Running Head: Evaluation of Practice

Kathleen Wallace
Wayne State University
Evaluation of Practice

How do I evaluate my practice with client systems?

Evaluation of Practice

Beginning my internship at Family Youth Internship, I was not sure what I was getting
myself into or the success I would have encountering my first social work environment.
However, with the guidance of staff and evaluations from my field liaison and program manager,
I have been able to efficiently evaluate my accomplishments. A resourceful tool I have found to
evaluate my practice is the learning plans created for each semester. This well-organized plan
makes it easy to compare and contrast the undertakings I have made throughout time and
reminisce on the feelings I had experiences when first starting at Family Youth Interventions. I
feel a big indication that evaluates my practice with client systems is my level of confidence. At
the start of my work with client systems, I was nervous and constantly anxious about following
policies; thus, I was not fully engaging with my clients. Therefore, once I reached an efficient
level of self-reliance and became more relaxed, I realized my practice with clients became more
effective with stronger engagements and openness.

How do I know that what I do with client or group has an impact?

It becomes challenging at times working with the teenage population to know rather I
have truly made an impact or not. I have found it to be a common theme for this specific
population to be defiant with authority and reluctant to share their thoughts openly. Yet, I have
found the biggest impact made with clients is through nonchalant conversations. A common
reason for clients to come to Family Youth Interventions is because of homeless. Often times
their homelessness is a result from harmful family relationships and lack of support from
parental figures. Additionally, the adult roles they are most familiarized with are from law
officials as a consequence o f truancy, drug use and other delinquent behaviors. As one can

Evaluation of Practice

imagine, this leads to clients to have a difficult time believing I am a reliable adult that is truly
looking out for their best interest. I know I have made an impact with a client during instances
when I am conversing with clients during activities they enjoy such as playing Skip-Bo and
enacting a comfortable setting to let the clients guard down and discuss what is on their mind.
Once a client seeks advice and discusses their dreams and fears, I know I have established a solid
bond. These bonds create a constructive impact through acting as a positive role model for
clients to imitate valuable life skills and conflict resolutions to carry with them for the rest of
their lives.

What skills do I need in order for me to work in my current field placement setting?

In order to work in my current field placement setting, I must acquire patience,

understanding, emotional strength and critical thinking. Although a social worker must have
patience working with a variety of clients, I feel as though working with the teenage population
is a prime example of this importance. Teenagers are going through a changing period in their
lives with both physical and mental transformations; as consequence, their moods can be a
challenging at times. Likewise, it is imperative to understand a clients triggers and troubled
environments to recognize where their defiant behaviors have been formed to avoid the
stereotype of classifying a client as a bad kid. Emotional strength is another skill needed to
work in this particular setting because Family Youth Intervention is a 21 day program; hence, it
is likely to bond with clients and form a close-knit relationship. Thus, a social worker must have
thick skin to avoid becoming emotionally attached to a client and be empathic verses
sympathetic when working with clients that have had disturbing upbringings such as abuse.

Evaluation of Practice

Additionally, critical thinking is crucial when working with this population because clients are
unpredictable and unethical conversations can happen at any time. Therefore, I must be prepared
to take control of the situation in an effective, moral approach.

Are the population and field of practice a good fit for me? Why or why not?

I believe I am a good fit for the at-risk population and field of practice found at Family Youth
Interventions. I feel I interact well with adolescents aged 12-17 because I enjoy working with
challenging behaviors the teenage population often imitates. Considering this specific age
bracket undergoes many physical and hormonal changes, they are faced with numerous
emotional challenges. I enjoy working through tough situations with clients and fulfilling the
strong support system they often lack. When I leave my internship at the end of the day, knowing
I have increased a clients self-esteem or changed their negative perspective on a hard situation, I
feel I have met my goal for the day. As a future probation officer, this field of practice and
population has been a perfect fit to prepare myself to interact with challenging teenage behaviors
and how much an ailing environment can affect an adolescents well-being.

What can I do to improve my social work practice with a client?

Self-reliance is a huge skill that promotes improvement with my social work practice. In the
beginning of my internship I was reliant on staff members to show me the ropes and observe
their interactions with clients. Yet, as time went on, I was pushed to work independently and

Evaluation of Practice

conduct daily activities with clients on my own. This has improved my social work practice with
clients because I am forced to use my own social work knowledge I have acquire from school
when interacting with clients instead of looking to my supervisor for the answers. Likewise, my
level of interviewing skills has increased with more confidence and professional techniques to
keep conversations going. Thus, I feel that in order for my abilities to improve, I must continue
to push my boundaries and take on more responsibilities at my internship for the remaining time
I have left.

How have my experiences at this agency contributed to my knowledge of ethical social work
practice?

My experiences at Family Youth Intervention has contributed to my knowledge of ethical

social work practice because I have noticed an enormous improvement in my abilities to ensure I
do not breach confidentiality with clients when they ask personal questions. It is common for
clients to be curious and ask personal questions such as where I live or what school I went to;
however, through my social work knowledge I have learned the importance of avoiding these
questions to ensure my safety. Additionally, considering the majority of staff is Caucasian at my
internship, it is crucial to be aware of ethical and cultural differences amongst client to ensure
they are feeling represented and avoid feeling as the minority. When conducting life skills
activities with clients I must keep in the mind the various environments clients have experienced
throughout their childhood and their differing social norms. Before learning about the ethical
practices of social work I would not have looked deep into a clients situation to understand what

Evaluation of Practice

makes them who they are; thus, beforehand, I would find myself classifying my social norms as
the universal principles.

How has this placement helped me to understand the values of the social work profession and
how has it assisted me in the development of ethics for social work practice?
Family Youth Intervention has helped me to understand the values of the social work
profession and how much of an impact these values can have on a client. Throughout our
educational years, social work students have learned the ethics and values of the social work
profession; however, it is an entirely different notion when these values are put into action. My
experience at this placement has opened my eyes to the real-life passion social workers have to
ensure social justice and the worth of each and every client. If a potential social work does not
share the drive to fight for the overall well-being of a client, their aspirations do not match the
requirements of this career path. Additionally, I have developed an understanding that no matter
what walks of life a client is coming from, they must receive an equal amount of ethical
treatment any other client would receive. This can be challenging at times because teenagers tend
to aspire to push your buttons but instead of acting immediately, I have learned to separate
myself from the situation and recognize their environments they have experienced that have
shaped their behaviors today.