Masters of Social Work Program free essay sample

Several of my areas of strength are centered around my profession in child protection and childrens mental health. I feel my interpersonal communication skills are one of my best personal traits. Effective communication consists of being able to speak clearly and professionally, while being knowledgeable at the same time. Communication has become one of the key parts to my success in both my work life and in my personal life; as communication is key to my marriage and any relationship I build within a team and workplace. I accredit my ability to effectively communication verbally and in written form to being an attentive listener that is open to suggestions and feedback. I believe my written communication is a strong point for me because I am very detail oriented, at the same time I am aware of my need to be more precise and less detailed in some aspects. A challenge for me is my more reserved demeanor. We will write a custom essay sample on Masters of Social Work Program or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although I provide input to others when asked, I often hesitate to express my opinion first. With awareness of this I push myself to be more assertive, take initiative and not question myself internally. On a daily basis in the field of child protection I am challenged with a multitude of situations that I must prioritize in order to move forward; this requires me to stay focused and put the childs safety first in order to determine what is in the best interest of the child. Through these experiences I have developed my ability to multitask in a timely manner, enabling me to be productive in a demanding atmosphere. A personal strength of mine is my ability to be a well-organized individual. I tend to write down and prioritize tasks I need to complete and this helps me accomplish my work and meet important deadlines. To achieve success, one needs to be self motivated and determined to succeed. I believe my dedication, strong work ethic, and learning agility are strengths that will benefit me in successfully completing graduate school and will also help me thrive as an advanced generalist social worker. When asked to reflect upon my qualities and characteristics that are consistent with the core values of the social work profession I thought of words that encompass me as a person and what I stand for. Reflecting back on my childhood, I always had a vivid imagination. I would imagine being a doctor or veterinarian and over the years I realized I was gifted in helping others. As a compassionate, caring, and honest person I have always been the one my peers have sought out for guidance. I am an empathetic listener, who shows sympathy to others in a respectful manner, being mindful of others differences and refraining from casting judgment. I feel I have acquired my values through my family and life experiences. Values underlie our work, how we interact with each other, and which strategies we employ to fulfill our goals. I feel my personal values were influenced by my parents in my childhood by their giving examples of helping others and the community and these values are consistent with the core values of the social work profession. Each of us have our own set of values and these are what determine which aspects of life we regard as important or beneficial. Our values help determine our way of life, our entertainment, our social, political, and religious interactions. Everyone holds many values and these values are liable to change as we mature and have different experiences or influences in life. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) outlines six core values in their code of ethics that guide the professional practice: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. I believe that all of the listed values are important in the social work profession as well as in life. This altruistic characteristic of the profession is what makes social work a powerful, life-changing, world-changing profession. As a profession the area of social work correlates with my own interest in helping minimize the disparity of the underprivileged and disadvantaged so that they too may become competent world citizens. In my position as a child protection social worker I work in a rural community assisting troubled, victimized people. It is a value of mine to help keep the dignity, meaningfulness, self-respect, and personal fulfillment that every person is entitled to. Because there are so many oppressed, at-risk and disempowered populations in distress the value of them as people is of utmost importance. As a social worker it is necessary to not be prejudicial or discriminatory when trying to problem solve in human relationships, but rather empower and liberate people to enhance their well-being and assist them in taking more control of their lives. To succeed as an advanced generalist social work professional it is essential that I am culturally competent because America is undeniably a multicultural country that consists of many cultures, races and religions. I take pride in my ability to be culturally competent as I have the capacity to work effectively with people from a variety of ethic, cultural, political, economic and religious backgrounds. I am aware and respectful of the values, beliefs, transitions, customs and parenting styles of those I serve that may be different from my own. In order to continue to be culturally competent and effective as a practitioner, it is my commitment to continue to be proactive and educate myself regarding others cultures and belief systems so I am aware of what to expect when helping people from different cultural backgrounds. This knowledge will not only assist me toward a better understanding of others worldviews and experiences, but it will also help me gain insight into peoples lives and increase my ability to assist and facilitate change within a rural community context. By being able to demonstrate a good understanding of another persons world has and will continue to aid me in the development of good rapport and effective interactions with families in a rural community context. Through my job in a human/social services setting within a rural community I have gained experience working with diverse populations. When I am faced with an issue I approach it in a positive manner so I can assist others in dealing with situations that are difficult and have a negative impact on their families. I make suggestions to others for services that will address the issue that brought them into the child protection system; while being mindful of their culture. In order to provide culturally appropriate care it is essential that I understand culturally influenced behaviors. Cultural differences can influence many aspects of a persons life and how they view such things as their mental well-being. For example, this may vastly differ from one culture to another, with some viewing mental illness as a blessing rather than a curse. The culture of a person influences many aspects of mental illness. Cultural meanings of illness have real consequences in terms of whether people are motivated to seek treatment, how they cope with their symptoms, how supportive their families and communities are, where they seek help; mental health specialist and/or traditional