Social workers: what do you like, dislike, and what do you wish you has known about the field before you started?
3 Answers to "Social workers: what do you like, dislike, and what do you wish you has known about the field before you started?"
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My experience with social workers has been all bad! I have family members at the Ph.D teaching level and the case worker level. When I was in a client position I found the case worker and the organization she worked for to be extremely gender prejudicial. It was accepted as normal that decisions were to be bias. I found their conduct to be comparable to that of an IRS agent. They make a good living on the misery of others, frequently increasing the troubles they are being paid to alleviate!
My advice, do all you can to avoid becoming one of these parasites!Like (2)
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Sorry about your experience.
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Oh nice to know that you're considering taking social work. Im not a social worker but a writer in a humanitarian NGO where I usually work with social workers. LIKE: You think you know everything or that you have the most problems in life? Wait until you hear the so-called poor tell their stories or see underdeveloped communities exist with basic needs you'll think you're from the future. DISLIKE: Sometimes, you get too attach to other people's problem that it becomes your own. KNOWN: I don't know anything about it. That's the beauty of it. You accept things as they are. Sometimes, you contribute more ideas because you've never been part of any social work. Other times, you become a "student."
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Best Answer (Chosen by Voting):
Posted by ausgirl1 1 Feb 10th, 2013 at 1:41AM
Hi, I'm a social worker in Australia. Seen it all pretty much when it comes to working different fields of social work.
Like: being able to help people, from grassroots level to having an impact on policy making in upper management. Like diversity of the field, can move around the sector easily ( i started in residential care with psychiatric disability and foster care, homelessness, needle exchange and now alongside child protection in foster care and kinship care.
I like the opp to continue prof development, lots of new training, and challenging my practice, family therapy is a huge area to break into.
I like forming relationships with my clients, using practical skills, not necessarily the usual counselling skills. I now use art therapy in my work and love being more creative still with powerful results for clients. It's a rewarding job you seem to be immediately trustworthy with that title...
Like; there are shitloads of jobs for social workers. you will never be out of work!
Dislike: agency politics, lack of funding, aggressive clients, clients who manipulate, safety issues and burnout. Can't escape it, just gotta manage it.
What i wished i had've known:
That they world can really be messed up for some families, although i see an extreme end of society in my current job.
That kids really suffer the most. Breaks my heart.
That you do the job not for the money. It's not a high paying job in Australia, you can be comfortable, the work is part of who you are.
You bring yourself to your work and your experiences i guess as the 'wounded healer'.
What i really wish i had have known upfront was to keep your thick skin. Create a safe sanctuary for yourself to debrief.
Lastly it's just a job, that family (my baby) trumps everything.
hope this helps, it's just my thoughts here, good luck!
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Reply by BloodyMary82 Feb 10th, 2013 at 1:46AM
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Reply by ausgirl1 Feb 10th, 2013 at 3:08AM
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