Doreen Walker Interview Paper

Social workers have long worked with people who abuse substances, beginning in the 1800’s with sobriety houses and inebriate asylums, to settlement houses in the profession’s beginnings to developing self-help, consumer-driven programs, designing inpatient detoxification programs, and to applying youth-oriented prevention and education programs. As an addictions counselor, the social worker is a part of a specialized profession that began with the wounded healer tradition of abstinence-based movements of the 18th century (White W. L., 2004). Social workers regularly encounter individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorders. Many social workers specialize in the alcohol, tobacco,

With a master 's level education in social work, I see myself envisioning clients’ health and well-being. As a student, I will study and practice techniques, beyond a generalist perspective, that will allow me to give clients hope and the ability to see something greater than what they are facing. Upon completion of a Master of Social Work direct practice degree and certificates in gerontology and mental health programs, I intend to become a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I will competently incorporate specialized skills in different professional settings while developing my knowledge of a wide range of social issues and professional standards. With commitment, I wish to develop skills that will enable me to create or find hidden resources and services for my future clients, create platforms through counselling for victims of trauma.

There are also different supports services in helping women live a healthy and drug-free life on their own without the use substance abuse. Primary health care services I learned are the very first steps in starting treatment. Life skills are all of the things includes leading into a healthy lifestyle. This document goes hand in hand with learning many different assignments for my social work course. Examples of social services are parenting and child development education program for those women that have children and need support through education about child development. It was said that the more a woman is psychologically and emotionally healthy a woman’s family members are, then the more than likely they are able to her remain in treatment and recovery. Being aware that gender plays a big role in to treat substance abuse just as every individual have particular needs, women especially. There is more evidence that shows women are more introduced to drugs by family members or boyfriends etc. On the other hand, men are not as influenced by others as women are. Concluding, this document was able to explain and teach me the gender differences related to substance use in women and how the treatments are

Drug addiction among homelessness falls into social work’s purview because social work is all about making differences in people’s lives. Promote health and well- being of the community. And helping individual by providing resources that will aid to meet the individual needs. Also providing support to the individual, families, and community to ensure they are getting proper treatment for drug addiction especially the poor and vulnerable. With all these facts, drug addiction falls into social work

The patient’s primary role in the Patient Centered Medical Home is to communicate his or her needs to the providers. Some common requirements of patients might be: to have someone available to answer any questions that arise about their condition, medication, or next steps in their care, assistance in scheduling appointments and coordinating transportation, someone to aid them with the understanding of insurance benefits, and someone to facilitate understanding of any medical conditions in order to allow them to

Mary’s Grandmother had begun a savings program for Mary’s college and the fund paid for Mary to attend undergraduate college at Florida Atlantic University. Mary had chosen Social work for her college education, which she continued as an advanced standing student and she received her Master’s degree in Social work in less than five years. Part of both undergraduate and graduate school Mary did internships at behavioral health facilities, where she became involved with persons struggling with chemical addictions. Mary liked and enjoyed this work so she went to work at a private facility for substance abuse. It was shortly after she began working at the facility when a Clinical Director from another office in West Palm beach, came to her and discussed Mary taking over the position as the Clinical Supervisor at the Port St Lucie office.

The interview session I had with Kayla Huddleston was necessary in understanding different dynamics of the Social Work profession. Ms. Huddleston is an experienced professional who works in the social work program at Seattle University. She performs diverse roles in the social work program at the university. She is a program coordinator for a social work program and responsible for recruitment and admission program in the university. She also organizes and ensures different social programs including graduation within the university. Her program coordination role requires diverse skills and competencies and at least a Master’s degree in social work from a recognized university. Kayla Huddleston holds a Master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington specializing in policy and administration. Her micro-level policy and system duties enable her to develop strategies and administrative policies that directly influence the lives of different people in the society.

The social work education I experienced at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) greatly prepared me for this position. While interviewing Personal Care Attendant candidates, I utilize the interviewing techniques of open ended questions, active listening, and encouragement. Throughout the working relationship with consumers (individuals with disabilities), I utilize the concept of person centered care. This is important to observe because the Attendant Referral Program is a consumer driven program.

