Discussion 1

Engaging with clients is one of the most important skills you use as a social worker in that it helps you build a strong rapport with clients. Engaging with another person can be challenging because it involves several skills including proper eye contact, attentive listening, appropriate body position, and tone of voice. How you exhibit these skills is equally important.

If exhibited with empathy, genuineness, and warmth, these skills convey to clients that you want to help, that you are there to work with them, that you truly appreciate who they are, and that you value their concerns. Conveying empathy might not come as naturally to you as conveying genuineness and warmth. How do you know when you are conveying empathy or sympathy when working with clients?

In your exchanges, it is important to convey a sense of understanding and caring, but not a sense of pity. It is likely that you have received demonstrations of empathy and sympathy in your life.

How did it make you feel and how did you respond to it? Most clients will come to you with concerns or experiences you have not personally encountered. How might you convey a sense of empathy, rather than sympathy? How might you tap into your own experiences to find a sense of understanding? For this Discussion, review this week's Learning Resources, including the Parker Family Video case.

Select one of the engagement skills (warmth, empathy, and genuineness) exhibited with Helen and Stephanie in the video. Then, consider how the social worker from the video expressed that skill when working with Helen and Stephanie. Finally, think about the effectiveness of the skill the social worker is exhibiting.

Post by Day 4 a brief description of the engagement skill you selected from the video. Then explain how the social worker from the video expressed that skill when working with Sara and Stephanie. Finally, explain the effectiveness of the skill the social worker is exhibiting.

Discussion 2

Discussion: Social Change Advocacy might conjure images of speaking at a congressional hearing or soliciting petition signatures at library entrances.

Yet, social workers engage in advocacy as an agent of social change in numerous ways. The scenarios presented in this week's introduction are examples of three types of advocacy:

•Case advocacy-When a social worker addresses the lack of services, or resources at the micro level, educates the client about available resources and programs, or fights for clients' rights.

•Legislative advocacy-When a social worker addresses a policy gap at the macro level, and provides information and suggestions to legislators, in order to close that gap.

•Community advocacy-When a social worker represents the needs of a community at the mezzo level by engaging in group-oriented activities, such as holding a town meeting to educate the neighborhood about a particular issue they are facing.

Another type of advocacy, not represented by the earlier scenarios, is agency advocacy. For example, you might conduct agency advocacy as a social worker when you identify a gap in services at your agency and pursue additional services for a particular population the agency serves. Or, you might pursue a change in current policy that you deem to be unfair to some of your clients. How do you envision becoming an agent of social change through the use of advocacy? For this Discussion, review this week's Learning Resources.

Think about whether advocacy is a vital aspect of social work. Then, consider what section within the NASW code of ethics requires advocacy of social workers. Finally, search for a local, state, or federal legislative website for a pending law that relates to an issue and a population that social workers encounter. Consider the importance of passing this legislation to the population, to the community, and to social work practice. Post by Day 4 an explanation of whether you think advocacy is a vital aspect of social work.

Be sure to reference this week's readings to support your position. Then, explain what section within the NASW code of ethics requires advocacy of social workers. Finally, describe the pending law you selected and explain why its passage might be important to the population effected by the issue, the broader community, and social work practice.

Discussion 3

Discussion Question: Indicators of Suicide Increased stress levels, feeling hopeless and alone, being bullied, or experiencing repeated physical or sexual abuse could all be reasons why some adolescents consider suicide. Adolescent suicide has far-reaching consequences on families, friends, communities, and schools.

For this Discussion, use the Parker Family case study to consider the indicators of suicide. Also think about how you might react to students in this situation if you were a social worker in a school. Post by Day 3 your answer to the following:

•After learning about the character in the Parker Family case study, imagine that you were the school social worker. Which indicators would you have looked for and why.

•How would you have responded to each of those indicators?

•What kinds of questions would you have asked and why? Please use the Learning Resources to support your answer.