The third value in the National
Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is the value of Dignity and
Worth of the Person. In this third installment of our series: Social Work
Values in Supervision, we will be reviewing this value as it pertains to
Supervision. Be sure to check out Part 1 Service and Part
2 at besupervised.blogspot.com.
The values covered in this
series will be: Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of a Person,
Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence in this order.
Value: Dignity and Worth of
the Person
Ethical Principle:
“Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of
the person. Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful
fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.
Social workers promote clients' socially responsible self-determination. Social
workers seek to enhance clients' capacity and opportunity to change and to
address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual
responsibility to clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve
conflicts between clients' interests and the broader society's interests in a
socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and
ethical standards of the profession.” (NASW)
When
our colleagues self-determine that their career path includes clinical level
licensure is it not the ethical responsibility of other Social Workers around
them to help them achieve this goal? As Social Workers are to assist others in addressing their own needs, it can be seen as
the responsibility of clinically licensed professionals to aide their
colleagues in this endeavor through supervision. Additionally, since helping
improve the clinical level skills of our colleagues ensures that a broader mass
of our profession is practicing to their highest potential, this can affect not
just our colleagues but also society as a whole.
Application in
Supervision
Ensuring
the social worker leaves each session energized and excited about applying new
learnings or techniques in their day-to-day work is important. In session the
social worker will be exposing their weaknesses and be highly vulnerable, it’s
important for the Supervisor to continually thank the supervisee for trusting
them and opening up. This will not only help the supervisee feel safe and
valued, but also models the value of Dignity and Worth of the Person by
honoring their vulnerability. Practicing an effective coaching technique during
sessions can help ensure the Supervisor doesn’t take the role of “teller”, i.e.
telling the supervisee what to do, but instead takes the role of coach by helping
them to discover the solution for themselves thus building their self-esteem
and the realization that they are able to handle situations and develop
solutions.
When considering the value of
Dignity and Worth of the Person in context to Social Work supervision it is
important to remember that each Social Worker already brings with them the
tools and experience needed to succeed. The Supervisor is merely there to help
guide the Supervisee to discover this truth within themselves. Supervisors can
also effectively model this value to their supervisees by thanking them for
being vulnerable and validating their experience.
Please leave a comment
and let us know your thoughts on this article. If you liked what you read
please like our blog, besupervised.blogspot.com, or follow us on Facebook (@LISWSupervision),
or on LinkedIn at Be Supervised.
Resources
National
Association of Social Workers (1996). The
Code of Ethics for the National Association of Social Workers.
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