SW3104 Briefing by Cheng Liming, Joanne

Krystal

swkchen — 2022-03-14 08:08:24 UTC

1. Enriching
2. Time management and Adaptiveness
3. To take more initiativeness in asking for more intake and referrals. Also to be more daring to ask to sit in for more sessions.
4. Not knowing how to source the correct or relevant information for the clients/supervisors. Connecting to clients via phone calls.
------------------------------------------------------
- Excited but scared
- Something that is not FSC, something that is unique and allow me to learn what I cannot learn in uni. ie. intellectually disabled, IMH, etc.
- Lack of knowledge in that area
- there must be no regret, must be the most fruitful one. There will be a lot of worry as to what next.

Jacelyn

e0420606 — 2022-03-16 08:03:32 UTC

Describe 1st placement: supportive and fun

What I have learnt:
- how to manage boundaries (within work, between work and life)
- being curious and enjoy the process of learning

Things to do differently:
- be more courageous to take on tasks at the beginning
- participate more in group work

Key challenges:
- covid
- aligning my values/beliefs with client's values/belliefs

Thoughts on 2nd placement: excited!!

Considerations for 2nd placement:
- suitability
- exposure

Challenges that I might face for 2nd placement:
- intensity, increase workload and expectations

Termination difference:
- unsure of which setting to go into for full time job (contemplating between FSC or specific settings)

Cylene (pronounced Celine)

2022-03-16 08:03:38 UTC

exhilarating!

2 things I have learnt:
1) Writing concise case notes
2) Talking to children (primary school age)

2 things that I have done differently:
1) More sure of myself when talking to children
2) Asking for more on-the-field exposure

2 key challenges:
1) Articulating theory into practice
2) Determining the next step in interventions

Starting 2nd placement feeling:
Excited! Hope I get what I'm interested in

Selecting Organisation:
1) Child Protection
2) Interest from 1st placement

Challenges:
1) Managing feelings
2) Not thinking about work when resting

Plans:
1) Be more self-aware, mindful & hold space for feelings
2) Articulate my feelings to supervisor & set boundaries if needed

Termination:
1) More final, resolute
2) Determining whether or not I'd like to go into CPS

Teri

nussocialwork — 2022-03-16 08:03:42 UTC

refreshing
1. ask questions
2. practice as much as possible

- engage my colleagues more to learn from their experience
- asking for more cases or exposure at the start

Challenges:
- creating a strong therapeutic alliance
- showing empathy to people i've met for the first time

children and youth or medical setting

burnout or not liking the agency i chose

Sharmaine

2022-03-16 08:03:45 UTC

Exciting

How to work with others in a work setting and how to interact with clients.

Having more face-to-face contact with clients and having more opportunities to interact with colleagues.

Overcoming my nerves and being okay with making mistakes.
______________________________
Excited!

Able to broaden my perspectives and something I am passionate about.

Realizing that it is not something I would like to do in the future half way through the placement.

Pity? If it is not something I want to do in the future.

yuki

2022-03-16 08:03:46 UTC

overwhelming

2 things I learnt:
1. I need a lot of practice esp for counselling and listening
2. I don't like general work ahahahhaha

2 things to do differently:
1. i wish i asked for support when i needed it, esp on an emotional end
2. i wish i could practice more of my active listening skills!

2 key challenges:
1. i had too much work (i can give some of yall ahahahahah) and i didn't know how to tell my sup cause i put it down to incompetency
2. anxieties about covid-19 - how to interact with my clients and stuff (became harder without physical cues)

-------------------------------------------------------
second placement:
I really hope that my second placement is a better experience :D I'm really excited to get into a specialisation~

key considerations:
1. my mentor advised me to do something i would not have a chance to do when i go out to FT work
e.g., state courts, CPS (since it's so hiong)

2. my future interests (palcare, legal work)

3. NOT FSC

challenges I foresee:
i get easily anxious in new settings and acclimatising, so i think i would need support when im entering the setting :) from sup or family or friends
also sw2105
termination difference:
need to get all the oppties i can!! also, doubts about entering the sector (might affect career in the long-term)

