Communication

 Communication is important b/c the social worker can’t assess or help with intervention if the client won’t talk. It’s the social worker’s job to get the client to feel safe enough to open up about even taboo subjects in sessions to help with the work. The social worker can do this by observing the client’s communication skills and taking into account the history of the client as well as the client’s non-verbal cues that can indicate if they are hiding something or holding back parts of what they really want to share. The social worker can also help the client feel safe by using the client’s words and making statements at a level the client can understand.

a)                 Verbal ­– this consists of the words that a sender and receiver of a message exchange. First the sender formulate a message and then transmits it to a receiver. The receiver interprets the message using their own social and cultural filter developed by their own experiences. Many things hinder the sending of a message such as background noise, speech impairments, language differences (even differences in understanding of vocab). The receiver then processes the information they received, throw out some of it and rearrange the rest into patterns that they are familiar with and formulate an opinion. The next step is feedback which may be nonverbal or verbal. If it is verbal,  it tends to continue the conversation and the receiver then becomes the sender. Feedback can also include the receiver restating what the sender originally stated in order to check to make sure that the full understanding of the original message was received.

b)                 Nonverbal  consists of everything that was not said but that can be observed and adds to communication. This includes posture, body orientation, gestures, touching, clothing/physical appearance, personal space, territoriality, facial expressions, and voice. All of this indicates messages to and from sender and receiver.

c)                  Action Communication – professionals have found over the years that some people, especially children, cannot just sit there and talk. They talk more easily when they are doing something. This can be play as with children or making something physical like an art creation. This not only gives them an outlet to feel more comfortable talking but also gives a physical outlook for the social worker to see what they created and might give the social worker some insight into their feelings/thoughts.

 

Walker, V. & Brokaw, L. (2004). Becoming Aware, 9^th ed. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

Zastrow, C.H. & Kirst-Ashman, KK. (2004). Understanding Human Beahvior and the Social Environment, 6^th ed. Brooks/Cole.