M3 cases from the field response

My fieldwork was through an organization called Hear Me, a peer to peer mental wellness chat application. The format is such that a user who is over the age of 18 logs on, requests a chat, and the first MSW student to pick up the chat engages with the person. Because of this format, I encountered stories of many varieties. Many people wanted to talk about sexual health issues. I consider myself to be sex positive, so when this particular user logged on and requested to chat about sexual health, I consented. He rather quickly disclosed that he was having feelings of sexual attraction towards his mother. I immediately detected a value conflict and felt outside of my depth. My sex positivity found its limits with this chat.

HearMe has a policy that if someone is uncomfortable with a chat for any reason, they may politely leave and suggest the user request another MSW student listener. I was deeply uncomfortable, so I politely let the user know that another MSW student would likely be a better fit for their situation. I did my best to end the conversation in a nonjudgmental way, and then I immediately contacted my supervisor to let him know about the unique subject matter.

According to Conmartin and Gonzales-Prendes (2011), “The conflict between my feminist and social work values hinged upon my inability to separate the intrinsic value of the individual from his or her behaviors. I was unable to see that, regardless of the specific behavior…there is always a person that has the same dignity and worth as everyone else”. This was similar to the value conflict with which I was dealing. Instead of addressing this value conflict, my supervisor validated my decision to leave the conversation. Perhaps after taking this course I would be more prepared to address a value conflict such as this without leaving the conversation. (Andrea)