Charity

2022-03-16 08:03:48 UTC

1st Placement

roller coaster

Learning points:
- boundaries are important
- writing a good case note

Things could have been done differently:
- reached out for help from the school earlier (because of some struggles at placement)
- clarified more things about job scope from the start

Challenges:
- working with at-risk girls in such a close proximity and in big group
- being real and authentic with my supervisor

2nd Placement

Exciting yet not sure what to expect (don't want to make the same mistakes as 1st placement)

Key Considerations:
haha i've been pondering this for months but I'm still not very sure :< (though probably not a children's home / at-risk setting)

Potential Challenge:
- perhaps forgetting some of what I learnt in SW2101 and SW2105... not being able to apply active listening as much as I'd hope to (maybe it's time to do some revision haha)

Thoughts on termination:
- hmmm perhaps a little closer to the real world, which may allow me to recognise that this is the last chance to explore a particular specialised setting before giving my life a few years to an organisation HAHA
- but i don't think the process/emotions will vary much from the first placement as I intend to do an internship before graduation

Zhi Rong

2022-03-16 08:03:49 UTC

desk-bound

Learned:
Accountability and importance of case recording though its mundane

Do differently:
Meet clients more f2f

anxious

community work - I love fostering community spirit within the community
children - haven't have much much opportunity to work with them. want to explore if thats my interest

challenges
- forgetting sw3105 theories and other theories.

termination difference:
I might feel a sense of pity if I weren't able to get full exposure since its my last placement?

My wish :D
go out and interact with more clients
make an impact in clients' lives and empower clients

Charmaine Seah

charmaineseah12 — 2022-03-16 08:03:50 UTC

1. Anxious
2. Communication and Teamwork
3. I wish I could have been braver to take on cases on my own and I wish I could have been more empathetic
4. Fear of making mistakes -> unable to try new things
Fear that my mistakes would affect clients negatively
5. I think I would want somewhere more high-intensity and it would make me excited but anxious
6. Previously, I was placed at a nursing home and the pace was slightly slow there. I am hoping to find a placement with a higher intensity and would challenge me more
7. I didn't take any social work modules this semester... afraid i forgot the content already
8. Expectations?

Joel

2022-03-16 08:03:51 UTC

Excited

- How to be more empathetic
- How to be more open-minded

- Focus more on client's feelings
- Take more initiative to run projects

- Do everything through Zoom rather than face-to-face
- Trying new ways of working with client
--------------------------
Excited

- What sector appeals to me the most?
- Which sector best aligns with my skillset?

- Not being equipped adequately in terms of specialised skills needed for a more specific setting

- Important need to ensure that there are no regrets and that I have tried all that I need to try in the social work setting

Nabil

2022-03-16 08:03:55 UTC

Insightful

Application of micro-skills
Application of theories (especially Erikson's theory)

Be more proactive in learning from the other social workers (instead of just my supervisor)
Be more proactive in deciding topics I wanted to discuss during supervision

Finding things to do while working from home
Communicating with client while trying to be empathetic yet professional

Good to remind myself on what I want to focus on for the next placement

________________________________________________________________

Excited yet anxious

Relevance of the setting to where I would like to begin my career
Location of the placement (proximity to home)

Lack of specialized knowledge and skills for the specialized setting

If I feel I did well in my second placement, I might feel more confident graduating and eventually joining the social services. But if I feel I didn't do well, I might be more cautious and doubtful of my career plans.

Zhen Wei

chinzhenwei98 — 2022-03-16 08:03:56 UTC

Cathartic

Being able to look at how cases are being managed from a micro to macro perspective
Being able to reach out to my supervisor for support in terms of interacting with clients

To be able to proactively reach out to my supervisor
To work with clients I find more difficult to interact with

Understanding my own personal views and beliefs and how it may clashes with clients.
How to find that work life balance
__________________________________________________________________
Feeling:
Excited

Something new
Something that I have interest in

Work-life balance, being in a new environment

...can't really think of how it would be different... (still feel a little bit abstract for me)

daniel

2022-03-16 08:04:01 UTC

supportive

1. counseling
2. programme design

1. figure out what to do with free time
2. covid definitely sucks
3. try to do stuff im bad at like design

