All of us as individuals have our unique set of preconceptions, prejudices and cultural conditioning. However, Seden points out that for effective communication, social workers need to be sensitive to the other person, their understandings, their interactions and their social context. achieve service user and practitioner goals.20) suggests that verbal and non-verbal methods in social work communication are used to: Acknowledge their importance and maintain your capacity to leverage their advantages, and your future in the profession will most certainly be meaningful and satisfying.Ĭontent by: The the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California.One of the foundational elements in social work is the ability for the social worker to have good communication skills. Leaving your work at the office and enjoying yourself is as important for your own well-being as it is for that of your clients.īy the very nature of who we are and what we do, most of the qualities and skills identified here are innate to our own personalities.

In order to remain engaged and effective at work, it’s imperative to take advantage of your personal time by focusing on and tending to your own needs. Social work is a deeply rewarding profession, but it can also be an incredibly stressful one. Being able to negotiate, compromise and work well with others is essential to the coordination of efforts required in social work. Just as often as gentle persuasion might solve a problem, active cooperation can provide an alternative (and sometimes more efficient) route to a mutually satisfying solution. Whether it’s to help a client change behavior, motivate a healthcare worker to provide service or justify coverage of expenses to an insurance provider, the ability to influence, coax or invite others to take action is invaluable to any social worker. The ability to coordinate communication and action among multiple parties is a vital part of a social worker’s role in connecting clients with services. Successfully managing and prioritizing the logistical aspects of the job can help you maximize the amount of time you’ll have on your schedule to provide meaningful services to your clients. Social workers are often required to deal with busy schedules, heavy caseloads and gratuitous paperwork. Being able to evaluate one’s own performance and work toward improving it (while also taking valid criticism and praise into account) is an invaluable skill. Social workers routinely receive feedback on their performance from clients, supervisors and other sources, but there is no substitute for self-awareness. While some clients may clearly state their needs and work toward solutions in a focused manner, many others will find it more challenging to express themselves verbally, requiring a perceptive social worker to “read between the lines” in order to interpret the thoughts and feelings being held within. In addition to receiving and processing verbal information, a social worker must be sensitive to body language, social cues, implications and cultural patterns of behavior. It’s how we establish trust, open doors and discover valuable details about the individuals who seek our help in understanding their unique circumstances. The ability to listen carefully, ask pertinent questions and retain verbally transmitted information is vital to the counseling aspect of social work. Establishing boundaries and setting milestones can help set expectations that are more easily accepted. The nature of this challenging profession can be all consuming, especially for those who sense their work is never truly complete. In addition to being empathetic, a social worker must also maintain the capacity to set boundaries and accept the limits of what can be accomplished during a specified period of time. Most social workers are empathetic by nature in fact, empathy is a major reason people enter the profession. Empathizing is both an intellectual and emotional process that makes it far easier to understand and help others solve their problems.

EmpathyĮmpathy is the ability to identify with or vicariously experience another person’s situation. Here are 10 qualities every social worker should practice and possess: 1.

Though these diverse roles might seem to require an almost limitless range of knowledge and expertise, a social worker with a well-rounded set of basic social work skills will function well in most situations. Social work is a demanding and varied profession, often requiring a practitioner to wear many hats on any given day: adviser, therapist, caretaker, administrator, clinician and many others. Social Work and Public Safety Collaborative.

Active listening skills in social work