Introduction

All MSW students are required to write a reflection paper in the final semester of each of their field internships describing their developing knowledge, skills, values, critical thinking, judgment, self-reflection and self-regulation. The reflection focuses specifically on Competency 2 – Engage in Diversity and Difference and Competency 3 – Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic and Environmental Justice.
You should write about both competencies, addressing all the guiding questions. Your written reflections/examples should be a minimum of one page, single-spaced, for each competency.

The assignment description that follows explains the purpose of the reflections, the two competencies you are asked to address, practice Indicators that describe what the competency looks like in the work you are doing, some guiding questions for you to answer as you write your reflection and examples from your internship assignments that would demonstrate your professional development related to these two competencies. The reflection assignment for your advanced internship will build on what you have achieved in the foundation year, with the expectation that your knowledge, skills, values, critical thinking and self-reflection will be broader and deeper, and will be more integrated into the roles and responsibilities you have as an advanced placement student.

Purpose of the Reflections

The reflections are designed for you to demonstrate:

• new knowledge and skills you have developed
• values that have changed or been strengthened
• your critical thinking and self-reflection
• challenges you have encountered and how you have addressed them
• areas for continued growth and development.

Competency 2: Engage in Diversity and Difference is defined by CSWE as follows:
Social workers understand how diversity and difference characterize and shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including but not limited to age, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, marital status, political ideology, race, religion/spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim. Social workers also understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions, may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create privilege and power.

To demonstrate competence in this area of social work practice you would:

• apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels;
• present yourself as a learner and engage clients and constituencies as experts of their own experiences;
• demonstrate self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of your personal biases and values in your work with clients and constituencies from diverse backgrounds.

Guiding Questions:

1. Reflect on your personal history and life experiences (for example, family values and resources, the communities in which you lived, your experience with differences, discrimination, privilege). How did these contribute to your decision to become a social worker?
2. What were your first impressions of your agency with regard to the community served, services provided, accessibility, agency culture and environment, staff – consider these through the lens of diversity and difference.
3. Did you and your field instructor discuss diversity and reflect upon your biases, values, and assumptions in supervision? If so, describe who initiated these conversations, how frequently was this a focus in supervision, what you learned from these discussions, were you able to apply what you learned to your work clients?
4. Describe one interaction with a client, family, group or constituent(s) where you applied some of the skills, knowledge, insights you learned in supervision? For example, how did you bring up the differences in culture, race, socio-economic status, age, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation? Were there times when you made a conscious decision not to bring these issues up?
5. Have you experienced or witnessed microagressions in your work with clients or in your agency or community? What were your thoughts and feelings and did you do or say anything in the moment? Did you discuss this with your field instructor and if so, what was the outcome of that conversation? If not, was there a reason you didn’t tell your field instructor? Did you discuss this incident(s) with anyone else in the agency?
6. Describe areas for continued growth and learning.