healer, the pathways they take to get services, and how they fare in treatment. Within a rural community context, many features of family life have a bearing on ones mental health. For example, a supportive family and good sibling relationships can protect against the onset of mental illness, while a family environment marked by severe marital discord or social disadvantage can contribute to its onset. The consequence can be grave when people with severe mental illness do not receive appropriate treatment. In order for me to be culturally responsive in a rural area it is essential that I acknowledge and respect cultural differences and learn how to work through conflicts and misunderstandings based on these differences. I understand minorities may mistrust me because I am a member of the dominant culture. By recognizing the lack of hardships I have experienced as an assimilated citizen of this country, I must consider the undeniable fact that some or many of my clients will not have had a similar experience to my own. With this knowledge, I am sensitive to these differences and aware of barriers and prejudices that people from different backgrounds experience. Because I have been socialized primarily surrounded by Caucasian people, I have and am willing to open my eyes and mind to other ethnicities that I have no true knowledge of. In order to be a culturally competent social worker within a rural community context, I force myself out of my comfort zone so I can truly empathize with others who may not share my automatic advantages. I believe cultural competence is not merely something that can be taught in the classroom, it is gained from working with diverse groups of people and recognizing that they are the expert in his/her own life. Social work is a dynamic profession, which requires me to stay current in the field, applying the latest research and understanding new regulations and its implications to better serve individuals, families and communities. By attending continuing education trainings I have expanded my knowledge of child protection and childrens mental health each year. This has also strengthened my advocacy skills so I can play a strong role as advocate. As a child protection investigator and case manager I play many roles, such as educator, enabler, empowerer, advocate, and activist. By attending CornerHouse Forensic Interviewer training, I enhanced by professional skills and my ability to complete investigations of child sexual abuses. As a child protection investigator, I developed my leadership skills through performing more investigative duties and in turn this increases my confidence in my capabilities. By doing this it allowed me to expand my interviewing skills and assess the needs of others from the beginning of a case. This required that I be alert to the social environment and that I also be decisive, ambitious and achievement-orientated. Through my experiences in human services I have recognized that in order to empower families who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty it is essential that I listen to and reflect back what I hear with compassion and understanding. The social work profession requires strong interpersonal and communication skills, as well as patience because the people I serve rely on me to listen to their problems and provide them with helpful insight and feedback. I present myself in a manner that is positive and helpful. I have a serious attitude and approach my job in that manner. Due to my profession I know how I act and what I say to families can have a positive or negative impact on their lives. In effort to improve the safety and well-being of children and families I serve, professionally at my office I am a active member a part of Child Protection Team and the Childrens Justice Initiative group. To further develop my own leadership skills and pass on my knowledge to new students entering the field of social worker I took the lead in supervising a student intern at my office. I provided the student intern guidance and allowed the intern to observe the investigative/assessment processes, court proceedings, as well as accompany me into the field to interact with families in the home environments. Professionally it is my goal to broaden my job opportunities and expose myself to new situations and gain new experiences by earning my masters degree in social work. The MSW Program will assist me in achieving my professional goals as it will give me a broad knowledge base from mental health to policy and research. I want to grow professionally and be employed as a school-based social worker in a rural setting or a medical social worker in a hospital setting. By having my Masters Degree in Social Work and knowledge base that is not always available in a rural setting and it would be beneficial to the people I may come in contact with. It is my personal aspiration, to improve the social and psychological well-being of children and families and assist others in coping with social and academic challenges. In a school setting as an advanced generalist I would be able to help identify childrens mental health needs, provide intervention and advocacy, individual and group counseling for children and families on a short-term basis, and submit referrals to outside agencies for further assistance if a pupil needs to receive long-term counseling outside of the school. It is a professional goal of mine to serve as a resource for children and families experiencing traumatic events- such as homelessness. As a school social worker I would make referrals to homeless shelters for families to receive necessary services. If a family was unable to make a connection I would serve as a liaison among the school, family and agency to ensure the familys needs were met. As a school social worker it would be a goal of mine to identify policies that may need to be changed, assist with drafting school improvement plans and other programmatic changes, as well as fight for the rights of students who may be disadvantaged. In a medical setting as an advanced generalist I may have a wide variety of experiences. I would work on discharge planning to determine what is in a patients best interest upon release from the hospital; making arrangements or patients admission into a nursing home or hospice. With my Masters Degree in Social Work I would be able to assist patients with their mental health and chemical dependency issues through the emergency room as well. I understand school and medical social workers have a wide range of responsibilities and to be successful I would utilize my time-management and organizationa l skills to effectively perform all of my duties. With my current job in the field of child protection and childrens mental health I feel I am adequately prepared to manage crisis situations that arise. Additionally, wherever I obtain employment. I will become familiar with the social service agencies in the community to ensure that children and their families are connected to the appropriate services if there are concerns of child neglect or abuse. With my field experience I feel I would be able to interact with a wide variety of personalities every day in a school or medical setting. Much like child protective services; a day in the life of a school or medical social worker is unpredictable.