I moved to California three years ago to pursue a Master's degree in social work at USC. During the time I have lived here, I have gained invaluable experience working full-time in the social work field. My first social work related job in California was working at an IMD step-down program for transitional aged youths and adults with dual diagnoses. From there, I began working in the Wraparound program at Aviva Family and Children's Services as a Child and Family Specialist. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with these agencies but am also very excited to begin graduate study at USC's School of Social Work since my graduate education was the reason for my move to southern California. With the many experiences I have had …show more content…
This has provided me with an added insight into what interventions may be beneficial when working with clients. My aptitude for ¨thinking outside the box¨ has facilitated effective problem solving in situations that had no single or clear-cut solution. I hope to enhance this attribute during my time in field placement by refining my critical thinking skills and increasing my knowledge of community resources, so that I can gain a strengthened awareness of how to best advocate for and support clients. My ability to integrate personal goals, values, culture and socioeconomic background into treatment planning and in the treatment process has allowed me to develop realistic and attainable goals that are relevant to each individual. This strength stems from the steadfast belief that cultural relevance is essential to provide effective services. My social work experience has refined my organization and planning skills and I have fine-tuned my ability to manage a chaotic schedule. When I have encountered challenges in the field, I have overcome them by seeking supervision and consulting with more experienced colleagues. I also dedicate extra time to learning about cultures, concepts, and practices that I may have a difficult time understanding or am not familiar with. A final strength I believe will be an asset when working as a professional social worker is my dedication to the social work mission and
Furthermore, I am extremely interested in attending the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work for its social work program. I have always been a clear advocate social work as well as policy to be prevalent in our society. The Hunter College Silberman School of Social work is historic in developing effective change strategies at the individual, agency, community, national, and international level.. Moreover, the Hunter College Silberman School of Social work students as well as faculty are fully engaged in policy and practice issues for innovation and change. This essential environment is the foundation that I want to learn and gain professional growth. In parallel, the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work has a diverse student
I am pursuing an MSW at this time with the goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker in order to provide advanced substance abuse and mental health counseling in western North Carolina. I have many work experiences that contributed to my choice of social work as a profession. I am currently a certified substance abuse counselor intern as well as a certified minister. I provide counseling for members of the congregation I serve.
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.
McIntyre informed me that having a Bachelor Degree in Social Work was rewarding; Nevertheless, she wanted to become an inspiring therapist. Therefore, she applied for the master program at Arkansas State University. She was accepted and in the summer of 2014, she started grad school. She did her additional training for the grad school at Day Spring Behavior Health. She was trained in diversity, social work value and ethical, and economic injustice with clients. Afterward completion of 60 credit hours and 400 field hours, she graduated with her Master Degree in Social Work, May 2016.
I aspire to become a licensed clinical social worker so that I can have an in-depth method for assisting clients. I believe that social workers are afforded an awesome yet overwhelming task of helping individuals through the course of their lives. I hope to inspire my clients in knowing that challenges are the stepping stones to becoming resilient and that challenges are not meant to break a person. All in all, it is important for social workers to constantly reaffirm their dedication to helping their clients by taking time to care for themselves, seeking continuing education so they are kept abreast of current information, realizing that the steps to change and change itself is often uneasy, messy, difficult but necessary for the advancement of all
In 2010, I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree from University of Phoenix. I began the journey towards my Masters degree in Counseling in
Social work exists to provide effective social services to individuals, families, groups, communities and society so that social functioning may be enhanced and the quality of life improved. (Zastrow, 2013) Assessing my strengths and weaknesses as a social worker helps me see what I must maintain, and what I must improve on to become the kind of social worker that educates and inspires. The skills I identify with in my practice are; empathy, identifying strengths, and respect. These skill sets are vitally important to ensure clients receive the best possible outcome.
Empowerment and a strengths perspective which support the development of innate abilities and recognize differences in a positive manner are also helping social workers increase the individual client’s capacity to learn to use his or her own systems constructively
After I graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara I was unsure what my next step would be. Of course I was anxious since I did not have experience working nor did I excel in my undergrad studies however, I knew I needed to use my newly earned degree in a positive way. Fast forward, after working for two years, I have gained the skills, knowledge and values from my work experiences that have confirmed my desire to advance my education in the social work field. I currently have my own case load of clients as a case manager at a level 12 group home but it’s time to take the next step forward. I want to ultimately advance social justice and provide services to assist individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
From having experience working with the disabled at the Special Olympics, mentally ill in the County of Riverside, abused and neglected children at the Child Abuse Prevention Center, and foster kids at Casa de Esperanza de Los Niños, I believe that my experiences will prepare me for obtaining my degree in social work. At the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is focused on the needs of children, which is what I am so strongly focused on. The curriculum that USC focuses on is very interesting and I think that I would be able to provide and use my experiences working with children in foster care towards my
Within the past twenty-five years, my life experiences have led me to become passionate about social work. Although my journey in social work hasn 't been something I’ve always known I wanted to do when I was young, a combination of personal, professional, and academic experiences has pointed me into the direction where I am today. As the oldest out of four siblings, my family has always worked hard to get where they’re at now. Knowledge of my parent 's personal; as well as, their professional struggle of not having a college degree has led them to work hard for everything they 've received in their life. Acknowledging what my parents have gone through has pushed me to receive my Associates in Liberal Arts so that I will able to graduate with my Bachelor of Social Work in the Spring 2017.
United States counts with the most culturally competent group of health professionals that are mindful of their client’s needs and open to use new, holistic perspectives (Saleebey, 2009). This implies that social workers are the most qualified group that has the proper preparation to provide individualized treatments. The social worker is among the few professions that have the facility to fulfill clients’ needs on a variety of
In order to deliver effective services it is necessary that professionals are able to work with culturally diverse populations successfully. Social workers must commit themselves to the profession’s enhancement and to their own professional growth in career long learning (National Association of Social Workers, 2010).
One of the most important skill to have as a social worker is to identify your client’s strengths. All social workers should have knowledge of an effective leader that are identified by their strengths or limitations in order to improve the one’s they identify. There are several evidence-based assessments that help identify the strengths and limitations of any individual. Thus, it is also necessary to obtain other perspective based on your leadership strengths or limitations in order to improve or strengthen those qualities. The self-assessments used through this paper will help me develop a plan that points out my challenges, help expand and improve on my strengths (Human Services Guide, 2015).
I observed and analyzed the design and delivery of an instructional unit in a Montessori school setting. I observed a classroom of grades 1-3 two times from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Kennebec Montessori school. I was asked to sit quietly and to not interact with the children so I could get a realistic view of the class day and the children would pursue their chosen work.