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essays on becoming a social worker
my journey to social work
essays on becoming a social worker
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Educational Experience. My path to McGill University took a slight detour in the beginning; I started with a Bachelor degree in Political Science at Ryerson University. My advisor and one of my professors commended my success in the program and shared his observations on my liberal and social justice perspectives and suggested that I explore direct social work (this is also when I learnt the difference between direct and in-direct social work). As a political analyse, he proposed that social workers were being sought after in policy development and that he saw that I would succeed in this field and directed me toward his colleague who has a Master’s degree in Social Work. The process in Ontario to become a social worker is long and it took me a couple months of weighing options and investigating the opportunities a social work degree would avail to me. At last, I came to the decision that combining political science with social work was my comfort area and started the long path through a two-year …show more content…
As I mentioned earlier, at the beginning of the BSW program I was still primarily activist and policy minded and that was the only thing I wanted to do, now I have more of an interest in clinical work and an awakened curiosity and attraction to investigating where issues stem from for adults and how to prevent prevent/manage the long-term affects trauma and intergenerational trauma have on mental health. With the recent influx of refugees it seems that there will be more opportunities to practice with those who are challenged by trauma and stressor-related disorders and to still work as an activist or in policy development (international social work context) that better support holistic treatments for mental
I am highly motivated to obtain my Masters in Social Work in spite of some difficulties. Some of the obstacles I face in pursuing a graduate educati...
I first became interested in social work when I took a human rights course as a part of my political science major requirements. Throughout the course, I was fascinated and disturbed by the historic oppression of many large groups in society, and I realized my interests lie outside of the political arena; thus, I double-majored in social policy & practice because of my desire to learn more about how to enhance human well-being, fight social injustice, and pursue social change. I soon realized I wanted to pursue graduate social work education in order to gain a more holistic understanding of social problems and human ailments and, in turn, better understand the best ways to fix them. My background in political science and social policy gives me a unique perspective on the field of social work, as I have gained immense knowledge on social issues, the law, and public policy that will be useful in my graduate school and professional endeavors to fight for social
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.
Working as a social worker although challenging, is a rewarding career. Social workers assist people and families to cope with problems they are facing in their lives. To understand more about social workers, I caught up with Margaret Jones, who is on a charitable mission in the country. Margaret, as she prefers to be called, was born in Haiti but after the devastating earthquake, which saw her lose four close relatives, decided to relocate to the United Kingdom where she got her current job.
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
My current job as a Behavioral Intervention Specialist for Bakersfield City School District has motivated me to pursue my masters in social work. Working with troubled students on a daily basis has allowed me to see the great need for social workers at schools. Many students are not successful in school due to their emotional and social issues in their daily lives. I want to be a professional social worker so I can better understand behavior, trauma, and learn of more ways to assist the students at my school. I truly feel The Master of Social Work (MSW) program will prepare me to help create that change in the schools that is desperately needed.
I believe that having a background in the field of social work is not a curse. In fact I believe that it is a blessing. With any situation there is always different way a person can view the topic. How can a person truly relate to someone if they have never experience the same situation? For example how could I relate to someone who just lost his or her brother from cancer if I never lost anyone before? There is no way I can truly relate, I might be able to understand the situation but I would not be able to relate. Having a background in human services is a benefit. If a person did not have a background in human service they probably wouldn’t have been in this field. Their background could have been what put them in their career. I wish that everyone had a perfect childhood, but that will never happen and the past cannot be altered so its best to look at the positive side about having a background in human services.
