Professional Self Social Work

Until several years ago, I had a limited understanding of the social work profession. My undergraduate degree and research experience were in the field of psychology and although I considered pursuing a graduate degree in developmental psychology, I decided to take time off after college to focus on myself, gain additional work experience, and be certain about my future career. Fortunately, taking this time allowed me to reflect on my values, goals, and personal attributes as well as discover the field of social work.

For as long as I can remember, my parents emphasized the importance of being cognizant of the world around me and considering the challenges and barriers that others encountered daily. My father emigrated to the United States from Sicily when he was 19-years-old. His small mountain village did not offer many opportunities to escape poverty or to accomplish his long-term goals. His upbringing and the obstacles he faced as an immigrant shaped his values, beliefs, and behaviors as well as how he and my mother raised me and my siblings.

He never preached about the “American dream” or tried to convince us that if you simply work hard enough, everything will fall into place. He realized that this was not possible for everyone and instead taught us to be aware of what others struggle with so that we may help in even the smallest of ways. These lessons from my parents as well as my high school and undergraduate education influenced the ways in which I examined my family, community, nation, and world.

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Social workers fight against the status quo and actively seek social change through various avenues. As a person, I could not be more grateful to a profession that does such good for humanity and as a student, I am excited to surround myself with a community of professionals that places such high value on empowering all individuals, groups, and populations regardless of their differences or characteristics.

One of the reasons I am seeking my Master of Social Work is because of the profession’s focus on person-in-environment. After college, while working in a developmental psychology research lab, I dedicated time to reflecting on my goals and exploring other fields. I learned about social work’s focus on social justice and person-in-environment construct and discovered that I connected with that more than psychology’s person-centered approach. During this time, I volunteered for several years in a community center’s after-school program in South Bend, Indiana. Most children came from low-income families who were struggling to make it paycheck to paycheck. As a result, the students often encountered difficulties related to adequate and healthy nutrition, school attendance and performance, behavioral issues, and an overall sense of well-being and safety. This provided me with a deeper understanding of how our physical and social environments affect us physically, emotionally, mentally, and behaviorally. As a student and future social worker, I hope to contribute to the profession’s mission of fighting oppression, prejudice, and other injustices that plague our families, communities, and the broader world in which we all live.

Social work is a courageous profession comprised of informed, skilled, and brave individuals who call attention to controversial topics such as discrimination, poverty, human rights, and other inequities. This social change-oriented mission is rare outside of the social work profession. When I inform others about my decision to become a social worker, many reply with something along the lines of, “I couldn’t do that job – it’s too much for me, but somebody has to do it.” After continuing to hear similar reactions, I constructed a response in my head that I felt would be appropriate. It involved several components: first, social work is a profession, not merely a job; second, our world sorely needs social workers who are trained to advocate for and serve vulnerable populations; and, finally, I understand that it will challenge me personally and professionally. The values and mission of this profession speak to me on many levels and I am looking forward to my classroom education and field placement experiences that will help me better understand how I can play an active role in seeking social change on the micro and macro levels.

Completing my genogram, ecomap, and critical events timeline provided insight into how my family history and personal experiences may influence my experiences in school, field, and as a future social worker. In creating my genogram, I recognized how private my extended family on both sides was and continues to be. On my father’s side, there weren’t many secrets to uncover, but it was more challenging to construct given that they are much older and almost all of them lived or currently live in Sicily. As for my mother’s side, although I know who most of my family members are, I could not gather much information about their marriages, health, and other characteristics. I asked my grandmother many questions, but she was either unwilling to share or simply did not know the details. She only told me that her family never spoke about certain people, situations, or, as she put it, “issues.” I recognize these secretive tendencies in my uncles, aunts, and cousins as well. According to my grandmother, much is left unspoken and unhealed. I share many of my grandmother’s traits but recognize that family histories tend to repeat themselves if we do not actively work to break the cycle. Regardless of whether we know the details of our relatives’ histories, families are complex systems that continue to impact us throughout our lives.

Completing my ecomap provided a tangible example of how our social contexts influence our experiences. It helped me to understand the strength and direction of my relationships as well as which factors are the most significant contributors to my current stress. It also led me to consider which past situations and networks have influenced my well-being. Although most of my relationships enhance my life instead of depleting my energy, reviewing examples of ecomaps and considering past relationships helped me to understand how certain relationships and systems can cause immense stress and suffering. Because the person-in-environment construct is essential to social work, creating a personal ecomap furthered my understanding of how this tool can be utilized to better understand the multidimensional layers of an individual and evaluate which social contexts are benefiting or harming our clients.

Although I have constructed a critical events timeline in the past, creating this one was an entirely new experience given that I have continued to grow and experience new events that shape how I view myself and the world around me. I recognize that my experiences with an eating disorder, trauma, and the inpatient and outpatient treatment I received will influence my social work journey. I have wanted to pursue social work for several years, but it was important to me that I waited until I felt emotionally, physically, and spiritually prepared. I understand that this profession requires self-awareness and continuous personal reflection. While I believe that my personal experiences provide valuable insight into how it feels to be a client, I recognize that I would not be an effective social worker and could perhaps cause more harm than good if I relied solely on my personal experience to engage with the individuals and communities I work with. Instead, social work practice must involve the skills mentioned in our textbook: critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and lifelong learning. Overall, creating my genogram, ecomap, and critical events timeline deepened my understanding of why social workers must consider the various dimensions that impact an individual’s past, present, and future.

This assignment provided valuable insight into how my values, beliefs, networks, and experiences have led me to this field and may benefit me as I pursue my Master of Social Work. Ever since I was a young child, those around me labeled me as “sensitive.” I would become visibly upset if I saw a hurt animal, a distressed family member, or, as I remember quite vividly, an elderly woman crossing a busy street alone. I considered this sensitivity to be a negative attribute of mine for much of my life. After years of self-reflection and continued interactions with the world around me, I started to change the way in which I thought about myself. I recognized that although at times, it caused stress, my sensitivity and empathic tendencies also helped me to connect with others on a deeper level, recognize and appreciate diversity, and assess how I, as both an individual and as a member of my community, could make a positive impact on those around me.

In the past few weeks, I have learned more about the guiding values and mission of this profession, and my desire to become a social worker has only grown stronger. In listening to my professors and conversing with my classmates, I feel as though I have found a community that shares similar goals of advocating for vulnerable populations and fighting against the maintenance of the status quo. For many years, I have felt passionate about issues concerning human rights, oppression, and poverty but was unsure of how to seek actionable change. Armed with the education and field experiences I will receive at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, I believe I can learn the necessary skills and knowledge to make a positive impact. I look forward to exploring the countless opportunities that this profession provides to advocate for and serve others.