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December 31, 2016
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Favorite Pinterest Boards for Social Workers

Career, Degree Directory, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

ipad-tablet-technology-touchHappy New Year!

One of the best things about starting a new year is not only the possibilities for the future but the motivation and energy we have to start projects and bring new ideas into life.  As a social worker – I love having new tools to use in my practice, new ideas to try and interesting readings related to the career I love.

I’m guessing most of us use social media, either personally or professionally, but I bet a lot of people overlook Pinterest as a place to gather idea to use in their everyday social work practice.  I use Pinterest all the time when I am looking for an idea or intervention or I’m looking for inspiration.  I find that perusing Pinterest makes me more excited about the work I do.  It also gives me an easy place to save websites I may want to check out again or resources I may need at a later time.  I have created many boards to organize all the pins I want to save!

I can’t vouch for everything on these boards but here are some favorite Pinterest Boards for Social Workers.

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August 31, 2016
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Social Work: Can I work with a client who is suicidal?

Degree Directory, Mental Health, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , , ,

hand reaching out

People are complicated.  As a social worker, you are often working with individuals in immense emotional and often physical pain.  One of the best aspects of being a social worker is when you help someone heal.  Other times, a client can have difficulty moving out of their pain.  It can be scary for a social worker (new or experienced) to have a client indicate they are going to irrevocably harm themselves.  I know a lot of therapists who say they don’t take clients who are at high risk of suicide but anyone you work with may be at risk.   It is essential, to be willing to be aware that suicide might be a risk.

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July 31, 2016
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The Social Work Job Interview

Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , ,

Maybe you just graduated and are looking for your first social work job.  Maybe you are searching out the perfect practices or internship.  Maybe you’d have been doing this social work thing awhile and are looking for greener pastures,  we all go through the interview  process at some time.  I have had many, many, many, many interviews where the outcomes have ranged from ecstatically successful to horrendous.  I have also been interviewing and hiring people for years.  Hopefully, some of my thoughts will help you land your perfect job.

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June 30, 2016
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The Business of Social Work

Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized , , ,

I worked at a dialysis corporation for a few years in my career.  We occasionally had large group social worker meetings that employees from the corporate office sometimes came to present.  Often when Corporate came, they would talk about finances and insurance billing and the cost of doing business.  Virtually every time, the corporate employee would say something like “as social workers, you all just want to help people and you don’t really understand or care about the money aspect.”  It always felt very condescending like there was some deficiency with social workers because we care about helping individuals and that we all weren’t quite sophisticated enough to understand the reality of business.

Social Workers are actually extremely proficient at understanding how systems work and that nothing exists in a vacuum.  When we look at the big picture it is easy to see how there is a business aspect to social work.  Not only is money involved in how we can provide our services, we will work for businesses – our own or someone else’s.  This will necessitate understanding business or management information.

Chances are – if you are good at your job – you will be asked to take on more responsibilities – probably become someone who manages people. The thing, though, just because you are a good social worker does not mean you automatically have the skills to be a good leader or manager.  Your social work skills help you but there is a whole new world to learn.  Maybe you dream of owning your own private practice.  In both of these scenarios, you will have to develop skills that hone your business sense.  If you know you want to own your own business or become a manager or director of some type, you may want to look at school programs that also have social service slanted business classes.  (Some schools even have MSW/MBA programs.)  Many MSW programs do not have classes on social service management.  My MSW program only had one class focusing on the business aspect of social work.

Although I absolutely love the clinical aspect of my job, I think I am happiest with managing a staff at my current corporate job and also immensely enjoy running my private practice.   The business aspect of social work is my favorite.  Below is a mishmash of my thoughts on the business part of social work.

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February 28, 2016
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Favorite Ted Talks for Social Workers

Degree Directory, Mental Health, Social Work, Uncategorized , , ,

Ted talks are on such an array of subjects.   There are several that I have assigned to clients in my private practice and there are a few I’ve used in training with the team of care coordinators I supervise.    In our time-crunched world, sometimes a 10 minute or more video seems impossibly long.  I would encourage you to take some time and watch some talks that interest you.  Below are some of my favorite talks that I think are beneficial for social workers and those who are interested in social work.   Whatever topic you may be interested in – I bet you find it in TED talks.

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December 31, 2015
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Social Work Practice and Spirituality

Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , ,

As the New Year begins, many of us look to the hopeful possibilities of the future.  The New Year can be a catalyst to start over and grasp the future that will serve us best.   I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but I was thinking about what I could focus on in my clinical practice, in order for me to be a better social work practitioner.  I was looking not to be a better employee or business owner but a better social worker.

