Social Work is a career change for me. My undergraduate degree is in business administration and I spent ten years working as a risk analyst at a mutual fund company. When I had my twins, they were nine weeks premature and my husband and I decided that it would be best for me to stay home with them. I remember thinking that I was never fulfilled in my job, it was just a paycheck and that when I went back to work I was going to do something that has meaning for me. When the twins were nine months old I became pregnant again and I stayed home with my children for ten years. I began taking prerequisite courses in nursing and I enjoyed it but it still did not feel right. I spent two years taking classes, deep down knowing I was not making the correct …show more content…
I used the skills that come naturally to me; I listened and genuinely cared about what they had to say. My belief that change can happen was constantly shared with my patients, my belief and faith in them was something I never held back in discussing. I was real and honest with the patients, if I did not have an answer to a question, I would say so and I think the patients appreciated my honesty. I have found myself to be passionate about substance use and the way treatment facilities are set up to help the patients fail. I am hoping to utilize harm reduction in my next field placement and possibly educate other clinicians. According to Denning and Little (2012, p. 6), harm reduction is an approach to working with drug users that aims to reduce drug-related harm to individuals, their families, and communities without necessarily reducing the consumption of drugs. Harm reduction is aligned with the ethical principle of dignity and worth of the person in that every person has the right to self determination (National Association of Social Workers, …show more content…
While the patients are in the program, I focus on their strengths and goals. Case management includes aftercare appointments and appropriate housing. I work alongside the patients to identify housing options and together we submit the applications. They are only in the program for a short while so we are only scratching the surface of the work that needs to be done. My goal for each of the patients is that they realize I care about their well being, I believe in them and I will help them secure the supports they need to continue on their journey. Surprisingly, for many of the patients this is the first time someone has taken the time to get to know and help
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 have gained great insight into the roles of services that help people going through a crisis. I work as part of primary working team and my role is to help the primary worker and the associate worker in coming up with a treatment plan for our allocated patient. I regularly attend multi-disciplinary care review meetings where we decide and carry out present care needs, plans, and wishes and identify future input and support, goals and any desired future outcomes for our service users. I work with the other members of staff and outside agencies to promote empowerment, individuality, rights as enshrined by the law, personal responsibilities, self-identity and self-esteem. I work as part of a team including an occupational therapist that puts care plans and assessments into action to help people with basic life skills.
Prior to working in my field, it seemed that I waited a very long time to be in the position I wanted to be in. When I first started working in my field I was very excited. Working as a Community support Worker, I often thought to myself that my current position would be the closest I would get to a social worker position. I was ecstatic about my achievements until I realized that I still was unsatisfied and I wanted more. When I realized my current career as a community support worker, was not enough for me I decided to advance in my field. I made the conscious decision to return back to school for my masters and obtain a master’s degree in mental health counseling. This process has been extremely rewarding and challenging. Although, I have been doing a wonderful job with my schooling, it has been very difficult to balance work, school, and family. While attending graduate school, I have been able to successfully complete my coursework and maintain quality grades however I have not been able to spend much time with my family as I would like. This transition has been extremely challenging, however it has taught me exceptional time management skills. It also has taught me how to deal with change. I am now open to change because I believe it is necessary for
Compassionate care and close monitoring. In residential treatment, we’ll have our highly skilled team create your individual recovery plan and incorporate a variety of therapies with round-the-clock care.
I have chosen social work as a profession because of my passion to help others. I want to make a difference in someone’s life and help them through the problems they are having. Whether the client needs counseling, guidance, or advocacy I want to be the person to help them. My drive for helping others and motivation to change social policies for the better is why I have chosen social work as my future profession.
I chose to pursue a degree in Social Work because I have a deep passion for helping people figure things out and get back on track. I have always tried to help people in the simplest ways without being over intrusive and giving them the respect and dignity they deserve. As a teen I found joy in the slightest things like helping people fill out and submit job applications, filling out medical forms, and explaining to them the process for things such as obtaining Medicaid, food stamps, their food handlers card and even on where and how to apply for your driver’s license. These things may seem trivial but I guarantee that for many people this was a huge help. Working with people is not just something that happens; first you have to want to help people and be patient and understanding with the people who you are helping and that does not happen overnight, second, you must be able to recognize your own limitations and know when to refer someone to qualified professionals.
