Social Work Goal Statement

I began my social work studies over twenty-five years ago at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I never questioned my decision to pursue a career in social work; I loved my classes and worked hard to learn as much as possible. But the information I gained in undergraduate school simply opened the doors of my education. Most of my learning has come through constant questioning, personal research, and especially through work and life experience. Through these experiences I have encountered the challenges faced by individuals, families, and society and have been able to further access and develop the innate personality traits and abilities that originally led me to study social work as well as learn and practice the many skills necessary to be a successful mental health counselor.

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.

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.

Part I (Autobiographical Essay):  What were the significant factors that influenced your choice of social work? What skills and experiences do you have that will contribute to your success as a graduate student and social work professional? How is the GCSW a good place for you to build on those skills? 2 pages, double spaced, 12 point font

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

During this time, I expect to learn and gain hands-on social work experience in the field. Also, I want to learn how to use and apply social theory into my practice. I want to build and gain the relationship with my field/task supervisors and colleagues. Moreover, I want to gain the opportunity to develop the personal and professional identity. Lastly, I will learn how to use my experience from my practicum setting to practice in the social work field in the future.

This paper is a documentation of an interview that was conducted with a college student in the Social Work program at Central Michigan University. The student is currently enrolled in the first semester of her last year as an undergrad. Her final step in successfully completing the Social Work program is a four-hundred-hour internship. The purpose of this internship is to explore career interests and gain experience. The student, Marie Benner was assigned to the Community Mental Health for Central Michigan agency after going through a formal application and interview process with the Social Work advisors. This interview was done face to face and lasted an hour. It took place at the Charles V. Park Library on October 25th, 2016. She can be reached

For as long as I can remember, I have always had an interest to work in a field of helping others. At first my focus was on youths and how I can help those individuals in need, but then I became more interested in working with elders who can not properly care for themselves. I also became interested in working with families that are going through a difficult time in life such as a divorce or a bad living environment. These thoughts greatly influenced my professional ambition. My desire to further formalize my love for helping others has gained my interest toward the field of social work.

The key experience that I identified in this journal provided me with time to reflect on just exactly why I applied to graduate school. I have spent the last two years working to complete classes and receive good grades. This key experience reminded me that I am doing more that just taking classes. I am working with individuals as a professional, as a social worker. I had to slow down and identify what does that mean to me. I have chosen the career path to help people and address the social problems that they might encounter. I am going to respect the dignity and work of the persons I encounter. Being supportive of this means that I will work to help the clients identify their capacity and opportunities available to them to change as

The following essay is based on the statement of intent I submitted with my application for the BSW program and furthers my reflection on how my personal growth and development throughout my personal, professional and educational experiences influence my outlook and future goals as a returning professional. Before entering the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at McGill I worked as a health care activist and was motivated to continue working in this capacity after completing the degree, however, through the various classes, course material, and peer discussions I have been able to deepen my thought process and refine my critical thinking on how I can use the multiple components of my life experiences to better contribute to the solution

Going into the Masters of Social Work program, I thought I had an idea of what I was going to do and how to do it. Now that I am almost finished with my Spring semester, I was completely wrong. Reflecting back from when I first started this program, I have changed a lot in many aspects of myself. My professional self is has changed the most. Working with various different clients, backgrounds, situations, mental and physical health issues, socioeconomic status, sexual orientations, ages, and races have gave me great experiences that will carry on in my social work skill set. Doing my internship, and now current job, in child protective services and my current internship at Davis Child Shelter, were some of the best experiences a person can ask for wanting to be a professional social worker.

A formative experience on my journey in becoming interested in pursuing the field of social work was observing the work of my mother as an administrator in a racially and ethnically diverse low-income school as a young child. This exposed me to diverse groups of individuals who were confronting a wide variety of social problems, as my mother sought to understand their perspective while developing relationships. In return, this taught me the value of people and the importance of relationships, while sparking my interest in social justice and service.

In this paper, I will be discussing my personal and family values as well as my self-awareness and how it impacts my social work practice. It was during my sophomore year of high school when I decided that I wanted to enter the social work profession. Initially I wanted to be a lawyer, but when I job shadowed a lawyer I realized it was not the career for me. I always knew that in whatever field of work I was going to pick I wanted to make a difference in this world. When I decided on social work it was kind of like a slap to the face as to why I never thought of it before. I say this because my mother is a social worker and has been a social worker before I was even born. My mom currently works as a

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.

For this reflective journal, I have decided to draw parallels between approaches to social work that I have learned in my placement, and what I have learned during my academic career at Carleton University. Placement thus far, has been an eye-opening and rich experience, which has taught me about the profession that I aspire to be a part of. I am a third year student, and much of my time spent at Carleton, has been studying theories, and becoming exposed to different schools of thought. Theories are incredibly beneficial, to teach and inform the practice of the next generation of social workers. However, placement has provided me with the opportunity to apply theoretical ideals, to real life social work practice.