Social work is a profession, which is aimed at the elimination of social injustice and equality. A profession is carved out of the need to provide succor, quality, and skilled help to those who are facing calamities, personal loss, and affliction.
Social work had always fascinated me because it gives an immense satisfaction of bringing a smile to the face of someone, who is wading through troubled waters. The tendency to socialize with people and have the knack to strike a conversation with a stranger, i.e. strong interpersonal skills, is the basic requirement for studying social works. These qualities of empathy, love, and desire for human company abound in me.
A man from the very beginning of his existence has involved himself in philanthropic activities, because for various reasons, like being ordained by religion. Experiencing contentment is a corollary of being involved in such activities.
It is a comparatively new profession that has incorporated scientific theory into the discipline. The indigenous or the practical knowledge of social workers stands in harmony with the empirical and evidence-based research in the field of social work. The outcomes of the research have to be adjusted according to the situation of the field, in which the person is working.
Social works deal with human beings who are deprived of something. It can be caused by natural calamity, personal loss, or exploitation of people by a fellow human being. Masters in social works is the study of human society. Special emphasis is given to studying social theory and research methodology so that we are able to understand the reasons for the prevalence of various social evils in our society. The course’s objective is to produce individuals, who are able to contribute positively to the enhancement of the life quality of those, who are facing different kinds of social justice. Sometimes the social worker is counseling people how to cope up with personal loss, exploitation and abuse. The other times he is trying to bring about behavioral change to society. He is working at the individual and at the collective level, i.e. at the level of society.
The modern trend in almost all the professional fields is the use of interdisciplinary approach. Similar is the case with social work. We have to study how the society works in order to bring justice equality and well being to those, who are suffering due to the prevalence of social evils. Certain problems have relevance with the culture in which they are prevalent. Therefore a study of sociology is our must as we are aimed to bring about behavioral change.
At the individual level we have to study the behavioral patterns of the persons involved in the practice of social evil. We have to study the psychological outcome of social evils trauma, personal loss and abuse on the individual. The social worker should be able to judge whether it has caused any psychological damage to the victim. He should then refer them to a psychologist. In case of substance abuse, the individuals, who are on drugs, have at times certain behavioral problem that needs to be resolved. The people around the drug, addict like parents’ kith and kin and peers, also have to be given psychological support.
Sometimes legal advice is also necessary to be given to those who are suffering. In case of substance abuse there is a close link between crime and the relevance of appropriate knowledge of recourses of law which becomes a must. They should give them proper information and advice as to contact the law enforcement agencies or the lawyers.
The degree in social works is useful because it provides this kind of interdisciplinary approach. These social workers are employed by various organizations, which are working for the relief and welfare of those, who are in need. I am well aware, that any amount of sympathy and good cannot suffice for the training and knowledge that is imparted in the professional training of social works.
Our society has individuals and communities who have special needs, which have to be taken care of by individuals and institutions with the resources and the required skills to deal with it. There is a danger that the malady, that affects one part of the body, will afflict entire the system if left untreated. We have to respond to the emotional and behavioral needs of those in need. It is not only going to make our existence purposeful, but will also cure the society of social ills plaguing people.
There are countless problems facing human society. Some problems like prejudice against a community based on race, color, ethnicity, sex and religion are prevalent in one form or the other throughout the world. The root cause of these problems is the feeling of superiority that certain groups of people have respect to others. It results in other problems like oppression and abuse of the subjugated community, which is comprised of children, poor people, old, infirm and women.
There are a lot of disadvantaged people like the mentally ill, physically disabled and those, who are born with congenital problems demanding special care. Most of the times they are looked after by their families, but in case of some, who don’t have families, or those who are abandoned by them because of fear of social stigma, need someone or an institution to help them. There has to be a way of helping these families who are grappling with such problems.
I became interested in social work as I’ve been working for a non-profit organization for the 5 years. I have done drug prevention and community outreach. I teach parents how to say no to drugs and have done volunteer work at Miami Children Hospital. This particular social problem was interesting for me, because healthy individuals were involved in the destruction of their health and well being. It seemed possible that effort can be made to teach them how their life is going to be miserable. The voluntary work with the organization reveled to me that I have acumen to work in this field, as I am enthusiastic as well as patient. It is very necessary that both these qualities should be present in individuals, as enthusiasm gives the push to work tirelessly at eradicating the problem from its root. Patience is required as the results take a lot of time to come.
Social work is a discipline in which we are interacting with individuals. The people, who are the most suitable for this profession, are ones, who have a lot of interpersonal skills. Since I am able to get along with individuals very well and have the capacity to visualize their problems and need, I felt, that I should choose it as my profession. My exposure to voluntary work in the field of drug abuse showed, that a professional degree can equip me with skills and knowledge to handle this problem.
I became interested in the program as this would provide me with the professional training necessary basic knowledge, philosophy and insights into dealing with the problem. Throughout my voluntary social work I felt, that I lacked the necessary skills to do risk assessment of individuals, who could abuse drugs in future. This was preemptive measure to control substance abuse. I would like to continue my voluntary work because I strongly believe that these antisocial habits are not limited to one individual, but is going to affect all the individuals, who are in a substance abusers contact. The other reason for continuing the work is that it is interlinked with other kinds of social problems, like sexual abuse crime and epidemic of communicable diseases like HIV.
