MARIA DERAY
Social Service Worker
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SAMPLE WORKS
Vision Board
This is the first digital piece that I created during my initial year in the Social Service Worker Program. It highlighted my creativity and how I embraced technological innovation. This tool displayed my vision of where I want to be and how am I going to achieve my goals. As you can see in the picture, I have included a saying "DO SOMETHING TODAY THAT YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL THANK YOU FOR." Taking the SSW program was the best decision I have ever made for myself because I am happy when I am conducting intakes in my field practicum at North Peel and Dufferin Community Legal Services where we provide support and referrals to individuals who are experiencing issues with tenancy, employment, immigration, ODSP, CPP, OW, OAS & CERB. I enjoy supporting marginalized people and it gives me satisfaction whenever I can help or provide services.
Practicum Virtual Presentation
This digital presentation is included in this portfolio to show an overview of my field practicum. It highlighted my responsibilities and growth as a learning professional in a legal clinic. This experience has opened my eyes to the level of how systems in society contribute to the oppression of marginalized individuals. Working at NPDCLS has given me the opportunity to widen my knowledge of the strengths and barriers of people living on low incomes. I have utilized and enhanced my innate skills such as empathy, compassion, non-judgmental attitude, critical thinking skills, and active listening skills while administering intakes. Also, my computer skills, documentation, and organizational skills are reinforced. Moreover, I am more efficient at managing my emotions while interacting with clients and other staff in the office daily which gives me the confidence to perform my tasks.
To learn more, please click the box below.
Written Grant Proposal
Writing a grant proposal was one of the major assignments in the Non-Profit Services and Grant Writing course with Dr. Paula DeCoito. I developed a proposal that targets senior individuals who live in Mississauga. Although it was for assignment purposes only, one of the requirements was to link an existing agency with the project. It was in this project that I utilized my research, critical thinking, and writing skills. These skills are essential and useful for future SSWs as proposals are keys to secure grants that will help non-profit organizations operate. I would love to venture into grant writing in the future as writing and research skills are some of my strengths.
To learn more about my grant proposal and the feedback of my professor, please click the buttons below.
Fundraising Flyer & Letter
This sample work was created as a part of our project in the Community Development & Fundraising course where I was the leader of the group. I created the flyer and invitation letter which was attached to this portfolio. I included this project as it highlighted my creativity and my writing skills. The ability to write professionally will be handy in the Social Service Worker field as funds of non-profit organizations rely mostly on donations and fundraising. Also, I was able to practice my leadership skills as our group collaboratively worked on developing a fundraising event (although it was just on paper) and presented the event in front of the whole class.
Online Counselling
This particular case study is one of the assignments I had in my Crisis Intervention and Trauma-Informed Practice course. The class was tasked to complete a written online response to a client who is experiencing bullying and oppression. The client has written a letter to the agency's Online Counselling Forum and the goal is to lead the client to continue corresponding and access the in-person counselling subsequently. This case study has allowed me to practice virtual counselling and utilized Crisis Intervention & Trauma-Informed Practice by acknowledging that the client is experiencing trauma. I also integrated a strength-based approach in writing my response. Several interventions were also utilized such as Bio-Psychosocial Spiritual (BPSS) Assessment, anti-oppressive approach, and exploration of risk and protective factors in the client's life.
To learn more about my response and the feedback of my professor, please click the buttons below.
A Walk with Me (POEM)