Social Work Profession Analysis

With a partner : Try this exercise with a friend , taking turns as leader and follower .

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.

My understanding of the social work profession is that it is a helping profession. To me social workers help others in a variety of situations. Social workers help find and connect people with resources for food, rent, insurance, medical care. Social workers also do work fighting for social justice on the Micro, Mezzo and Macro aspect, working for individuals and family to making laws to help underserved populations. Social workers also provide education to clients for lots of reasons. Some social workers became licensed and help people with counseling that may be needed for things such as PTSD or anxiety.

I have been engaged in social work practice for over 12 years, and I regularly integrate my clinical social work practice experience into my classroom so that students have a sense of what their future careers might look like. In addition, I serve as academic advisor and mentor for approximately 25 students of a variety of ages and experiences. I see my role as an advisor as both mentor and guide. I also use advising to help socialize students to the expectations of social work practice. I have also served as field liaison to students completing practicum, in which I have provided support and guidance for students so that each student has a meaningful practice learning experience prior to entering the field. Additionally, in my current role, I have provided intensive mentoring to students of color and students with disabilities so that they continue to stay engaged in their learning

Social workers are unique in the way that they look at many different aspects of a problem, from the individual to the societal, from the psychological to the political. Social work is about serving clients include providing counseling, therapy and education, as well as connecting clients to appropriate public or private resources. It attracts people who are interested in creating positive change in the lives of individuals, families and communities.

The benefit of me being in the Social Work field is my personal experience with similar struggles. I would like to be the person I never had while going through my hardships. The resurrection of my old wounds that I have overcome would certainly be my weakness. With that being said, I am confident I could make a difference because, I have been in their shoes to a certain extent, so I can help relate to and speak from experience with those I am trying to help. There are many resources available for the people such as shelters, food banks, job training, and placement assistance. All they need is the guidance from a knowledgeable social worker who is willing to offer a helping hand to open these doors of opportunity. Working with the Boys and

Upon graduation from the University at Buffalo, there were several pictures painted in my mind about how hands on Social Work was carried out in the “real” world. Several family members warned me about high burnout and nearly discouraged the challenging journey I had worked so hard to begin. Fast forward several years and there has not been a more rewarding yet challenging experience in my life as waking up and going to work with those who sometimes are unable to help themselves or are in crisis. My experience in Social Work has been some of the most rewarding (and challenging) times in my life, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I wanted to enter the social work field to help others and to make an impact on people’s lives who may be struggling because of who I am. I am a person that has cerebral palsy and because of this I feel like I have greater life experience because of everything that I have endured growing up. If I can share my story of all the obstacles that I have overcome given the difficult disability that I have I hope it will inspire others to know that nothing is truly impossible. This life experience has allowed me to be able to help people better because it has made me more open minded, sensitive, strong, relatable, and understanding. These life experiences are what made me want to decide to go into the social work field because I want to help people just like I was helped and even more so.

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

The overall review of the introduction enlightened my dedication to the social work field. Social workers face many clients that differ based on their diversity, opinions, and background. The introduction gave a lot of insight on the meaning and dedication in order to become a social worker. Also, you have to take the time to understand and communicate with your clients so that they feel safe and respected. The value and understanding of a person or environment helps the situation resolve. In the first couple of pages from the workbook, they explain that we must have values, beliefs, ethics, and essential qualities. The idea of becoming a social worker is to show and become a vision of a professionalism. The act of being a professional had been always a key element that I have appreciated.

Through academic and personal experiences, I have formed a broad understanding of social work. I personally view the field of social work as a gigantic umbrella that overshadows a vast array of specialized careers. The social work field is made up of educated and experienced professionals that strive to make a difference in the lives of the population in which they serve. I believe social work to be a fairly

I have met the leadership team of California’s NASW and listened to their presentations for the analysis of three legislative topics. I was inspired by the powerful speech from Mariko Yamada, the candidate of State Senate District 3. She encouraged social work students to participate at macro practice. I felt motivated and cohesive when I heard she said, “Together, we can change.” Her speech reminded me that I choose social work for making a difference in people’s lives. During the event, I sat together with seniors and students from graduated program. We talked and discussed about internships and the MASW program. At the roll-call of schools, we called out a slogan to represent our school spirit. I was so proud of being a part of our school and a part of social work student, and being a social worker in the future. This roll-call of school provided me a chance to know social work students from 24 universities and the cultures represented for their schools. By talking with students and faculty from other universities, I gained a boarder perspectives of social work, as well as building up my

First, I was correct about my own understanding of what a social worker is required to do. “[Social workers] act as allies to some of the most vulnerable populations in the United States, including people who are young, elderly, economically disadvantaged, and physically or mentally disabled” (Lin et al. 7). This quote made me smile because I have never given a thought about how important this job might be and how valuable a social workers help might be to some people. “Social workers may be engaged in a variety of occupations ranging from hospitals, schools, clinics, police departments, and public agencies, court systems to private practices or businesses” (Leaver 969). This quote from another scholarly journal provided proof to me that I was correct about my assumptions about the social work career but it also brought out some new information to me. I was already aware that social workers can work in hospitals, schools, and clinics but I never knew that they can also work in the police departments, public agencies, and court systems. This new information was fascinating to me because I was never aware that a social worker could work in even more

#1 A: Social work can be defined as a broad profession, with the sole purpose of improving the lives and relieving the hardships of the members of a population. Social work addresses many problems for the well being of society, including: health care, criminal justice and domestic violence, economic and public policies, child and family welfare, as well as homelessness. Social workers are trained professionals with the education and tools necessary to address problems from several different perspectives, with the intention of helping the masses and not just individuals. Social workers have the ability to inform people in need of resources available to help them achieve a wide variety of goals, whether personal social mobility, or financial independence.

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.