Writing and Social Work
In August 2021, I began my work as a Peer Writing Consultant at Auburn University’s Miller Writing Center. My goal as a Writing Consultant was to help clients practice literacies relevant to their projects. I knew that I would be able to consider myself successful when I was able to explain to a client and offer them resources regarding literacies needed for their discipline.
At first, I did not possess enough knowledge regarding literacies needed for different writing projects. However, over time, by utilizing information provided by students in sessions and by learning to locate resources online, I developed a working knowledge base. This working knowledge base allowed me to be able to assist clients in recognizing their level of literacy for certain writing projects and styles. By assisting my clients in recognizing their level of literacy, my routine clients were eventually able to come into a session, explain to me the areas of weakness/improvement regarding their writing, and suggest ways in which we could improve their knowledge and strengthen their areas of weakness. I believe that my routine clients were able to do this due to my incorporation of social work practice techniques into each session with my clients. The social work practice techniques that I utilized in each session included aiding clients in recognizing their strengths first and then asking about their perceptions regarding areas of improvement and providing education and information regarding writing literacies. In this way, I empowered my clients and encouraged them to participate in self-reflection and exploration in order to develop themselves into the writers they wanted to be. I also believe that allowing clients to express themselves freely and to know that there is not just one “right” approach to writing (or the English language) helped them to feel confident in their own abilities and their capacity to increase their abilities.
In addition to utilizing social work practice techniques to achieve my goals as a Writing Consultant, the professional development offered by the MWC helped me to achieve my goals. Each circle meeting provided me with different perspectives on how to approach sessions with clients and the resources available to them regarding writing literacies. These meetings allowed for me to express any concerns I had regarding how to assist my clients in sessions and how to help them recognize their capabilities. I gained additional knowledge to add to my working knowledge base that put me on the path to success.
Some artifacts that reflect the contribution circle meetings had in my development as a consultant are included below.