Personal Narrative: My Journey Into Social Work

– I became interested in social work when my next door neighbor kids where not well taking proper care of. When they come to my house and the look in their eyes when they had to go back home and live with being yelled at and not getting feed or cleaned on the regular. I knew then that I had wanted to help kids and not only kids but older adults.

I chose social working as my career because many other people go through tough situations and have a difficult time talking to relatives or friends to help them through a tough situation. I thought of becoming a social worker so I can have the ability to change the lives of others. Social work is one of those careers you can truly make a difference in people’s lives. I want to become a social worker because life isn’t about just helping yourself it’s about helping others as well, which is what social workers do for a living. Child and family social workers protect children and families in need of assistance. Many families and children don’t feel comfortable talking to just anyone about obstacles they have faced in their lives which is why

I was only two years old when my mother passed away. Left with an absentee father, I felt a void in my life. I was constantly misunderstood by other family members, which triggered my aggressive behaviors and communication style. Unable to cope with my emotions as an adolescent, I sought help from my school’s social worker. For the first time, it felt great to express my feelings without worrying about being judged. Through our regular meetings, she helped me improve my social development and attitude. She changed my life as I was becoming a better person. In addition, with her assistance, my family and I were able to value communication, understand each other and live in a healthier environment. This chapter of my life has inspired me to pursue a career in social work and be part of a team who continuously helps people overcome obstacles in their lives.

I can say that being a social worker was never in my plans. I started from Liberal Arts, because I wasn’t decided on my career choice. I took almost all courses, when I got an advice from one of my friends to try Health Information Technology. I gave it a chance and I didn’t realize how time flied by and I graduated. My dream always was to work with children. When I graduated and took my internship, that was the time, when I understood that I made the wrong choice. I needed to search for another career, because I understood, that it would not be what I meant. My father is physical therapist and he gave me and advice to think and to do some research about Social Worker. This time, I did the most research that I could, in order to not repeat my mistake again. I instantly knew, that this what I needed. All over the world, there is and will always be abuse. That’s the reality of it, but now I’m studying for Social Worker here at Lehman College, because I would like to be working toward changing a child’s reality one day, I am changing my knowledge every time I come to class, and changing my life one step at a time. I believe that it all starts with me, and while I may not be able to save the whole world, I will be able to save and help at least small part of it. I currently work in the family practice as a receptionist. My best days are those when I able to help people and provide them with all the information needed. Every day is different.

The history of mental health in the United States show a robust movement towards the mental healthcare system we have today. Prior to the 19th century, individuals with mental health issues were widely considered to be demonically possessed, thus contributing to the stigmatization of mental illness and the proliferation of poor treatment conditions. However, in the 1800s, there was a dramatic change in mental healthcare in the U.S. The government took a proactive role in treating the mentally ill, leading to the dawn of state psychiatric facilities.

For a majority of my life, I wanted to be a pediatrician when I grew up. I had wanted to be a pediatrician due to my passion to work with children, in addition to enhancing the lives of children. As I continued to grow up, I realized that science is not my strong suit and I would never survive medical school. I do not recall how I learned about the profession of social work, but around the eighth grade I have known that social work was the profession that I wanted to pursue. The idea of helping others is what initially struck me as compelling because I did not understand social work in it’s entirety, but I knew that I would relish a life of helping other individuals.

My interest in social work developed during college. I always had a interest in helping others in one way or another. I joined a sorority in college, Delta Sigma Theta, which is based off of community service. During the week I would volunteer to tutor children that were struggling in certain areas of school. I would talk to these children and explain to them the importance of education and try to influence them as much as possible to try their hardest in everything that they do. I would also go to nursing homes, with other member of our

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.

Social work is a career that finds and chooses you, rather than you selecting it. Social work has always been an immense portion of my life even when I had no recollection of what social work entailed. My life revolved around so many situations that had a social worker stepped in, my life would be totally different than it is today. Many individuals and agencies lack the compassion and empathy for oppressed people. Having been in many circumstances, has given me the experience and background that influenced me to go into social work, as well as the understanding of my role and responsibilities that I will assume as a professional social worker, and my reasons for selecting the program at ASU School of Social Work and thoughts on how the Mission Statement addresses my career goals.

As I continue with social work, I developed an interest working with children and youth in a school setting. Eventually, I switched my major and was probably the toughest decision I had to make. Studying social work as an undergrad at Humboldt State helped me find who I am and what I want to become. I found a sense of belonging by developing a perspective of my own struggles while growing up. I realize how common systemic oppression affects not only me, but everyone around me. Understanding systemic issues, knowing the barriers that people face first hand, encourages me to want to work hard to fight against inequality.

In relation to the field of social work, ever since I was a small child I have had an interest in promoting social development and bring change to the society and the World at large. I started by performing and completing voluntary jobs that made me feel easy and have a peaceful mind. Currently, I work with a renowned child protection services group. My interest in protecting the rights, freedoms, and privileges was magnified when I encountered a child who had been chased away from home. His name was ‘Walter’ he lived in the cold streets with no food, shelter, water or education. My first encounter with Walter was sorrowful. I could not imagine how he was surviving in the streets.

I was inspired by social work because it allowed me to do so many different things and work so many different places without being tied down to one thing. However, most importantly it allowed me to make a difference and help a wide variety of people. Social Work with its broad range will also allow me to continue on in my studies to receive my Degree in Drama Therapy if I so choose. Since discovering my love for social work I have had many opportunities to learn and expand in my knowledge of social work. In Summer 2015 I was able to work for a second time at Camp Braveheart and from the connections I made there, I was able to expand my volunteer opportunities in Social Work by becoming a Bereavement Volunteer for Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Another volunteer opportunity was working at a place called Challenged Child and Friends. Challenged Child is an integrated experience where children with special needs learn and grow in a full inclusion program with children who have typical development. Getting to have all of this Volunteer experience has already helped me to learn so much and grow as person. Also, my theatre degree which may be seemingly worthless to outside perspectives has proved to be very helpful while volunteering with and discovering

I first learned about the field of Social Work at the end of my freshman year of college and, once I started to explore what the field really was, I knew I had found something I wanted to be a part of. I love listening to people’s stories and the opportunity that this profession provides to hear such diverse stories from people from all walks of life, is an aspect that I think interests many. I find it inspiring to learn the ways in which humans are able to overcome challenges, endure hardships, and grow from them in ways that make them stronger people. What really drives my passion for social work, though, stems from a variety of personal experiences that I believe make me uniquely qualified to relate with certain

The family lab is an important to learn because it will be helpful, when entering into the Social Work field. It has helped me in my internship and will help me in my future work. The Dyad and the family labs have allowed Bachelor level students understand what therapy will look like in individual, couples, family and group sessions. In the engagement session, I felt nervous because I have no experience in family counseling. Consequently, I used the tools I learned in the Dyad exercises and applied them to the family lab. As a soon to be Social Worker, it is important to recognize my strengths and weaknesses. To continue improving my strengths by tapping into additional resources. To recognize my weaknesses and learn how to improve them.

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.