Modifies behavior in response to feedback; seeks opportunities to apply feedback
At my midterm evaluation, during my third fieldwork rotation, I learned from my fieldwork educator that the members felt I was “unapproachable” and “distant” from them. I was surprised to learn this but in the back of my mind I also knew that I can give an impression of aloofness at times. I know that I do it subconsciously when I'm first getting to know people, however, I believe I may have been more standoffish towards my clients simply because of their mental illness diagnoses and my assumed expectations of their stigmatized behaviors. Nevertheless, hindsight is 20/20. If I had known then what I know now, then I would have acted differently, and certainly less aloof. To reduce my aloofness, I asked my fieldwork educator if she could give some specifics so I could have an idea of where I was failing to establish rapport with my clients.
I processed this information over the weekend and set a new resolution for myself: By my final evaluation I want to have the opposite report from my fieldwork educator because I have established rapport utilizing therapeutic use of self to help my clients move forward in their goals. Over the next 6 weeks I went above and beyond to establish rapport. I worked with numerous members on their weekly goals, and I also took time to just sit around and have normal conversations with my clients. I joined them for lunches and swapped stories. Within the first week I could already sense a difference in their attitude towards me.
By the second week, my fieldwork educator had received some positive feedback about my efforts and was pleased with my progress towards my resolution.
I'd like to think that everything from this point forward went smoothly and that I aced my final evaluation but that was not the case. Looking back, I know that I should have done things differently to ensure that I met the criteria for my final evaluation. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. I really struggled with my mental health rotation, especially with communication and my own performance in the last four weeks. When my home life became an issue I should have reached out to my fieldwork educator and fieldwork coordinator for help rather than trying to do it all on my own. My health took a hit and so did my end-grade. Although it was a difficult pill to swallow, I do feel that I have learned from this experience. If I could do it all over again, I know how I would go about my mental health rotation to ensure that I met my needs as well as my client's. Going forward, I have a plan for how I would overcome these obstacles to ensure I could provide the best services to my clients as possible.
I processed this information over the weekend and set a new resolution for myself: By my final evaluation I want to have the opposite report from my fieldwork educator because I have established rapport utilizing therapeutic use of self to help my clients move forward in their goals. Over the next 6 weeks I went above and beyond to establish rapport. I worked with numerous members on their weekly goals, and I also took time to just sit around and have normal conversations with my clients. I joined them for lunches and swapped stories. Within the first week I could already sense a difference in their attitude towards me.
By the second week, my fieldwork educator had received some positive feedback about my efforts and was pleased with my progress towards my resolution.
I'd like to think that everything from this point forward went smoothly and that I aced my final evaluation but that was not the case. Looking back, I know that I should have done things differently to ensure that I met the criteria for my final evaluation. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. I really struggled with my mental health rotation, especially with communication and my own performance in the last four weeks. When my home life became an issue I should have reached out to my fieldwork educator and fieldwork coordinator for help rather than trying to do it all on my own. My health took a hit and so did my end-grade. Although it was a difficult pill to swallow, I do feel that I have learned from this experience. If I could do it all over again, I know how I would go about my mental health rotation to ensure that I met my needs as well as my client's. Going forward, I have a plan for how I would overcome these obstacles to ensure I could provide the best services to my clients as possible.