One of the wisest people once told me
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 7
One of the wisest people once told me
One of the wisest people I have ever met once told me “if you choose a job you have great passion for you will never work a day in your life.” This is a philosophy that I have carried with me for as long as I can remember and sought to find for myself. However, it was not until recently that I realized my true commitment and motivation for pursuing a graduate degree in social work. I personally experienced a loved one endure a devastating battle with addiction. His condition convinced me that the negative emotional and psychological states associated with addiction will eventually push all its victims to “rock bottom” at some point. Although he looked relatively healthy on the outside, little did everyone know he had a monster controlling his psychological well-being; and this was his heroin dependency. I voluntarily dedicated all of my time to helping him beat this disease; all while experiencing severe emotional stress of my own. I researched successful treatment options, attended NA meetings with him and eventually sought out Nar-anon meetings to deal with my own emotional issues through the process.
The topic of addiction had always fascinated me, but after experiencing it in a context so personal, my whole viewpoint on the issue shifted. I could sit here and discuss the overwhelming effect it had on my life, but to make a long story short the hardships I faced after dealing with his disease inspired me to pursue a career in social work and more specifically in counseling those suffering from chemical dependency. My firm decision to obtain a MSW degree has not only been the direct result of my personal experiences but also from my experience and involvement in a professional social work setting. Through observing and being around people with these social problems I have gained first-hand experiences involving the obstacles these people face every single day. To explain, immediately after I received my B.A in Psychology at Oakland University I obtained a voluntary internship position with Milford Counseling Inc. in Milford Michigan. This position involved working in conjunction with experienced professionals in the treatment of chemical dependency and mental health through an outpatient setting. In addition, by speaking in-depth with qualified social workers and mental health professionals, including managers, I gained valuable insight into the aims, values and ethics of social work within the local authority and how these are applied in practice. After applying these values and ethics in my voluntary role I not only gained a great sense of job satisfaction I also came to realize how important these are to gaining respect and trust from clients, a necessity as a foundation for any client work in social services to be effective.
My ability to demonstrate personal qualities of diplomacy, tact and empathy in these situations have further convinced me of my suitability to pursue a career in social work. This position has given me great insight into the role of a social worker after being directly paired and assigned case management clients who were living in our organizations sober living home. Through case management sessions I assessed my client’s present needs and wishes and identified their future goals and desired outcomes. On an ongoing basis, I strive to promote empowerment, individuality, rights, responsibilities, identity and self-esteem in my clients. I put care plans into action by helping individuals with life skills (e.g. developing basic budgeting and money managing skills) providing information or helping service users to access information relevant to their needs and wishes, assisting them to develop a higher level of independence and improve their communication and social skills. I also provide continuous emotional support for my client’s during stressful life changes. I learned how to communicate with clients about sensitive issues in an appropriate manner, understanding and being prepared for their reactions to the information. This job has significantly improved my communication skills, my patience, and my initiative as a social work professional. In result, I have become aware of my own values and beliefs whilst showing respect for all persons and their values, beliefs, cultures, goals, needs and preferences.
My supervisor at Milford Counseling has recently paired up with Eastern Michigan University to work with students wishing to pursue fieldwork in the treatment of mental health and chemical dependency. I started working with Milford Counseling immediately after I received my bachelors in April 2014 and have gained an immense amount of knowledge and experience through my time with this institution. While continuing to thrive with Milford Counseling, I hope to work towards obtaining my MSW with a concentration in Mental Health and Chemical Dependency from EMU. My overall objective is to pursue a career as a licensed social worker specializing in the treatment of mental health and addiction.
It has become clear that my passion lies with the field of social work- and especially in supporting disadvantaged populations who suffer from
these conditions. There always has been, and always will be a separation of power, wealth and privilege in our society and no social movement will change that. There will always be groups of people who will benefit from unearned, generally invisible advantages that increase their power relative to those around them. Specifically, issues pertaining to gender, race, sexual orientation and social class have continued to favor specific groups of society for decades.
To be considered “white” in the USA means to be part of the dominant culture, because we are the majority. But does that mean we get to define what is normal, what is important, and what is right? No, but we enjoy being “privileged.” As a group, we often tend to think that we are smarter, better, and more capable than other people- we think that if something is good for us, then it is good for everybody. We do not always recognize how much of what we enjoy is due to our privilege, and we definitely don’t take the initiative to learn about those with values and lifestyles different from our own.
I believe that mental health professionals have a lot to learn about understanding those with different experiences and qualities than our own. More often than not, we fail to honor other cultures or learn from them and in result; we do not question our own ideas or beliefs. While working in the field of social work I believe that professionals should think deeper about societies vastly different populations and incorporate an understanding that their mental health may be the direct result of living in a society filled with privilege and social inequality.
In addition to social inequalities experienced outside the field of mental health, I believe many people seeking treatment for mental health and chemical dependency experience a social stigma attached to their conditions. Because of these stigmas, their conditions worsen and their recovery only becomes more difficult. It seems like common knowledge to the average individual that those with mental health or chemical dependency diagnoses are the least likely of any population to be socially included or to find work, but this is only because society has a stereotyped view about people being treated for these conditions.
I remember talking to a family friend about my internship and how passionate I was about working with and counseling chemically dependent individuals. I vividly recall them stating “Oh wow, so you’re dealing with psycho killers and child molesters?” At that moment I was absolutely stunned and had no idea how to begin addressing his complete ignorance regarding this matter. There is a stereotyped belief that all of those who are mentally ill are violent and dangerous, when the truth is that they are actually the ones most at risk for being attacked or harming themselves. Stigmatization in the field of social work and mental health may actually worsen an individual’s health problems, delay their urge to seek help or treatment and will place a undeniable burden on their recovery. It appears as though discrimination and stigmatization only trap these individuals in a cycle of illness and for that reason; mental health professionals need to be aware of this stigmatization and discrimination in a social work setting.
