Social Work Career
If you are an individual who seeks to promote human well-being and have an intense desire to help others, you might consider pursuing a career in social work. “Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people” (International Federation of Social Workers, 2014, para. 2). Social workers identify those who need help, examine their situations and develop plans to resolve their issues. They help individuals cope with issues such as substance abuse, finance, and personal relationships. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, advocacy is an important aspect of social work. Social workers advocate or raise awareness with and on behalf of their clients and the social work profession on local, state, and national levels (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015, para. 6). There are many different practices and approaches considered by the practitioner to determine an applicable approach towards intervention. Another variation of a social worker, (known as a clinical social worker) may also diagnose and treat people with mental, behavioral, and emotional issues. There are numerous career paths in social work, providing a broad range of opportunities and environments. Although all social workers espouse the common goal of helping others, professionals have the opportunity to specialize their services and focus on certain
Working in the social services field was always my dream. Whether working with children, family, adults, elderly etc. this career path is so broad it instills the hope of a career opportunity. My first year working in this field was in 2010 when I interned as an intake specialist in an outpatient drug treatment facility, while completing my bachelor’s degree in human services. Thereafter, I was able to branch off in various areas such as a case manager at a domestic violence shelter, housing specialist, substance abuse counselor and now a family services specialist.
Before I knew exactly what the social work profession consisted of, I knew I wanted a career that focused on helping others. I explored options including medical and nursing fields, but they did not fit what I was destined for. It was not until I began working in a mental health office for a Licensed Independent Social Worker and a Prescribing Psychologist, that I knew the social work field was for me. It was during that job three years ago when I learned the social work profession and its core values consist of helping others achieve the best life possible with what they have. It is seeing the possibilities that others do not see and assisting individuals in navigating through them with patience and perseverance. The social work
There are several goals that I hope to achieve by pursuing a graduate degree in Social Work. Pursuing a MSW will provide me with the knowledge, tools, and skills-set that will be fundamental to the achievement my career goals outlined below.
Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.
Working as a mental health and substance abuse use social you do many things in your job.You evaluate and treat mental,emotional or substance abuse problems including alcohol,tobacco,and other drugs.Activities include group therapy and case management and support. You must have active listening,able to speak to others,reading to read documents work related and documenting the patient's actions.You could work anymore like your own office or a hospital setting or anywhere that you work for.Many colleges offer this program.
To be a social justice worker being focus and socially involved is highly required. You have to do these things because it’s the best way to keep patients comfortable under the circumstances. The environment in the office is very busy. Multiple people are in an out from seeing patients and doing case work. When you first start working you will be given multiple cases. In these cases you are faced with individuals, families, and groups of people in need of your problem solving. I want to specialize in addictions and mental health. Not only do adults struggle with drug addiction and mental health issues, teenagers are faced with them as well. Accomplishing these task I will be able to understand more about the ability it takes to take on a huge
I believe social work is a passion and is consistent with my personality traits: loyalty, commitment, and personal servitude. This passion coupled with the forthcoming skills gained from an MSW degree at Florida International University, I will have the honor of becoming a professional social worker with unlimited possibilities to advocate, provide direct services or lead an organization-all of which will lead to my ultimate goal of positively affecting the lives of vulnerable people. FIU offers a quality, high-intensity program that will surely equip me with the tools to do this great profession and act of public service
There are so many career path options. What is good for one, is not always good for all. I have been contemplating many different options and I have finally chosen one. The career path I have chosen is to take the summer off and work at home doing day care. Then return to Argosy University in September, to start my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration on child adolescents. During which, I will volunteer with a local organization called the Family Promise of Green County. Finally I will graduate with my bachelor’s degree in 2018 and get a job in Green County Human Services as a social worker. I have chosen this path because it suits my educational needs and balances my family and work needs. My only concern is not having the face to face communication, which I believe is important in the preparation of a psychology degree. However, by taking a volunteer position with the Family Promise Organization of Green County, I hope to get this experience. This paper will identify my skills and experiences needed for this path along with the skills and experiences I already have. Additionally, I will identify my strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, I will create a plan for meeting these goals and gaining these skills and experiences.
Social work seeks out ways to enhance the importance and worth of life for displaced individuals experiencing difficult challenges. They also seek ways to attain system-wide modification through the pursuit of societal justice. One may choose to get involved in such a profession due to being offered services and experienced
As a child, I always had a heart to serve. I would be the child who was in the kitchen with my mother helping her cook. I would be the person to offer to do a task for an individual with a smile upon my face. The older I got I knew that whatever career path I chose it would involve helping others. Growing up I wanted to be several things as many children often dream of.
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
Social work isn’t about the money or power, it is about helping people and challenging social justice. Being a social worker would be meaningful and worthwhile in my life. I love helping people and it is what I was born to do. There are so many jobs one can have as a social worker, so I have many options at my fingertips. Coming into Lincoln Memorial University, I was set on being a nurse.
Michelle Redpath – Bentham I have decided to now achieve my ambition to become a social worker as a mature student, to help people. I'm passionate to make a difference to people's lives and to help overcome challenges in a difficult situation. I have two daughters, who are at the age where they are not so dependent on me, and my family have encouraged me to progress and achieve my dream. Experience As a child, I was within the care system with my siblings, in children's homes, and with foster parents. By the age of seven, we were all adopted together, our social worker worked very closely with us along our journey to get us to our forever home together and would also be with us for a couple of years after our adoption.
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.
I am a Bachelor of Science Psychology major at my university, and my love for behavioral sciences is so impeccable that I am complex on deciding what area to choose for my future career. I come from a family with members who suffer from either mental disorder, substance abuse, or adolescence issues. So it makes my decision even more difficult, because I want to help the world. However, I am leaning more towards a career in social work because the field is so diverse. Social work allows you to interact with people of all cultures and hardships. Within this field there are issues just like every other field in society, it has encouraging trends as well as problematic trends.