Antisocial Pmd

In requiring how others recognize how I listen and communicate, I choose two very close friends to give me feedback. I believe these two people Larry Sansbury, and Kimberly Vlahos to be very honest and forthright with me. What I learned from them will help me be able to realize how different people can see you, even those closest to you. The challenges I will face will help me with what I need to work on to become a better Social Worker. Larry is a fifty-nine year old office manager at a realtor's office. Kim is a 43 year old, Executive Director of Hope, Inc Therapeutic Foster Care with a MSW.

I first interviewed Larry. He finds me very involved when listening. He believed that I base my responses by my personal background and how I relate it to a current event, this being my weakness in his opinion. It is easy to relate to something you have gone through. I have used my personal experience to advise as a friend. He has noted that I have made a noticeable change in the last several months. I believe this to be because of the skills I am learning. The skills of the social work program have already seemed to have an impact on me. He states my strengths are that I truly listen and shows that I care about what is being said. Kim says my posture is engaging and I demonstrate open communication. She states I make good eye contact, but at times I seem to fidget or I have unnatural/awkward facial expressions (turns my head at a angel) and uses verbalizations that seem forced or unnatural. Uhmmm..MMMmmm etc. She thinks I do this because I am trying to demonstrate to people that I am listening. But she believed I am naturally quiet person in my communication so it is ok for me to be quiet when listening to others. I learned from both interviews and found what they believe to be my straights and weaknesses. They see me as an active listener but also see distractions that a client could take a different way. I believe this has been very helpful and not really shocking news. I have known my weaknesses but have not heard them from others. It really clarifies what needs to be worked on.

I find myself most relaxed, and engaging when I am just being casual. If I am thinking of what to say or how to say it, it can easily come through. If I am not being natural I tend to fidget. I have known this about me and this class has brought out how we need to address these issues. I need to be relaxed and confident in how I present myself. This can change with any client I come face with. I know there will be times when I will need to show confidence and I will need to be looked upon as a professional. During this time I will need to focus on what is being said, focus on the relationships being brought to my attention, and I will naturally be able to process what is being said and be able to paraphrase back to my client. There will also be time I will need to be more laid back. I think this will help me with a client who may be turned