Social work is similar to most academic disciplines in that it has a long history, has been strengthened by countless amounts of research, and has evolved over time. This evolution, spurred on by the application of social work within various arenas, has led to the formal recognition of subfields such as child and family social […]
How to Prevent Social Work Burnout for a Long and Healthy Career
With everything we need to learn during our MSW programs to become social workers, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about the social worker life itself, and specifically about burnout. Burnout is what happens when we do an excellent job taking care of our clients at the expense of ourselves. Some symptoms of […]
Are You Cut Out For Social Work? 5 Questions to Consider Before Changing Careers
A surprising number of MSW students are second-career social workers, meaning they have held full time jobs in other fields prior to applying to the MSW program. For many of these folks, the decision was an emotional one. They’re motivated to help people and want to make a career of it. Perhaps something happened in […]
Social Work Ethics: 5 Common Dilemmas and How to Handle Them Responsibly
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is a set of guiding principles to assist social workers in making decisions in the best interests of their clients, even if they might contradict what we might do in our personal lives. These decisions are not always easy – especially when two guiding principles […]
Micro vs. Macro: Get to Know the Major Categories of Social Work Practice
Which of these sounds like a career in social work? A counselor in a hospice center helps families through the process of preparing for the death of a loved one. A victim advocate with the local Sheriff’s Office arrives at the home of a woman who called 9-1-1 to provide support and guidance during the […]