers increasingly rely on social workers to help solve individual and group issues involving psychosocial functioning. But beyond helping people survive when society lets them down, social workers support them through positive change toward meaningful goals.
Social workers must be well equipped with social, goal-setting, and communication skills underpinned by positive psychology theory and developed through practice to be successful.
Reflection is crucial. Professionals must analyze their own and others’ emotions, thinking, and behavior while continuously monitoring risk, particularly when vulnerable populations are involved.
The nature of social work is to engage with populations often at the edge of society, where support is either not provided or under-represented.
This article includes tools, worksheets, and other resources that support social workers as they engage with and help their clients. Try them out and tailor them as needed to help deliver positive and lasting change and a more just society.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free.
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