Influences in my life that led me to select social work as a profession are growing up in an underserviced area, my experience at the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska conference, my psychology and sociology classes, and my campus involvement. I was raised in a small farming community of 5,000 in Iowa, where we were fortunate to have access to resources, but there were not enough resources to meet demand. Specifically, the community had less than a dozen mental health practitioners to service hundreds of individuals in the community and surrounding, smaller towns. The lack of available resources means patients often have to go longer without seeing a provider than is recommended. It saddens me to see a preventable issue ultimately …show more content…
I practice empathy in my daily life. I enjoy understanding the viewpoints of others, even if they are drastically different than my own, while treating them as equal to myself. I am highly organized, which can be seen by viewing my transcripts. While working, being involved in campus clubs, and volunteering, I still work hard and get good grades. I am always working on my self-awareness by reflecting on almost every situation I have been in and figuring out how to improve for the next time. My strengths are that I am connected, an achiever, responsible, harmonic, and a learner. I possess the strength of connectedness because I believe everything happens for a reason. I like to link things and people together, creating understanding of many different things and people. I enjoy interacting with people who have had different life experiences than my own and creating a psychological bond from that. I am an achiever because I work hard and finish what I start. I thrive on keeping my word and being productive. I am also responsible and take psychological ownership of what I say I will do. I highlight my values of honestly and loyalty. I possess the strength of harmony because I dislike conflict; instead I prefer to work toward finding an area of agreement. Also, I am a learner. I love to constantly learn and grow from the knowledge I obtain. The process of learning in itself is extremely satisfying to me. My limitations include my Bachelor’s degree in psychology, my lack of experience in a social work setting, and growing up in an area with limited diversity. 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
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Retrieved from http://class.waldenu.edu.
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
I come to Fordham University with expectations of completing my Masters of Art degree in Social Service. As a single parent, I have faced many challenges raising my special needs child. My innovation to help disadvantaged children with social and emotional problems encompassed me to continue to pursue a career in the Social Service Profession. This will increase my chances of being a successful Child Therapist. I am aware, prepared and committed to devoting my time towards my studies at Fordham University as well as taking advantage of all the necessary resources that Fordham University has to offer. My personal, academic and profession experience has given me the opportunity
These strengths include the ability of communicating effectively, possessing a passion to help people, good listening skills, understanding needs others contain, and solving conflicts. Yet, my weaknesses consist of being too friendly or occasionally being impatient. As an African-American woman who is Christian, there may be some conflict with prospective clients. I could come across clients from different religions, races, sexual orientation, and cultures. He or she might see my religion or race as an issue, nonetheless I would be determined to help them to the best of my abilities, either with consulting a supervisor about steps to take or transferring him or her to another social worker. A previous life experience that could potentially affect my work is when dealing with people that are abusers or have been abused. Having faced this, I will have to discover some way to avert those personal experiences for providing services to those
Becoming a social worker is dependent on numerous factors, one of which being education. “A bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) degree is the most common minimum requirement to qualify for a job as a social worker, however, majors in psychology, sociology, and related fields may be sufficient to qualify for some entry-level job” (Chao & Orr, 162). Many people when pursuing the goals of being a social worker, however, are most interested in jobs in public agencies and/or having their own practices. “A master’s degree in social work (MSW) is necessary for positions in health and mental health settings and typically is required for certification for clinical work” (Chao & Orr, 162). One’s level of school is not the only thing employers are focusing on when looking to hire social workers. Along with one’s education, a social worker must have “a broad liberal arts base which includes a knowledge of the social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, political science, and economics) to provide explanations about the nature of human society and the human condition” (Johnson, 48). There are many more skills that are just as essential, if not more beneficial, to the employer as well as client.
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,
One of my strongest qualities is having empathy for others. People open up to me very easily, including those who don’t let others get emotionally close to them. My passion to help others has evolved to become an integral part of the educated, diversified and motivated woman that I am today. I have always thought my purpose in life is to uplift and take care of others. I thrive on the opportunity to solve complicated
After completion of the social work program I would like to work in a clinical setting. I would really like to be in a mental health center or a hospital working with military members. I don’t have and preference on the kinds of issues that I would like to work with. As long as I am helping veterans, I will be happy. The reason that I prefer to work under these condition is because I have a passion for working with military members, since I am prior military I feel like I can relate to them and I understand what they are going through. I know that it is very hard for military members to talk to civilian about their problems because civilians just don’t understand, no matter what they say. I will be required to have a diverse set of qualities
Krysik, J. L. & Finn, J. (2013). Research for effective social work practice. New York, NY:
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
When I took the self-assessment test I got one personality type as my highest of all six personality types . The personality type that I scored the highest was social, and it matches perfect with the kind of work I envision doing it in my future. I was not surprised when I got the highest in social because I think this is how friends and loved one’s see myself when I am around them. For instance, they describe as me as a person who value helping others even if I have to go out my way to provide others with what they need. Friends, and close ones always says that I am a caring person who listen and take people’s problems very seriously. Something else that they about myself is that I am good at giving people advice or direct them to the right path. Moreover, my coworkers and friends always referred to me as a someone who is always willing to take new challenges and that I am good at sense when something's not right for them. All of these traits that people say I have are similar to the qualities and skills that social workers in general need in order for them
My interest persisted and grew as I began to see how my efforts had the ability to improve the lives of people around me. I first noticed this on a personal level as friends would come to me for advice or for me to listen to their struggles and provide comfort. No matter how mundane, horrific, unique, or common the story was, I listened to them in a genuine and non-judgmental manner. I truly enjoyed hearing people’s stories and providing comfort and advice when needed. These moments helped me realize the power of simply being there for someone, and it increased my interest of pursuing a career where I can support those who need it most. I want to become a social worker so I can provide direction to those who may not be able to get it from other sources, just like I have done for various people throughout my life.
As an upcoming social worker I understand there are certain traits I portray that are strengths in the social work field. I also understand that were there are strengths, there are weaknesses. I did not realize what my strengths and weaknesses were until I began to practice in the field. Some strengths I have found in myself are good listening skills, ability to handle stressful situations, and time management skills. Along with those strengths I have found my weaknesses are speaking what I believe about a situation, procrastination, and taking on too much responsibility.
The main reason I chose the social work profession, manifested early within my stages of childhood. The importance of giving to and caring for those in need, were deeply embedded in my very soul. Being reared by my grandmother, a nurse and by my teenage mother, a psychology student, I was exposed constantly to acts of kindness and generosity. As a result to my empathetic personality, I was welcomed into many social and ethnic groups, not commonly open to a young gay black male. In these younger years with the assistance of my parents, my love for others allowed me to help other teenagers in crisis, often providing shelter, advice, monetary assistance and a listening
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