I contacted the Department of Social Services in Wilson, North Carolina to set up an interview with Riley Hottovy, who is an Alternative Services Social Worker with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). The building was fairly easy to locate, and it was not far from Barton, on Gold Street. It is a large brown and tan building with a generous sized parking lot and walkway up to the building. I walked up to the front desk with a notebook and pencil in hand. I explained to the woman working behind the desk that I had an appointment with Mr. Hottovy, and we talked a moment about the reason for the visit (she noticed I was carrying a notebook and guessed I was a student). She then took my information and asked me to have a seat while she called Mr. Hottovy. …show more content…
What are the professional qualifications to work in this setting as a social worker? To become a social worker in this setting, you must have attended a four year CSWE accredited college and have a BSW with at least one year of experience, but of course an MSW is always preferred. What are the personal attributes that are most important to work in this setting? For me, personally, I love talking with people and just sitting down and getting to know each individual and their story before I jump in with anything else. What is the most rewarding aspect of being a social worker in this setting? Crisis intake is the most rewarding thing to see because about eighty percent of the clients I see are hopeful that they can get through a tough situation, but then there are about twenty percent who don’t think they have any skills to get them through. It’s always rewarding to see it when they realize they can get through it, and ultimately their transformation in the end. It makes you both feel good. What’s the most challenging aspect of being a social worker in this …show more content…
What is a typical day (if there is such a thing) like? That is, what are the actual things you do in a work day? There really is no typical day here, I mean, you come in expecting things, but then it may or may not go that way. Basically, on any day, I help clients with a variety of things like getting employment, being more self-sufficient, looking at their finances and bills to figure out how to spend money wisely, domestic violence, and medications. If you could practice in another area of social work, what would it be and why? If I could do anything else, it would definitely be foster care. Foster care is what drew me in initially, but this was actually the only job open at the time. What advice would you give to someone considering social work as a career? I would tell them to make sure to compartmentalize everything, that is, keep work at work, and home at home, and don’t mix them. I’ve had co-workers who were unable to do that, which made it very difficult for them to do their job. The other thing is to make sure to take care of yourself first because if you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your
To provide effective social services, a social work graduate must possess a multitude of knowledge, skills and abilities. This will be a reflective paper on everything that I know for sure as a student of social work who is about to go into the world of work.
As my role of becoming a justice based social worker and being exposed to new knowledge about oppression and privilege, I want to focus on the topic of race and White privilege to strengthen my knowledge and the knowledge of others on multidimensional levels. There are a few reasons why I have chosen an action plan focused on race and White privilege. I believe it to be a longstanding issue in our society, it is rarely discussed because of the uncomfortable territory that comes along with it, and more importantly, I would like to expand my awareness of how race affects individuals on different systemic levels and my awareness of my privileges can affect my role as a social worker. “Teaching about White privilege is fundamental to understanding
My overall experience in Intro to Human Services was phenomenal. This class was definitely one of my favorite classes this semester. I loved the way it was taught and I was able to understand how human services works while reading the book Precious throughout the semester. This course isn’t an easy class that you can just relax and breeze through. It has a lot of fundamental chapters that explain the jobs of helpers also known as human service workers. I loved how we were supposed to read the chapters before class and then we would review in class. It made more sense by doing it this way. It never felt like we were rushing through the material and the pace of the class was perfect. I also loved how professor Oropall always was willing to explain
everyone before she begins any work in her office. She utilizes her break times to socialize with the employees she supervisors. This allows them to discuss any issues that might need to be address, in a non- confrontational way. Finally, before leaving for the day and especially before the weekend she once again does a walk-thru of the department. She does this last check to ensure everyone is working and that no new urgent problems have occurred. She quickly assesses that everyone is on track with the plan of care for day, and all supplies, staff and information needed. She reviews that everything needed is available for on coming shifts and throughout the weekend.
