Social Background
I have a BSc Hons Social Work Degree from Buckinghamshire New University in the United Kingdom. I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, where I grew up until I moved to the (UK) when I was 25 years old. I am the oldest of my five siblings, all daughters.
Growing up in Zimbabwe, my parents made sure me and my siblings got an education when some families favored to send only male offspring to school. It is not uncommon to find that even today some communities still discriminate against education for the 'girl child'.
An African proverb says "If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family - and a whole nation".
Although I believe that education is very important for every child, I wouldn't have reached this milestone if it wasn't for my parents' hard work and support, which gave me a foundation for success. As a black woman, diversity and inclusion means that those who have grown up outside one of the ‘privileged’ classes have real equality of opportunity. This is very personal for me, because I certainly didn’t grow up with a sense of privilege, and that is why I’m so passionate about creating an environment where anyone can achieve his or her full potential.
I feel like this course has enabled me to Intervene with clients in a way that encourages professional growth, while empowering the client by not providing them with answers/solutions to their ‘problems’.
Personal Values and Beliefs
In the process of growing up, most people develop a system of values which are influenced by their environments in the widest sense (this includes family, school, community, cultural and wider social environments), by their experiences and by their reflections on both. Through such influences we acquire some idea of what matters most to us – of what we value – and develop a system of personal values, which we eventually bring into our social work. Some of those values may be widely shared within society and some might be held by certain groups within the population. My personal values come from my 'zezuru/shona' heritage from Zimbabwe. They were shaped by my parents, family and community.
It is likely that not all of your values will fit in easily with the values you encounter in social work, so it is important to note that social work practice is likely to challenge at least some of the values you hold. While it is important to understand your own value base there are also values that it is expected that all social workers adhere to in their professional practice, which are articulated in professional frameworks.
Clinical Skills
In the Advanced Clinical Interviewing class, we were asked to make a picture collage to illustrate individual levels of knowledge and skill as a clinical practitioner. The intention was to create a meaningful connection, and illustrate how we see ourselves and our work, while considering where we would like to be heading. Beyond the Basics illustrates the knowledge, experience and skill I had at the beginning of the program. I would like to believe that I was a Jar half full and the MSW program brought me a step forward towards my career goals. The Bees signify working collaboratively with other professionals, and working with groups to focus on promoting cultural or institutional change. As a therapist, I am aware of the different social work practice models highlighted by the Fruit kebabs. These practice models influence social work interventions with clients. I would like to see my practice ethic as ‘working together’ illustrated by the two individuals walking together with the client and we are both implicated in the therapy process. The shoes are bold and represent the power and privilege clinicians have over clients and how it should be used in pursuit of social justice and social change.
Clinical Skills conti...
Our clients come to 'Us' with a lot of issues depicted by the picture with the individual sitting across a pile of things and it's the role of the therapist to help them sort through them and find the 'problem'. Self care is a fundamental for social care professional to self-regulate personal, physical, and mental health for the prevention of burn-out and professional fatigue. The feather was my most favourite piece on this collage. The feathers mean a lot to the Indigenous people and tribes of Canada. It is said to symbolize trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, freedom and many more things. In represents the indigenous culture, way of life and spirituality. As a clinician working with indigenous populations, I am aware of the need to be culturally sensitive and promote “Cultural approaches, as they are essential areas for Indigenous people to move forward in healing from colonization” ( Linklater, 2014, p. 20).
Linklater, R. (2014). Decolonizing trauma work: Indigenous stories and strategies. Blackwood, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
Course Readings
Baskin, C. & Sinclair, D. (2015) Social work and Indigenous peoples in Canada: International and Global Issues, Populations and Practices Settings, Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Online Publications
Blackstock, C. (2011). Why if Canada wins, equality and justice lose: The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations Child Welfare. Children Youth Services Review, 33. 187-194.
Canadian Association of Social Workers, (2005). Code of Ethics.
Coakley, T. M. & Gruber, K. (2015). Cultural receptivity among foster parents: Implications for quality transcultural parenting. Social Work Research, 39(1). 11-21
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Dominelli, L. (2002) Anti-Oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice. Hampshire: Palgrave Fulton, A. E., Pullen-Sansfaçon, A., Brown, M., Éthier, S., & Graham, J. R. (2016). Migrant social workers, foreign credential recognition and securing employment in Canada: A qualitative analysis of pre-employment experiences. Canadian Social Work Review, 33(1), 65-86.,
King, T. (2012) The Inconvenient Indian: A curious account of the Native People in North America. Anchor. Canada
Knight, C. (2015). Trauma-informed social work practice: Practice considerations and challenges. Clinical Social Work Journal, 43(1), 25-37.
Kufeldt, K., & McKenzie, B. (2012). Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy & Practice (2nd ed.). Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Linklater, R. (2014). Decolonizing trauma work: Indigenous stories and strategies. Blackwood, NS: Fernwood Publishing
Millar, M. (2008). “Anti-oppressiveness”: Critical comments on a discourse and its context. British Journal of Social Work, 38(2), 362-375.
Sakamoto, I. & Pitner, R. O. (2005). Use of Critical Consciousness in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice: Disentangling Power Dynamics at Personal and Structural Levels, The British Journal of Social Work, 35(4), 435–452.
Thompson, N. & Pascal, J. (2012). Developing critically reflective practice. Reflective practice, 13(2), 311-325.