I have always felt the most fulfilled when I was helping others and entered college with plans to major in Psychology and become a therapist. After my first year of college, I learned about the social work profession, and that I could become a therapist with a Master’s in Social Work degree that could be completed in one year of graduate school. I decided to investigate social work and took an introductory course.
Introduction to Social Work taught me the differences between social work and other mental health professions. Social Work incorporates aspects of various fields, such as psychology and sociology, takes a broader view of a person, and is dedicated to helping vulnerable populations. The focus is not only on the individual’s past,
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Currently, his job is not stressful and his supervisors are extremely understanding of his mental illness, unfortunately his income is not enough to support our family. We live below the poverty threshold, which is a situation that deeply troubles me. I always wanted my children to have a better life than I did, but they actually have it worse. I decided the best way for me to help my family was to earn my degree in social work and enter the workforce. An MSW degree will allow me to become a therapist or Medical Social Worker, have a fulfilling career and provide for my family, especially if there comes a time when my husband is unable to work. Once I decided to return to school, I fully dedicated myself to my studies. I set high expectations for myself, with a goal to earn A’s in every class, which I had never accomplished before. I worked diligently and spent countless hours studying and working on assignments. My dedication paid off and I have earned A’s in every class since Fall 2014. I plan on continuing to work hard as I finish the final year of my undergraduate degree and have a goal to earn A’s in my remaining courses. These life experiences have prepared me to be a social worker because they have demonstrated that I am capable of doing things that I thought were impossible. Since I have excelled at my undergraduate courses, I am prepared for the more rigorous Master’s level curriculum. I demonstrate professionalism in my classes
Completing my master’s degree in social work creates a better opportunity and a brighter career path. I am extremely excited about working in this field. The thought of helping
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.
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.
My passion for helping the vulnerable is one reason I ‘am inspired to become a social worker. I also want to be available to provide support to those who have nowhere else to turn. My experience in social work has taught me to celebrate the small victories towards positive changes. I look forward to gaining the skills and knowledge to aid me in becoming a successful social worker.
On many levels, I secretly desire to be this professional social worker that has experienced many different realms of social work practice. As I maneuver through my first couple days of field, many questions run through my mind as to what’s to be expected of a master’s level social work. Although, I’ve only had the pleasure of working children and families as a social worker; it has broaden my desire to want to know more.
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.
The major reason for my interest in the social work profession became obvious while I was enrolled in the Introduction to Social Work class during the spring semester of my sophomore year. I finally found an interesting subject that I not only enjoyed but also excelled academically in. I had always wanted to be the person who help others, especially those who have similar stories and backgrounds such as mine. It was through my education in Introduction to Social Work that I learned about society through a social workers’ perspective. I became more interested as the weeks went by and began engaging in class discussions.
Many experts call social workers the “jack of all trades” of the modern society. This comes from the fact that these professionals assist their clients in almost every accept of life. For one thing, they promote good mental health since they can help patients with psychological conditions and substance abuse problems. They can also help in improving physical wellbeing since they can guide their clients to the right healthcare facility and assist them in obtaining financial help to fund their treatment. Of course, they can help people who are going through socio-economic difficulties by steering them to organizations who can best assist with their financial needs.
The role provided to mental health professionals is vital in improving mental health, as well as for providing understanding to family members and other agencies. These professionals are mental health practitioners whom practice includes supporting clients who are experiencing mental illness. These have been identified to fall within five main categories relating to the mental health field, however, this essay shall take a focus on social workers as the professional context. Social workers within a public and community mental health sector possess a well-established expertise in assisting individuals with mental illness and any associated problems (Australian Association for Social Workers, n.d.).
I realized that a career in social services was the best fit for me when I witnessed the quantifiable benefits of my therapeutic interventions at the micro level. By helping to improve the functionality and well-being of individuals at a social disadvantage, I experienced a unique feeling of satisfaction and gratitude that signaled a deep sense of purpose. I have resolved to pursue a Master of Social Work degree
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.
Mental illness has become one of the most rapidly growing diagnoses to date ranging from clinical depression to Schizophrenia. It has become a worldwide epidemic and has created a shortage of specialized workers. As the shortage of veteran mental health workers declines, the amount of recent college graduates increase. Additionally, as more individuals aim to obtain a Social Work degree many have been reluctant to enter the mental health field due to stigmas and negative attitudes surrounding mental health patients. This has brought up the question of whether or not students within social work department and students not in social work would be comfortable working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. In order to successfully answer this question the University of Tennessee conducted a study which included three types of students: those who were actively in social work classes, those who had other majors but were still in Social Work and those who were not in social work classes. This study not only measured the student’s willingness to work with mentally ill individuals but also measured their attitudes regarding the concept of mental health.
Starting from being a certified nursing assistant, to becoming a unit secretary for a hospital that specialize in wound care, I have always known that I wanted to help individuals in need. However, I noticed that I was not happy with helping individuals in medical need. It wasn’t until I decided to continue my education that I introduced to the world of social work. Going up with a single mother that suffered from drug abuse, my family depended on social services for a lot of assistance, from everything such as food stamps to family counseling. This life experience helped guide my thoughts on pursuing social work as a career. I know that I want to help individuals that are down on their luck, but I want to take it one step farther, by providing individual counseling to adults that may need more one on one time, than what is normally given from a social service agency. Counseling will also give me a chance to do what I love most and that is to talk and get to know the individuals that I am helping make like changing decisions. Working as a clinical social work has my interest because it does not put limits on what I can do or who I can help, and it will set me up for my future goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker. Being my own boss and changing my community is my dream job, opportunity and goal. I am currently on my way with changing my community and living my dream, because I am currently working for a non-profit
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.
Social Work is not just a future career, it's a vocation that I am committed to pursuing. As a mature student, I have always had a strong interest in Social Work, but it is my voluntary experience at ChildLine which triggered my decision to return to full-time education. In order to ensure my greater understanding of the role, I have conducted my own personal research on Social Work. Neil Thompson’s ‘Understanding Social Work’ has provided an excellent introduction to this subject. I have always had an interest in keeping up to date with current affairs and engaging in, in-depth conversations with those who have worked in the field. Having a non-discriminatory approach and the ability to recognise the diverse needs of the entire spectrum of society are, in my opinion, essential attributes in Social Work.