My Experience in Social Work

The decision to pursue my education in social work at Dalhousie University was not an easy one. While I was growing up, my career choice changed all of them time, but I always knew that I wanted to do something fulfilling, in which I could “help” and support people. My mom was a nurse and always loved helping people; I always figured I would follow in her footsteps, however I learned at an early age that sciences do not come easy to me. Unfortunately, my mom lost her battle to breast cancer when I was eight years old, so I hope that by me helping people socially, rather than medically like she did, will continue her legacy.

I am interested in the field of social work because l have the confidence to be able to work alongside individuals who are in need of assistance and guidance. It is important that we, as a community, are able to work alongside one another to offer resources to those who need it. With my knowledge of psychology and my experience in the health care field, l hope to have the opportunity to become a social worker who can help people cope with problems in their everyday lives.

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

As I begin working with people cross culturally, there are a few ideas in this article that I want to remember. The article points out that it is important for us to build connections to our client’s racial and ethnic origins; however, it is equally important that we connect these individuals with other multiracial individuals and family systems. When working with multiracial clients, it is important that we let the client construct his or her own label. As I begin working with people cross-culturally, I can do this skill by asking open-ended questions and allowing the client to construct his or her own identity. This article had some excellent ideas about what skills social workers can use, when working with people cross culturally.

The purpose of this review is to interview an individual of a different intersectionality from myself and comparatively review literature that correlates to the individual’s demographic position in the community, their experiences and viewpoints in relation to social work practice. The referenced literature is comprised of several scholarly articles regarding the interviewee’s cultural background and implications for social work practice among this distinct population.

Although I was exposed to many procedures and techniques of direct social work practice, there is always room for improvement. During my time at SOAR Fox Cities, I worked with in a macro level of social work practice. This organization may not work with their participants’ on a micro level because they focus more on this target population as a whole group. A professional challenge I encountered while at my internship, was being exposed to social work at the micro and mezzo level of practice. During the assessment process, I learned that challenges in a client’s environment must be identified in order for the social worker to have a successful working relationship with them. While at SOAR Fox Cities, I did not have an opportunity to do case

There are significant changes in the field of social work, and these changes have both challenges and opportunities. At the February, 2007, Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) Board of Directors’ Meeting, Dean Kay Hoffman, CSWE president opens by making the statement, “

Everything in my life that has happened thus far has contributed to the reasons why I am deciding to apply for a master’s degree in Social Work at Loma Linda University. My family’s experiences and circumstances during my childhood would led to social workers to be involved in my life. While I was growing up, my mother struggled with drug addiction to methamphetamine. Until I was thirteen I was raised by my grandma with my three brothers. At 13, my grandmother passed away. My mother was regranted custody of us. These experiences would ultimately impact my long-term career goals. My family struggled and faced adversity however, we overcame our struggles because the system intervened. My relationship with my mom has been my main motivator for pursuing an MSW. Despite her struggles, my mom has been resilient and grown in her recovery. She now has ten years sober from methamphetamine and all other drugs. My relationship with my mom has motivated my career path in many ways. I have seen her change her life incredible ways with the help social services and law enforcement. Her sobriety and involvement in Narcotics Anonymous has played a tremendous role in my life. My choice of pursuing a BSW for my undergrad was reiterated by many experiences I have while growing up in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous.

For my social work career study I interviewed Colleen Kolski-Daniels on October 3, 2015, who has held a Master’s of Social Work degree for twenty years. She graduated from Arizona State University in 1995. She is a licensed clinical social worker working for Hospice of the Valley, which is located in Phoenix Arizona. I conducted my interview with her via telephone, and followed up by email. Prior to working for hospice, she worked as a social worker in the hospital setting, an advocate for the Arizona Supreme Court 24 -hour Parent Assistance Hotline, and worked with a foster care review board. Within her job as an advocate for the hotline, she also assisted with a program that educated judges about domestic violence.

The work that social workers execute on a day to day basis is unique the profession in a sense that it is always aiming to maximize human potential by enabling the development social and personal well-being as well as striving to create equal and fair opportunities for every person. My purpose will be to contribute to the profession with the mindset of helping those in need, more specifically helping children who deal with abuse, neglect, and other forms of maltreatment. My interest is currently set on being involved in the field by utilizing evidence-based practices that will enable me as a professional to better serve a child through practices or interventions that have been proven to positively improve the child’s current situation.

I met with Decora and Paul on Friday, March 4, 2015 from 7pm to 8:30pm. We discussed our experiences with our internships. We reviewed what we like, and challenges we have faced. Decora discussed a case that she is struggling with. She reported that the client is in a domestic violence situation. The client is being abused, and she is also the abuser. Decora reported that the client’s boyfriend is abusing the client’s children, and her children were recently taken away from her. Decora stated that she is frustrated because the client was recently with the abusive boyfriend again, and she feels that this will be a repeat cycle. Decora also reported that the client was recently arrested for stabbing her boyfriend. We discussed

When I first decided to renter school; I was unsure on how to approach it. The only thing I was sure of was my desire to enter into the Social Work career field. So when El Camino told me that they did not have a Social Work program, but a Sociology Program that could also led the way in to Social Work I felt somewhat defeated. Since at the time I was unfamiliar with the study of Sociology, I decided to do some research on it. Nothing to expansive; just a quick look up to see if it is something that I would be able to get behind for the next two years at El Camino Community College.

Every worthwhile journey begins with one step. My social work journey began when I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Utah in 2003. I thought my next step would be to immediately pursue a graduate degree. In my undergraduate career I had taken numerous classes from the College of Social and Behavioral Science and had done well in those classes. In my Social Work as a Profession course I had an assignment to shadow a social worker and write a paper about my experience. I chose to shadow my father-in-law, a social worker with over 30 years of experience, and in my paper I expressed my desire to go into the social work field. I knew I liked helping people. I knew I liked problem solving and critical thinking. I thought my 22 year-old self was ready to embark on that journey, but I wasn’t. I realize now that what I lacked at graduation was one crucial step… perspective. Over the past twelve years I have gained that much needed perspective and have taken many steps forward in my journey, and with those steps and that increased perspective, I now feel more fully prepared to begin my social work career.

My vision of the social work field is being able to help people in need and being the person that people can look back on and remember as a huge help in time of need. I think my core values and beliefs will help me be an effective social worker and help me succeed in this field. It is in my belief that a person should never be knocked down when they are going through hardships, and rather empowering them. I also believe that not everyone could be a social worker because it takes a certain kind of empathetic and self-aware person. I truly believe that my upbringing has humbled me to understand and not be judgmental of people’s issues since I’ve seen a lot in my short twenty-one years.

Social Work is a field of interest to me because of the positive effort it contributes to society. Within the social work profession individuals are striving to improve the welfare of those in need of assistance. Social Workers assist a variety of individuals; from children, young adolescents, older adults, mentally ill, substance abuse individuals, and many other minorities; as in LGBT members, veterans, homeless people, and low socioeconomic status individuals. The broad mix population fascinates me because within this field one will always be able to work in a flexible environment. Social Work is used in multiple settings as in hospitals, nursing skilled homes, mental health and substance abuse clinics, schools, correctional facilities, community centers, child welfare agencies, employee assistance programs, and private practices.