Clinical Social Work

Choosing a career is a very important aspect to people's lives. One goes to college, usually around the age of eighteen, and by the time they leave they are expected to have decided on the career that they will have for the rest of their lives. Being a psychology and interpersonal communication major, I have always had an interest on relationships between individuals given certain stimuli presented to them. I want to have the ability to touch people's lives by helping them understand themselves and why they behave the way in which they behave. Relationships are such an important aspect to the process of human growth, and they impact each and every one of us. Due to this assessment of myself, I have decided to go to Western Michigan University to pursue my goals of being a clinical social worker.

Becoming a social worker is dependent on numerous factors, one of which being education. "A bachelor's degree in social work (BSW) degree is the most common minimum requirement to qualify for a job as a social worker, however, majors in psychology, sociology, and related fields may be sufficient to qualify for some entry-level job" (Chao & Orr, 162). Many people when pursuing the goals of being a social worker, however, are most interested in jobs in public agencies and/or having their own practices. "A master's degree in social work (MSW) is necessary for positions in health and mental health settings and typically is required for certification for clinical work" (Chao & Orr, 162). One's level of school is not the only thing employers are focusing on when looking to hire social workers. Along with one's education, a social worker must have "a broad liberal arts base which includes a knowledge of the social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, political science, and economics) to provide explanations about the nature of human society and the human condition" (Johnson, 48). There are many more skills that are just as essential, if not more beneficial, to the employer as well as client.

Social workers must be very goal oriented with high leadership abilities. "Being a leader in a multidisciplinary therapy industry requires clinical social workers to use networking skills so that each clinical social worker is well connected in the community" (Roberts and Greene, 7). Employers want people who are able to stand up to the demands of the public and to be able to make themselves known in the community, and these leadership qualities enables them to gain the trust of the society around them.

One must also be able to adapt themselves to their public. "Social workers have a comprehensive knowledge of community resources and are able to tap them to meet the needs of their clients" (Skidmore, Thackeray & Farley, 8). Becoming a social worker does not mean that you work with just one type of person with just one type of disability. "Some communities need more practitioners with expertise in working with small children or with clients diagnosed with both mental disorders and developmental disabilities. Clinical social workers should target those areas and develop effective practices and directly market themselves in experts in these areas" (Roberts and Greene, 7). It is very important to be able to utilize the community resources to help solve problems. According to Holly Hill Children's Services in Cincinnati, Ohio, (2002) one must be "flexible and capable of setting firm limits and boundaries...must be able to function in a leadership capacity while working as part of a team."

Being team oriented is also a very crucial aspect into being an effective social worker. It is important to be able to ask co-workers for guidance, because as earlier noted, people are different so some problems that clients face may be more vague to you, but necessarily not to everyone in your field. An organization in San Diego, California (2002) states that to get hired into their program one must "be able to work cooperatively with multidisciplinary team." Being team oriented also involves many other credentials in being a worker in this field. "Social workers should be emotionally mature, objective, and sensitive to people and their problems. They must be able to handle responsibility, work independently, and maintain good working relationships with clients and coworkers" (Chao & Orr, 162).

After much evaluation of myself, I believe that I am on the right track for pursuing my dream as a social worker. I am extremely interested in assisting people with the daily struggles that they may encounter in their lives. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2002) social work is the right profession for people interested in helping improve people's lives. Besides just my core values for my interest in this field, I also believe that I have other related skills necessary for being employed in this career.

As of April, when I graduate, I will be graduating with a bachelor's degree with psychology and interpersonal communication as my majors. A bachelor's degree is required for entry into this field, with a social work degree being the most common. However, they take candidates with psychology majors as well. Being a clinical social worker, which is my ultimate goal, requires me to go further with my education and obtain a master's degree. I need to research further on colleges that specialize in social work, so I can obtain this degree.

I am very involved in the community around me and I have taken on many leadership roles. I donate money from my paycheck each week for the United Way, and at my current job, I am in charge of the United Way campaign. Due to taking on this responsibility, I have learned how to set, as well as achieve, goals. All the research that I performed indicated how important it is for social workers to be goal oriented, with high leadership abilities. Along with this, is the notion of the necessity of workers being able to adapt to their environment.

After working as a student tech at Croyden Ave. School, I really learned how to adapt to my surroundings. Autistic children are forever changing their behaviors, and it is up to the tech to be able to change their teaching styles to better help these young children. While working there, I taught many different children all having different needs that had to be met. I had to learn how to change my teaching style for each child, and had to learn how to reinforce all of these children with different methods, based on what was the most effective.

Working in teams has never really been a strong quality that I give myself, and it is something that I really must improve on if I want to become a social worker. I have a tendency to take on more than I can