Every social worker makes mistakes. I’ve been told that when we are new social workers it takes a while to figure out where we went wrong and as we gain experience and wisdom the time between making a mistake – and knowing we made a mistake becomes shorter. However, it doesn’t mean we stop making mistakes. I encourage you to embrace your mistakes! Growth as a professional comes from learning from the times we struggle. To help you know what to look for he
re are some of the common mistakes many of us make.
July 28, 2017
Career, Degree Directory, Mental Health, Social Work career, social work, Social Work Careers, social work mistakes, social worker
June 30, 2017
Career, Mental Illness, Social Work, Uncategorized book recommendations, career, national association of social workers, social work, Social Work Resources, social worker
Summer is the perfect time for self-care and to enjoy a bit of downtime. Of course, you should find time to read your favorite, thriller, romance or mystery book but what about getting a bit more attuned with social work and maybe discover a new area to pursue.
I could ask social workers for recommendations of the best professional books but instead, I am going to pick of few of the titles on my own bookcase! Any of these books are worth a social worker checking them out.
May 31, 2017
Career, Degree Directory, Mental Health, Social Work, Uncategorized BSW, career, graduate school, MSW, New Social Worker, self-care, social work, social work student, social worker
Congratulations if you just graduated with a BSW or MSW. You have your diploma in hand and a party to celebrate but now what?
Now it is time to be a social worker! A few thoughts for new graduates to consider. (And a great reminder to us who have been around a bit!)
July 31, 2016
Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized career, social work, Social Work Careers, Social Work Jobs, social worker
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.
March 31, 2016
Career, Degree Directory, Social Work career, goals, graduate school, social work, social work student
Happy Social Work Month! March is recognized as the month to celebrate Social Workers.
So if you are one of the almost 600,000 social workers or working toward being one, make sure to celebrate a little!
If you are thinking about becoming a social worker or really if you are thinking about furthering your education in any area – What is stopping you?
July 25, 2015
Career, Degree Directory, Social Work, Uncategorized career, ethics, goals, mental health, national association of social workers, private practice, qualities of a social worker, social work problems, social worker
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?
April 20, 2015
Career, Social Work, Uncategorized career, qualities of a social worker, social work, Social Work Jobs
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.