1. covid is a challenge
2. keeping healthy so i can sustain through the week
----------
nice to have something to do during summer

policy/research cos MPP, but im really ok with anything

hard to think of anything else since health related is really the primary concern

start termination with clients earlier

Joshua

2022-03-16 08:04:02 UTC

1. Revealing
2. People want different things in their lives; social work is a vocation (maybe not for me)
3. met up with clients more; nil
4. seeing the relevance of what we have learnt in school and how it is realistically applied; poorly written papers by organization

---

1. Tired + Not looking forward to it
2. Indirect practice

kai lin

2022-03-16 08:04:02 UTC

1. nervous
2. understood more on the meanings behind the social work values and my own work ethics
3. I could be more proactive in terms of my work and reach out to my colleagues more to learn from them
4. challenges: to apply what I've learnt i.e. theories and skills to my sessions with clients, COVID implications

____
2nd Placement
1. quite excited
2. I'll be looking more into specialised settings for the elderly and/or children
3. challenge: working well with the population that I intend to work with
4. how will the termination process be different: I would not want to end my placement with any regrets, and I hope to gain more insights into direct SW

Lianna

2022-03-16 08:04:04 UTC

first placement
1. 1-word Reflection: Daunting
2. 2 Learnings: Communication and workflow
3. Not get so stressed; enjoyed the process more
4. Balance, confidence and knowledge gaps

2nd placement
1. nervous anticipation
2. population and supervisor (and SW approach)
3. comparing experiences may get discouraging
4. scary, because next step is really the real thing

Zhen Ying

czhenying16 — 2022-03-16 08:04:04 UTC

1. Insightful
2. 2 things learnt: Boundaries with client, being a sw is not easy
3. 2 things I could hv done differently: to not work OT, to learn more abt techniques
4. 2 key challenges faced: Setting emotional boundaries with client, interacting with colleagues informally (aka assimilating into the orgn's culture)

________________________________________________________________

1. feeling now abt 2nd placement: excited but sian that summer break is taken away
2. specialised, rehabilitative for offenders or Mental health
3. 1 possible challenge: coping with the hands-off approach (maybe there will be lesser supervision time)
4. wat are some plans I hv mind when facing these challenges [to think more abt this plss]
5. how would termination be different: hoping if can work FT or it'll be a be-all-end-all generalisation in working with tat community

Erin

2022-03-16 08:04:05 UTC

1. Indifferent
2. communication & understanding others
3. i wish that i would have had a better picture of what being a social worker actually looks like
4. not being given enough work to do, SW knowledge & theories
-
1. Hesitant
2. Location & population that the organisation works with
3. feeling very lost because my last placement did not provide me with much experiences of direct practice and interacting with clients
4. not really sure how the termination process will look different because i have not had much experience with it previously

Francis

2022-03-16 08:04:06 UTC

1. One word to describe first placement: eye-opening
2. Two key learning points from first placement: 1) FSC culture and expectations, 2) Carry out the Helping Process
3. Done differently: I could have been more sociable with my colleagues instead of mostly with my supervisor.
4. Key challenges: Applying the skills, knowledges, processes, and values and ethics. Talking to an actual human being (client) is really different from picturing in my thoughts when I am taking the modules.

Tabi

2022-03-16 08:04:06 UTC

word: well-supported

Things i learnt:
1. ask if need help, dont tank on your own
2. think about what you do and why

do better: practically empathetic, not just theoretically

challenges: covid, keeping self mentally well
___________
2nd placement
feeling tired before even going in :(

considerations: what the organisation works on (eg. homelessness, migrant workers); distance from my house?

possible challenge: transition from full time school to full time work (even if its only 10ish weeks)

how termination might differ: depending on whether i want or am offered to come back to work after grad, termination might be more final if i realise i dont want to work here or with this population group?