I decided to focus on doing a better job of bringing spirituality into my social work practice.  Even though social workers are trained to look at the whole person, for some reason, it seems like a lot of social workers have difficulty including spirituality in their services.  Clinicians do a great job with the mind and body part of a person but falter a bit at spirituality.

Social workers are often confident with working with a diverse population so why is religious or spiritual preference any different?  Maybe a social worker is worried about offending their client.  They may be comfortable asking personal questions about their client’s sex life but spiritual life – not so much.  Sometimes social workers are so cognizant of not proselytizing or pushing their own beliefs on their client, that they just avoid asking the questions.   One I’ve been guilty of in the past is to avoid the question because I don’t want the client to feel like I’m judging them if they say they don’t have any spiritual practices.   Some social workers may just feel like they don’t have the knowledge of the individual’s religion or spirituality to provide guidance.

The field of social work has been getting better, overall, including spirituality.  Virtually any assessment tool that you find today will have questions on people’s spirituality.  Time and experience have taught social work that a person’s spiritual beliefs not only help them feel whole but can be a strength.  A person’s spiritual beliefs may give them hope or confidence for the future.  A person’s spiritual beliefs might give them a sense of belonging or connection to the community.

Conversely, sometimes there may be shame involved with religious beliefs or other barriers.  A person’s identity and history is wrapped up in their spiritual beliefs.  If we fail to ask about someone’s spirituality we are missing a part of them we may be able to help heal.

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August 27, 2015
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Technology, Social Media and the Social Worker

Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , ,

nature-laptop-outside-macbookSocial workers run the gamut on technology and social media.  Some hate it and some love it.  I love it!  If you are reading this article – you are participating in it.  My personal opinion is that technology is the way of the world and we can embrace and utilize it or be left behind.

Social media assists the social worker with connecting with others.  People spend a lot of time on their computers and smart phones.   Social Media helps you market your practice and lets your clients know who you are.  I don’t know how many times someone said to me “Your website was so welcoming” or “the quotes you put on Facebook really help me be more positive.”  It humanizes you and you can share your message with others.

Social Media also opens up a path to communicating with other professionals.  There are therapists in different states that I have never met in person but I have shared dialogue with and learned from.  It allows for perspectives outside of just our immediate circle.  Randomly, it has also helped me engage with my adolescent clients.  In the world of technology I am old!  The youth I see teach me about different sites and apps and it helps build rapport.  (I would have no idea how to use or even what snapchat is if it weren’t for my adolescent clients!!!)

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July 25, 2015
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If I were my client I would… (Social Work and Self-Determination)

Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,

As a social worker, we care about people.  We want them to live the best life they can.  And…at least secretly – we are sure we know what the best choices are to get what we view as the best life.

It turns out though – that even though we are assisting people in finding their way – their choices and their desired outcomes aren’t up to us.  One of the main tenets of social work is self – determination.

The National Association of Social Workers states self-determination is an ethical principle of professional practice.

 “Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients’ right to self-determination when, in the social workers’ professional judgment, clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.”

It is imperative that a social worker is aware of their own value system and beliefs so they aren’t subconsciously or subtly moving the client to the clinician’s goals.  You want to act for your client’s best interest but who decides what that is?

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April 20, 2015
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Do I have what it takes to be a social worker?

Career, Social Work, Uncategorized , , ,

When I started college I had no idea what career I would choose.  Then, my first semester, the Psychology class I tried to add to my schedule was full.  Disappointed, I signed up for a Sociology class.  I’ve always thought it fateful I ended up in that Sociology class because it became the foundation for my entire career.  I told a woman in my dorm about my Sociologist dream and she said “I don’t know if there are jobs in Sociology.   You should go into social work instead.”   With that push, everything came together.  My qualities and experience meshed so well with the values of social work.  I found what I was born to do.

Are you curious about your fit as a social worker? Are you wondering what qualities are beneficial to have?   These are a few of the skills I believe are essential for a modern social worker.

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October 30, 2014
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The Social Work Student’s Guide to Networking

Career, Social Work, Uncategorized , , , ,

Whether you’re still researching MSW programs or just about to graduate, it’s never too early to begin networking. While it’s certainly beneficial for a future social worker to be inherently outgoing, there’s more to networking than just chit-chat. Networking in 2014 is different than it was fifty years ago or even ten years ago for that matter. There are more opportunities both on- and offline to get involved. Here are ten tips for how a future social worker can begin to grow their network and land that job interview.

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