Critical Case Reflection 2

 

 

All names have been changed to preserve the confidentiality of clients.

 


 


Description:
I have not had much interaction with my internship during these last 2 weeks, but I have had some other interactions in my life that I feel would be beneficial to process.

Currently, my husband and I are looking to buy a home. In our search, we have found a four-plex that is in need of some TLC but would also provide a nice financial stream. My mother-in-law Mary came into town for memorial weekend to help us in this search. After we had viewed the place, we gathered at an Aunt's home for a BBQ and were considering advantages and disadvantages of this purchase. Previously, Mary had told my husband and me to be careful with taking cousin Joe's price estimates for the repairs. And also, to be aware that, although he has the best intentions and says he can do the work for us, he is very busy and may not get it done in a timely manner.

Well, as we discussed the pros and cons, Joe chimed in with price estimates to expect for the needed repairs. I found myself ignoring him, and doubting his competence as a professional in construction. I did not want to listen to him even speak about the matter.

See below to find out what was really happening.


Assessment:
In my professional opinion, I believe I was portraying characteristics of co-dependency because, my mother-in-law, whom I love, respect and am often intimidated by warned to be careful in what we believed, and I then stuck to that in an extreme manner. I was not even willing to consider what he was saying and then find out if it was true. I was not confident enough in my own judgment or in being seen as holding an opposing view to my mother-in-law's. I simple discounted what he was saying. In reality, it is not Joe that I have the issue with it is Mary.



Personal Position:
I do believe that because I find Mary intimidating at times and do not wish to offend her, I have subjected myself to her viewpoints, at least in front of her. This pattern of behavior is detrimental to any relationship, and especially in my social work professional relationships. When I am not able to be genuine and feel comfortable in being open, I am being deceitful which goes against my core values. In order to truly be happy, I need to live in harmony with my values. I could easily end up unhappy with my relationship with my mother-in-law or others and it would be because I was not confident in my competence to make my own evaluations on situations.



Varying Perspective:
Mary is a very accomplished woman who wants nothing but the best for her children, including to not being a nosy in-law. I now believe she was just trying to communicate to us to listen to Joe but to double check for ourselves the given numbers. In no way did she want to turn us against him or make us feel he is incompetent.

If she knew that I was feeling the way I do, such as intimidation, she would be saddened because I do not feel comfortable to speak my mind around her. She is an assertive woman who loves it when others can reciprocate assertiveness.

In addition, Joe was trying to be helpful to us by sharing his knowledge of construction. He did not desire to lead us into an unwise investment.



Future Action:
Unless, I work on becoming more independent and interdependent in my relationships, I stand the risk of hurting my clients and not going to with an unbiased open-minded perspective. For example, if as a social worker I receive a client and a supervisor or someone I respect, admire, feel intimidated by, etc, makes comments about that individual, my judgment may be skewed towards them. I desire to do the best for my clients, so starting now (and continuing on) I will ask myself when working with others, "Why do I feel this way towards them?" "What could be skewing my judgment?" "Am I afraid of being seen as wrong by others?"

I believe that as I ask these questions, I will be able to 1) become more confident in why I am assessing the individual/situation the way I am leading to a decrease of co-dependent behaviors and 2) identify what factors are contributing to my judgments. It is my hope and desire that as I become more self aware, I will be better able to see the needs of and effectively assist my clients.


 

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