Social work is something that has always been a helpful tool for the people who are just down on their luck. Even in the 1800 's, people were inspired to help those in need. Some believed that you would never get out of your poverty stricken state without the help of charity. Other people, like Octavia Hill, thoroughly believed in the power of yourself. She made it known that people would remain in the threat of poverty if they always relied on the government or churches. Octavia taught people how to help themselves. One thing that she said really struck a cord with me: “The people’s homes are bad, partly because they are badly built and arranged, they are tenfold worse because the tenants’ habits and lives are what they are." If we do not …show more content…
You have to have a Bachelor 's degree in Social Work, either a Bachelor 's degree in Psychology of Sociology and you have to be licensed by the state. All throughout obtaining your degree there are struggles along the way. A good majority of your classes are based theoretical or case studies. This does give you a background of what you could be in for, but with social work it is still a case by case study. Not every day will be the same, especially since you will be working with people. At some point in your journey to become a social worker you will be placed with someone who is already in the field. This will allow you to see certain things first hand. It is a difficult job. There will be a lot of times where the person you are placed with will not have the time to teach you anything. They do not usually have time to finish their own tasks, let alone take on a student. If you are placed with someone who has the time or has taken on a lot of students in the past, they may have learned from past experiences and can give you additional knowledge to help start you off on the right foot. The minimum that you could learn is how to file, organize, and those are still beneficial things to learn while you are getting accustomed to a profession that doesn 't give a lot of slack in time
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved being a support system for people and being there in any way I can to help. My passion lies with the geriatric population, as well as Hospice. They are so vulnerable, and often overlooked. I want to be there for people as they face the end of their lives. This has to be one of the scariest moments for a person, and I want to do anything I can to make this time easier for them and their families. I am applying to the social work program so I can do just that. I believe every human being has value and worth. I don’t believe mistakes we make define our character, and sometimes even the strongest people need help.
To familiarize you with what social work is exactly I’ll provide you with a brief history about the career. I will not go too deep into it because I do not like to bore my reader. Social work began in in 1898 when a class was offered at Columbia University. It was a hit! Fortunately, the beginnings of social work paved the way of developing private and charitable organizations to the people who needed it the most. Until this very day, social workers are continuing to serve our society with their needs and recognizing our nation’s social problems and bringing them to the
What does it mean to become a social worker? Why was I committing two years of my life to school after renouncing further education? I asked myself this after I applied, waited anxiously for my acceptance letter and scrambled to figure out the finances after I was accepted. I could not have guessed that the first day of the Micro Human Behavior Social Environment (SWG 510) would capture my attention and thrust me into the professional world of Social Work. As I learned more about what it meant to become a social worker, I found myself aligning to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ethical Standards as reviewed through Foundation Course I’s first chapters.
Before reading the chapter written by Allan Barksy, I had a different understanding of my values. Entering into the social work profession is providing a different outlook and definition regarding values. In the social work profession values are not only personal, they must also include my client’s values. For example, I will be working at Child Net during my field internship. Child Net is a facility for children that are abused, neglected, molested, and other situations that I will be exposed too. These families may have values similar to mine, but their values may be viewed differently. Emotional security was one of my highly desirable values for Table 1.1. After giving this some thought regarding the situations I will be working with, emotional security will be hard to maintain working at Child Net. I say this because my
Theory is defined as “…”. In the social work profession, it is not enough to just understand the definition of theory, but rather be able to integrate theory into practice when working to plan interventions at multiple practice levels. This integration of theory into the social work practice is an emphasis of the profession as noted in the profession’s core competencies. Core competency 2.1.6 “engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research” (NASW code of ethics) is the basis for theory integration within the social work profession. The profession’s practice behaviors state that social workers must “use research evidence to inform practice” (NASW code of ethics). In other words, social workers should “attend to findings
Social workers help people with their everyday lives. There is so many different social workers. Like clinical social workers who diagnose and treat mental, behaviors, and emotional issues. Just being a social work you need a bachelor’s
Social work as a profession strives to help the welfare of those within the community whether its persons or families through advocacy. Often times clients are those who may be vulnerable and disadvantaged. Social workers aim to help people fulfill basic needs in their everyday lives and assist them by providing beneficial resources and intervention counseling. They do more than just help them in their current situation, it’s about helping them to survive and set attainable goals to live a fuller and better life for themselves, and most time for their families.
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.
When I think of Social Work I think of the wellbeing of others and how they deserve to have all of the resources needed to have productive opportunity. When I first began college I started as a Pre-Nursing major whose intent was to work in a Juvenile or an asylum setting. As my freshman year came to an end, I noticed that I only wanted to work in those settings so that I could help advocate for those who were not able to have a voice of their own. I later noticed that nursing was not the field of study that would allow me to express my true intensions for helping people. Now that I am entering my junior year of college and being that I have taken Introduction to Social Work I feel that I have truly found my calling. Being someone who is passionate and concerned about everyone’s situations I find that I am a great asset to the Social Work
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,
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
An education in social work is the start of building upon knowledge, skills and values. There are a wide range of career paths to choose from in the field of social work. A person can choose to work in the Child & Family Welfare System. Social workers who work in the Child & Family Welfare System can choose to work in a private or nonprofit agency. Most people in this field primarily work for county social services. People in this field usually work as child protection specialists, intake specialists, case managers or as adoption workers to name a few. Social workers are also needed in law enforcement, corrections and justice systems. Social workers in this field can work with both youths and adults. Working in law enforcement, corrections and justice systems the social worker plays a direct service role such as staffing group homes and treatment programs. They also can work as probation and parole officers. If this is the field a social worker wants to work in, they should consider getting a minor in corrections. The Healthcare field is another area that a social worker can choose to pursue. A person can work in a hospital, clinic, home health care, public health, hospice and mental health. In the health setting a social worker can also work in a nursing home, chemical dependency programs and even in rehabilitation facilities. In the hospital settings, the social workers deal with people of all ages,
The origins of social work in the United States mirror an ongoing growth of ideas put together from many different cultures. While modern social work here in the states were built on Christian idea many of its concepts are in part due to the influence of the Koran and the mutual aid practices of Native Americans, the African-American community, and immigrants from all over the world.
Reamer explains that values are important in regard to “The nature of social work’s mission; the relationships that social workers have with clients, colleagues, and members of society; the methods of intervention that social workers use in their work, and the resolution of ethical dilemmas in practice” (p. 15). Reamer discusses the importance of ethical decision making and ethical risk management in regards to any ethical dilemma a social worker may face. Reamer also explores how our values can challenge our profession; opposing or conflicting personal, professional, cultural and religious values in particular. Other ethical issues include confidentiality, privacy, divided loyalties, professional boundaries, dual relationships, conflicts of interest, and a client’s free will or determinism (Reamer,
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