“Every minute is different from the next. The agenda of the day is dictated by what is happening in each specific moment of the day” states Scott Eshelman, Director of Services at Polycom, Inc., when asked what a typical day of manager looks like (2011). General duties include daily meetings with customers, support technicians, engineers, etc. to get ...
A day in the life: With her business-formal pencil skirt, blazer, and briefcase; the social worker walks into the courthouse determinedly. The past month of case research floods her mind as she prepares to explain to a precious little boy that he wouldn’t have to go home with his abusive parents today. Even though being a social worker can be a stressful, difficult occupation; I find it appealing because through this job you can improve the lives of others and make a real difference in the community.
Working with others and improving own learning and performance are highly essential skills in social work. In this essay I will reflect on how well I have developed these two skills and what I need to do to improve them.
I strongly considered a career in social work after completing my undergrad school; my yearning for helping and advocating for all children of the world led me to Barry University. With increased knowledge in the profession of social work, I realized, I have been absent minded in the numerous roles that a social worker plays. As advocators, counselors, mediators, and researchers, social workers uphold principles and core values written within the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. Social workers mission is entrenched in the Code of Ethics. “Code of Ethics set fourth these values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ conduct” (The National Association, “n. d.”). Service, Social Justice, Dignity
I was there to support them during their therapy session and redirect any behaviors. Upon graduation I landed an employment opportunity and began working as a Teachers Aide at the Sawtelle Learning Center, it was a great experience. I assisted our students with their daily living, recreational and social skills. It gave me an appreciation for the work being done. My most recent work experience was as a Site Director at a before and after school program, I enjoyed taking on a supervisory role which really allowed me to challenge myself in a way hadn’t before. My work experience thus far has been quite fulfilling. Being able to help others and watch them succeed has always been the driving force behind everything that I do. It has also been one of the reasons I’ve wanted to pursue social work. I applied to the social work program because as a mental health professional I wanted the opportunity to provide a wider range of services to clients. My bachelor's degree has given me the foundational knowledge but I wanted to expand my skills so I could better serve clients across a variety of settings. In addition, as an alum of Montclair State University, I was excited to learn that my alma mater was now offering a Social Work Program. I am quite familiar with the rich academic history, the amazing professors and the many enriching experiences Montclair State
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
According to the Department of Labor Statisics, There are requirements on becoming a Social Worker. A bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) is the most common for entry level work. (Statistics, 2015) Some employers will hire people with a degree in a related field such as psychology or sociology. This is usually the case with the community social worker. Most states have require most social workers to be licensed. A Master’s degree can be required depending on the
Over the course of the semester, I have learned a variety of many things regarding social work. These things vary from learning how to help oneself to understanding how to help others. Not only were the textbooks very useful, but also the materials that furthered this textbook learning. The in class presentation, activities, and guest speakers gave us insight and a different perspective on the material we were learning. I feel like this course has given me a good foundation and prepared me as a future social worker (1).
The social work profession is defined as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people (ISFW, ‘Global Definition of Social Work’, 2016).” The definition may be true about the profession but it is more in depth than just that. To me, the profession’s primary focus is to help others through life as much as we can while letting them make their own choices and guiding them. In society, social workers are utilized in many different nonprofit and government roles. They serve the community in many different ways from monitoring parent visits to helping people through mental illnesses. Human beings are so complex and things that happen
families, and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social workers are change agents and because of that, they aim to help people develop their skills and abilities to use resources provided to them to strengthen and improve their lives and communities to resolve problems. One of the main goal of social workers is to improve the well-being and lives of the most vulnerable populations, fight against poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and the underserviced population by emphasizing on the person-in-environment and social justice model. The social work profession, considerers the individuals’ internal and external struggles, while working with the individuals to examine their relationships, family, work environment, community, and other things that might impact them and identify ways to help address problems and challenges.
My schedule can get a bit hectic but it's all about time management, and making sure I communicate with my clients so they are it left in the abyss. My entire life is literally operated through my iPhone! I love what I do, because theirs always movement, change, and unpredictability. I meet a lot of good