Chapter Two Summery

Chapter two discusses the knowledge and skills every social worker needs to be successful. I learned that besides social work practice, there are several other areas that are very important in the social work field. The four main areas are human behavior and social environment, social welfare policy and programs, social work practice, and social work research methods. I didn’t know in order to be a successful social worker we must also be researchers. We must always continue learning and researching new methods because social work constantly changes. In order to carry out these areas and be a truly skilled social worker, we must be conscious- knowing what needs to be done, purposeful- knowing what the objective is, disciplined in order to control impulses, and being responsible and considerate of clients, other social workers, and society. Remembering these values and ethics reminds us that we are professionals who serve others.  Applying these skills and ethics, along with always remembering the four core knowledgeable areas, it helps us to follow the service mission of social work. Once we understand this, we can follow through with our main goals as social workers. According to the text that is “modifying attitudes, feelings, perceptions, or behaviors; improving interpersonal relationships or communication; facilitating decision making; enhancing adaptation and coping capacity; or sustaining or enhancing mental or physical comfort and functioning.” Social workers must always continue to learn in order to successfully complete all these tasks at hand, and to make clients as happy and comfortable as possible. I will always remember this when I begin practicing social work.

Reference: 

Cowles, L. A. F. (Ed.). (2003). Social work in the health field: A care  perspective. (2nd ed.) Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.