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Developing Social Work Practice Skills within a Mental Health Context

This report explores my experiences and desire to develop my clinical skills while
completing an advanced practicum with the Mood and Anxiety Program through Health Sciences
North. The Mood and Anxiety Program works with individuals that had been diagnosed with a
mental illness and wanted to seek therapeutic assistance to learn how to manage symptoms and
challenges of their mental illness. In this instance, mental illness is a health condition that is
distinguished by considerable dysfunction in a person’s cognition, emotions, or behaviours that
could often reveal a disturbance in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes,
which could have underlying mental functioning.
Through this practicum, and as shown throughout this report, I was able to create and
achieve several goals that I felt would assist me in developing my clinical skills. I planned to
refine my skills by working as part of a multidisciplinary team; continuously reflecting on my
practice with the use of a journal and clinical supervision; completing assessments and cofacilitating
group therapy sessions; and, integrating theory into practice. I was also able to
critically reflect upon the theories that I used during my practicum; develop and improve my
self-awareness; enhance my therapeutic presence; and develop an understanding of how stigma
is present in the mental health field and could it acts as a barrier for people with a mental illness.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OSUL.10219/2065
Date12 September 2013
CreatorsGorry, Vanessa
PublisherLaurentian University of Sudbury
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis

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