This weeks reading reminds us of the importance of silence. I find great knowledge in silence. I find if I am able to really listen to what people are saying it brings me a greater understanding. This allow me to see the vision of their experiences. I enjoy listen to people speak of their life so I can gain different perspectives on issues. I think listening is a skill we need to continue to practice.
I enjoyed what Paulo Freire's statement of "Emphasize our own voice so much that we impose silence on our students". I see how applicable this is to the field of social work. It is extremely important as a social worker we learn to be silent and not impose our voice on our clients. This would allow for them to express their circumstances, work through their feelings and come to a resolution which will best fit them. Then we will be able to see what direction the client wants to take their life and we can offer guidance.
Reference:
Dunlap, L. (2007). Undoing the Silence: Six Tools for Social Change Writing. Oakland: New Village Press.
Jodie, I love the color choice here, its inspirational. I think its so important for us as social workers to listen to our clients. We were in a training recently on motivating resistent clients or motivational interviewing (I don't remember) but a technique that was mentioned was asking a client a question and then taking whatever amount of time is required for them to respond. This time of silence is important. It allows the client to think and it allows you to truly be present in the moment. I think often people feel silence is awkward, but really it is an important time to be conscience about what needs to be said and sometimes what needs to be said is nothing.
ReplyDeleteI use this technique often. The client really knows that I am interested in what they will say. They acknowledge that I listen to them and then I validate what they say so I know I have heard them correctly.
DeleteI agree, it was indeed a good read. The city life is distracting and often require us to multitask. As a result, we often hear, but do not listen. The silence has often helped me reach a new level of perspective I might never see otherwise. When stressed, remember to take a moment of silence and reflect on your work. Regarding social work, I believe in Quality over quantity.
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