Integrating Theory and Practice

An Integration Model: Ways to help students integrate

A Process and Content Analysis

Developing Comfort and Confidence in Social Work Practice

Describe a significant interaction you had with a client, colleague, or another person in a professional context.  Share the purpose of the interaction and your perspective of what happened. What were you thinking during this interaction? How were you feeling about this interaction? Have your thoughts or feelings changed since you’ve had time to reflect on the interaction?

Using the handout “Social Work Knowledge, Skills, Values, and Qualities” as a resource, please respond to the following questions:

What social work knowledge was required during this interaction?

What social work skills were used in this interaction? 

What social work values were involved in this interaction?

What social work qualities enhanced the quality of the interaction?

For further exploration, reflection, and growth....

What assumptions might you have made about the client, yourself, the culture, the system, or other variables in the interaction?

How might the perspectives of the others in your story be different from yours,

related to the variables influencing them (such as role, class, culture, ethnicity, religion, spiritual comfort, etc.)?

What biases might have contributed to the interaction (related to the client, the relationship, societal norms, or organizational culture)?