SWK301: At the Start of the Session, my co-worker and I Apologized for not Being Able to Fulfill the Home Visit Previously due to an Urgent Case: Social Work Practicum and Field Seminar Coursework, SUSS, Singapore

Student’s overall impressions of the interview:

At the start of the session, my co-worker and I apologized for not being able to fulfill the home visit previously due to an urgent case. However, the client was still appreciative of our efforts to set aside time to visit and hear him out.

I felt that the client was friendly and comfortable enough to open up and share his story despite it being our first interaction. Hence, a considerable amount of time was spent on information gathering. Although he did most of the talking, I actively listened throughout the sessionand responded in a low, empathetic voice to ensure that he felt heard and understood. At the same time, it was an attempt to establish rapport with the client.

There were times when I found myself stuck during the session; perhaps not knowing how to attend to certain matters due to my lack of experience and knowledge.One example would be whenhe expressedhis willingness to try other jobsif he has gotten better.At that point of time, I was unsure of how I should respond to the client. During the debrief with my co-worker, I realised that I could have advised the client to take things one at a time and cross the bridge when we get there.

I also found myself refraining from sharing some information with the client for the fear that I could be mistaken. For instance, when the client mentioned about the financial burden of having to pay for his medications, I held back from sharing with him about how he could request for the assistance of a medical social worker at the polyclinic. I was afraid if I could be wrong. Instead, I asked whether he has applied for the CHAS card for higher subsidies.

In conclusion, although I manage to bring uptopics such as housing, family, financial and health issues during the session, the questions were only on the surface level. I hope to learn and develop more in depth questions with more practice and experience over time.

 Student’s reflection on skills used:

Personally, I found it rather tedious to practice certain social work skills during the session. Back in school, I became so accustomed to hearing attending phrases, such as “I can see that” or “I can sense that, in English. As such, it was rather challenging for me to translate on the spot and use such phrases to show that I am actively listening to the client.

Nonetheless, I felt that the session was based a lot on my engagement, interviewing and basic communication skills. For example, in terms of verbal communication, there were instances where I would try torestate, paraphrase and summarise to show that I heard or understood what was being said. On top of that, Iused non-verbal behaviours.

This refers to my body language, such as positioning my body to face the client, leaning forward and nodding of head throughout the session to indicate empathy and understanding to encourage the client to share more. I found these skills to be important and usefulin making the client feel engaged and comfortable to share more information that will be beneficial in this helping relationship.

Student’s questions about the interview:

If I were to encounter a similar experience in future, what should I do if I am unsure of how to address their thoughts, hopes and/or feelings at the moment? One example would be when the client seemed discouraged as he was sharing how the chances of him being recontracted by his employer is low.

During the session itself, I did not know how to respond to the client’s laments and continued the conversation by asking whether the client is still receiving salary for the company since he is currently on paid sick leave.In other words, I shifted the client’s focus to the facts of what has already happened instead of imagining what might happen in the future.

Student’s plan for future contact and activity:

Client’s stress is largely attributed to his financial concerns regarding his housing arrears, medical bills and his personal expenses. This is especially because he is the sole breadwinner of the family and is at risk of losing his job and essentially, his income. As of now, we managed to get a donor to provide client with food rations through Pass-It-On website.

This will help to reduce the financial burden of having to purchase by himself. The client has also applied for financial assistance from SSO and MUIS but have yet to be approved. Hence, during future contact, I would need to check in to see whether there are any updates on his financial application. In terms of medical bills, client is now aware that he can speak to a medical social worker for assistance at the polyclinic.

Based on my judgement, it would be better to write in to HDB to request for a lower rental fee rather than requesting for a waiver to clear off his housing arrears. This is to discourage dependency or over reliance on social services. Lastly, client has agreed to forward the thread of emails between systems such as ICA and the hospital to keep us in the loop and updated about his family’s immigration issues.