I took all of my class notes and read them into a voice recorder back in February. Since, I have been listening to them of every second I have been in my car, on the lawn mower, or when I was waiting for a meeting. The pre-requisite exam (PRE) is a requirement in the social work program that must be passed to be able to graduate. On April the 12th I walked to class with, I will admit it, some apprehension. The three hour test was grueling. Someone whispered, “If you get a phone call that means you failed!” After the test was over I waited in the hall for friends to come out and share their thoughts. The feelings appeared to be mutual. We just didn’t know. I was fortunate to leave class to meet up with my best friend for lunch, a movie, and some shopping! Later that night I had a missed call and a voicemail. As I listened it was my advisor! My heart sank. She said, “I was calling to let you know that you…PASSED, with an 81% Congratulations!” My heart jumped back up and I jumped up and down. I screamed to my husband, “I passed! I passed! I passed!” I later found out that my advisor calls all of her advisees. That was one huge sigh of relief. Now that the PRE is behind me graduation is coming up May the 14th. There is a private ceremony at 3pm and graduation is at 7pm. All friends and relatives are invited to come.
After graduation I plan to take the certification test (CSW-Clinical Social Worker) this will enable me to be certified by the state of Kentucky to be a therapist. After I obtain this job I will have to be under supervision for two years before I can take the licensure exam (LCSW-Licensed Clinical Social Worker). Many individuals do not know what social work is.
According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), (2010) “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human wellbeing and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual wellbeing in a social context and the wellbeing of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living.
Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. “Clients” is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals’ needs and social problems.
The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective:
-service
-social justice
-dignity and worth of the person
-importance of human relationships
-integrity
-competence.
This constellation of core values reflects what is unique to the social work profession. Core values, and the principles that flow from them, must be balanced within the context and complexity of the human experience.”
Social work is a broad field. There are social workers that work as child protective services, therapists, work at the hospital, or in the military. Some social workers are college professors, or some write policy, or even go into politics, ect... Many ask me what I am planning to do? When I say be a therapist, many say, “Oh, a physical therapist?” And I say, “No, the head kind.” :D
I feel like my life is slowly coming back to me. I have put a lot of hard work into earning my master’s degree for the past two years. I look back and I honestly do not know how I did it. There were a lot of late nights, early mornings, coffee, and at times sheer determination. I am very grateful for the support my family has shown me during this process. I am grateful for the patience and words of encouragement from all of my friends. I couldn’t have done it without all of you.
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