Hui Yi

2022-03-16 08:04:06 UTC

1st placement
insightful

2 things i learnt:
1. dont be afraid to ask qns
2. to be willing to try even if out of comfort zone

2 things to do differently
1. to be more proactive
2. asking for more work haha

challenges: covid, adapting - expectations vs reality

2nd placement
- feeling nervous but excited
- indirect prac
- challenge: fear of inadequacy & lack of competency in doing indirect prac (smth new to me)
-

Zakiah

zakiah15040s — 2022-03-16 08:04:07 UTC

- eye-opening
- conduct intakes
- doing assessment
- should've been more proactive in asking questions/being curious
- clarifying things with client, managing so many things at once

second placement
- scared
- school, something more specialised
- clientele, different environment, different skills/approach use
- termination process --> prepare you for work life

Estherlyn

2022-03-16 08:04:08 UTC

First Placement:
1) One-word: Rollercoaster
2) Learnt: Processes on how to go about doing things, be intentional in learning even in the smallest tasks
3) To bring forward: Don't be afraid to ask for more things to help out with
4) Challenges: Covid-19 - No experiences in face-to-face sessions with clients, lack of case experiences
—

Second Placement:
1) Scared
2) Type of setting and community I'd be interested to explore, specialised settings
3) Lack of experience in working with the particular community, scared of forgetting the lack of knowledge and skills (higher expectations hahaha)
4) Difference in termination process: More scary, there will not be any other 'chances' before going into the real working world - unsure if gathered the sufficient amount of experience / tried something that I would want to do as full-time.

Fang Qing

fangqing789 — 2022-03-16 08:04:08 UTC

interesting

be willing to learn from others
reflect during the journey

ask more questions

covid
supervisor quite busy
---
2nd placement:
anticipation

different client group - work more with children

being more proactive

new experience

abigail

2022-03-16 08:04:09 UTC

1st placement
1.stretch
2.reflexive practice
being observant and intentional
3.not be scared to ask and try
not take too long to warm up
4. how to use supervision time meaningfully
2nd placement
1. scary
2. skills I want to learn, test waters for the kind of work I may want next time
3. integrate what i learnt in 3 years into practice
4. hopefully feel more confident

join social work day tomorrow 1130am YIH

2022-03-16 08:04:14 UTC

charmaine chua

2022-03-16 08:04:19 UTC

1. supportive

2. how to navigate ssnet
how to be okay with making mistakes

3. having more f2f interactions with clients
not being so hard on myself when dealing with clients

4. dealing with client's emotions
having to work with clients in chinese
----------------------

1. excited but scared also
2. something more specialised in working with children
3. higher expectations about my knowledge and application of sw theories
4. might feel regretful if i'm not satisfied with my performance?

Tammy

2022-03-16 08:04:21 UTC

overwhelming

ask for help from others when facing challenges

be more reflective
be more proactive in seeking supervision

second placement:
nervous

population that I am interested to work with + job scope

higher expectations from supervisor

Le Maan

2022-03-16 08:04:22 UTC

stressful

Cynric

2022-03-16 08:04:31 UTC

1. Learning to cope with stress
Wish I had more opportunities to go for home visits and hands on experiences

Second Placement: more challenging and try working with children: CPS, SSFP?
Challenge: More responsibility and accountability as a second-placement

In second placement, I would want to be more adept at carrying out casework especially intake and termination

Suet Cheng

2022-03-16 08:04:34 UTC

reflective
importance of rapport building, planning before sessions
take more initiative to ask for more opportunities to work with more clients, talk more with colleagues to learn more about the work they do and their experiences
application of skills, knowing what resources to tap on, covid restrictions
------------
nervous
out of my comfort zone, specialised
might lack specialised knowledge about service setting
might feel anxious if i dont meet all my goals and expectations

Le Rae

2022-03-16 08:04:44 UTC

1st
1. terrifying
1. i'm not as incompetent as i think :')
2. how to apply skills and values to the work
1. don't be so hard on yourself
2. don't be so scared to try new things
1. difficulty in learning to be a professional
2. there were many theories/models that I had not learnt about

2nd
1. exciting
1. now clearer about what group I want to try to work with
2. supervisor
1. higher expectations of me to be able to perform well in my work (e.g. with clients, my thought processes, etc.)

