When Being A Social Worker Conflicts With Your Beliefs (Prompt 7)
By: NaKara Neely
https://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/march-for-life-not-for-trump?utm_term=.dfZRp8DYOK#.amvRGOxJN
Being a social worker in a health clinic can be very hard sometimes, especially when your beliefs are against your field of work. For example, being a Christian social worker can cause conflict when you have a client who want's to abort their baby. One of the 10 commandments in the Bible states, "Thou shall not kill." Furthermore, you still have a job that you must do, so now what do you do? In an article called, "Personal Values:Professional Questions", it states that many social workers fear that they would be forced to condone people's behaviors and choices that a Christian would not condone. Many who encounter these issues talk to their agency supervisors or talk with a colleague. In antother article called, "Intergrating Christian Faith and Social Work Practice:How Do People Do it" writes, "Luadzers also stated that the major conflicts for her between social work and Christianity is that while Christianity teaches that we must accept everyone and their behaviors. As a Christian, she feels that she cannot accept something with which God does not agree. However, she also realizes that it is not her place to judge others or to push her beliefs on them. She believes that she must love everyone and not judge them, but she does not have to accept their behaviors or the choices that they make" (S.Luadzers, personal communication 2-7-07).
Contrary to social workers being against abortion, they must continue their job, despite their religion. In the article, "Where are social workers in the abortion debate"?, it says that, "The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) states that social workers are ethically obligated to respect their clients' right to self-determination indecision making. This means that when in practice a social worker should support a client who has chosen to engage in sex, use of contraception, or have an abortion"(90christine) Moreover another articles that I read called, " A list of Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Work" talked about how social workers can provide guidance and help their clients with different options, but they can not allow their own opinions and personal bias influence the client. It's difficult because the social worker has to help the clients in their best interest while respecting their own moral beliefs.
With reading many different articles, I learned how hard it is for social workers who are religious but their job conflicts with it. I learned what some people many do when this happens and I also learned the controversy about the subject because I have never even thought of this being a problem until today. This is important because you should choose which type of social work you want to work with wisely so that your religious beliefs will not conflict with your job.
http://www.nacsw.org/Publications/Proceedings2007/YocumCBeyondAbortionE.pdf
https://socialworkleadership.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/where-are-social-workers-in-the-abortion-debate/
http://work.chron.com/list-ethical-dilemmas-facing-social-work-21946.html
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.575.3884&rep=rep1&type=pdf
https://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/march-for-life-not-for-trump?utm_term=.dfZRp8DYOK#.amvRGOxJN
Being a social worker in a health clinic can be very hard sometimes, especially when your beliefs are against your field of work. For example, being a Christian social worker can cause conflict when you have a client who want's to abort their baby. One of the 10 commandments in the Bible states, "Thou shall not kill." Furthermore, you still have a job that you must do, so now what do you do? In an article called, "Personal Values:Professional Questions", it states that many social workers fear that they would be forced to condone people's behaviors and choices that a Christian would not condone. Many who encounter these issues talk to their agency supervisors or talk with a colleague. In antother article called, "Intergrating Christian Faith and Social Work Practice:How Do People Do it" writes, "Luadzers also stated that the major conflicts for her between social work and Christianity is that while Christianity teaches that we must accept everyone and their behaviors. As a Christian, she feels that she cannot accept something with which God does not agree. However, she also realizes that it is not her place to judge others or to push her beliefs on them. She believes that she must love everyone and not judge them, but she does not have to accept their behaviors or the choices that they make" (S.Luadzers, personal communication 2-7-07).
Contrary to social workers being against abortion, they must continue their job, despite their religion. In the article, "Where are social workers in the abortion debate"?, it says that, "The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) states that social workers are ethically obligated to respect their clients' right to self-determination indecision making. This means that when in practice a social worker should support a client who has chosen to engage in sex, use of contraception, or have an abortion"(90christine) Moreover another articles that I read called, " A list of Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Work" talked about how social workers can provide guidance and help their clients with different options, but they can not allow their own opinions and personal bias influence the client. It's difficult because the social worker has to help the clients in their best interest while respecting their own moral beliefs.
With reading many different articles, I learned how hard it is for social workers who are religious but their job conflicts with it. I learned what some people many do when this happens and I also learned the controversy about the subject because I have never even thought of this being a problem until today. This is important because you should choose which type of social work you want to work with wisely so that your religious beliefs will not conflict with your job.
http://www.nacsw.org/Publications/Proceedings2007/YocumCBeyondAbortionE.pdf
https://socialworkleadership.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/where-are-social-workers-in-the-abortion-debate/
http://work.chron.com/list-ethical-dilemmas-facing-social-work-21946.html
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.575.3884&rep=rep1&type=pdf
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