Over the years when I have told someone that I have a degree in social work, I have been asked multiple questions including (but not limited to), "Do you work with old people?", "Do you take kids away?", or my favorite, "So what do you actually do?". Social work is a growing profession, and I feel as if society as a whole does not have a strong understanding of what someone with a social work degree can do or what it really means. As someone with a social work degree, here are some things I would like to clear up.
1. Social Work is a degree, not a job title
Chances are, when we apply for a job, it won't say "social worker". It may say "therapist", "case worker", "counselor", or something to that effect. This is because although these jobs can be held by someone with a social work degree, they can also be held by someone with a degree in counseling, human services, psychology, etc. Nothing drives me crazy more than when I see someone talking about being a "social worker", yet they don't have a degree in social work.
2. We don't take kids away for a living
This may come as a shock, but not every person with a social work degree works with children. It seems to be the common misconception that every "social worker" spends their days taking kids away from their families. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Yes there are those of us who work in the child welfare or foster care systems who have to investigate reports of abuse and neglect, but that doesn't mean that people should automatically assume this is what we all do. With a degree in social work, you can hold a multitude of job titles in a multitude of settings including schools, hospitals, jails, mental health offices, etc. The list is never ending. We all have our own interests and specialties.
3. We are clinicians, not magicians
People often say that you only get as much out of an experience as the effort you are willing to put into it; the same goes for the services we provide. We may be your case manager, your therapist or your probation officer. It is our job to provide you with education, link you with resources and teach you skills to assist you in making changes in your life, whatever they may be. It is not our job to "fix" you. We don't have a magic wand that makes all your problems go away. We can't make your child listen or make your anxiety disappear in one session. You have to want to make a change and put in the effort to do so. All we can do is offer resources, support and encouragement to make the leap.
4. We're not here to judge
We don't mean anything by it when we ask about your family psychiatric history or your history of substance use. We are just doing our job. We are not going to assume you're a bad parent or call you "crazy" just because your great aunt Ida struggled with depression or you smoked marijuana one time in college. We are not police officers or your parents. We have to complete a full assessment to provide the best care that we can. Confidentiality is a real thing and we don't sit around at lunch and talk to our coworkers about your marriage or how much you hate your boss or whatever it is that we are helping you work through (Let's be honest, we very rarely eat lunch). However, we do have certain things that we are required to report by law or we could lose our jobs.
5. We do it for the outcome, not the income
We knew when we earned that diploma that we would not be making millions (not even close). Like many other helping professions, we do not get paid nearly what we deserve for the work we do. Most of us do not work a "regular" 9-5, and someone is always on call to handle a crisis. We attend court hearings, school meetings, in-home visits, drive hundreds of miles, and that's just a Monday for us. Do we complain? Sometimes. But at the end of the day, we do what we do because we care. We want to see you succeed and we will do whatever we can to help you get there.
