Happy Social Work Month to all of our fellow social workers!  Thank you for all that you do everyday, every month and all year.  The work that we do is not easy and takes a lot of strength, empathy, and caring.  As we support our societies each day, it’s important that we take care of ourselves as well because we deserve it!  

What is a social worker? A social worker can work with individuals, families, communities, and governments to overcome challenges and improve their lives through support, advocacy, and access to resources.  Social workers aim to fight social injustice such as poverty, discrimination, and mental health issues.  The field continues to grow, with more and more companies wanting social work support.  A social worker usually has a higher education with a bachelor’s or master’s degree.  A clinical social worker will have a master’s degree and a clinical license issued through their state after they have completed their required post-graduate hours.  

Social workers help millions of people each year, in several different areas.  Some areas include hospitals, hospice, veteran centers, homeless shelters, mental health centers and rehabs.  Social work is starting to branch out to other areas, such as veterinary hospitals, DEI roles, human resources, and corporate roles.  Social workers are challenged everyday with policies that go against core values and ethics.  Yet through compassion and actions, they continue to be there for all populations, even through the difficult times.  That is why this year’s theme is compassion and action!

As a social worker, this theme means a lot to me.  It reminds me of why myself, and other social workers go into the field for.  Whether it’s past personal experiences with mental health, dysfunctional families or system failures, social workers come into the field with a compassionate mindset and want to take action to improve society.  This action may look like getting involved in the community, speaking at events, spreading awareness on important issues, one on one individual therapy, and more.  As new policies continue to be set regarding reproductive rights, mass deportations, LGBTQIA2+ rights, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, communities need social workers’ compassion and action to get through these societal challenges.   

This type of work also calls for social workers to be compassionate towards themselves.  While this work is incredible and rewarding, the demand and complex nature of problems can be draining.  Sometimes failures happen, people relapse, policies are implemented that impact populations, and it’s easy to put blame on ourselves or feel we need to fix it.  It’s so important for us to take care of ourselves, as we cannot take care of others with a drained battery!