Competency 2

Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice

Social workers understand how diversity and difference characterize and shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including but not limited to age, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, marital status, political ideology, race, religion/spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim. Social workers also understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions, may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create privilege and power.

Behaviors

Social workers:

• apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels;
• present themselves as learners and engage clients and constituencies as experts of their own experiences; and
• apply self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituencies.
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Suggested Artifacts:

• Competency Capstone Paper & Integration Grid
• Oral or Poster Presentation Assessment Grid
• Spring Semester Field Evaluation

Artifact Reflection:

For each artifact that you upload, list the artifact and provide a written reflection that answers the following:

• In 4-5 sentences, describe how the assignment meets at least one of the behaviors. Be sure to include a specific example from your artifact.

You will provide this reflection right at the bottom of this page by following the steps to edit the page (for instructions, please see the e-Portfolio Resources tab).

The above attachment is my spring semester field evaluation. The behaviors that I have demonstrated is behavior two and three. I presented myself as a learner during my field placement so that I could acquire as much information about serving my clients. Also, during my field placement I worked with a diverse age groups and this allowed me to understand my client's needs. In addition to this, my supervisor graded and commented based on these behaviors.