Critically analyse counselling in social work
CRITICALLY ANALYSE ONE METHOD AND/OR MODEL OF SOCIAL WORK. WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE CHOSEN METHOD?It goes without saying that social work in the United Kingdom is under close scrutiny at these times. Arguably, health and social care professionals are said to require more training, more experience, and high quality study. After all, the responsibilities bestowed upon social workers are great, and in some cases extremely challenging. I have learned that the key to good social work is the integration of theory, practice and values. Critical study of different theories and methods of intervention is essential for application to practice. Here, I will concentrate on critically analysing the role of counselling in social work. As part of the introduction to this critical analysis, I would like to highlight the complex relationship between social work and counselling. As Brearley points out: "Counselling and social work are not two separate entities...Both are rapidly changing...As a consequence of this, the interface, overlap, relationship and interaction between them is also continuously being renegotiated."The term 'counselling' is used often, especially in the western world. There
Most forms of counselling concentrate on the individual development of the 'self'. Strean highlights this significance, "Whether a social worker-client relationship consists of five interviews or a hundred, if the worker has truly related to the client's expectations. With cases like these an individualistic approach to counselling may not be appropriate, as concepts such as independence and empowerment strongly clash with values like interdependence and acceptance (Coulshed & Orme, 1998). For this reason the skill of empathy, listening with understanding, is paramount. So, while there is no accurate proof as to whether or not the method of counselling is effective, it could still be argued that the skills derived from it are vital for good social work practice. Endings and transitions are just as significant for social workers and service users. In this context, counselling could be viewed as a "sentimental throwback to a former era when people fondly imagined that the world could be made a better place" (Davies, 2002: 175). In conclusion, it is clear that the relationship between the fields of counselling and social work is rather complex. A woman who has been raped, for example, would most likely need her counsellor to be female. The ending could be due to the fact that the client is no longer in need of counselling, or it could be that they have chosen to terminate the treatment for some reason or another. as if they were borrowing these from a profession that has a prior right to them. However, when considering class, race, gender and disability, this could be a problem.
Common topics in this essay:
Stepney Ford,
Coulshed Orme,
Tolley Rowland,
Carl Rogers's,
Sigmund Freud's,
United Kingdom,
Brearley Counselling,
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social workers,
stepney ford,
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stepney ford 2000,
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ford 2000,
et al,
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social practice,
Dominelli Payne,
coulshed orme 1998,
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worker client,
workers service users,
tolley rowland 1995,
et al 1980,
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Acceptance Essays
