Sowk300: Micro Practice. Chapter 4 - The Beginning Phase

In the beginning phase of working with a family, the FSW needs to complete several tasks. First, they should define the problem by considering the perceptions of all family members. This ensures that everyone's perspective is taken into account. Next, they need to establish goals and clarify the intervention process, which helps to provide a clear direction for the work ahead. Making contact with every family member is important to establish rapport and gather information from each individual. Lastly, contracting with the family means setting boundaries, expectations, and agreements for the therapeutic process. Therefore, all of the above tasks must be completed by the FSW in the beginning phase.

The correct answer is engaging the family in the helping process and assessing the problem with which the family is struggling. This is the first step in the beginning phase of the FSW's work. By engaging the family in the helping process, the FSW establishes a working relationship with the family and begins to understand their needs and concerns. Assessing the problem allows the FSW to gain a clear understanding of the challenges the family is facing and develop a plan to address them.

This response is an example of clarification because the FSW is seeking to understand and clarify the client's statement about feeling stressed. They are asking for confirmation and more specific details about the things that are causing the client's stress, such as losing their job, slipping grades, and potentially having to move from their apartment.

Noise refers to any factor that disrupts or interferes with the communication process. It can be physical noise such as loud sounds or distractions, as well as psychological noise such as preconceived ideas, biases, or emotional states. Noise can prevent effective communication by blocking or distorting the message, making it difficult for the receiver to understand or interpret the intended meaning. Therefore, noise is a significant dynamic that hinders the communication process.

Warmth is the quality that is essential for social workers as it involves communicating with clients in ways that convey acceptance, understanding, and interest in their well-being. It allows the social worker to make clients feel safe and comfortable, regardless of any external factors such as problematic behavior, demeanor, or appearance. Warmth creates a positive and supportive environment for clients, enabling effective communication and building trust between the social worker and the client.

The FSW has displayed a level 2 genuineness. This is because they have made a judgment about the client's relationship and stated that they shouldn't be in that kind of relationship. While they may be expressing their opinion, their response lacks empathy and understanding towards the client's situation.

Engagement involves creating a safe environment for open communication, developing a rapport with the family, and forming a therapeutic alliance between the social worker and all family members. It also involves maintaining a neutral stance, avoiding premature confrontation, and withholding interpretations until all relevant information is gathered. Therefore, all of the above tasks are part of the engagement process.

The given options do not accurately describe the two functions of communication. Communication serves the functions of conveying information and understanding between the speaker and listener, and also establishing and maintaining relationships. However, none of the provided options correctly state these functions.