Our Practice Framework, Part I: Personal/Professional Values.
An example diagram outlining the main elements of strengths-based practice framework.
For a great breakdown on what a Practice Framework involves, check out the following link here.
The current article focuses on CoastMind’s Values-base, both from a personal and professional perspective.
We will explore Theory & Modality/Practice (knowledge models and specific therapeutic schools/techniques, aka my clinical ‘toolbox’) in Parts 2 and 3.
Values:
a) Personal
b) Professional
2. Theory/Philosophy
3. Modality/Practice
VALUES:
a) My Personal Values
b) Professional Values
Before We Begin - A Useful, Science-Backed Tool for Identifying Your Strengths:
Let’s break down my values-base in accordance to the Personal and Professional. Values can often feel like wishy-washy, nebulous terms, particularly in the media.
If you have trouble identifying/putting names to those attributes? That’s okay, and not a fault on you as a person. Everything from mass-communication media and pop psychology and everyday speech offers wildly varying definitions of what ‘values’ are.
Clinical psychologist and influential researcher Martin Seligman is as well-known within academic circles for his work on theories such as learnt helplessness as he is being a founding academic behind the Positive Psychology movement - a theoretical orientation backed by a large body of research.
In developing a way to ‘operationalise’ (make measurable/usable in clinical practice and research) the Character Strengths and Virtues (CSV) Manual, based on many large-scale studies, Seligman and co created the Values in Action - Strengths (VIA-S) questionnaire.
This tool is being increasingly in both clinical practice and in peer communities, and works quite well.
What it does is categorises 24 positive character strengths/attributes, in terms of behaviour and self-identification, tying
If interested, here’s a link to the survey, which is free.
Out of interest and at the time of writing, I took the VIA-S again. See below for how these align to my personal Core Values.
a) Personal Values:
I personally identify my Core Values as:
Respect, Justice, Compassion, Integrity, Creativity and Curiosity.
How these align with the Values in Action results (as stated in the Character Strengths Survey):
Fairness (Value: Justice):
Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance.
Curiosity (Value: Wisdom):
Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering.
Humor (Transcendence):
Liking to laugh; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes.
Creativity (Wisdom):
Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it.
Love of Learning (Wisdom):
Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally; related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows.
b) Professional Values:
As a Social Worker - in addition to the strengths and attributes above, the AASW Code of Ethics (2020) outlines the ways in which our profession translates our personal values-base into committed and profession-wide action for individuals and the broader community.
Above all else, social work in Australia is guided by three major overarching principles - Respect For Persons, Social Justice and Professional Integrity.
2.1 Respect for Persons:
We hold that every human being has a unique and inherent equal worth and that each person has a right to wellbeing, self-fulfilment and self-determination, consistent with the rights and culture of others, and a sustainable environment. The social work profession:
• respects the inherent dignity, worth and autonomy of every person
• respects the human rights of individuals and groups
• provides humane service, mindful of fulfilling duty of care, and duty to avoid doing harm to others
• fosters individual wellbeing, autonomy, justice and personal and social responsibility, with due consideration for the rights of others
• recognises and respects group identity, interdependence, reciprocity and the collective needs of particular communities.
2.2 Social Justice:
The AASW holds that social justice is a core principle that its members are obliged to promote and uphold for society in general and for the people with whom they work. The social work profession:
• promotes policies, practices and social conditions that uphold human rights and that seek to ensure access, equity, participation and legal protection for all
• promotes justice and social fairness, by acting to reduce barriers and to expand choice and potential for all persons, with special regard for those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable, oppressed or have exceptional needs
• advocates change to social systems and structures that preserve inequalities and injustice
• opposes and works to eliminate all violations of human rights and affirms that civil and political rights will be accompanied by economic, social and cultural rights • promotes the protection of the natural environment as inherent to social wellbeing
• promotes community participation, including service users, in the development and implementation of social policies and services.
2.3 Professional Integrity:
We are guided by principles of honesty, trustworthiness and good character in all aspects of professional conduct. The social work profession:
• prioritises the needs of others over personal gain
• advocates responsible use of power and authority in ways that serve humanity
• supports considered and reflective self-awareness in making and justifying decision making
• promotes propriety, transparency and accountability in professional judgements and actions
• promotes and facilitates lifelong learning, education, training and supervision to maintain professional competence and commitment to integrity • ensures that any participation in research activities are governed by ethics regulations and guidelines from relevant governments, universities, research institutes, agencies and funding bodies.
Summary:
As a mental health professional and social worker, I am guided by both my personal strengths/values base and that of my profession.
Like rudders and sails, values help us to steer practice both in the right direction, course-correct and help navigate the often turbulent waters of life.
To break down that analogy even further, this shall be explored in in Part 2 (Theory) and Part 3 (Modality/Practice) where we discuss the specific models, modalities and techniques implemented in working together.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Part 1, do feel free to be in touch via the Contact section, top-right.
Yours Truly,
Brady.