It’s hard at the age of 17 to know what you want to do with your life. There are stresses coming at you from each and every direction: what your family wants you to do, what your school wants you to do, what your friends are doing, what you want and what you know what you should do. Then a couple of months into the process you begin to question everything. That’s the process for almost all grade 12 students when applying for post secondary schooling; and from personal experience, it sucks. So most students end up in vague programs, that they’re not too sure about, until a couple years into their degree when they realize what they want to do. While I always knew I wanted to be in social work, I was never sure how I would get there,
The MSW degree along with my bachelors in psychology gives me a great opportunity to build my career as a social worker who will strive to act as a leader and empower others to help those in need. When I have gained efficient experience and expertise in my role as a social worker, I want to educate others on child welfare and family violence. Sharing knowledge and educating is a boundless way to make an impact and promote resilience within the
In the last decade there has been considerable research which shows that if social work students study abroad, then they will be more culturally competent. Authors have explained that international social work education is supported by traditional ethical principles and values (Rotabi, Gammonley, & Gamble, 2006). This means that students must respect other cultures under any circumstance and obey by the ethical international social work education rules. Studying abroad provides social work students with the opportunity to develop knowledge of international social work, global citizenship and well cultural competency (Das & Anand, 2014). Globalization will allow students to learn more about the world; world-wide studies. Intercultural competence enables personal growth and professional development from ethnocentrism to intercultural sensitivity (Tesoriero, 2006). Personal growth will more than likely occur after students travel to other places; i.e. they will learn how culture can influence a person’s daily routine. In addition, international social work education enables learners to identify the importance of gender, race/ethnicity, and social class (Lee & Priester, 2013). Through study abroad programs, students will be knowledgeable in other concept; it varies among cultures. Participants have shared common knowledge regarding the competencies needed for Latinos for exa...
In future, I see myself as work I often find myself thinking about doing something more than just social work. I am really interested in treating mental problems health related problems and helping them to overcome the stress and depression. I believe that with a degree in social work, I will be able to make a difference in the world. I will be able to reach out to those who need help. I do not want to among those people who feel pity by looking at people who are suffering and just pray for them. I want to do something and make a difference in their life. I want to take the responsibility of making our society better. This is only possible if I have proper education and knowledge of all the rules and methods to help out the society. Graduate school will prepare me to make a difference in the
Many reasons convinced me to pursue a graduate level degree in social work. First the standard of education has greatly increased in the field of social work, especially regarding social work in the healthcare field. The majority of jobs in healthcare require a graduate degree, especially in my town of Kamloops, British Columbia. I hope to do case management in healthcare and most of my colleagues stated I most likely wouldn’t be a candidate for this position if I do not have a graduate level education. Furthermore, I have invested my time in a career I hope to continue for the rest of my life and this being said I want to have options and flexibility of opportunities in the field of social work. Considering social services offers such a vast array of services, it’s in my best interest to allow myself the most exposure to opportunity and earning a graduate level degree will allow this to occur.
I chose to go into social work because the profession is not only my dream career, but my passion as well. The ability to call myself a social worker is not just my job title, but part of my identity. I have always wanted to make an impact on our world and be a leader in my generation, and social work is where my personal skill set and strengths will be best put to use. As the last 4 years in my undergraduate studies have rolled along, I have developed my unique, personal traits alongside brilliant minds belonging to the future social workers of America. Many of which plan on going right out into the field and using their degrees to make an immediate impact in their local communities. For me, I would love the opportunity to further hone my
I obtained my Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree from India in the year 2006. As with most countries around the world, the emergence of social work in India was from charity aiming to eliminate poverty. Gradually it shifted from philanthropy to rights based approach and then to organized social work. Community organization surfaced as the most central method of social work practice along with practice of casework. Although social work is much more structured in nature now, it still operates along the conventional perspective of social work. Social work is not even recognized as a profession in India. An indicator of an occupation being publicly recognized as a profession is exhibited by
Social work is a profession which promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and enhance well-being. It is important to acknowledge the history of social work and the purpose of social work and why it exists. Social work is a questioned theory with different perspectives on what it is and how it should be practised. Social work helps people to deal with personal and social problems so that people can overcome or adjust to any personal difficulties. Social work is a combination of social stability and social change. Social stability promotes individual and social welfare and social change seek to change negative aspects of society. Values are implicit within the law and policy and these tend to reflect the values within society. Personal values can influence the way social workers interpret and implement their profession.