Social work was a natural choice for me when I decided to go to college. I did not think about it at the time, but I had been practicing social work for a long time. It started with my step-kids. My stepdaughter had self-confidence issues so she became anorexic. On top of that, she was having issues with her mother’s boyfriend and had been begging us to come live at our house for years. She had suicidal tendencies and thoughts. I remember spending hours with her just trying to talk through her issues and finding a solution that wasn’t starving herself or killing herself. My stepson had issues as well. He was in the military for seven years and most of that was spent overseas in the heat of the war. He came back a shell of his former self.
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.
The purpose of this reaction paper is to examine the thoughts and feelings of the readings for the purpose of the interjection of opinion. Chapter eight in the text book discusses the history of the progression of the field of social work as a profession from emergence through expansion. When I first glanced at the title I honestly thought that the chapter was going to consist of a long history dating back to primeval time, since Social Work is a very old ideology. However, the profession is a fairly new concept(professionally) although it is centuries old. The text gives a brief but respectable understanding of the history throughout the ages.
To begin, more than 600,000 citizens who are located in the United States have social worker degrees. Everyone of those social workers understand how crucial the skills that are learned are to helping your clients achieve solutions to their problems. One of those skills are to effectively initiate stage 1 with your client which is to have him/her tell their story. It is essential to know the complete story of your client before any progress can be made such as setting goals or finding solutions to their problems. You need to know every issue, problem or concern your client could be having. Also, to know what are any unused opportunities they might have. By knowing all these details you will be able to fully understand your client and to have
"Do not become a social worker. You will not make any money and you will be stressed out all the time." My maternal grandparents were foster care parents from the 1980 's until April of this year. In that time they hosted over 250 children from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. As a child, I spent much of my time at my grandparents house and was exposed to the multiple aspects of the foster care system. I became close with the social workers who came to my grandmother 's house and when it came time for me to make a career choice, they all discouraged me from becoming a social worker. Despite their warnings I graduated with my Bachelor 's of Social Work from Saint Louis University in 2013 and began to work on my Master 's in Social Work in August of 2014.
The career of a social worker is not as attractive to many because it’s not a field where you can make a lot of money right away. I want to make good living once I enter the real world, but I also want to have a purpose in life. I have always loved to help people. I am a very nurturing person and have always been passionate about helping others. I want to be able to make a difference in my community and the lives of other people. I also want to be a social worker because I want a career where I can have some diversity. I do not want a job where I must be confined to a desk to perform my job daily. Each day will be a different challenge as a social worker. I need to be involved in a field where I will not be bored and pushed to resolve the many
For the first two years of college, I excelled in taking Nursing classes and even got into the Nursing Program at UCM. But something changed at the beginning of my junior year and I could not deny not wanting to be a Nursing major any longer. As my classes advanced I realized that the passion I once had for Nursing was not there any more. I could not see myself being a proficient Nurse if I did not have a desire for the job. So after researching Social Work again, the option that I once ignored came back into my life. For a while, I challenged myself to see if this was a career choice that would make me happy.
However, after talking with my advisor I was told that I would be able to go into psychology with a bachelor’s degree in social work. My advisor also told me that the professions are similar. I took her advice and started a new goal, to get my BSW. Coming into my first class on the field of social work, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. All I knew is that the profession was connected to helping people. After learning more about the profession and the wide range of options that accompany it, I started to get excited. I could work with many different types of people on a range of issues and changing which area I work in would be relatively easy. I have always wanted to help people with mental health issues and I thought that social workers only did that in school settings. Learning that I just needed to get my Masters to be able to do therapy made me feel great about choosing to become a social worker. Having options has made my college experience better by getting me excited for what the future holds.
The beauty of social work is diversity. There are many groups of clients with their own specifics needs and hardships, each with a different approach needed and many ways to succeed. The thing that first drew me to social work is the ability to learn how to interact and help so many different individuals with many backgrounds, reputations, and future plans. The groups that I am most drawn to are the innocent, the neglected, and the abused. I have plans to work with youth affected by mental illness, abuse, or delinquency. I find that working with families is the most fulfilling in finding the root of the problem, addressing all areas that are contributing to this child or young adult, and creating a solid family unit to project young lives in