chapter 6 engagement forming partnerships. dilemma: social workers as experts fabricates hierarchy...

Chapter 6

Engagement

Forming Partnerships

Dilemma: Social Workers as Experts

• Fabricates hierarchy that may oppress clients

• Passive clients lose their sense of competence and independence

• Unequal application of expertise is the antithesis of empowerment!

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Resolutions: Clients as Experts

• Acknowledges value of clients’ experience and competence

• Activates clients’ resources – Individual strengths and skills– Social and environmental supports

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Viewing Clients as Partners

• Redefines workers' roles in more egalitarian or consultative terms

• Constructs relationship in which clients experience power

• Requires worker self review for paternalistic tendencies

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Making Initial Contacts

• Clients' initial expectations – Range from hopefulness to pessimism– May be shaped by previous contact with

helpers

• Initial contacts set the patterns that will influence outcomes

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Genuineness: A Social Worker Quality

• Initiating authentic relationships with clients

• “Being real”

• Maintaining professional honesty while maintaining personal boundaries

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Acceptance and Respect: Social Worker Qualities

• Regarding clients as partners by:– Listening to their opinions, communicating

cordially, and honoring cultural differences

• Recognizing clients’ potential

• Honoring clients’ preferences for their names

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Trustworthiness: A Social Worker Quality

• Being reliable, honest, credible, and sincere

• Each social worker-client relationship begins with a different level of trust

• To be trusted, workers must show trust in clients

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Cultural Sensitivity: A Social Worker Quality

• Recognize similarities and differences

• Cultural membership defines world view

• Bridge cultural gaps through:– Open communication, active listening, and

appreciation of diversity

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Other Qualities

• Empathy– Respect and nonjudgmental acceptance– Differs from pity and sympathy– Validates clients’ perspectives

• Acceptance and Respect

• Purposefulness

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Constructing Empowering Relationships

• Recognizing client and worker rights

• Social workers bring professional ethics, knowledge, and skills

• Clients involved in all aspects of decision-making

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Discussing Rights and Responsibilities

• Balances and distributes power in the relationship

• Special considerations– When clients feel powerless– Collaborating with oppressed clients– Voluntary and involuntary clients– Partnerships with larger systems

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Dual Relationships

• NASW Code of Ethics – Condemns dual relationships – Places the responsibility for setting clear

boundaries on social workers

• Violations lead to – Disciplinary hearings – Sanctions

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Forming Relationships

• Augmenting Power

• When Clients Feel Powerless

• Collaborating with Oppressed Clients

• Voluntary and Involuntary Clients

• Partnerships with Larger Systems

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Respecting Confidentiality

• Ethical codes and legal requirements

• Absolute confidentiality - unequivocal silence

• Relative confidentiality - allows sharing – Supervision– Case conferences– Team meetings

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Violations of Confidentiality

• Believing that not using names or identifying detail protects confidentiality

• Informal sharing with colleagues

• Phone calls taken during client sessions

• Accidental or careless revelation of records

• E-mail and fax communications

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Informed Consent

• Clients grant permission to release information based on a full revelation of – Conditions– Risks– Alternatives

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Privileged Communication

• Legal stipulation

• Prohibits professionals from divulging information in court

• Federal, state, and local laws stipulate conditions of privilege

• Legal loop-holes and exceptions

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