This short story by Diane Rullo-Cooney, conveys how she became a social worker, and what she is doing now to give back to the social work community. She decided late in her educational life to pursue her passion for social work. She previously received her masters in arts in counseling, when she decided that her jobs as a clinical supervisor in addiction services, did not fulfilling her. She is now a licensed MSW, and is working on her Ph.D.

From the results of these studies, we can ascertain implications for social workers who are working with women in substance use treatment. Through ACT, social workers can help clients learn to become mindful and accept thoughts, feelings, and emotions which drive their substance use. Through increased awareness and mindfulness, clients can gain mental flexibility and resiliency which will decrease emotional distress. Decreased emotional distress can help improve client’s mental flexibility which may help decrease the likelihood of substance use relapse. Practicing mindfulness and acceptance of thoughts, feelings, and emotions can become easier with practice which was indicated in research which showed that abstinence levels were greater long-term for participants who had received ACT treatment (González-Menéndez, 2013).

For this assignment, I chose to interview Jan McRae, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who has a long history within the profession ranging from in-home social work to medical social work and now community mental and behavioral health. Together, she and I discussed unique strengths and challenges individual clients encounter along their path to recovery. In particular, we discussed specificities around Methadone and Suboxone treatments and pros and cons of each. My reaction to this interview was that it offered insight into the delicate and tricky path of adult addiction and recovery as well as encouraging my desire for empathic understanding of those unique life experiences affecting the clients that I am serving.

When entering the field of social work, a person should understand the effects of alcohol, not only on an individual, but also the effects on the families. Alcohol is one of the many substances that people use and abuse. Since alcohol is legal for any one over the age of twenty-one, many people begin drinking and then develop an addiction to the substance (Goldberg, 2016). Alcoholism effects people of all ages, background, social status, or ethnic group (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016). A social worker should understand how to assess and intervene families who are struggling with alcohol addiction in a way that is both ethical and culturally competent (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2005). The main goal for a social worker is to promote well-being and help provide the basic needs of all people (National Association of Social Workers, 2008).

Social workers who work in the area of substance abuse concentrates on specific clients that have an addiction problem and those who are abusing different drug substances. Social workers who are working and dealing with cases of substance abuse can help clients on their journey to rehabilitation by being supportive, offering encouragement, and making the path to restoration a slightly easier. Social workers in this field use their knowledge and abilities to comprehend the needs of the client in relation to their substance abuse problems. The social worker measures the client to understand the severity of the substance abuse in order to know how to deal with the client. Social workers experienced in substance misuse and addiction often work as part of a team with other specialists, particularly licensed alcohol and drug therapists, doctors, and nurses.

I personally view social work as a structured, multi-faceted platform that provides necessary, practical assistance and aid to those who direly need it. This comes in numerous different forms and reaches across all walks of life, but ultimately, the unequivocal similarity that all social workers in any branch of social work share is the ability to plant and foster seeds of positivity and growth in even the darkest, bleakest of places. I have experienced the transformative power of this very work firsthand and, frankly, I believe social work to be one of the most admirable and necessary professions to exist. As the late journalist Alexander Chase so aptly put it, “Social work is a Band-Aid on the festering wounds of society.” It is the role of social workers to clean up, to the best of their ability, the mess that is left behind in the lives of so many people because of social, economic, familial, or systemic shortcomings. While it is impossible for social workers to wholly rewire the system or entirely eliminate pervasive social problems, they are the ones who are on-site after the damage has been done, toolkit in hand, first-aid kit in hand, prepared to dirty their hands, ready to work their magic. And I am interested in becoming one of those workers and doing just that for families of addicts, trying my absolute best to enable others to flourish into the person they are meant to be, which they would not otherwise have had the luxury of accomplishing. I am interested in

Each day Michael and Mordecia traveled to a local homeless shelter to interview potential clients and help them with whatever they needed. Most of their clients were generally homeless people or individuals who were laid off from their job recently. The two helped these individuals fill out government forms, obtain job applications, and sometimes a rehab center for those who were addicted to drugs and alcohol. At times some clients could not be helped but Michael and Mordecia provided their counseling service as a means of help. Some individuals only needed some to talk to about what was going on in their life at that time. He wants his readers to see the similarities between social workers and attorneys. His examples with Michael and Mordecia with their clients express key elements in the career of a social worker.