21st Century Superheroes: Social Workers Who Are They?
Are you feeling down? Or is your
family facing tough problems? Do you need someone to save you from the inner villains in you?
Or
Is helping others a passion that
you want to pursue in the future? Do you want to be the pioneer for a better world to live in? Do you want to be an Avenger yet still remain as a normal human?
Well then you have come to the
right blog that will help answer your super questions!
Social workers are
professionals whose aim is to protect individuals, families, groups and
communities from various inflicted problems and lead them to improved lives.
The most vulnerable and necessitous in the society are most commonly supported
by social workers (Jones, 2001). In addition, they are advocates of social
change, empowerment, liberation and the total wellness of individuals that
would greatly verdict the wellness of the community. Thus, social workers are
like superheroes who dedicate their lives fighting
atrocity, protecting the people and battling the many different problems that
humanity encounters and struggle with.
SKILLS, TRAITS AND COMPETENCIES
The social work superheroes are well-rounded and have a lot of superpowers.
Although humble and modest,
social workers are also very competent especially since they have finished a
bachelor’s degree in Social Work and have passed the licensure examination for
social workers. The following competencies, skills and qualities are mandatory
for social workers to execute their many roles and responsibilities.
1. Critical Thinking
· Social
workers are logical in handling the information that would greatly be of value
to their clients. They are systematic in solving problems, making sure that the
process would be feasible and effective to the parties involved in the social
work service. Moreover, social workers must know what is wrong and right and
know what should be applied to lead their clients into betterment.
2. Conduct Research
· Social
workers are able to research and conduct researches to widen their knowledge on
their specialization. Through researches, they are able to learn from fellow
social workers and other professionals so that they could make better
interventions and decisions for their service. In addition, social workers can
also impart their proficiency and experiences that would be of help to others.
Lastly, through research social workers can discover more about their clients
and know the many probabilities that would arise in the process.
3. Make Referrals
· Social
workers are able to direct their clients to other social workers or
professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors. Referrals are
done in order to give a more holistic and fit solution to the conflicts of the
clients. Hence, referrals are important to suffice the needs of the social
workers’ clients.
4. Communicate Effectively
· Communicating
effectively is another competency since it will both benefit the social worker
and the client. Not all clients (especially young clients) can comprehend
easily what a social worker is trying to say and due to this, they need to have
their own way of communicating for their message to be delivered properly.
5. Respect Diversity
· Meeting
different kinds of people is expected if you are working in the field of social
work. The clients will be different from one another and that is why a social
worker’s job is to respect the clients’ differences and be aware of their words
and actions while interacting with them.
6. Compassionate
· This
competency shows the good heart of the social worker. It includes knowing how
to empathize with their clients, showing concern and caring for those who are
sick and hurt. With this competency, the clients are able to feel a social
worker’s willingness while attending to them.
7. Listening Skills
· A social
worker’s listening skills is an important competency for this will be used
usually especially while interacting with their clients and to fully understand their thoughts and experiences. The clients mostly
address their concerns and stories to the social worker. In this case, if the
client will notice the social worker’s inattentiveness, there is a possibility
for the clients to become hesitant in speaking
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND AREAS OF
SPECIALIZATION
Like Superheroes who have a
myriad of superpowers, social workers also have various career opportunities
wherein they can apply their superpowers. These are only some of the career
opportunities and areas of specialization of social workers since their work is
boundless and versatile.
1. Mental
Health
Social
workers who focus on the area of mental health help those who are experiencing
mental and emotional stress. They provide therapy (after undergoing more
studies and getting a license as a clinical social worker) to those whose
mental health condition is unwell. There is a diverse scope of mental health
services that social workers in this field can provide. They may be found in
community mental health centers, mental hospitals, private organizations and
schools evaluating the clients’ mental health, recognizing mental disorders,
evolving treatment plans and assisting in the daily lives of people with mental
health disorders.
2. Medical/Health
3. Corrections
and Substance Abuse
Social
workers in the field of corrections and substance abuse are incorporated in
prevention of crime, rehabilitation of criminals and assistance in helping
those addicted in illegal substances. They may be found practicing in
rehabilitation facilities, prisons, private sectors, organizations and juvenile
detention facilities.
4. Family
and Child Welfare
Social
workers in this area of specialization help people care for themselves as parts
of the family and their children. They give services to families in
circumstances wherein they are greatly affected negatively. Children who are
neglected and abused by their parents and those who come from low-income
families who cannot be cared for properly are the clients given services by
social workers. Family and child welfare workers perform with child protective
services to investigate child abuse and neglect reports and intercede whenever
the home of a child becomes unsafe for him or her (University of Southern
California, 2016).
5. School
School-focused social workers
serve as the liaison between the school and the students’ families, being the
bridge that connects the children’s personal lives and education to ensure that
their needs are fulfilled. They are responsible in addressing various school
issues and programs such as sexual education, crisis intervention and health
education. They also provide counseling-- vocational counseling, school adjustment
counseling, behavioral management and help on personal problems.
6. Elderly
Geriatric social workers are
those who are focused in giving services to the elderly. They help the seniors
to adjust and cope with their troubles especially at their old age. They give help
with financial issues, medical care, mental disorder and social problems.
Among the various areas of
specialization, social workers can practice within different career
opportunities. They can be researchers, planners, administrators, teachers or
supervisors. They can work in micro-level social work which focuses on individuals
and families, in mezzo-level social work which focuses on communities and macro-level social work which focuses on the government policies and NGOs.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
As superheros who help improve lives
of others, they have certain roles and responsibilities to fulfill in order to
ensure the quality of their services. Chadron State College (CSC) lists the six
roles and responsibilities of social workers.
