Üsküdar Üniversitesi Department of Social Work organized a program titled 'The Role of Social Work in the Provision of Health Services.' The speaker of the program, Social Worker Lecturer Özgür Sağlam, whose moderation was undertaken by Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Social Work Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Abdullah Karatay, stated that a social worker must be a good observer.
“Psycho-social health should not be left in the background”
Sağlam, stating that there are deficiencies in studies and interviews conducted on cases, said: “The Ministry of Family could be our kitchen, but in Turkey, when health is mentioned, we emphasize physical and biological health. Focusing solely on this leads to deficiencies. We need to look more broadly. Social workers carry out activities and programs in developing people's health and well-being, enabling them to become more self-sufficient, preventing their dependence on others, and strengthening family ties. There are studies conducted in psycho-social areas. Psycho-social health should not be left in the background.”
“It is necessary to know the long-term effects of childhood abuses”
Sağlam, pointing out that education and therapies in dynamic fields must be known and applied, said: “We see cases of sexual abuse. To work with these cases, it is necessary to know the diagnostic criteria. It is absolutely essential to master their functioning. In the field of medical social work, it would not be appropriate if only referrals are made. The roles of social work show different dimensions in every field. The same applies to clinically-oriented workplaces. It is not correct to only provide referrals and counseling. It is also important to emphasize improvement in basic functional capacities for a person's self-empowerment through the use of psycho-social and environmental resources. Especially, it is necessary to know the long-term effects of childhood abuses.”
“A social worker must be a good observer”
Sağlam, emphasizing that certain characteristics are necessary for good observation in social work, said: “There is no need for extra training for these; sufficient training is provided in universities. It is important to make a good social work intervention. We can say that observation skills are very important for initial interviews. It is necessary to draw conclusions from the interview. General appearance, behavior, being destructive, eager to make contact, assertive, mastering mood, thought processes, speech, and language skills are among the extremely necessary characteristics. To define them as a whole, a social worker must be a good observer.”