Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services

This document discusses communication skills in social work and human services. It covers topics such as managing stress, building rapport, effective communication techniques, counselling theories, trauma informed care practices, and more. It also provides strategies for eliminating/minimizing potential triggers to traumatisation and re-traumatisation, ways to monitor, review and end the counselling relationship, and identification and response to urgent emergency issues.

Running head: Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Task 1
Scenario 1
Tom is a 16 year old male who has threatened his teacher and trashed her classroom
in retaliation to him being caught performing a sexual offense with a minor 13 year old male
student. Therefore, it is vital that he is dealt with extreme care. Due to the fact that he is in
distress, the first step would be to manage his stress by offering him water and asking him to
calm down. After stress management, the second step would be to assure him of the
confidentiality of the entire conversation between the two of us and that it would be
beneficial for him in addressing the current situation. Then I would begin the session by
asking questions which could help him open up about himself and his past so that the source
of the trauma could be identified. Active listening should be employed here in order to
understand Tom’s concerns about his trauma, as earlier identified. This would help him build
trust as well. The use of non-judgemental language should be kept in mind. Instead of using
words like ‘good’, ’bad’, ’right’ or ‘wrong’ to answer, non-judgemental words like
‘interesting’ should be used and then followed up with the relevant observation. This way the
subject will feel heard and therefore trust the counsellor. It is necessary that my manner of
speaking should be empathetic. The session should be based around the key principles of
trauma care which are safety, transparency and trustworthiness, choice, collaboration and
mutuality, and empowerment.
Scenario 2
After a couple of sessions with Tom, the trust between us will grow stronger and
therefore he will be more prone to follow my directions. After getting to know the current
state of his mind, I would ask him to consult services which provide aid to teens who are
specifically distressed from childhood trauma. This would be my obligation as his counsellor

2Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
to give him the best possible treatment opportunities possible. If the level of depression Tom
is suffering from escalated, it would only be wise if I could consult him to better services.
This would include situations where he might need medication or special anger management
or trauma management courses in order to deal with this issue. The best process of keeping
an update on Tom would be to conduct regular sessions with him t school which could be
once a week and keeping a personal contact with his other care providers. It would be helpful
for all care givers of Tom to maintain a file with his data which could be discussed among
each other in order to come up with the best care plan for Tom. The services which could be
offered to Tom would be
1) Headspace
2) MindMatters
3) SANE
4) Youth Beyond Blue

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Task 2
Reflection
A situation where difficult choices are to be made amongst two action courses, where either
of one entails a transgressing principle associated with morality is known as ethical behavior
(Wittmer, 2019.) The ethical approaches to consider that has been found by from the case
study are as follows:
 Recognizing the moral issue.
 Begin with making decision wisely.
 Evaluate the actions that are alternative from different viewpoints and perspective.
 Make a decision.
 Consider the taken action in retrospect.
The strategies that are to be made for implementing a change in behavior are:
 Tracking the progress: This is useful in all of the strategies that are associated with
change. The tracking of progress for changing problematic behavior includes
keeping a record for progress towards the specific behavior that needs to be
changed.
 Committing: This is another strategy that is again useful in changing of behaviors.
This includes commitment towards being aware about the new alternatives that
are required for developing a positive change. The actions need to be concreted
according to those above options. The commitment cam increase by making a
promise that every day more effort and commitment will be made for changing
the behaviors and others shall help too.

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 Raising Awareness: Prior employment about preparation, action and
contemplation. The strategy of self-awareness includes being more aware about
the cause and its consequences associated with the problematic behaviors.
Learning of options is an additional help for resolving the behaviors. Awareness
can be raised through many ways like seeking information that is factual about the
problem and taking adequate measures accordingly.
 Arousing emotions: when the actions are mobilized in utilizing the preparation,
action and contemplation, the awareness about emotions also increase and
effective actions tend to happen at this point. Various ways for increasing the
emotional arousal that includes exposing oneself in front of the other with similar
challenges and encounters the trigger.
 Helping relationships: This is again something useful for all the stages. The
people who suffer from toxic behaviors need special care and understanding. They
tend to have triggers that need to be tackled carefully with patience, a solid system
of support is required that do no judges them for their behaviors and see-through
things that the person in not able to see at the moment.
 Rewarding: In this type of cases, rewarding goes a long way. The maintanceof
actions is a long procedures that happens with time where both the one helping
and the one in need of help gets engaged. The practice of reward will not only
help them boot their energy and hard work but also give them an opportunity to
progress more (Sallis, Owen and Fisher, 2015.)
The duty of care that is required for this case is the liability of the persona and see how much
they are willing to change. Nothing cannot be done if the person himself or

5Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
herself does not want to change. Thus, the activity of duty of care must include all the
effective measures that are requir3ed for effectively taking care of the person suffering from
problem.
Major Project Assessment Part 1
This handbook is mean to guide you through your period of observation at the centre and
help you understand the different aspects of the client/community worker relationship as well
as trauma informed client care. This handbook will specifically guide you through the process
from the beginning till the end.
1. Preparing and gathering information before a new client arrives for
appointment.
The first crucial step is to understand your client well. Prior to meeting the client, ensure that
you have a file ready with the client’s necessary registration information provided in detail.
Make sure that you understand the theoretical background of the case quite well before
dealing with the client.
2. How to build initial rapport and make client feel comfortable
Building the initial rapport with your client is the golden key to unlocking a harmonious
relationship between yourselves which is a significant requirement in counselling relationship
(Culley & Bond 2011). About 40% of the change noticed in clients can be attributed to the
quality of relationship between a client and a counsellor (McLeod & McLeod 2011). Always
start by asking about their day, commute to the centre and casual things first. Provide
attention to your active listening skills, listen to your client well and listen with empathy
(Pearson 2012). Do not use judgemental tone and try to identify them as a friend in need
rather than a client. Respond to their statements by rephrasing what they are stating, it helps

6Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
them to that their issues are being given consideration. All throughout, ensure that you
maintain an attentive posture and do not display signs of uneasiness, fatigue or disinterest
(Cowie & Pecherk 2017).
3. Effective communication techniques, used in therapeutic counselling work
Communication is one of the key aspects that need to be measured during counselling. One of
the significant counselling micro-skills is understanding active listening. Ensure that your
body language, sign language, verbal language, gesture, tone and content are well aligned
with the client in focus (WHO 2011). Avoid using judgemental tone and content – do not
criticise, stereotype, diagnose or praise excessively. At the same time, avoid commanding,
advising, threatening or even excessive questioning. Also make sure that you don not refer to
other patients or their solutions and try to implement them in the client’s case.
4. All legal and ethical requirements, your role and your boundaries and
limitations
Understand the legal and ethical obligations well. First of all, your client’s confidentiality is
of utmost importance. Therefore, make sure that whatever you are documenting from your
client’s disclosures are properly encoded and stored safely and be accessible to only you and
your supervisor (Pettifor 2010). Understand your ethical requirements – you should not use
questions or refer to incidents that may trigger the client. Build a safe environment. Treat
your client as an equal. Finally ensure that a clear contract stating your role and how you will
use the client provided information, is properly attributed and signed

7Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
5. The different counselling theories, including trauma informed care practices
At this stage, it becomes important to understand the different counselling theories well.
Below is a list of the four most widely appreciated counselling theories. Make sure to do in
depth research on them
a. Psychoanalysis/psychodynamic theory – It arises from the ideas that humans are
driven by their own unconscious motivations and the personality developed in
adulthood is a result of childhood experiences (Basham et al. 2016).
b. Behavioural theory – It is based on the understanding that behaviour is learned and
there are several intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determine behavioural
development in individuals.
c. Cognitive theory – It is based on the understanding that people’s thoughts can change
feelings and behaviours (Trower, Jones & Dryden 2015). Cognitive therapy is mostly
short term and focuses on immediate remediation of the client’s issues.
d. Humanist theory – this theory or approach focuses on eliminating the negativity from
past experience or behaviour and focuses on developing a healthy and positive present
for the client ensuring that they reach their highest potential.
You must also understand the theoretical rationale behind trauma informed care practices.
This kind of an approach primarily involves understanding that trauma has a widespread
effect on individuals and there are multiple paths to recovery (Muskett 2014). It also entails
recognition of all the symptoms of trauma within a system, incorporating trauma care
practices and policies with the knowledge and most importantly avoiding re-traumatization
(Wilson, Pence & Conradi 2013).
6. Communication of information about the impact of trauma, to clients in a
culturally and age sensitive way

8Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
While it is important to communicate the information regarding trauma to clients, it is equally
important to do so in a culturally and age appropriate manner. The first thing to keep in mind
is that not all clients will be comfortable with revising the same events that led to their trauma
in the first place. Make sure to avoid culturally sensitive traumatisation topics. At the same
time, when dealing with children make sure that you avoid highly technical terms and make
use of soft and child sensitive tone for communicating these ideas. Also make sure to assure
them that they are safe and their disclosure will be given full importance.
7. Strategies to eliminate, minimise and/or manage potential triggers to
traumatisation and re-traumatisation in relation to service provision
Safety, Trustworthiness, Peer Support, Collaboration and Mutuality, Empowerment and
Voice and Choice, Cultural and Historical and Gender Issues – these are some of the primary
elements identified by SAMHSA in establishing an environment to prevent re -
traumatisation and trigger (Abuse 2014). At the same time, while asking the client to reiterate
his events, make sure that any instance when the client is showing discomfort and setback,
immediately stop he conversation and tactfully change the subject.
8. Strategies that promotes trauma informed principles and practices in the
workplace to other workers
The best strategy to promote practices and policies in the workplace is by holding regular
discussions and meetings. Passive promotion can be made by making use of flyers and
posters and sticking them across the centre. Encourage the staff to engage in debates and
opinion sharing. Use social media to promote basic explanatory topics like theories, case
studies and practices to event hosting and scheduling.

9Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
9. Ways they can contribute to the development of policies, to reduce or minimise
experiences of vicarious trauma
Engaging directly with the policies and practices is the best way to understand the drawbacks
and limitations in the existing policies. Most of the changes will come from practical
experience and understanding what works better for one client might not work in the same
way for another client. Understanding these elements will help in identifying the existing
gaps in the policies and will provide for amendments as well. Reducing the experience of
vicarious trauma can be done by encouraging self-assessment and monitoring. Make sure that
the staff understand their responsibilities in the centre and look out for burnout or compassion
fatigue.
10. Ways the service proactively review its’ programs, services and plans to
minimise potential issues or incidents
The service can review the programs by generating and gathering the feedback from both the
staff and the clients. In your practice, feedback will play a huge role in providing assessment
and support to the service in order to develop. Feedback from the client is important to
identify how well the service was provided and dealt with whereas feedback from the staff
will be important to evaluate the limitations of the program and identify ways to enhance the
service.
11. The importance of the documentation requirements
Needless to say, documentation is of utmost importance in service. Given the range of
nuances in the client information, there will be nuances in the service provided programs as
well. Documentation will help in identifying every tiny bit of those nuances and record them
for future referencing.

10Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
12. Ways the service gets feedback from clients regarding the service provision
The most primary way the service can get feedback from the clients is by the use of
questionnaires and surveys. Alternately, oral response can also prove to be a significant
feedback gatherer for the service.
13. The identification and response to urgent emergency issues
Responding to urgent emergency issues require thorough experience and proper drilling.
Make a checklist of urgent emergency symptoms and marks and make sure that all the staff
members are well acquainted with the list. In that way, both identification and response can
be made more feasible.
14. Ways to monitor, review and end the counselling relationship
Monitoring the counselling session can be done by the use of audio or video recorders
followed by detailed transcription of the counselling data. Ending the counselling session is
another significant aspect that can be remembered to make effective use of, because
termination of a counselling relationship can lead the patient into a relapse by making them
feel that a support sytem is being removed. Ensure that they feel they are strong and
confident enough to deal with the issues themselves as well as remember that they will
always be able to opt for a follow up session anytime they want.

11Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Major Project Assessment Part 2
Introduction
Any kind of damage done to the mind as a result of a distressing event is termed as a
trauma or psychological trauma. The DSM – V defines trauma as a direct personal experience
of a particular event that involves actual or threatened instantiation of death, serious injury,
and threat to personal integrity as well as direct or indirect experience witnessing of any of
the aforementioned incidents caused to a close family member or a friend / associate. The
prevalence of traumatic events and victims of trauma in the current societal context is
perceivably high and can be identified by various personal and interpersonal behavioural
traits. In adults it is mostly manifested in the form of intensive fear, horror and aversive
behaviour while in children it is manifested as disorganised behaviour or agitation and
restlessness in specific scenarios (Cook et al. 2017). Many of the people who experience
trauma are identified to experience multiple types of traumas generally identified as complex
trauma. It is usually perpetrated by exposure to multiple different types of traumas and affects
the individual in severe ways where the effects are felt more vigorously, violently and the
feelings are usually more persistent.
One of the most effective methods of dealing with patients of trauma is through
trauma informed care (Wilson, Pence & Conradi 2013). It entails the core principles and
values as understanding what trauma is, how different people have experienced trauma
differently, how common the cases of trauma are and how effectively and ethically can the
individual cases of trauma be dealt with regarding individual patients. We also need to
understand that the development of individuals affected by trauma are significantly impacted.
Most of the cases of severe trauma that have been identified to impact the development of

12Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
people negatively (Cook et al. 2011). Most of them suffer from cases of anxiety, depression
and other related mental health issues. The development in the cases of children is the most
affected because of the undergoing development of their brain. During traumatic incidents,
the children suffer from a lot of developmental problems because of their brain being in a
heightened state of stress and fear and the associated hormones start releasing. Most children
therefore suffer from cognitive and intellectual developmental issues (Cook et al. 2011).
Method
The purpose behind this qualitative research was primarily to identify how trauma
affects the general population and how prevalent it is in the same. The rationale behind using
a qualitative research is not only to be able to identify specific interpersonal differences when
it comes to trauma, but also to eliminate the ethical constraints that might come into play
during engaging trauma patients in an experiment that might potentially trigger their
traumatic responses. The sample size of 60 was equally divided into 30 random individuals
with no clinically recorded history of trauma and 30 individuals undergoing treatment for
traumatic events. Two different types of questionnaires were produced for the participants
where each questionnaire was divided into sections that dealt with a specific aspect of trauma
related information. The responses were recorded in the form of a 5 point Likert scale. The
results were encoded and graphically analysed.
Results and discussion
The first thing that was noticed was noticed among both the samples was that even in
the general population, there was a moderately high prevalence of trauma as the following
graph indicates.

13Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Very low Low Moderate High Very high
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Prevalence of trauma among general population
General
This graph, in comparison with the data collected from trauma patients, indicates that
even in a general population, there is a moderate to high prevalence of trauma cases that are
not recorded.
Interpersonal violence and relationship to trauma
The relationship between interpersonal violence (both within family and outside
family) and trauma is recorded in the following graph which indicates how strongly the cases
of violence affects the people.

14Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
No relation Weak relation Moderate relation Strong relation Very strong relation
0
5
10
15
20
25
Perception of effect of interpersonal violence on trauma
Population
This graph indicates that when a cumulative response was gathered, a large number of
people held the opinion that interpersonal relation had a very strong connection with trauma
(Herman 2015). When the dynamics of interpersonal violence were discussed, about 40% of
the population reported that their cases of trauma originated from domestic violence
especially those perpetrated against women, about 15% reported that they experienced the
most cases of trauma when the murder or death of a person via violent means was involved.
20% of the participants reported that severe physical abuse was their cause of trauma whereas
25% of the participants indicated that sexual violence and abuse was their primary cause of
trauma.
Significance of loss and grief
Loss and grief associated with loss was also identified as a factor behind trauma in
this research. The following graph shows how much loss and grief affects individuals’
experience of trauma.

15Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Does not affect Somewhat affects Significantly affects Strongly affects Very strongly affects
0
5
10
15
20
25
How loss and grief affects trauma
None of the participants indicated that loss and grief does not affect their trauma,
whereas most participants indicated that they felt there was a strong and significant effect of
loss and grief on trauma.
Associated mental health issues with trauma
In response to trauma, it has been identified that a gamut of other significant mental
health issues are developed. The following chart indicates how many participants relate to
particular mental health issues in correspondence with trauma.

16Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
Anxiety Depression Sucidal tendencies Self harm interpersonal
trauma
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Chart Title
general Trauma patients
This graph shows that while levels anxiety and depression were higher in the general
population, suicidal tendencies were the highest observed among the patients of trauma.
Overall the graph also indicates that other associated mental health issues significantly impact
the experience of trauma in individuals.
Upon further discussion with the participants, several other important aspects
regarding dealing with trauma came to surface. The participants reported that finding a safe
space to stay was the primary way they dealt with trauma (Bonnano, Westphal & Mancini
2011). Some of them reported that they talked to friends and family members or usually with
someone they trusted. Occupying with doing something that they liked was also one of the
most prevalent responses. Most of the people in the non-trauma patient group reported that
they would like to go for counselling in order to deal with the issues they have. A small
segment also reported that initially they resorted to drugs and alcohol for coping with trauma
but that backfired badly (Rosenberg 2011).
The potential and causes for re-traumatisation was also identified amongst the
participants. Many of the patients reported that they felt their feelings of despair usually
associated with trauma were resurfacing while they were in counselling and reiterating their

17Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
events. They also reported that re-traumatisation was also initiated by triggering incidents
that were not even real, like watching gruesome action sequences on movies. They reported
that revisiting or rerun of interpersonal instances of violence also significantly triggers their
trauma (Rughoo 2010). Most of these instances would happen during accessing services as
well because of which they would often require seclusion, restraint or compulsory treatment.
The last aspect that was identified associated with trauma affected individuals was the
general perception towards trauma patients and how that affects their access to services.
Instances of sexual and domestic violence related trauma is identified to be the most common
amongst women whereas trauma associated with interpersonal violence and war are more
common with men. While providing trauma informed care, this type of gender based
differences are significantly noted. Covington (2008) highlights the same aspect mentioned
above stating that the gender based differences are given due consideration when
implementing a trauma informed care. Often, the beliefs and attitudes with respect to trauma
also affects the access to services (Guyomarc’h et al. 2010). Almost 50% of the participants
reported that they were unsure of accessing trauma help services simply because of the
general consensus regarding trauma support would not identify them as ‘fit’ individuals. This
indicate that the trauma patients live in a condition of duality of decisions where they are
affected by the common notions surrounding trauma care that affect their accessibility of
services.

18Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services
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