Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional
Behavior
The majority of New Hope Housing's ethical dilemmas involved reporting and confidentiality. The most severe case I had with the young adult was with a client who was being domestically abused. She informed me about her abusive boyfriend, and she was fearful of what would happen to her if she reported what was occurring to the shelter. The issue of the dilemma between the confidentiality right of the patient and protecting her was an issue that I had to confront. I consulted my supervisor and proceeded with the agency's process while providing trauma-informed care with her requirements being prioritized at the top. The experience also confirmed the rights-based framework of ethical practice by safeguarding clients in social work.
My experience also highlights the importance of establishing and maintaining professional boundaries.
I learned to establish and maintain professional boundaries from my field practice. While working in ECNV, I had clients who educated me about their disability and the problem of accessibility in which they struggle with. As my nature, I would want to trade my experience for building a healthy working relationship with the client, but in this case, I had to be aware of their boundaries and refrain from that.
I recall one client with whom I used to work would sometimes call me beyond office hours to chat and seek emotional support.
I knew their struggle was genuine, but I also knew that too much sympathy would create dependency rather than self-motivation.
With the help of my supervisor, I clarified the time when the client would be able to reach me and reasserted the importance of client autonomy and professional ethics. At New Hope Housing, the challenge was unique: upholding ethical integrity in community partner relationships. In one instance, a housing agency offered referral fees, and I had to raise an ethical concern of conflict of interest. I needed to decide whether the partnership was ethical based on the moral standards of the NASW. I had gone through the NASW Code of Ethics and discussed with my peers, and I suggested a client-referred system. The system was structured to eliminate any kind of influence by incentives so that the best interests of the client were always maintained. Self-Reflection and Self-Regulation in Action I have been able to make self-reflection a useful component of my professional development.
Social work is thinking work, and I soon realized that I would burn out if I did not develop self-awareness.
At GMU, I was instructed that supervision and self-care are the keys to ethical practice.
The most radical discovery for me was the understanding of how my values and biases influence my practice. At ECNV, I became frustrated with clients who were not following the services that I felt would be of most benefit to them. In supervision and reflection, I came to understand the underlying value of self-determination in social work – clients do have the right to make their own decisions, even if the decisions we do make are not the ones that we feel best for them. This paradigm shift improved my client-centeredness and understanding of the client's place in the process. For New Hope Housing, the process with the homeless clients is one where there is a need for self-regulation. It was difficult emotionally to listen to the stories of struggle and resilience of the clients and have to remind myself that I could not do everything. Rather, I used empowerment and advocacy to empower clients with the care and tools necessary to assist them in meeting their objectives while remaining professionally unbiased.
The Ethical Practice at the Micro, mezzo, and Macro Levels Professional and ethical behavior is applicable at all levels of social work practice:
Micro-Level (Families and Individuals): I ensured trauma-informed care in ECNV to enable people with disabilities to become independent and make their own decisions.
Mezzo-Level (Groups and Organizations): I engaged interprofessional practice among mental health professionals at New Hope Housing so that ethical values were considered while managing cases.
Macro-Level (Communities and Policies): Within practice at the two agencies, I have encouraged housing policies open to all persons, as NASW mandates when advocating for social justice.
Conclusion Competency 1: Demonstrating Professional and Ethical Conduct is the social work practice core competency. ECNV and New Hope Housing experience indicated professional boundaries, self-reflection, and ethical decision-making. The concepts were learned and applied at GMU, and I can now practice professionally in social work practice. Social work ethics transcend the codes and the ethical standards; they are at the core of ethical practice, integrity, and ethical commitment to vulnerable populations. I have become a professional, reflexive, and ethical social worker from my fieldwork and am prepared to apply the profession's values in every domain.
