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| A sense of anticipation as I stand on the 4th floor where the family therapists are based at. |
The administrative work at the placement has finally been settled and I have started my time with Hackney Social Care (HSC).
My bad for not understanding what social service is all about when I first responded to Grace's email on my preference. Having understood social services from the Singapore's context, I had assumed that the same, if not, similar, structure applies. Social services are provided by charities in Singapore and I have came to realize that this is not the case in the UK! In fact, they are regulated by the government here. Having been a social worker working in charities for a good part of my professional life and having to return to the same sector after graduation, I thought it will be a good opportunity to experience the way services working with families here operate and bring the learning back to Singapore. Nonetheless, other than the governing of the services, I am glad that there has not been too significant a difference in the way services organised itself around families in need.
I recalled the first thought when I stepped into HSC, "Wow!". Having spent years working in a small organisation with not more than 20 pax in the office, I was impressed with the mere size of this agency and more importantly, a sense that a lot of learning is going to take place at this place.
I had done some homework prior to my first visit and noted that HSC has been influential in establishing a systemic foundation for social work in the country. Being a social worker, that really excites me. Clinging very tightly to my familiarity with my identity as a social worker, it was comforting to know that I get to be in a place where I can interact extensively with both family therapists and social workers and see how these two professions come together to support a family. But yes, I have to constantly remind myself that I need to step out of my comfort zone in order to appreciate the best the programme, particularly the placement, can bring.
I started the placement with a number of nerve provoking concerns. Many of my fears revolving around my ability to fit into the context. I am a Chinese descent from an Asian country. A trainee having to deal with families who are possibly having conflicts with the system already. A female who has not donned a piece of lady's clothing since high school. Despite having English as a first language, brings with me an accent my fellow countrymen can identify me just by hearing me speak. Being unmarried and childless yet having to support families be more child oriented and child-safe. And what if I cannot remember or pronounce the names of the family members especially those from non English origin? Worst of all, what if I actually cannot catch what the family is saying? (Blame that on the long term exposure to American entertainment and the stereotype of the English accent!)
Many of these anxieties had proven itself inconsequential as I had conversations with my supervisor and participated in reflecting teams with her. I realized that many of these are self-imposed pressures. While GRRAACCEESS is a genuine consideration in our work with clients, it is important that I do not let them stand in the way of establishing a therapeutic relationship. The support and supervision from my supervisor allowed me to set aside a lot of my initial concerns.
I realized that ever I started appreciating GRRAACCESS and understand the role of power in systemic work, I began to view power differently. Previously, I saw it as an inevitable evil which I will have to tame. However, the appreciation of its facilitating and hindering forces led me to learn to work with it rather than against it. Particularly, Betrando's paper on having dialogues with clients led me to think how I can hold conversations around power issues such as what does it mean for the family when I am from a different ethnicity.
Ever since I started the programme, I have been hearing the word, "systemic". It baffles me a lot. Why is it that the tutors are emphasizing the uniqueness of the programme here as being systemic. I thought I had heard this word multiple times when I was having my social work training more than 10 years ago. The classic phrase, "person-in-environment" is akin to the living motto each social worker lives by. This idea never stops making its presence felt in my work. I wonder, am I going to learn something new here or it is a re-packaging of what I already knew.
I brought this curiosity to my supervisor at my placement when she asked me about my expectations. I asked her, being a social worker, I am unsure how do I draw the line between the scope of a social worker and a family therapy trainee. I am used to the expectation of a social worker having to take care of everything relating to a family's psycho-social and practical needs. Other than making sure that everyone in the family is not deprived of their basic needs, we are also expected to provide counselling to them in a bid to improve the family's lives. I had families coming to seek help for issues relating to parenting, domestic violence, marital and mental health. I am feeling confused. I do not know how is family therapy different from what I had learnt and practice as a social worker. I am hoping that through the programme and my experiences at the placement where there are actually separate job scopes for social workers and family therapist, I will get to learn more about the different professionals and how I can marry the tools I have in both areas to best support my work with families.
I had done some homework prior to my first visit and noted that HSC has been influential in establishing a systemic foundation for social work in the country. Being a social worker, that really excites me. Clinging very tightly to my familiarity with my identity as a social worker, it was comforting to know that I get to be in a place where I can interact extensively with both family therapists and social workers and see how these two professions come together to support a family. But yes, I have to constantly remind myself that I need to step out of my comfort zone in order to appreciate the best the programme, particularly the placement, can bring.
I started the placement with a number of nerve provoking concerns. Many of my fears revolving around my ability to fit into the context. I am a Chinese descent from an Asian country. A trainee having to deal with families who are possibly having conflicts with the system already. A female who has not donned a piece of lady's clothing since high school. Despite having English as a first language, brings with me an accent my fellow countrymen can identify me just by hearing me speak. Being unmarried and childless yet having to support families be more child oriented and child-safe. And what if I cannot remember or pronounce the names of the family members especially those from non English origin? Worst of all, what if I actually cannot catch what the family is saying? (Blame that on the long term exposure to American entertainment and the stereotype of the English accent!)
Many of these anxieties had proven itself inconsequential as I had conversations with my supervisor and participated in reflecting teams with her. I realized that many of these are self-imposed pressures. While GRRAACCEESS is a genuine consideration in our work with clients, it is important that I do not let them stand in the way of establishing a therapeutic relationship. The support and supervision from my supervisor allowed me to set aside a lot of my initial concerns.
I realized that ever I started appreciating GRRAACCESS and understand the role of power in systemic work, I began to view power differently. Previously, I saw it as an inevitable evil which I will have to tame. However, the appreciation of its facilitating and hindering forces led me to learn to work with it rather than against it. Particularly, Betrando's paper on having dialogues with clients led me to think how I can hold conversations around power issues such as what does it mean for the family when I am from a different ethnicity.
Ever since I started the programme, I have been hearing the word, "systemic". It baffles me a lot. Why is it that the tutors are emphasizing the uniqueness of the programme here as being systemic. I thought I had heard this word multiple times when I was having my social work training more than 10 years ago. The classic phrase, "person-in-environment" is akin to the living motto each social worker lives by. This idea never stops making its presence felt in my work. I wonder, am I going to learn something new here or it is a re-packaging of what I already knew.
I brought this curiosity to my supervisor at my placement when she asked me about my expectations. I asked her, being a social worker, I am unsure how do I draw the line between the scope of a social worker and a family therapy trainee. I am used to the expectation of a social worker having to take care of everything relating to a family's psycho-social and practical needs. Other than making sure that everyone in the family is not deprived of their basic needs, we are also expected to provide counselling to them in a bid to improve the family's lives. I had families coming to seek help for issues relating to parenting, domestic violence, marital and mental health. I am feeling confused. I do not know how is family therapy different from what I had learnt and practice as a social worker. I am hoping that through the programme and my experiences at the placement where there are actually separate job scopes for social workers and family therapist, I will get to learn more about the different professionals and how I can marry the tools I have in both areas to best support my work with families.