Termination: hope to terminate happily because I would be more sure on where I want to work

Shi Yun

coldpapayas — 2022-03-16 08:04:49 UTC

Sheltered

To be empathetic towards differing views, to have patience when things do not work out well

To be more assertive when I disagreed with a case worker (as an intern, I felt overwhelmed by the power difference), To have asked for more opportunities beyond shadowing

Struggling with applying theories/concepts during a session (rather than looking back wistfully on what I should have done), How to support clients whom I find hard to empathise with

----------------------

Excited, hopeful to do better

Work with clients of different demographic (particularly elderly, whom I had v little opportunity to work with previously), so maybe as a MSW or focused on gerontology

Higher expectations (feeling imposter's syndrome)

I will properly consolidate what I've learnt this time, as compared to that of the first placement where it was concurrent, so I was pretty hasty with wrapping up the whole experience so I could focus on finals. Plus I'm not returning to SW sector for a while so this termination process would be esp. important.

Andrea

2022-03-16 08:04:52 UTC

discomfort

1. embrace the discomfort
2. be curious

1. dare to ask questions/ for help more
2. reflected more
-------------------
nervous
- working with children? or maybe indirect work -- try something different~
- challenge: purpose....?

Tiffany Ho

2022-03-16 08:05:15 UTC

enlightening

2 things I learnt
1. navigating sw values in practice
2. Suicide risk assessment

2 things I wish I did differently
1. Spoke up more during sessions
2. Ask supervisor for more opportunities

2 key challenges
1. Inexperience - when I actually do home visits, I may not apply sw skills as effectively.
2. Fear of making mistakes
_______________________________________________________________

NERVOUS

Client group, organisation mission/culture

Challenge: forgetting things I learnt a while ago

Termination process: more finality - doubts of whether I am suitable for social work

Ya Ting (Sophie)

2022-03-16 08:05:18 UTC

A taster
- working collaboratively on cases
- congruence with self

Everything I wish to do differently couldn't be done due to Covid

Challenges
- Frustrations with limitations of work we can do for client
- Mindsets of some workers

2nd placement
One feeling now: Wary
2 considerations:
- Needs to be in one of my areas of interest
- Work in office
1 challenge I anticipate
- My energy level

Termination process
- More anxiety about not making the most of being a social-worker-in-training and the leeway given to us
- More stress about the next steps of becoming a full fledged SW

Jia Jia

ohjiajia — 2022-03-16 08:05:47 UTC

- Uncertain
- Don't belittle small learnings
- Don't know just ask haha
- Be more vocal about what I want to learn & shadow
- Covid restrictions haha don't get to see clients much f2f
- Excited!! But hope the covid restrictions will not be as strict as last placement :(
- Something different from what I am exposed to- perhaps an organisation that can give me more macro or structural perspective of the social service landscape
- Research pains and struggles HAHAHA not very good at it
- Perhaps higher expectations now that I am doing my second placement
- What service group do I want to work with?

Jasmin

nuscscrelations — 2022-03-16 08:07:26 UTC

eye-opening

learnings: soft skills and exposure to diff comm partners

done diff: dont be afraid to speak up and be more proactive

challenges: writing mundane case recordings and competency level

exciting
working in indirect practice
challenge: higher expectations of us as we have been through a placement

Ahlysha

2022-03-16 08:07:41 UTC

fascinating

learning points
1. always ask when you don't know something
2. how to write up case notes

done differently
1. wish could have had more experience talking to clients and running sessions
2. wish i'd gotten to know the other social workers better

key challenges
1. wfh (cannot see clients, cannot see coworkers, cannot see fellow interns)
2. hard understanding how we really can't help clients that much sometimes
____________________
nervous but excited

1. distance from my house
2. an area that i'd be interested in working in the future/something i think i won't get to try once i graduate (undecided)

challenges
- first time really getting to directly talk to clients and run session (very scared, what if i forget everything)
- how to be confident

termination
- important to make sure i have no regrets, and have tried everything I want to, asked all the questions i needed to and learned everything i wanted to

Charmaine

2022-03-16 08:07:50 UTC

1. exciting
2. writing case notes; application of theories
3. being more open to trying out new things/ asking for new experiences
4. anxiousness during one on one sessions with clients; learning how to be flexible during sessions
5. look forward, excited
6. youth and children, choosing this because of my interests and lack of experience working with them, wanting to know how it is like to work with them
7. having more expectations from others (i.e. supervisor) to perform better, lesser handholding since its my second placement
8. might cherish the experience more, hence more feelings since this may well be the last internship experience before we graduate

Jia Wei

2022-03-16 08:08:14 UTC

1) Overwhelming

2) The two key things are attending skills, and learning how to manage my own emotions and anxieties during placement.