The topic of addiction had always fascinated me, but after experiencing it in a context so personal, my whole viewpoint on the issue shifted. I could sit here and discuss the overwhelming effect it had on my life, but to make a long story short the hardships I faced after dealing with his disease inspired me to pursue a career in social work and more specifically in counseling those suffering from chemical dependency. My firm decision to obtain a MSW degree has not only been the direct result of my personal experiences but also from my experience and involvement in a professional social work setting. Through observing and being around people with these social problems I have gained first-hand experiences involving the obstacles these people face every single day. To explain, immediately after I received my B.A in Psychology at Oakland University I obtained a voluntary internship position with Milford Counseling Inc. in Milford Michigan. This position involved working in conjunction with experienced professionals in the treatment of chemical dependency and mental health through an outpatient setting. In addition, by speaking in-depth with qualified social workers and mental health professionals, including managers, I gained valuable insight into the aims, values and ethics of social work within the local authority and how these are applied in practice. After applying these values and ethics in my voluntary role I not only gained a great sense of job satisfaction I also came to realize how important these are to gaining respect and trust from clients, a necessity as a foundation for any client work in social services to be effective.
My ability to demonstrate personal qualities of diplomacy, tact and empathy in these situations have further convinced me of my suitability to pursue a career in social work. This position has given me great insight into the role of a social worker after being directly paired and assigned case management clients who were living in our organizations sober living home. Through case management sessions I assessed my client’s present needs and wishes and identified their future goals and desired outcomes. On an ongoing basis, I strive to promote empowerment, individuality, rights, responsibilities, identity and self-esteem in my clients. I put care plans into action by helping individuals with life skills (e.g. developing basic budgeting and money managing skills) providing information or helping service users to access information relevant to their needs and wishes, assisting them to develop a higher level of independence and improve their communication and social skills. I also provide continuous emotional support for my client’s during stressful life changes. I learned how to communicate with clients about sensitive issues in an appropriate manner, understanding and being prepared for their reactions to the information. This job has significantly improved my communication skills, my patience, and my initiative as a social work professional. In result, I have become aware of my own values and beliefs whilst showing respect for all persons and their values, beliefs, cultures, goals, needs and preferences.
My supervisor at Milford Counseling has recently paired up with Eastern Michigan University to work with students wishing to pursue fieldwork in the treatment of mental health and chemical dependency. I started working with Milford Counseling immediately after I received my bachelors in April 2014 and have gained an immense amount of knowledge and experience through my time with this institution. While continuing to thrive with Milford Counseling, I hope to work towards obtaining my MSW with a concentration in Mental Health and Chemical Dependency from EMU. My overall objective is to pursue a career as a licensed social worker specializing in the treatment of mental health and addiction.
It has become clear that my passion lies with the field of social work- and especially in supporting disadvantaged populations who suffer from
these conditions. There always has been, and always will be a separation of power, wealth and privilege in our society and no social movement will change that. There will always be groups of people who will benefit from unearned, generally invisible advantages that increase their power relative to those around them. Specifically, issues pertaining to gender, race, sexual orientation and social class have continued to favor specific groups of society for decades.
To be considered “white” in the USA means to be part of the dominant culture, because we are the majority. But does that mean we get to define what is normal, what is important, and what is right? No, but we enjoy being “privileged.” As a group, we often tend to think that we are smarter, better, and more capable than other people- we think that if something is good for us, then it is good for everybody. We do not always recognize how much of what we enjoy is due to our privilege, and we definitely don’t take the initiative to learn about those with values and lifestyles different from our own.
I believe that mental health professionals have a lot to learn about understanding those with different experiences and qualities than our own. More often than not, we fail to honor other cultures or learn from them and in result; we do not question our own ideas or beliefs. While working in the field of social work I believe that professionals should think deeper about societies vastly different populations and incorporate an understanding that their mental health may be the direct result of living in a society filled with privilege and social inequality.
In addition to social inequalities experienced outside the field of mental health, I believe many people seeking treatment for mental health and chemical dependency experience a social stigma attached to their conditions. Because of these stigmas, their conditions worsen and their recovery only becomes more difficult. It seems like common knowledge to the average individual that those with mental health or chemical dependency diagnoses are the least likely of any population to be socially included or to find work, but this is only because society has a stereotyped view about people being treated for these conditions.
I remember talking to a family friend about my internship and how passionate I was about working with and counseling chemically dependent individuals. I vividly recall them stating “Oh wow, so you’re dealing with psycho killers and child molesters?” At that moment I was absolutely stunned and had no idea how to begin addressing his complete ignorance regarding this matter. There is a stereotyped belief that all of those who are mentally ill are violent and dangerous, when the truth is that they are actually the ones most at risk for being attacked or harming themselves. Stigmatization in the field of social work and mental health may actually worsen an individual’s health problems, delay their urge to seek help or treatment and will place a undeniable burden on their recovery. It appears as though discrimination and stigmatization only trap these individuals in a cycle of illness and for that reason; mental health professionals need to be aware of this stigmatization and discrimination in a social work setting.
Redmayne
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Manchester, England, UK.
Posts: 1,543
An interesting....
Unintended post or not, it contains a number of interesting points worthy of both constructive comment and criticism to lengthy to detail here.
Making it the basis of an even more worthy dissertation for those who, for whatever reason pursue an interest in addiction, its causes, effects and treatment. Well done and thank you...
Making it the basis of an even more worthy dissertation for those who, for whatever reason pursue an interest in addiction, its causes, effects and treatment. Well done and thank you...
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
