All social workers must know their own strengths, weaknesses, perceptual biases, and professional growth needs. The process of self-awareness is never ending for the professional helper. Reflection is a useful skill in cultivating self-awareness and in determining what did or did not work in a given situation and what could be done differently in the future. Reflection also contributes to the social worker identifying new perspectives and building strengths and solutions to self and client-related issues.

Reflective journaling is a common tool that helps to improve personal and professional awareness. In addition, self-reflection increases critical thinking, which can lead to the successful evaluation of self-practice and self-assessment skills, along with reflection of feelings.

In this Assignment, you engage in self-reflection, much like you will as a social work professional engaged in journaling.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-page reflection in which you:

• Identify a time when you were extremely upset or angry. Explain the circumstances and who was involved in the situation.
• Reflect on why this situation upset you. Have you been angry over a similar situation before?
• Identify the values in this scenario, and reflect on how this example represents or doesn’t represent who you are as a person.
• Reflect on how you could have viewed this scenario differently and not become angry.