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Reflection on personal and professional development
Personal and professional development
Personal and professional development
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I want to pursue a career in social work because I want to help people who are suffering from mental illness and who are underserviced when it comes to getting help for mental illnesses. By working with a distressed person to become better, not only will I be able to enhance their life, but also the community will transform into a more positive place. I view transformation as a ripple effect, where changing the situation for one person eventually causes a change in the majority. This is especially true when it comes to mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it. I have been highly involved in mental health work on my college campus since my sophomore year. I am one of the founding members of our Active Minds chapter, and have held the …show more content…
I grew up in a household that fluctuated between middle and lower class, thanks to job cuts and health problems. Since my parents are not advantaged enough economically to help me pay for college, I have relied on scholarships, grants, and loans to help pay for my education on my own. Since my main area of interest is in mental health, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not offer a social work degree, I decided to major in psychology. Psychology will help me with the mental aspects of a social work education, but neglects to teach me about disadvantaged individuals, social work ethics, and interactions in the field of social work, to name a few. My lack of experience in social work settings is another limitation. I have done a lot of volunteer work with animals, and some with mental health awareness, but none of it has been categorized as social work volunteerism. My plans for overcoming the financial barrier are to receive grants, stipends, and loans. I cannot afford to pay out of pocket, and until I establish myself in the career field, I will need to work hard and prove I deserve granted or loaned funds. My plans for overcoming the barriers of my psychological education and lack of social work setting experience are to immerse myself into social work from the very beginning of my MSW program. I thrive on learning, so I will add social work education on top of my psychology foundation without causing conflict. I will also perform my best and enhance my education through field work, which I am excited to
This essay aims to explore the characteristics that make a good quality social work assessment in child care. Martin (2010) stated that there was “no single agreed definition of social work assessment.” Coulshed and Orme (2006, p24) did not offer a formal definition but they described assessment as “…a basis for planning what needs to be done to maintain, improve or bring about change in the person, the environment or both.” According to the Maclean and Harrison (2015) good assessments must be “purposeful and timely.” This is because practitioners need to be clear about why they are carrying out assessments and what it is they wish to achieve at the end of that assessment.
I am the product of divorced parents, poverty stricken environments, and a blended family, but I refuse to let that dictate the outcome of my life. At the age of ten, I had to assume the role of a fatherly figure to my three siblings, so I missed out on the typical childhood most would have had. I grew up in neighborhoods where gangs and criminal acts of violence were a pervasive occurrence, but I resiliently did not allow the peer pressures of others to force me to conform to their way of life. By the age of 15, I received my worker 's permit, and that allowed me the ability to help my mother financially in the absence of my father’s income. I worked the maximum amount of hours I could while balancing my academics and extracurricular school activities. I was a scholar athlete and triathlete in high school, and although I continuously faced much adversity, I still managed to be accepted to the University of California State, Bakersfield after I graduated from high school in 2005. Sadly, after
Cunningham, M. (2012). Integrating Spirituality in Clinical Social Work Practice: Walking the Labyrinth (1 ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
I knew I loved to help others but it was not until I was an emerging adult that I knew what my calling was. My devotion to improve the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged is one of the reasons I have chosen to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. After obtaining my masters, I plan on diversifying my masters by getting licensed and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I would like to study social work because I feel it will lead me directly to one of the most emotionally fulfilling careers available, as well as giving me the chance to combine helping people 's mental well being with their physical
The School of Social Work offers a wide education that follows the Code of Ethics (a social worker’s policy), a program that allows me to receive my master’s in ten years after I have received my BSW degree, and a myriad more. I will work diligently to fulfil my prerequisites to apply to the School of Social worker my sophomore year, and I will get accepted. From there, I will be enrolled in the Social Work curriculum, becoming educated on the social work way, thus leading up to my BSW degree. Prior to my BSW, I will apply to Michigan State’s MSW Program senior year. Once I get accepted, I will take graduate classes, and receive internships in order to put the education I have received thus far and currently receiving into
My strengths definitely stem from my passion about helping others and social work. Becoming a mother and overcoming tough challenges is also a strength of mines. That experience made me stronger and shaped who I am today. I definitely intend to encourage my clients that anything is possible and you can do anything that you set your mind to do. Being around my family and the obstacles that we have overcome has definitely gave me a broader perspective of life and the situations that current that can impacts us in many ways. As a social worker it is important to listen, communicate, build rapport with boundaries with our clients in order to be an effective social worker. Being a social worker requires certain core skills. Many of these I learn during my education and internships, others I have learned from different areas of my life. You are required to orient yourself to the ethical codes for social work in order to provide top-notch services to the people you treat in therapy. You may also find it helpful to understand common elements of good therapy. Certainly there are many different skills and traits that you help you succeed as a social worker. Some of the main skills that will help you in the counseling profession include,
I have known that I wanted to go into the field of Social Work since my first year of undergraduate studies at SUNY at Fredonia. I entered SUNY at Fredonia as a major in secondary education, with a concentration in English. It was during my first semester of my freshman year that I had taken an introductory course in psychology. I realized then that I wanted to work with people, but not in the capacity as a secondary education teacher, but in a career in mental health. My professor spoke with such enthusiasm about the subject of psychology and psychopathology and soon, I found myself intrigued with these subjects. I wanted to help individuals who needed the help, especially knowing the stigma mentally illness exists in society.
