Reflective Writing for MSW Students

A workshop for Social Work students

Power Point presentation developed by Dr. Deena MandellFaculty of Social WorkWilfrid Laurier University

Please cite the source if using any part of this presentation.

Personal Reflection in Academic Writing

• First person• Subjective “voice”• Subjective stance gives permission to

include personal responses, ideas, questions, uncertainty, conflicts, struggles

Examples of personal and critical reflection in social work writing• Response to written material

• Experience of a relationship, event or process

• Locating oneself as researcher

• Countertransference reactions to/ feelings about clients, supervisor, group, etc.

• Critical reflection on practice

• Processing of an idea, struggle, or question

• Social identity/location, values, beliefs

Elements to Consider• Be mindful of purpose/ focus

• Be mindful of boundaries

• Relate reflection to context of course/assignment

• Critical reflection leads one forward by opening up possibilities, uncovering that which was previously unrecognized

Purpose or Focus

• Why am I doing this?

• What am I supposed to learn from this process?

• What am I trying to figure out?

Boundaries• Do I trust my reader?

• How much do I need to “spill” in order to achieve the designated purpose of this reflection?

• Do I need to do some preliminary or “raw” reflection and then summarize or analyze that for the assignment to be submitted?

Context• How are my personal/critical reflections linked to

larger questions?– Do the readings/lectures/discussions of this or

another course help me to focus or process this reflection?

– Do they help me understand or conceptualize any issues raised by these reflections?

– Do they help me with ideas about where to go from here in order to address issues or concerns, challenges?

– In the given context, do they make my values, interests and biases transparent?

Sample Reflections

ASSIGNMENT ASummarize and analyze the log of

personal reflections you have been keeping in response to

course material.

Response #1 to Assignment A 

I have been making entries in my log since the first day of class. I wrote two things at the time: I thought the course was too “touchy-feely” and would turn out to be a waste of time, and I also wrote that I was afraid I would be forced to reveal myself publicly in ways that I normally avoid. What I wrote on that first day was: “We are expected to think a lot about our mistakes and difficulties but I don’t really see the value in talking about them openly in class. This seems like a waste of time. I’m more interested in learning about how to get it right than in dwelling on what went wrong.” Most of my entries throughout the term have been along these lines. As a former Psychology student with an A standing, I wanted to spend more time on theory and less on personal feelings.

On a couple of occasions, I observed that I both envied and resented those students who seemed comfortable

talking openly about their doubts and moments of self-recognition, especially when they were upset about what came out. For example, when one of my classmates ended up in tears after a presentation on her work with a client who made her wonder whether she ought to be in social work at all, I wrote: “I fail to see the purpose in asking someone to humiliate themselves in front of their peers. It seems to me her confidence has been undermined and it’s not at all clear what benefit there might have been in her experience around this.”

I became more fearful rather than less, because I don’t want to be as exposed as some people have been, especially when they get a negative reaction from the teacher or other students. I have felt very sorry for people in that position, though I haven’t seen it happen very often. I’m not sure why I’m so afraid, but it doesn’t feel “safe” to do what we are being encouraged to do. Part of me would like to be less afraid so I could feel like I’m learning, as some students do, but I’m not sure what to do about it. This is just my personality, I think. I’m a very private person. Surely there is room for private people in social work!

Comments• Reflection is not of a critical nature, i.e. does not question or seek to

understand that which is not already obvious.

• Student has not “stepped back” to look at patterns or identify themes.

• Student does not seem to notice contradictions, thus missing important cues for critical reflection.

• Student tends to shut down the reflection process rather than “push” it towards greater understanding. Questions – whether implicit or explicit -- are dead-ended rather than explored.

• There is no attempt to put reflections in the context of the course or to connect them with concepts encountered in the course or the program.

•Personal reflection is not linked to professional role. 

Reflection done this way is an unproductive exercise.

Response #2 to Assignment AMy first entry was a reaction to the focus and requirements of this course. My

thoughts at the time were divided between a contemptuous attitude towards what

I felt would be a “touchy-feely” course and fear that I would be forced to reveal

myself publicly. As the term progressed, I found my log entries remained split

along these lines. As a former Psychology student with an A standing, I wanted

more intellectual rigour and less soul-searching, less discussion of feelings and

debates about personal values. On a couple of occasions, I observed that I both

envied and resented those students who seemed comfortable talking openly about their doubts and moments of self-recognition, especially when they found

parts of themselves they didn’t like. Gradually, my comments focused more on my fear and less on my disdain.

I have looked carefully at these fearful entries in an effort to understand the nature of my reaction. It has been difficult for me to grasp what is behind this fear, since I usually experienced the instructor and the other students as careful and supportive in responding to people’s revelations. I think it has something to do with being outside of my areas of strength (intellectual pursuits), and in a zone where something could happen that would make me feel bad about myself. I have noticed that on the few occasions where I felt another student was challenged or silenced in some way by a teacher or classmate, I have felt very sorry for that person.

• We have talked and read a lot in a couple of courses about the concept of “resistance” and I wonder if that is what I’m experiencing. Several articles and professors have talked about conceptualizing resistance as acting (appropriately) to protect oneself from a perceived threat. This has got me thinking about whether I might be doing that and if so, what is the nature of the threat I might be protecting myself from? The other questions I ask myself are: Am I wise to be protecting myself, or am I afraid of something that is important for me to be open to? Why do some students not seem to feel self-protective and is that a good thing or a bad thing?

As I write this, I see another pattern: ambivalence. My feelings and understanding have been divided in one way or another all along. I am ambivalent about opening up around certain ideas and ways of revealing myself, so I am protecting myself from exposure and personal challenge. I protected myself at the beginning by being contemptuous of the course, and now I am doing it by holding back. I wonder if my feeling sorry for those students I think of as injured is an example of “identification” that we have learned about. On the other hand, perhaps I am very sensitive to how people use their power over each other. This has been a theme in most of my courses and is something we’re expected to become attuned to.

What does it mean for my practice as a social worker if I have these fears and protective mechanisms? Why is identification problematic? Is it different from empathy in some way I don’t understand? I need to continue to monitor my own responses and go back to the readings on resistance and identification to see how my responses might affect my practice or my engagement in supervision. These are the areas that seem to be the primary focus in our use of self discussions in class.

• I also want to figure out whether there is anything about the way the instructor and the students handle this whole issue of critical self-reflection that might be legitimately bothering me. Maybe I am responding to something that it’s reasonable to want to protect myself and others from. Maybe I can find something in one of our course readers on how to make this kind of determination. It might also be helpful to take the risk of talking about this with students I respect who seem to be more comfortable in this class than I am. I suppose that by writing about it here, I have already begun to “discuss” it with my instructor and with myself.

Comments

• Student moves back and forth between specifics and themes, making connections.

• Gaps and contradictions are noticed and questioned, used to identify learning opportunities.

• Concepts and course material are drawn upon in exploring questions.

• Personal reflection is linked to professional functioning and intellectual understanding

• Student is willing to stay in the uncomfortable “don’t know” zone rather than foreclose the pursuit of difficult questions and paradoxes.