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Social Work Motivation

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Our lives are books, every day is a fragment of a chapter. Each page illustrates a path taken, or a battle faced. Every one of these books are unique, no two share the same story. My book may be torn, damaged by time and pain, but mended by passion. My motivation to become a social worker has been that tape and glue. It sealed every tear, and it gave every hardship a purpose. I faced these misfortunes to learn what darkness is, to be shown my capacity to be the light in other people’s lives. My life has led me to social work, it has become my purpose.
Throughout the last few years, there have been several individuals who have guided me, supporting me through hardships. These people are the only reason I have prospered to where I am today, …show more content…

I spent a semester at Mountain Crest, a social club for individuals with a diagnosis of severe persistent mental illness. I learned about the agency, the services provided, but most importantly about the clients and the realities they face every day. While we assisted in transportation and skill building, these individuals taught me endless lessons about life and future practice. Each one of them was an open book, whose story defied any stigma that the world placed on them. They fueled my desire to help others. During my junior experience, I spent the year at Literacy Volunteers. I worked individually with three learners, each with their own unique stories. With one of my fellow classmates, we also co-facilitated a group of basic literacy learners. Through this opportunity, I gained experience with an individual with a traumatic brain injury. Together, we worked to re-build her reading and writing skills. She taught me to never give up, no matter the obstacle, there is always a reason to turn the page and move on to the next day. I also worked with an individual who had come from Russia, he wanted to continue his education. We studied for his SAT and ACT for many months, and he is now a college student. Through the group that I cofacilitated, and with one-on-one sessions I learned a lot about the literacy struggles that people face, especially in …show more content…

My current employment at the ARC has allowed me to work with individuals with developmental disabilities. This job has given me experience in documentation and dealing with crisis. During this past summer, I was able to do crisis intervention in a situation where individuals were in danger. This work-related problem taught me to expect the unexpected and to always be prepared. I had been covering a coworker’s shift and was alone with one other employee. We had a client who had a violent outburst and had threatened the life of my coworker. We sought out advice from our supervisor but she was on vacation and did not respond. In typical situations, we would have notified the authorities, but there were no weapons and her behavioral plan requests that we avoid her being hospitalized. Since the altercation was with my coworker, I was left alone to de-escalate the situation. I spent the next few hours with this client, I used her hobbies to create activities that she would like. Once she found joy in her game of basketball, she calmed

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