Reading Reflection: The Importance of Adaptability

Week 11: Reading Reflection
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A family comprises different people with various beliefs, and every family has distinct characteristics, culture, and set of norms. Therefore, dealing with various families in the line of social work requires broad understanding and specific skills. These were tackled during our discussion in week 11, where the practical skills for working with families were elaborated.
One of the readings in week 11 involves Greene & Cohen’s (2005) study of social workers' interactions with older adults and their families. The authors analyzed the appropriate modes of interactions with the aging population based on the socio-economic and demographic changes. The changes are necessary because the changing environments lead to alterations in perspectives and beliefs of the elderly through time. Consequently, the practice models in understanding the aging populations have also changed, from Erikson’s eight-stage theory to the family systems theory. All of these changes necessitate adaptation from the social workers. The authors suggest that the social workers must improve their independence and resiliency to enhance their skills, thereby increasing their social work interventions' effectiveness. Their improvement can lead to developing survival skills in the aging population to help them cope with challenging events.
The following reading tackled the norms of the Arab families that are directed to their mental health and its connection with their spirituality. The most prevalent religion in Central Asia is Islam, which is also the most common religion of the Arabs. For them, spirituality is an integral part of their mental health. Therefore, the social workers need to acknowledge, read, and investigate their religious practices to relate to them better and help them build a socially justified environment (Hall & Livingston, 2006).
Both of these readings shared a common theme, which is adaptability. As social workers, we need to have a deep understanding of our clients because a superficial understanding of them would only lead to shallow solutions to their problems. By contrast, a deep understanding of all of the factors affecting their current state would help the social workers devise a strategy that can genuinely mitigate their problems.
Based on experience, the best way to have a deep understanding of our clients is to accept that each person has distinct characteristics, and our differences should not define us. We need to find common ground to achieve an excellent understanding of each other’s situations. This should also be accompanied by broad reading and practicing and using culturally sensitive words and actions. Aside from these, we should acknowledge our client’s position in their families and society in general, and lastly, we must suggest solutions that are culturally and spiritually sensitive.
All-in-all, week 11 discussed the importance of adaptability and the importance of gaining sufficient knowledge and information before responding to a situation. By doing this, we can genuinely help our clients.
References
Greene, R., & Cohen, H. (2005). Social work with older adults and their fa...