Social work learning reflection on applying reminiscence therapy for the enhancement of self-esteem of the older adult in a casework through the lens of narrative therapy

Abstract

Older adults encounter enormous pressure and emotional distress on account of the dominant social discourse in Hong Kong, being a world financial hub where places value primarily on individual ability, productivity, and social status. Such social discourses gradually marginalize and make them internalize themselves as ‘useless’ and ‘powerless’ persons with low self-esteem due to physical decline and the losses of independence and problem-solving abilities. To enrich competency in working with these older adults, the knowledge base of different social work practice should be critically explored for continuous professional development. They accumulate experiences over the life span, but their life wisdom seems not to be cherished by society. Living in this environment, Narrative Therapy (NT) provides a macro insight on the survival and re-discovery of positive values and identities in such a social construction, which does not highlight in Reminiscence Therapy (RT), while NT interprets a more strengths-based picture in critical analysis. Hence, this is worth exploring the difference. However, even studies are emphasizing the effectiveness of Reminiscence Therapy, much is unknown about whether the application of NT would have greater effects in enhancing personal agency. This paper aims to achieve the aforementioned objectives, by revisiting and reflecting from a concurrent social work practicum in the church-based elderly center by a student worker. RT (Appendix I) was adopted in working with an older person to enhance her sense of worthiness through 6-session casework with systematic case assessment and recordings. (Appendix II)