Reflection Paper On Social Work

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.

Social work involves passionate individuals who are dedicated to helping others by providing services to vulnerable children, families or individuals in need, while constantly looking for ways in which we can improve society. This discipline is dedicated to helping people find solutions to their problems in order to make the world a better place. I chose this field of study, because I find the job of a social worker rewarding. I have always enjoyed helping others and knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life. It is no secret that this is a challenging career; however, the feeling of knowing that you made the world a better place is indescribable. I have simply decided to make my passion of helping others into a career. I know that in order to make my passion a career I will need to get the best education and training possible.

I have yet to encounter a social worker who entered the profession for acclaim or prestige. It is a demanding career with long hours and ceaseless paperwork. Social workers are frequently overburdened in addition to being underpaid. Occasionally, they witness agonizing tragedy, fundamentally changing them. Having worked in social services for a number of years, I have had these experiences.

The decision to take the clinical route as a second year MSW graduate student, was one that took no hesitation to make. My passion for children and the preservation of families have been a propelling factor in my Social Work career; both academically and professionally. These two entities have motivated me to remain steadfast on the journey to obtaining my MSW so I can continue to be a vessel for children and families who are in need of support and empowerment. The clinical spectrum of social work practice has strengthened my ability to work proficiently with multiple clients and perform well when assisting families in different realms of social work practice. The knowledge gained during my four years as an undergraduate BSW student and

When I first entered the field of social work at Southwest Mississippi Community College, I was clueless as to what the social work profession entailed. At Southwest MS Community College, we mostly focused on perquisites and a few classes related to family. After, leaving Southwest MS Community College and entering Jackson State University, I realized my previous college did not teach me anything relating to the field of social work. However, my entry in my first class Ethics and Values at Jackson State University taught me about the six core values in social work, such as service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. Upon, my entry into JSU, Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) program, I understood that social work was not about assisting only children. There is masses of people who need, social workers to advocate for better housing, food, medical care and other basic necessities to survive everyday life.

Social work practice is helping vulnerable populations make positive changes in their lives. I have always felt the most fulfilled helping others. When I began college, I decided to major in psychology with the intention of becoming a psychologist or psychiatrist. I wanted to work with individuals with mental illnesses or children. Following my first year of college, a marriage and family therapist informed me about the social work profession. He said that a social work degree was the most versatile of the “helping” professions and informed me that I could earn a Master’s degree in one year and become a therapist. I decided to investigate social work and enrolled in an introductory course. I learned that social workers believe that every person

Social Workers offer their services to a wide variety of people. They work towards meeting the basic needs of all people. Not only is it a mission to bring diversity to others but they also pay attention to the needs of autonomy and empowerment. The origins of social work started with wealthy christian women wanting to help to poor. Over the years it has grown into helping anyone and everyone meet their basic needs. The job market has increased and the population that social workers provide services to has increased as well. As the job market increases so do the requirements and experience needed to become a social worker. Licensing and education becomes less universal as each state has their own specifications. As we conducted our interview with Noreen Mcgirr, the Clinical

One of the most painful lessons I have learned is that certain environments will limit you and people will treat you differently because of the way they perceive you. What drew me to this field is the compassion that most social workers have for people; however, based on my previous work environments, the workers failed to extend the same compassion to their cohorts. As a student, this has been difficult to see, and unfortunately, this observation was reinforced by an encounter I had with one of my supervisors.

After my first year of college, I spoke with a Marriage and Family Therapist about my career goals. He informed me about the social work profession and explained that I could become a therapist with a MSW that could be completed in one year of graduate school. I decided to investigate social work and took an Introduction to Social Work course. I discovered that social work focuses on helping vulnerable populations and clients discover strengths they can use to improve their situations and find solutions to their problems. Social work differs from other mental health professions by being an inclusive field, incorporating various aspects that affect human behavior with influences of

Social work is a thankless job. To others, social work is a helpful job. But to me, it’s much more than that. When I first tell people that I want to get into social work, their initial response is, “why?” I get it; social work is not for everyone. Growing up, I’ve always had the motivation to take care of people. Despite being the youngest in my family, I took on the role of being the oldest and felt the need to take care of my older brother who suffers from hydrocephalus. From going to medical appointments to preparing meals, the reversal role that I experienced has made me realize that even from an early age I adopted the role of being a caregiver to meet my family’s needs and to provide emotional support for my family. Being a caregiver for my brother has fueled my passion for taking care of others.

On a freezing November day, I sat in Cindy Reed’s office in Birch Run, Michigan where she conducts her daily work as a clinical social worker and/or therapist, ready to begin the interview. The room had a designated area away from Reed’s desk, where Cindy conducts her sessions with her patients. Filled with comfy black furniture, and trinkets for patients to fiddle with, it was easy to feel at place and not intimidated. Having been kind enough to make room for the interview on her day off, Cindy was more than willing to answer any questions I had for her and her journey as a social worker. As I sat in one of the chairs reserved for her clients with Cindy directly in front of me, we began our interview.

The present in an Individual assessment interview. My group and I decided to do our SWOT assessment, focusing on the Social Work Program (SWK) at St. Augustine College (SAC). I had the opportunity to interview RC, she graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW) from St. Augustine College. RC is a Care Coordinator, she’s currently working with the elderly population at Catholic Charities, she has been working with this agency per a year now. I decided to interview RC, because she was the only alumni who responded to my emails and was willing to meet with me during her lunch time. RC and I met at a Diner closer to her work, she requested to meet there to make it back in time to her job. The interview process lasted about thirty minutes.

My placement is at Gateway Youth in Elmont. Gateway is a prevention program specializing in working with youth between the ages of 5-17 who are in conflict with their family, in need of academic or emotional support, or who are involved in the juvenile court system. Services provided include case management, crisis intervention, and advocacy with the schools, court, and community. As a social work intern, I am placed at Gotham Ave Elementary School working with third graders. At this school, Gateway Youth provides an after-school program for students that need supervision with their homework and inclusion in activities before their parents can pick them up.

As usual, during this month at field, I have learned about new aspects of social work and dealt with unique experiences. Every time I go to the nursing home, I cannot wait to see the latest project that I will get to tackle. From researching resources for families to working with the activities department, there is always something for me to become more familiar with. I have certainly come to the conclusion that social workers take on many different roles and if someone does not know how to handle a situation, the problem is almost always sent to our office.

My social work foundation practicum is located at the Salvation Army: Red Shield in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. When comparing the differences between learning from my field placement and in a classroom setting, they are vastly different. For example, in a classroom, I’m learning about theories and best practices of the social work profession. At my field placement, I’m experiencing a “hands-on” perspective of social work. The classroom provides examples of situations with clients. Whereas my placement on the other hand, will give me a “real in-person” experience with clients as they occur. In the classroom, I’m learning from a professor and other students’ perspectives from some of them working in the field. With my field placement, I’m learning from the perspectives of clients, caseworkers, Veteran Affairs (VA) representatives, field instructor, and the program director.