Working with a Difference

Different people across the world have different backgrounds and the experiences they have gone through to achieve the much they have. The distinctions among the people in the world can be classified based on a diversity class. Under the diversity class, people can be categorized according to their characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, spirituality, and social, economic status, among others. The different people have different stories to tell, an advantage of working together with people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. For instance, people from different levels of social, economic statuses can narrate on the challenges and the breakthroughs they have gone through in life. The first classification of diversity I have encountered is spirituality. Among the social workers, it is common to handle clients who have distinct religious beliefs and conform to different spirituality patterns. The various assessment approaches have been developed to classify the clients' views. One of the models is spiritual histories. The past spiritual life of the client has shaped their thinking in a particular way that enables them to have their current behavior. The other approaches are spiritual ecograms, life maps, genograms, and ecomaps. The spiritual paths have also characterized the various coworkers I have dealt with throughout my career journey (Hodge, 2005). Other than the spiritual aspects of the clients, their culture and identity aspects also count in their diversity, and especially in the behaviors, they exhibit as the social workers are attending them. The role of social worker has determined the kind of relationships that I have been forming with the clients who keep requiring my services. Those I have been cold to also be cold to me, and those I have been polite to ensure they treat me with the respect I deserve. Some theories address the behaviors that are exhibited between the social workers and their clients. They apply to the everyday scenarios in the social work cases. As a social worker, it is inevitable to increase my exposure to people who are different to me and have very different experiences from mine. The following are the steps that I make use of to handle them professionally. Firstly, I am usually open to learning the new things that I do not know of as far as the other cultures are concerned. I become a fan of the clients' stories and the reiteration of their day-to-day experiences. Secondly, I make myself aware of the differences in the social norms among my clients. I do not assume their feelings and behaviors unless they tell me themselves (Grady & Dombo, 2016). The third step is always to assume that my world and that of the clients are different. I perceive different cultures and beliefs as different worlds in a bigger world of oneness in humanity. Therefore, when my clients come to seek social work services, I treat them as belonging to a world that is different from mine concerning the norms and the behaviors. The fourth step is to consider what I am likely to reflect on others. Cultural practices may serve as a lens, which focuses on some issues and reflects on the others. Therefore, I recognize that my behavior is capable of hurting the clients and monitor it each time I have to interact with them (Grady & Dombo, 2016). The other step is to be open when discussing the cultural and spiritual differences with my clients. I am always careful not to squabble over our differences with a particular client when he or she behaves in a way that contradicts what I believe and feel is best. Above all, I am aware that I am not entirely free of bias. To fix that, I always make sure I practice mitigation of bias when I am dealing with my clients (Grady & Dombo, 2016).

References

Grady, M. D., & Dombo, E. A. (2016). Moving Beyond Assessment: A practical guide for Beginning helping professionals. Oxford University Press. Hodge, D. R. (2005). Developing a spiritual assessment toolbox: A discussion of the strengths And limitations of five different assessment methods. Health & Social Work, 30(4), 314-323.