Growing Up to Social Work Reports from Australia and Overseas

Abstract

Self-awareness has long been recognized as a basic requirement for social workers and members of other helping professions. It is the first essential for avoiding the projection of personal problems onto clients, or the helper's defensive reaction to a client's accusations and other expressions of anxiety. The methods of achieving this self-awareness in professional education have been varied. Some sought didactic analysis. Many were required to submit an autobiographical statement as part of the application process to professional schools. Autobiographies were sometimes augmented by searching application interviews. When an applicant, already apprehensive, experienced such procedures as intrusive they tended to reinforce defensive barriers to awareness.