Many social problems are interrelated; like poverty is related to illiteracy drug abuse etc. Drug abuse has strong connection with crime. Social problems, like taking care of the old mentally challenged people and individuals having congenital problems, do not have a complete remedy. The problem with healthy individuals indulging in substance abuse is something, which not only can be completely eradicated, but is self created. Individuals under the influence of intoxicants create a social milieu, in which sexual abuse of women, children and crime become rampant. There are many problems that can trigger other. Therefore the resolution of the root cause can help solve others.
We need professional training to deal with those, who are violating the social norms which are for their own benefits. The relapse of the people into the same old habit becomes at times very frustrating. I have a lot of patience, but professional training could enhance all these qualities in order to deal with these setbacks in a better fashion.
It is sometimes becomes necessary to involve the community to raise awareness about an imminent danger to the society. I have worked five years in the field and have come to the conclusion, that sometimes it becomes imperative to involve community to raise awareness about the health hazards of using drugs and certain substances, like tobacco and alcohol. It is well researched and documented fact; if we are able to involve communities in eradicating social evils, then the process of social change is speeded up. There has been a strong connection between drug abuse and spread of diseases like HIV. The individuals have to be made aware that modes of the spread of disease are through use of shared needles unprotected sex etc.
The Congressional Black Caucus Minority AIDS Initiative, which works in Rockville, United States, has a community outreach program, which has shown slight decrease in the risk behavior within six months period of raising the issue at the level of community.
There are various stages of the community based efforts to reduce a social problem. It begins with first identifying the community where prevalence of the substance abuse takes place. Earlier there was a tendency to overlook the contribution of class and race in the generation of the social problem of drug addiction. An understanding of the culture, in which drug abuse is prevalent, is a must for the complete comprehension of the problem. The contemporary rise in the HIV into an epidemic has brought the issue of culture into sharp focus. I have myself observed that in order to be successful we should have deep knowledge of the culture, as the aim of a social worker is to bring about behavior modification.
The involvement of the researcher with the community gives him practical experience of applying his knowledge and skills. Sometimes the facts can be different from the assumptions that he has made. It is a method by which we can verify our assumptions. Any amount of study of the given problem is not going to give the exact feeling for problem, until and unless there is a connection between the social worker and the community or individuals, who are affected by the social evil; like we can learn what fire is and how it works, but the exact comprehension of fire is possible only when we experience it.
The social worker is somebody unknown to the people involved in drug abuse therefore; it is advisable to involve parents, peer groups in the efforts to eradicate the misuse of substance. Sometimes the parents and the kith and kin are unaware of the health hazards of the substance that the person is taking. They do not know that the younger the drug abusers are, the more brain damage it is going to cause.
The involvement of the parent is necessary as they are the watchdogs. They must be aware of the telltale signs of drug addiction. The parents are under the illusion that their children cannot indulge in such abominable act Most of the times. Parents are the ones, who could provide relevant information to the health worker and the social worker about the past history of the individual afflicted with the problem.
The social workers are actively involved in helping people to make right choices in their lives. The parents can be informed by the social worker how to act in case they have troubled teens, who have indulged in substance abuse. The importance of having conversation with their sons and daughters has to be emphasized. There should be a talk about how alcohol and other drugs enter the blood stream and reach different organs including the brain, where they cause damage like memory impairment, liver damage.etc. Teenagers and children should be informed that too much consumption of alcohol can be fatal. This information is sometimes helpful in making informed decision.
The parents should be made aware of the different kinds of substance, being used by the teenagers to get a feeling of high. These are over the counter drugs like cough syrup, antidepressant, marijuana, cocaine, etc and almost all of them have same effect, like causing paranoia, seizures, and cardiac arrest.
I felt the lack of professional training in giving medico-legal advice to parents, whose sons and daughters were involved in such activities. Providing comfort and support to parents, whose children are drug addict was easier, because the pain and anguish of parent makes one sympathetic. Providing a shoulder for the parent to cry is important, but telling them what to do in this situation is all the more important. We have to advise them that it is something that can be overcome with timely medical and legal help.
The masters program in social work is going to provide me not only on theoretical knowledge but also train me, how to give effective guidance to those in need. My goal in life has always been to contribute positively to the well being of the society. It can provide means and mission to earn my livelihood.
I am innovative and can manage things properly. Therefore, I think, I can fulfill the requirements of being a social worker. This profession contributes to a better understanding of the situation. Since I care for minute details, I can be excellent at record keeping which a social worker is expected to do, especially in case of getting financial help. The other very important skill that the social worker needs is counseling. My interpersonal skills and the habit of listening will come in handy while we are counseling people.
The scope of social work has broadened, because even the corporate world is hiring individuals, who are able to deal with employee having the problems. Non-profit organizations, health agencies, federal/local and government, rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, religious an organization etc. hire social workers.