A Reflective Piece On Communication Skills Used

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Communication is a vital skill in social work practice because social work is underpinned by human relationships (Thompson, 2002). It is a tool that can be improved with reflection, experience, training and knowledge. Effective communication acknowledges that it involves interaction between two or more people. There are many kinds of communication to include but I found that I mainly used verbal, body language such as nodding in agreement and so on. Speaking with service users who have a mental health problem can be quite challenging in some cases (Kaprowska, 2005). There is, therefore a heavy dependence for carers and support workers presence to facilitate effective communication. Diggings (2004) Suggests that social workers often speak with service user’ key worker or carer rather than directly with the service user. This can have a negative impact on the service user as they can feel that they are not valued. I identified that I had to refocus discussions because the service user I was working with tended to digress. It proved to be a testing experience because I was not always sure exactly when to or how to draw in the conversation without causing offence to the service user or appearing to be in a rush. On reflection, I realized that being honest and upfront with the service user would have been a more professional way of dealing with the situation as stated by the GSCC Codes of Practice (2002, 2.1; 2.2) There was a need for empathic communication during the interview. Using appropriate reactions and facial expressions facilitate this. Given the importance of the housing issue to the service user, I had to be aware of how I spoke with him by using sensitive language and showing concern but also through trying to get the important issues across (Thompson, 2002). I took a notepad and pen into the interview with a view to record what was
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