My passion to become a social worker began when I was pursuing an undergraduate degree. From a young age because of my compassion and empathetic nature, I knew that I wanted to work inside the human service field. I wanted to use my personal characteristics to improve individual’s lives. Social work was my calling because of the many different areas in the field that are all primarily focused on making a difference. I am interested in clinical social work, working with individuals and families.
I had a lot of things going on in my head that I did not know what it meant and I thought I was different but I could not understand why. It was not till I got into therapy that I learned not only how to cope with my depression and anxiety and how it could make me stronger but the urge and want to help others like me, who are going through what I went through. I also want to make a difference in lives of many different people not only who suffer from depression and anxiety, but child abuse, drug abuse, criminal behaviors and so much more. I want to make a difference in our social work profession to help others deal with life easier.
I have been working as a social worker for the past three years. In all these years, it has always been my desire and passion to acquire enhanced social skills and knowledge to help me empower disadvantaged individuals and families take control of their lives. My desire therefore to pursue a Masters of Social Work degree (MSW) has been inspired by over three years of continuous work with families, children, youths and adults who require support to cope and combat oppressive structures and social injustices. It has therefore been my dream to pursue MSW program which I believe is the only program that can help me to accomplish my goal.
One of the adolescent students who is a nine-grade student at the rural community high school has been referred to a school social worker. The teacher sent him after she had noted that there was a decline in the student academic achievement, and sometimes absence from the school without excuse in the recent weeks.
My interest in social work stems from a love of volunteering that I possessed ever since I was a young child expressing great enthusiasm for church and school service events. As I grew older, I began volunteering for many other community events, such as serving over 200 hours at a local hospital, helping with free cancer screenings, and fitting children with free bike helmets. I even created my own donation drive for a local women’s and children’s shelter. I feel the best when I am striving to create positive changes in my community and for struggling, marginalized individuals. Social services have been a part of my life for a very long time, and I want it to continue to be on a professional level.
Research is a necessity when it comes to providing services. Social Workers need it to be able to determine their clients ' needs, to see what resources/services they have access to and if their client doesn 't have much access where can they get it. Research is also used to see how effective an intervention is and whether it would be a right fit for their clients. It provides social service agents with ways to identify problems within their clients, communities, organizations, and the government. Also it helps them to create ways to aid in effective change. It is very beneficial when a social worker needs to "assess the needs and resources of people in their environments, evaluate the effectiveness of social work services in meeting people
“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy. What if we all took the responsibility to help each other to make this world a better place? My first true introduction with social work came in when I was in my home country. I have seen hungry kids begging on streets, kids as young as few months old dying of hunger, treating mentally upset patients as “evil”, not touching them or talking to them. injustice against women and many more. Growing up seeing such injustice and lack of helping hands grabbed my attention and inspired me to help and do something for others through social work. . My main aim in life is to help those people and provide them with helpful resources and be there for them. In graduate school I would like to pursue my degree in social work and mental health. Mental health is a very important part of social work. Social work and mental health are related fields When someone is in harsh situation, they often go through mental along with physical pain. To bring them out of the trauma, a social worker needs to be prepared in counseling also
My goal is to work in a mental health setting as soon as I graduate with my BSW. I would like to see if I should get my masters in social work or get my doctorate in psychology. Either way, I feel like I will be doing a great thing. As a professional, I want to help many people with their problems. I will encourage their opinions and ideas as well as help them form plans to better their