Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Colleague 1
Empowerment Theory: 

Select feminist theory or empowerment theory. Summarize the underlying principles and values of the theory in 3 to 4 brief sentences:

I chose the Empowerment Theory some of the underlying principles of Empowerment Theory are to make connections between social and economic injustice and an individual’s pain and suffering. (Adams (2008). Empowerment Theory works with clients who are oppressed, women, African American women as well as individual who are in poverty. Values of Empowerment Theory allows social workers to help clients to build self-reflection skills on an issue that the client presents in therapy. Social workers help clients build problem solving and person-environment transactions, including the client’s role

and experience of oppression. (Germain &Gitterman, 1996).

Analyze the extent to which the underlying principles and values of the theory are consistent with the NASW Code of Ethics in 3 to 4 brief sentences:

The underlying principles and values of the Empowerment Theory are consistent with the NASW code of ethics including the value: Service which is to help people in need and to address social problems. The value: Social Justice which challenges social injustice that pursues social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people, and the value: Dignity and Worth of the Person which Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion and being culturally competent to other cultures other than the social workers own culture. (https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English). As a social worker it is important to ask the question “Because we are of different cultures, what is one thing about your culture that is different than mine that you would like me to know in order to better understand where you come from?”

Briefly describe a client from your fieldwork experience and their presenting problem in 2 to 3 sentences using the theory you selected:

    In my undergrad field experience I worked with first graders teaching them how to read and spell. Our inner city school has a large Burmese population. My client who was from Burma, and I was teaching her to read.I used the Empowerment Theory by helping her build her-self esteem. Other students made fun of her for not speaking English very well. I worked with her and an interpreter to help build her self esteem by telling her she had over come many obstacles. She had moved to a new country for a better life and is making new friends and speaking a new language.

Identify one ethical standard from the NASW Code of Ethics that would apply to the client you described:

I would apply the ethical standard 1.05 Cultural Awareness and Social Diversity to my client because she is of a different culture than I am it is important to understand the Burmese culture when working in the school system. The Burmese culture expects their children to succeed in school and get the best education available to them so their children will have careers such as engineers, doctors, and lawyers. The Burmese culture takes great pride and values education so the kids can have a better life than their parents were able to have in Burma. (https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English. )

Explain how the theory is consistent with the work you did with the client and the ethical standard:

The Empowerment Theory is consistent with the work I did because my student came from an oppressed culture in her homeland of Burma. Fleeing to America it allowed my client to become empowered to have a better life. This allowed her the opportunity to further her education so she was able to adhere to the cultural expectations of her parents regarding schooling in America.The ethical standards of cultural awareness and social diversity where met because my client through the interpreter was able to tell me what her culture expects from her parents regarding schooling and their expectations. In American standards and social diversity academics are second to extra circular activities where the Burmese hold academics above extra circular activities.

References

Adams,R. (2008). Empowerment, Participation and social work. Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Germain, C.B., & Gitterman, A. (1996). The life model of social work pratice (2nd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English.


REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Colleague 2

RE: Discussion - Week 7
COLLAPSE
The theory I chose to focus on for this discussion is the empowerment theory. To briefly overview, the empowerment theory “makes connections between social and economic injustice and individual pain and suffering” (Turner, 2017)and also “enables practitioners to co-investigate reality and challenge obstacles with people who are poor, and to stand with people who are pushed to the edge of American or global society” (Turner, 2017). Empowerment theory focuses on the interlocking dimensions of empowerment, which are “development of a more positive and potent sense of self, construction of knowledge and capacity for more critical comprehension of the web of social and political realities of one’s environment, and cultivation of resources and strategies for more functional competence, for attainment of personal and collective social goals, or liberation” (Turner, 2017). Empowerment theory emphasizes having skills to promote coping and adaptation or social changes, skills to bolster motivation, skills to maintain psychic comfort and self-esteem, the ability to enhance problem solving and promote self-direction, the skills to promote social change. Social workers and clients work together to focus on these aspects to will allow room to give hope and to work to improve the overall quality of life for clients.



Empowerment Theory tends to align especially with service, social justice, and dignity and worth of the person. The value of service focuses on social workers ability to “draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and address social problems” (Code of Ethics: English, 2020). The value of social justice focuses on the social worker’s pursuit of social justice and focuses on ensuring that the oppressed have access to needed information and resources and other services. Dignity and worth of a person allows social workers to “promote clients’ social responsible self-determination” (Code of Ethics: English, 2020) and seeks to “enhance clients’ capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs” (Code of Ethics: English, 2020). These values come together underneath the umbrella of the empowerment approach to promote change within clients and again offer a sense of hope, as clients’ needs are met.



During my senior year of undergrad, my fieldwork was with Petersburg Department of Social Services. I had a client that I will call Ms. T, whom was a single mother of four children living in an impoverished and dangerous area. She had recently become unemployed and struggling to keep up with the demands of maintaining a household on her own and parenthood following the unexpected death of her longtime partner whom was the father of her children. Ms. T had one child whom was of school age that missed excessive amounts of school, which prompted a call to social services due to their partnership with the school system.



The Ethical standard I would apply to this client is self-determination. In this, the “social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals” (Code of Ethics: English, 2020). In the case of Ms. T, she was aware of the issues plaguing her and was determined to make changes in order to improve the quality of life for herself and her children.



The empowerment theory works to give clients hope and meet their needs, as well as promote determination and give them access to resources needed to improve their quality of life. In my fieldwork, myself and the social worker I was with worked to ensure Ms. T had access to adequate resources, such as information about job fairs or open jobs and resume help as well as interview help, in order to aid her in her job hunt. We also worked to ensure there was transportation for her child to attend school regularly and no longer miss excessive amounts. We also worked to secure housing for her, to ensure that her need for housing – which is a basic necessity – was met. These were some of her main goals; securing employment and securing her housing were especially important to her and she was determined to have these goals met. 



References
Code of Ethics: English. (2020). Retrieved from SoicalWorkers.org: https://www.socialworkers.org/about/ethics/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics-english

Turner, F. J. (2017). Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approach
es. New York.