A Reflection On My Social Work

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.

The class SW 6030 Human Development and the Social Environment has brought new insights and makes me see some topics in a different perspective. The critical reflection paper number one will integrate different concepts that I learned so far in this class.

Am I ready for a journey of self- awareness as part of the process of becoming a social worker? Once I acknowledged these questions, I began my educational journey towards a career in social services. A field in which I believe is my life’s

The decision to pursue my education in social work at Dalhousie University was not an easy one. While I was growing up, my career choice changed all of them time, but I always knew that I wanted to do something fulfilling, in which I could “help” and support people. My mom was a nurse and always loved helping people; I always figured I would follow in her footsteps, however I learned at an early age that sciences do not come easy to me. Unfortunately, my mom lost her battle to breast cancer when I was eight years old, so I hope that by me helping people socially, rather than medically like she did, will continue her legacy.

Ever since I was a child, I loved helping others. Whether it was helping my mother take care of my little brother or helping my fellow classmates with an assignment, I was always there to lend a hand. This passion continued throughout my childhood and into early adulthood. When I began my undergraduate degree at Lewis University, I knew I wanted to help people in some type of capacity. I was guided to the path of Social Work because in this field I could combine both my passion for helping others and interest in social justice. After my first day in the Introduction to Social Work course at Lewis University, I knew that I had found my forever home. This career path would allow me to help others in a variety of different settings and capacities.

PER REPORTER: Kathy said one of her students by the name of (Shadavious) went to visit her father (David Lee) this weekend when she was told some disturbing information. According to Shandavious, there are four children living in the home with David Lee and one of them by the name of Staciera told her that David Lee makes her do things they should not be doing. Shandavious said Staciera told her David Lee threatened to taker her phone and tell her mother on her if she did not do what he told her to do. She also told her that at night David Lee comes and gets in the bed with her and makes her do unknown things to him. Shandavious said one of the other children (Kishona) living in the home told her that she sleeps on the top bump bed above Staciera,

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.

When I was eighteen I worked for the Williams Lake Association for Community Living and a social worker visited my worksite. I was very curious about her profession and asked her questions about the field. At that moment I wanted to go to school to become a social worker. At twenty-one, I began my journey to get my Bachelors of Social Work; but I was diverted and started a family. As time went by and I matured, my wish to work in an area that allowed me to make an impact on people’s lives and help the vulnerable through a range of different approaches never diminished; social work was an obvious field through which I could develop these skills and passions. When my girls became teenagers, I felt it was time to finish my education and pursued

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” This quote in itself explains my reasons for wanting to become a social worker, which is so that so that I can use my past experiences and work towards the future, so that no child feels forgotten. Also, this quote explains my goals, which are to either be a school or military social worker when I graduate. As well as, this quote explains my perspectives on different conversational topics. This paper, will explain how the reality of my life led me to want to pursue social work, my dreams after graduating and my thoughts on various subject matters.

As social workers we are required to know the Council on Social Work Education’s core competencies and practice behaviors. We are advised to not discriminate against religion, races, sexual orientation and gender. Before the course diversity I never had to think about my own race for example white privilege. Within this class I put aside every bias I had so that could grasp the concepts without my negative input. Throughout this course my knowledge about the different minorities has transformed how I perceive race and ethnicity.

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.

People always ask you the same question when they find out that you want to pursue becoming a social worker and it is often accompanied with an elaborate, somewhat frightened facial expression – “why?” But like most other passions, it is not an idea that randomly registers as you are examining eggs on aisle 14 at your local grocery store or appears as some sort of revolutionary epiphany. As a child, we hear young minds express their interest in becoming fire fighters, police officers, or even doctors but it is rare to hear a child exhale his or her curiosity about social work. Deciding to embark on the path to a profession that requires an individual to face real-world experiences that often lead to poor mental health, rare human behaviors,

I first learned about the field of Social Work at the end of my freshman year of college and, once I started to explore what it really is, I knew I had found something I wanted to be a part of. I love listening to people’s stories and the opportunity that this profession brings to hear such diverse stories from people from all walks of life is an aspect that I think interests many. I find it inspiring to learn the ways in which humans are able to overcome challenges, endure hardships, and grow from them in ways that make them stronger people. What really drives my passion for social work, though, stems from a variety of personal experiences that I believe make me uniquely qualified to relate with certain populations. These have instilled

Select a social work journal and critique it, using the structure of a research report presented in the chapter as a guide.

Arman was able to give us an in-depth perspective on how to be a good social worker as he worked for Child Protective Services for eight years and was able to bring home fifty children. That alone is a good career, yet Arman continues to keep on helping. He is a prime example of what a good social worker is. The main lesson he pushed is to always help the child first and to never feel like the bad guy. In the Indigenous social work 377 classes, Arman stated “As social workers it is our job to put ourselves in the shoes of the person we are helping” (personal communication, Arman Kitchemonia, October 2nd, 2017). This means that we must also help the family of the child too. It will also help if we get to know the community and Elders. He also told the class that when an Elder corrects you to always take it as a lesson. We will never know everything, so we have to respect each other’s ways of doing things. The biggest lesson I learned from that presentation was that in life if you do not pray, you will not receive any blessings. Since that class I started praying and it helps a lot with easing the mind.