Running head: PEOPLE’S PROFESSIONAL- CHAPTER 5 AND 6 1

People’s Profession- Chapter 5 and 6

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation
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People’s Profession- Chapter 5 and 6

Chapter 5- Social work practice

Steve, a student of the social work profession, stops by the office to see his professor.

Steve tells the professor that he really enjoys his social work classes, and he always participates

in class discussions. However, Steve was a bright student and promised his professor that his

final grade would be high (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). Although he was sure of his absolute

quality being high, he was still interested in knowing more about social work and how his

professor deals with the profession. However, today Steve is employed, and when he remembers

those old days, like twenty years ago, the question he asked the professor, he laughs. He is now

employed in a public health facility dealing with mental health (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010).
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However, thinking back about those days he was a student, he now realizes the answers to his

question: "how do you do it." Steve feels like he was looking for medicine to give a client or a

patient to make them feel better, or maybe he was looking for something like a task that one can

do, especially a social worker that can help relieve the pain of a client or even help a client who

is in distress (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). Additionally, he believed that there were some

tricks that social workers had that helped them solve every person’s problem. He felt like social

workers had something that helped them solve their clients' issues (Colby & Dziegielewski,

2010). Therefore, he asked the professor expecting to receive some magical tricks or maybe

some magical pills that could also help him solve the problems of others as a social worker to

realize he was wrong about the whole idea.

Moreover, chapter five explains the experience and the expectations of the social workers

as they enter into their professional. Consequently, when social workers enter their careers, they

expect to get definite answers and specific steps to follow to get their desired or expected results.

However, one realizes that there are no particular answers in the field of social work. Therefore,

the longer one stays in the field. As time goes by, they realize that as the environment changes,

as circumstances change, as problems change, that's how the answers to those problems change.

Additionally, dealing with those problems also changes with time (Colby & Dziegielewski,

2010). However, just like any other social worker professional, they all have issues and not sure

of what to do about their problems and how to do it. However, there are no simple descriptions

or prescriptions and straightforward answers to social workers on dealing with their clients. If

there could be, then there could be no meaning of formal education and beyond the general

basics (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). Therefore, it is clear that the social work profession is

neither simple nor standardized in and of the way. In all fields, whether political, academic, or
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private origin, it can easily affect or impact the practices done (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010).

Moreover, looking at the definition of social work professions, we realize that it gives guidance

to the social work profession. Therefore, social workers focus on helping people to get resources,

helping to bring social justice, and helping the functioning of society. Furthermore, social

workers empower their clients' community and enhance their clients' ethical values, thus making

them have self-esteem.

However, the social work profession's definition has been changing from time to time,

but its practice basis has remained the same over many years. Additionally, there are many

definitions of social work today, but they all center on one of them: to help individuals solve

their problems in society, thus being the light of the community (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010).

However, despite the evolution of the definition of social work as seen in chapter two, this

evolution also focused on one function of the social workers. All those definitions address their

policies, functions and ensuring the well-being of the individuals and the community at large

(Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). Although today's description of this profession seems

straightforward, its unique part and complexity need to get explored further to realize diversity.

For example, one author was asked the reasons as to why he has never given an example of a

case that deals with a traditional family. However, he replied by telling how the traditional

families lived together, parents and children in peace with no divorce or even separation. That

was why there were no conventional cases. The response seemed shocking, but to some extent, it

was a true reflection of our society today. Therefore, what constituted a family in traditional has

changed compared to what a family includes today, and that is why there are many family issues

or cases today (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). However, for social workers to solve family

cases today, they need to consider and understand the affected family's diversity, uniqueness,
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dignity, and system. Consequently, this requires the social workers to be familiar with the ethical

values that will help them develop strategies that will help solve a client's problem. Conclusively,

social workers need to have specific skills that cannot get separated from assisting them to work

effectively with their clients.

Chapter 6- Recognizing diversity and applying it to generalist practice

Juan, a social worker, working with adults, finds himself struggling in his first practice in

social work. However, Juan made a joke saying he desired a client who had a single problem to

choose the best method to help them solve the problem. Even though Juan wanted to help the

clients solve their problems using the knowledge he had gained from his academic studies, the

act of applying that knowledge in the field and putting everything he learned into practice was

scary to him (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). Additionally, Juan learned about the methods to

intervene in the clients' problems that supported his generalist approach. However, Juan got

concerned and worried that he might make a mistake while interpreting the clients' issues,

leading to bad decision-making. Moreover, Juan had believed that he should always respect his

clients' culture, values, and dignity in his profession. However, it was not easy for Juan to

identify how to show respect to a client and empower his client to help them solve their

problems. Furthermore, Juan's experience for the first time in the field is perceived to be

expected and does happen to most social workers during their first time in the area (Colby &

Dziegielewski, 2010). Many social workers in the field tend to ask themselves many questions

when dealing with a client. The questions touch almost every corner of their profession,

including questions about who the client is, the affected person, the client, the family, society, or

friends. Also, social workers are sometimes disturbed with the origin of the client's problem,

whether it is a policy that led to their suffering or not. Therefore, as seen in the previous chapter,
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knowing the client's history can help a social worker see the present and predict the future of the

worker's situation.

Additionally, chapter six emphasizes understanding the culture of a client in the process

of solving the problem. Consequently, it is clear to Juan and all the beginners of the social work

profession to be aware that making a decision, finding an answer, or handling situations is not an

easy task (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). However, the best intervention method that a social

worker can use is to ensure consistency in assessment, consistency in reassessment, evaluation,

and ensuing collaboration with other professions apart from the social work profession.

Moreover, like any other professional, helping a client will change depending on the strategies

used to help the client. Additionally, the options in solving the problem also vary. Therefore,

applying the skills of helping in a crisis is compared with an art (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010).

This therefore means, the situations might vary, and so the options will also vary. Using a

different perspective like the ecological way, strategies of practice and the interventions get

expected to occur at a continuous level to ensure the goals and objectives of the profession, the

client, and the social worker gets achieved.

However, this chapter tends to explore the concept of diversity. Additionally, this

diversity gets viewed as the strength of the social work profession. Therefore, the critical part of

this profession is to identify the strategies and help solve the problems. Based on this chapter, it

is clear that the practices of interventions offered by social workers get expected to use and

adhere to the proper foundation of theories. The focus of social work is to ensure appropriate

identification of the problem, good use of the solving skills, and adequate planning of the case

(Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010). However, the chapter suggests that all the methods of practice

do consider unique features or characteristics. Consequently, the characters tend to influence the
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social workers on how they do their actions on behalf of their clients. Additionally, one chosen

intervention may work on a specific individual but not on individuals or clients seeking help. The

feature or characteristic that an individual or a society, family, or group of people brings in

helping tend to be assertive when intervening with the client. However, the only option to

understand is by understanding their experiences, understanding their ideas, traditions, and

differentiating their differences based on their backgrounds (Colby & Dziegielewski, 2010).

Conclusively, understanding, integrating, and recognizing the diversity of people into the

practice of strategy is vital and should b learned by all the social workers, both undergraduate

and postgraduate. Also, it should get included in their course.

References

Colby, I., & Dziegielewski, S. (2010). Introduction to social work. Chicago, Ill.: Lyceum Books.