Becoming A Social Worker, Values, Beliefs, And Theory Of Practice

The purpose of social work in the contemporary society is concern for the individual. The function of social work is to help solve problems in human relationships for a better quality of life and to protect them from harm and from harming others which will enhance well-being. I have decided to pursue social work as a profession because I am at the point in my life where I want a sense of fulfilment. I care about people, I want to help others. I want to make the world a better place to live. I want to be the change I want to see. I want to serve the people in society who are physical, mentally, and socially less privileged than I am and make them feel loved and accepted. I will work with all groups of people but I have a strong interest in working with children and people who suffer from mental illnesses and addiction. I am interested in social work because it is a career with lots of flexibility in an ever-changing field allowing me to work in different settings, with different goals and challenges, but with a shared purpose of serving the common good of people.

My passion for helping the vulnerable is one reason I ‘am inspired to become a social worker. I also want to be available to provide support to those who have nowhere else to turn. My experience in social work has taught me to celebrate the small victories towards positive changes. I look forward to gaining the skills and knowledge to aid me in becoming a successful social worker.

Entry 1 On this module you have explored what might have led you to join the social work profession. Why is it important to think about your motivations for becoming social workers and how might this affect the way you practice? Why is self-awareness important in social work practice? Given your own unique background, what areas of social work might you find challenging and why?

My understanding of the social work profession and its core values is that social workers are caregivers, they provide assistance to people in need, and they address social problems. The social worker goal is the improvement of society to ameliorate the lives of individuals in need. The social work profession mission is to enhance the well-being of people and to assist them in meeting their basic needs, with particular emphasis on the needs of the poor, and the vulnerable individual. The Social Work profession has six core values. These core values are the foundation of the social work profession. The social worker incorporates these core values into his daily practices. Service to others is one of the fundamental values of social work. Social workers goal is serving others and putting the needs of their clients ahead of their own. Social justice is another core value of social work. Social workers aim at improving the lives of the disadvantaged, vulnerable people who are less fortunate or unable to advocate for themselves. Social workers understand the essential value of every human life, regardless of ethnic background, cultural differences or religious beliefs. Their goal is to respect the dignity and worth of every person. Another key value of social work is integrity. The social workers conduct themselves in a trustworthy, honest, and responsible manner at all times. Competence is another important core value of the social work profession. The

Many reasons exist for why an individual decides to become a social worker. Sometimes those reasons include hopes of creating a better future for vulnerable members of society, advocating for a world free of oppression and prejudice or even creating macro level changes in policy and legislation. In any case, a social worker is guided by his or her passion, commitment and dedication towards an easing of suffering at the micro, mezzo and macro levels for individuals, groups and communities.

Choosing to pursue this education to become a Social Service Worker has been a life long passion; living a so called “roller coaster” of a life and being subjected to many things, enjoyable and regretful has helped me in many ways to comprehend what it is to truly have human empathy and compassion for others. A veteran at life in its lowest and highest forms, and feeling completely alone and hopeless at times; being subjected to sexual and physical abuse, seeing what alcohol and drugs do to families, how poverty effects children and loved ones. Fortunately there were a few individuals that reached out, bring me up out of the darkness. This is something that I feel in my heart that needs to be given back, for me to provide someone the empowerment that others have given me, to show that there is hope and give reason to keep going, individuals who feel desperate, help to raise their chances, dreams and the basic needs of life. Having the knowledge of education to give these resources for expert referrals to assist people in desperate times, so they can live the life that is deserving and fulfilling to them, therefore this is my ultimate goal!

Throughout my life, I have always loved helping people and enhancing them to be the best person they can be. My purpose for choosing to pursue social work as a degree is through the burning desire I have upheld to support individuals achieve their goals. I consider myself as someone who is keen on acquiring new skills and knowledge of understanding on a daily basis. This is due to my motivation and determination as those two things are essential to sustain as an individual. From previous experience obtained by working in a Care home & Nursery, I have always had a passion to guide individuals who are less able to do so.

Ever since I was a child, I loved helping others. Whether it was helping my mother take care of my little brother or helping my fellow classmates with an assignment, I was always there to lend a hand. This passion continued throughout my childhood and into early adulthood. When I began my undergraduate degree at Lewis University, I knew I wanted to help people in some type of capacity. I was guided to the path of Social Work because in this field I could combine both my passion for helping others and interest in social justice. After my first day in the Introduction to Social Work course at Lewis University, I knew that I had found my forever home. This career path would allow me to help others in a variety of different settings and capacities.

Working in the world of Social Work can be many things; educating, adventurous, and at times emotional fulfilling and or draining. Every person brings their own contributions as well as their own strategies and problem solving techniques that are set by the social work guidelines. Getting into the world of social work can be intimidating, stressful and many questions are often internally asked. As an aspiring social worker I have had the opportunity to meet up with Tracey Hodgins; a micro social worker who has been in the industry for 15 years, and has had a Bachelor of Social Work Degree for 13 years. She is the mother of a friend of mine who agreed to let me interview her. Currently she is Adult probation officer; she deals with managing

During my sophomore year of college, I got a chance to volunteer with two organization: the Martin Luther King Retention Program (MLK) and Inclusive Basketball program through the Social Work Organization at Shippensburg University. During my volunteering time at the MLK program, I got to mentor several students who had different nationalities and cu0ltures. All the students identified as First Generation College students. It was interesting to see different things each student did and how it differ from the others’ culture. It was interesting to learn new things from the students. This experience will help make me an effective social worker because I got a chance to work with a diverse group. I had to learn how to work with each individual on a one-on-one level so that their needs and goals were met. It was not easy because I had to adjust to some student’s cultural beliefs, however, I did learn to

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses

Each Social worker is created in a unique way. Some are affected personally, by issues, people, and/or situations around them. I carry my own personal experiences from good to bad ones. Becoming a Master’s level Social Worker provides me with a larger spectrum to which I could dedicate myself. Accomplishing a Master degree in social work sets me a step closer to obtaining a licensure, being a therapist, a supervisor, a program director, and many other things. As social workers, we carry different roles which can be defined by whom we work for, as to working with individual (micro), institutions (mezzo) or within a system (macro).

The social work profession would allow one to become an advocate for the community. Throughout my life, I have been a victim as well as seen others discriminated due to their race, gender and sexual orientation. Many of them felt voiceless, while others who did not remain silent, were left with the sense of being unheard. Therefore, as a member of a minority population has fueled my passion of becoming a social worker and assisting others in understanding their civil rights.

Of all the typical needs in the readings Becoming a Helper, the two needs that most motivated and influenced me to become a Social Service Worker are as follows, making an impact and caring for others, these two needs are important to me because they are part of who I am as a person. Hence, applying these needs in the field of a Social Service Worker will allow me to make an impact by addressing various areas of needs a client might have. Such as, homelessness, unemployment, depression family violence, and child neglect. Thus, using these quality needs will surely help me to bring-about positive changes and finding solution to these issues while working as a Social Service Worker.

Becoming a social worker has always been my dream as child. I do believe that what influenced me were parents and my childhood. I grew up in a home where everyone was welcome. I remembered my mother made sure who ever that came to our home no matter the time and even unannounced must eat something before they leave. It was tradition l grew up with. I learned to help people at my early age.