Social Worker should understand the way how to reflect after meeting or during the meeting to review what should we do what action plan should to implement and follow up. The goal of reflecting skill and empathy are:
- Understanding how people experience different emotions.
- Showing that you understand how someone can think, fell or behave the way they do.
- Reflecting their experiences
- Reflecting their behavior
- Reflecting their feelings and emotions
- Reflecting their point of view
- Checking for Accuracy
As above goals can be achieved with reflecting skill and empathy. The person will feel they have the support and understanding of others. It will encourage the personal problems so that new points of view can be considered. The group members will become more accepting of different experiences, behavior and emotions and reduce discrimination. The person will be able to see their thought, feelings and reduce discrimination. The person’s anxiety, depression or worries maybe reduced as thy share them with others. The person can begin to see the connection between their thoughts, feelings and behavior and make necessary changes. The person’s self-esteem will improve when they feel empathy and understanding.
Common Mistakes When Reflecting:
- Reflecting at the wrong time and disrupting the discussion.
- Reflecting too much depth of feeling before the person is ready.
- Using language that the person does not understand.
- Agreeing with the person’s feelings, behavior, or thoughts (sympathy).
- Making the person think you feel sorry for them or think their situation is hopeless.
- Ignoring the person’s non-verbal messages.
- Not checking to find out if out it you reflection is accurate.
As fundamental of basic counseling, reflecting skill and empathy are very importance for the Social Worker to apply when they go to work with the community.
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