"special person" to be a Social Worker - please elaborate?

Question

I have been contemplating a career in Social Work for the past 6 years but haven't been able to "make the leap" due to all the negativity surrounding the profession. From the other posts about the profession, I keep on seeing the phrase "it takes a special person to be a social worker". How do you know whether you've got what it takes? I think I will enjoy doing therapy. I've seen LCSW therapists myself and they've even suggested I go into the SW profession. However, as far as working for children services or with the homeless, poor, non-profit; I don't know whether I really have the patience. I don't really have a lot of tolerance for bulls*itters and people who make excuses for themselves. I am currently volunteering at a non-profit, but I would never imagine myself working in a setting like that. How do you know you've got what it takes to be a Social Worker? My goal would be a LCSW with my own private practice. That's about it.

Answer 1

If your goal is to go into private practice and you don't really see doing social justice work as a part of your calling you will probably be happier focusing on counseling, marriage and family, or a related field. Your education in social work will certainly prepare you to do therapy (some schools better than others). But the majority of your education will deal with much more than this narrow area. You will spend a great deal of time addressing issues of oppressed groups, the "ism's" community work, organizational work, policy and more. It sounds like you might find this less than enjoyable. In a counseling program you will only focus on those skills related to working with individuals and helping address their individual problems rather than dealing with social problems that manifest themselves in individuals.

Answer 2

Low pay
the worst of humanity shares their happy stories with you.
After awhile it does affect most people.
I saw some social workers who were so fat that they could not fit in the desks at the meetings as they were overwhelmed dealing with the problems of others.
If you are a very compassionate person it will break you or make you hard!
If you have any other choices
THIS IS NOT THE PROFESSION YOU SHOULD CHOOSE at least not with a state agency!

Answer 3

Social workers normally have their palms tied with tips from an excellent sort of pink tape whilst they are checking on infants. The degree to do away with infants from their mothers and dads is the final one in a protracted line. particular it is greater hassle-free to have a puppy it relatively is wrongly taken care of from a house. What you on no account hear approximately interior the clicking is the quantity of circumstances that social workers have prevented a new child in threat from being left in that place. you purely hear the undesirable situations. Edit: And in an excellent sort of situations that's the device that we could human beings down no longer the certainly social workers

Answer 4

let me tell you what the "special" is in special person...you have to be able to work within systems that are ineffective and not care...you have to be able to watch people everyday collecting a paycheck who do not really care about who they are supposed to be helping....you have to be able to live with the phrase''Well that is the way the system is" and not realize that the people who are saying that ARE the system...you have to realize that the people who run the system are bigger bull***ters than the people they are supposed to be helping....If you could see the system from the little kids up you would realize the system itself breds generations of families to remain exactly the way their parents were and their parents were....pass the buck that is the motto within the system..and believe me when i tell you they do walk the walk..............It was more than sad it was pathetic