Communication Theory In Social Work

Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.

Social workers must strive “for a full understanding of the complex interactions between the client and all levels of the social and physical system as well as meaning that the client assigns to each of these interactions” (Andreae, 1996, p. 605).

Within the adult social care setting communication is used to convey information, this could be with the client about what they want to wear or eat, relatives and friends of the client who might want to know if any food products need replenishing or if there has been an accident and colleagues or other members of the multi-disciplinary team who might need information on past health information or daily routine.

People from different backgrounds may use communication methods differently these may include the language they speak or the dialect they use. They may use different gestures, touch and mannerisms’. Also the volume, speed and pitch of a person’s voice would affect communication. Somebody who comes from a society that speaks quickly with a regional dialect would have difficulty being understood somewhere where they speak more slowly. In different culture gestures can mean different things. The gesture of holding two fingers up can either mean peace if the palm is facing out or if the palm is facing in can be offensive. An aggressive gesture of waving a closed fist in western countries means one is trying to pick a fight or is showing annoyance. In Asian countries this will definitely get you into fist fight.

Aii) Describe two ways how effective communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carers, colleagues and other Practitioners.

Maintain Confidentiality, don’t leave documents and files lying around keep them in their proper location and marked confidential. Complete documents in private and when discussing anything make sure you do so where you cannot be overheard. Do not discuss service users outside of work.

Paying attention to what is said and the body language will allow you to find what is important to this relationship. It may be a casual, professional or personal one. All are important. Be it a conversation with your parents, clerk at the grocery store or a resident in a nursing home

1.1 People communicate for many different reasons, it is mainly for understanding what is going on around them and to know what needs to be done. To be able to express their feeling's and say what they need and want. For reassurance when they are not sure of something. And to ask question's when needed, To socialize and get to know other people and the thing's they like, dis-like and their background history.

Communications Theory is a therapeutic modality that can be used as an intervention in family therapy settings. Developed by the well-respected family therapist, Virginia Satir, the concepts and techniques behind Communications Theory have earned much respect amongst therapists worldwide. Satir focused on the importance of establishing and maintaining clear channels of communication to improve the lives of families who struggle with myriad challenges. She believed that families needed to be given ways to see hope more clearly. She also professed that the presenting problems may not be as important as the way in which people cope with the problems. More clearly, her focus was more on helping people gain hope through better communications skills which lead to more effective coping mechanisms (…).

While practicing social work it is important to understand how an individual’s system and environment can

Social workers form relationships with people an assist them to live more successfully within their local communities by helping them find solutions to their problems. Social work involves engaging not only with clients but their friends and families. Social workers also work closely with organisations such as the police, local authority departments,

This essay will explain the different roles of effective communication in health and social care settings. The communication between colleagues service users and also why multi agency working is important in effective communication. It will include all the communication forms which are interpersonal interactions, communication and language needs and preferences. Effective communication when having conversation with the service users even work colleagues when having an effective conversation. No one will get confused and will be able to understand the conversation by explaining it in detail. Multi agency working is really important to effective communication because multi agency working is part of multi-disciplinary team. (Stretch and Whitehouse, 2010)

Social Work is a career defined as “work carried out by trained personal with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those in need of help or welfare”. Social work varies in several fields, social workers work as part of multi-disciplinary teams with child welfare organizations, adoption and foster care agencies, hospitals, schools, prisons, mental health institutions, and more. Social work may leave the impression that it’s an easy field because it is assumed that all social workers do is serve others and manage paperwork but that is only a small chunk of the job. Social workers must deal with the ethical and emotional aspect of helping others. As a social worker, it is critical to comply with the National Association of Social Workers

In the generalist social work practice, a social worker is a change agent due to the expansive and complex umbrella of social and human services and roles. A change agent works to promote positive changes for the well-being of an individual, family, group, organization or community. In order to fulfill the tasks of a social worker, one should be trained and equipped with a wide variety of skills: such as setting appropriate boundaries, possessing and utilizing self-awareness and the ability to counsel or advocate for clients. In addition to many skills, the generalist social work practice includes a surplus of methods to either prevent or intervene when necessary. A method often utilized by social workers is the person-in-environment conceptualization. The person-in-environment perspective considers factors, such as familial or economic, beyond the individual to better understand the client’s behaviors or situation. Another method is the strengths perspective. The strength-based perspective focuses on the client’s or client system’s positive qualities to build upon those capabilities. And the recognition of strengths helps to achieve goals in a more client-led approach. Generalist practitioners are professionals with a wide range of knowledge and a repertoire of diverse skills in order to enhance the social functioning of all within society.

The role of the nurse in the healthcare setting is to be supportive, informative, advocate and help patient through their treatment journey through the use of language- verbal and non-verbal.