3) Reached out more to supervisor for guidance and to take more initiative in helping out with other projects going on in the FSC

4) Anxieties when conducting sessions with clients, lack of knowledge about specific counselling models, covid-19 challenges

_______________________________________________________________

1) Excited

2) Something that I would like to do after graduating and not FSC related (more specific)

3) Going into more specialised areas, there might be a knowledge gap

4) Might feel more attached, termination might be more difficult, would feel sad if I didn't achieve my expectations for the placement

yilin

2022-03-16 08:09:00 UTC

challenges
1. covid restrictions
2. communications (language barriers with client)

Tiffy

2022-03-16 08:10:00 UTC

1. Intense

2. (a) Boundaries as an intern (b) the power of having a balance in our head knowledge, the skills of our hands and the love from our heart.

3. Sought help from Joanne earlier and learn how to balance client determination and being strict in that intern setting

4. Balancing expectation of self/school and the expectations of the workplace. Understanding and reconciling fully the role of a social work student in an at-risk youth home setting.

-------------------------------
Second placement

1. Exciting but nervous
2. hospital - to get to know/get feels on how my future workplace will be like or school because im interested
3. the type of work would be different from what im used to
4. more real and heavy because after this its the real thing

Chantel

2022-03-16 08:10:11 UTC

1 feeling word:
fulfilling

2 things i have learned:
1. affirming clients is important
2. learning is not linear

2 things i wished i did differently:
1. making more effort to know my colleagues
2. giving myself more space and time to learn

2 challenges:
1. getting used to a fast-paced medical setting
2. building rapport with the elderly and children with special needs — both of which i had no experience working with

2nd placement:
nervous

2 considerations:
1. setting (medical?)
2. location

1 challenge:
managing expectations of supervisor & myself

plans 2 resolve:
being clear about expectations and asking my supervisor too! at the very beginning of placement

termination:
might require more time to get used to termination
more expectations on what i should be achieving during placement (learn as much as i can)

Alethia

e0420428 — 2022-03-16 08:10:38 UTC

1) Scared
2) Key learning points:
- The attitude we bring towards our placement determines how much we take away from it.
- We might not be able to resolve all the problems, although we would like to.
3) Things to do differently:
- Be more confident and brave in working with clients.
- Be more confident to share opinion and feedback.
4) 2 key challenges:
- Too unconfident in speaking up/using the micro skills we were taught, afraid of how supervisor and people in the office would view me
- Lack of practice opportunities due to COVID-19
------------------------------------------------------------
1) A little anxious, but wish to see how this could turn out differently
2) Key considerations:
- Organisation culture
- Family Service Centre setting - want to be exposed to a different setting and types of cases
3) Other challenges:
- Overcoming fears of speaking up, feelings of incompetency and leaving my comfort zone
4) How termination might be different: might either leave feeling more prepared for future work or might leave feeling uncertain and anxious

Jolin

2022-03-16 08:11:51 UTC

supportive

be curious
go in with an open mind

challenges
clients not showing up for sessions
limitations of work with client

Second placement
excited
considerations: target population / location
non-compliance (of clients) ?
slightly more anxious (when terminating)?

owen

2022-03-16 08:15:08 UTC

----------------------------------------------
2nd placement:
- staff/work environment
- non-fsc

challenges during 2nd placement:
- complete mental block

how termination would be different for myself:
- realisation that i would be 2 to 3 modules away from being a 'qualified' social worker; its overwhleming
- anxieties over whether social work would remain a sector i would want to work in for the foreseeable future
- 'last chance' to make mistakes with minimal repercussion/consequence

Xin Yi

2022-03-16 08:22:27 UTC

1. Overwhelming
2. 2 learning points:
- supervision is important
- be intentional with the clients
3. 2 things to do differently
- more proactive in seeking help from colleagues
- prioritise self-care
4. 2 challenges
- split-teams arrangement
- managing expectations of field supervisors and myself
------------------------------------------
1. Apprehensive
2. Medical setting
3. Greater expectations from sup
4. Termination: