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Beliefs, Values, and Clinical Gestalt with Individual’s and Systems
Vicki Sinclair
May 16, 2009
Communication Skills for the Human Services Professional
As the learning process expands in the field of human services, there are many aspects that need continuous personal reflection from any person who will potentially be placed among the world of people helping people. It is important to know the strengths and the weaknesses present within our value systems in all areas of each population to be served as human services professionals.
Being aware of individual personal values and beliefs, adds a reality in the population that a clinician can or cannot effectively work with. Personal reflection about potential problems that may interfere with our belief systems in a professional manner may be determining factors in both the methods we may use as well as whether or not we are able to take a particular case at all. When a clinician is confronted with a personal bias or ethical dilemma that hinders a genuine, neutral approach; their clinical repose may be compromised at the expense of the client. An appropriate clinical repose sets an atmosphere of comfort, free from the clinician’s discomforts and anxieties.
In order for human services workers to successfully address problematic issues with clientele, a non oppressive atmosphere and relationship must be established between the clinician and the client. When a clinician enters the helping realm, he or she must provide a neutral and safe ground, free of any hierarchal structure and personal bias (Dietz, 2000).
Reflecting on my own values and beliefs, I have come to the conclusion that one particular population and or situation disturbs me. Abortion and the issues that unfold within my personal value system are harder for me to justify than any other. I find that while I may be able to verbally offer neutral ground, I feel this subject passionately enough to lack the ability to disguise my personal bias in my body language and facial expressions. Knowing this after self evaluation gives me an idea on potential cases to avoid for the clients best interest.
Religion is another area within most people. There is either a belief or disbelief, and our values on religious issues may interfere with our abilities to properly address our client’s needs. We need to be careful not to push our beliefs onto our clients or disregard their beliefs even when they are not ours. The article, Fundamentalism and Social Work describes a scenario where a Jewish woman was referred to a nonsectarian (her choice) agency for counseling services. When the woman went to the agency for her appointment, she was met by a clinician wearing a big silver cross around her neck (Dinerman, 2003).
The Jewish woman specifically chose to be counseled by an agency that had no religious orientation in order to avoid any issues concerning her own religion. She left the agency immediately because she was so put off by the clinician wearing the cross. This shows how important it is that we take the time and be sure we do not reflect our personal religious beliefs in any form while we are in our professional setting.
In reality, as professional clinicians, it is not always possible to avoid situations, even when we feel it’s the best way around it. Knowing our individual behaviors, such as facial expressions and body language when something triggers our morale can help us greatly improve our ability to provide our clients with the necessary neutral ground that the helping relationship requires.
An academic journal report called Learning Our Way through Welfare Reform addresses the important need for social work to address not only individual problems, but instead look at the larger system contexts to address the change process from the triggering forces. Some of the key points or assumptions addressed in this publication are, “Poverty, addiction, and violence are co-conspirators, rarely working alone.” If the larger system contexts are failing such as employment availability or placement, the downward slide is anticipated. When you look at addictions and crime rates or any other societal issues at a personal individual level, you will always be able to trace it to a larger systematic source or reason (Woolis, Nakashian, Fox, James, Gephart, and Marsick, 2001).
Taking a look into my own personal issues surrounding my life, each issue has a broader source that led to smaller problems demanding immediate attention. A larger systems context that has been greatly affecting my life since my moving between NY and AL has been the availability of jobs. I left an established, decent paying position to relocate to Alabama where my mother and siblings have been for several years now (I missed my mom). I decided to leave NY at that point because my crew at the place I worked was getting a layoff for 1 to 4 months.
I stayed for 8 months, and I decided that as a single mother, I wasn’t able to really make it in Alabama financially, and problems I had long since forgotten between siblings were an issue as well. I came back to NY where my friends were very abruptly with only my last pay check and a helpful friend offering her home until I could get on my feet.
I did get a minimum wage job with very few hours right away so that helped, and two weeks later I got a second minimum wage job. The hours between the jobs conflicted, so I let the first job go hoping to get more hours from the second. I also picked up cleaning jobs from friends of friends that I actually was able to make decent cash doing, and during hours I was available. I was able to collect up enough money within a month to get into my own apartment. It is a lot smaller than we need, but with the money and job situation what it is, its all that I can possibly do alone right now.
The larger system context being lack of jobs, has made it very difficult to get on my feet, and therefore has made several other impacts on all our daily lives. The larger system contexts people have to work and live by are like the center of a spider web in our daily lives. The smaller, everyday issues that stem from the larger system context can be the ones that make us or break us, and this is the concept that provides careers for human service providers. The general human services goal is to help people through the immediate contexts in their lives stemming from the larger system contexts which we may also have a hand in changing through advocating for change in broader societal aspects.
References
Dietz, C. (Fall 2000). RESHAPING CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM. Journal of Social Work Education, 36(3), 503-520. Retrieved May 15, 2009, Education Research Complete database.
Dinerman, Miriamb (2003).Fundamentalism and Social Work. Affilia 18: 249-253
Woolis, Diana D, Mary Nakashian, Lynda Fox, Susan James, Martha A. Gephart and Victoria J. Marsick (June 2001). "Learning Our Way through Welfare Reform." Policy & Practice of Public Human Services. 59. 2 :28. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. 16 May. 2009.