· - Broker
Making
referrals to connect a family or individual to other professionals or resources
is one of the roles and responsibilities of social workers. They also make sure
that the connection they linked is potent through following up frequently.
· - Advocate
Fighting
for the rights of others and working to acquire vital resources by persuading
others of the needs and rights of the people of society are one of the roles
and responsibilities of social workers. Social workers are advocates of those
who are underrepresented and vulnerable. The context of the social workers’
advocacy ranges from local to national level. There are social workers who take
part in international human rights advocacies.
· - Case Manager
Locating
services and assisting clients to access those services are also roles and
responsibilities of social workers. Complex situations and those who are
homeless or elderly, have immedicable physical or mental health problems, are
disabled, victims of violent and domestic crimes and vulnerable children need a
more intense managing from social workers.
· - Educator
Teaching people about resources
and how to improve skills such as budgeting, caring for and disciplining
children, effectively communicating, understanding medical diagnosis and
preventing violence are also expected from social workers.
· - Facilitator
Gathering masses of people for
different causes such as community development, self-advocacy, political
organization and policy change and also roles and responsibilities of social
workers. They must initiate symposiums that would be valuable to various
communities. Social workers take part as group therapists and task group
leaders.
· - Organizer
Various community organization
and action including economic development, union organization and research and
policy specialists are some of the aspects that social workers are involved
with.
In
addition, it is the role and responsibility of social workers to sustain and
uphold respect from the innate worth and dignity of everyone. Though they may
experience difficulty, they must help children, assist those with
life-threatening problems, aid people to battle addictions and much more.
Furthermore, it is their role and responsibility to withhold social justice
through living with integrity, care, empathy and compassion.
EXCLUSIVE: STUDENTS INTERACTING
WITH SUPERHEROES
As the famous saying “Experience is the best teacher”, we
will be sharing our experience with social workers in their various
institutions. This is for you to vicariously understand the essence and soul of
social work through the best teacher, experience.
Last October 5, the class of St.
Frideswida went to St. Maria de Mattias Center to be more enlightened about
social work. Sir Jonathan, who is a social worker, introduced to us the center,
which is a non-government organization which aims to fulfill the needs of the
children. He shared to the class that the center only accepts female Catholic
children whose ages are range from seven to seventeen years old. Before they
could let the children be part of their organization, they do a thorough check
of the children’s background: the situation of their family and the place where
they stay in to see if they really need the assistance of the center. Sir
Jonathan even used the words “poorest of the poor.” Furthermore, they also
accept the children with high academic standing to also break the society’s
stigma that children from poor families are uneducated and. They let the
children go to their respective schools and provide their needs thanks to the
generosity of the people. Additionally, the centers are being run with the help
of the sisters who willingly teach the children and care for them. The center
provides programs such as values formation for the parents to also teach them
as they would apply these values every time they are with their children in
their own place.
According to Sir Jonathan, being
a social worker is also a profession wherein you need to be acknowledged by the
state to be official. It is a profession that is done with willingness and not
to be discontinued whenever one feels like it. He added that working as a
social worker, a person has to learn to detach. Since he also has a family, he
cannot be emotionally attached to his clients too much for it could lead to
negative outcomes. Being a social worker is also a well-rounded profession and is
not limited to only helping the “poorest of the poor”. They can also aim to
help their surroundings; the environment and as an activity the class of St.
Frideswida experienced planting with him.
What struck us the most is how we
can see Sir Jonathan’s happiness and passion on his job. As we observed, his
smile almost never left his face. The children adore him and he adores his
clients too. After working in a very different field as a marine officer in the
past, he found greater joy in social work and helping others. He serves as a
concrete example of the saying “follow your heart” because after choosing the
path that her heart desires, he was able to not only fulfill himself but also
the people and their needs.
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St. Ehrentrudis admired that the
elders who can still move on their own choose to participate the mass that is
being held in the orphanage. They observed that they employ social workers who
completely are willing to do the job properly and are hands-on in watching the
elderlies. Their facilities are maintained which is a benefit for the lolos and
lolas since it has an effect on their health. Having service-oriented
social workers is a major factor since the elderlies in the nursing home are lacking
in terms of affection and love that were supposed to be given by their
relatives. Having these kinds of caregivers will fill those gaps in their
hearts.
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The students were able to
interact with a sixteen year-old and he admitted to have been engaged in drug
related crimes and as theft, but dreams to be a seaman in the future to help
himself and his family. This proved that there are still children in the youth
homes who have good intentions and the institution is greatly effective in
helping the children. Soon the number of those children delinquents may
hopefully decrease, one of the reasons being the social workers who tirelessly
help them improve themselves.
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All in all, social workers offer themselves to be of service to people who are unable to help their selves. From tirelessly studying social work theories, to taking up the state exam, to applying their learnings to the society, social workers have tenaciously been proven to be vital pillars of humanity. These humble professionals have made a big impact especially to those who they have helped tremendously. If not for social workers, many people would be entrapped on their conflicts, unable to seek for help. However, social workers aren't as strong and bulky as Hulk, they aren't as fast as Captain America, nor are they as powerful as Superman. Instead, they are their own superheros, striving until their every last energy into giving their utmost best to their clients.
Sources:
Jones, C. (2001). Voices from the front line: State social
workers and New Labour. British Journal of Social Work, 31(4), 547-562.
https://msw.usc.edu/mswusc-blog/the-five-most-popular-social-work-careers/
https://careersinpsychology.org/become-a-geriatric-social-worker/
https://wp.stolaf.edu/socialwork/social-work-myth-buster/
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