Masters of Social Work, Interview Example

Abstract

This is a two page interview and one page critique of the interview with the social worker. The subjects which will be explored include the Code of Ethics of social work, the educational requ9isistes for being a MSW and the benefits of the MSW position. . The population which will be explored is the middle adolescent population in a scholastic environment which is affected with learning disabilities. The common aspects of social work which are similar to medicine and psychology will be reviewed in the critique.

Interview with MSW

I wanted to work in a scholastic setting. In order to accomplish this goal, I discovered that a MSW (Master’s degree in Social Work) was required. I enrolled in a Saginaw Valley State University MSW program and it took me two years to complete. This was possible due to the fact that I attended the university as a full time student. In addition to attending classes for two years, an internship which involved nine hundred hours was a requisite for attaining my MSW.  After I obtained my MSW, I became a member of the Academy of cetif8ied social workers. This membership was obtained by means of the national association for social workers. This membership enabled me to become a qualified MSW with a diplomate in the clinical work settings.

The work which I perform is to provide counseling services to the students who come from the local communities. These students attend the school where I provide the counseling services. My responsibilities also include functioning as an administrator for the students whom become victims of homelessness and child abuse. The work which I perform as a MSW is of great importance because the regional and federal governments use the information which I collect by conducting surveys with the student.

The information which is collected is used to establish programs which are geared toward the general welfare of the students and their families in the communities. These programs are established by the regional and federal government in order to remedy the homelessness, poverty, child abuse and mental health problems of the student populations that I service. The competencies which are required in order to practice as a MSW are the following:

1. The community identification as a professional social worker and the adherence to the standards of behavior of social workers as recommended by the National Association of Social Workers.
2. The application of social work ethics in order to swe5rve as a guideline to professional practice.
3. Apply critical reflective processes in order to convey professional evaluations.
4. Implement the acknowledgement of cultural diversity and acceptance in the practice of social work.
5. Become an advocate for social economic justice and human rights.
6. Utilize the science of behavioral observation in the social work environment.
7. Apply policy practices in order to promote socio economic well-being while providing effective social work services.
8. Answer to the contexts which are guided by social work. Interact with the individuals, their families, organizations and the communities (Saginaw Valley State University, 2012; NASW, 2014).

I enjoy my job. The endeavor of being a social worker requires extroversion and the ability of being able to reach out to others and fulfill their needs. If I could change one thing about my job, it would be to have the ability to directly intervene in the cases of domestic and child abuse. Presently, these cases are required to have judicial proceedings. In the interim the children are usually placed in the care of the state until a determination has been made. I would place the children in alternate care settings.

Critical Analysis of Interview

The helping services have evolved into being extremely diverse. The health and service care sectors are distinct in the categories of the clients’ problems which are being address by the social work professional. There are distinct causal attributes to each of the client’s problems and the solutions which can be founded. Some of the clients who possess learning challenges wh8ich can be remediated by the intervention of peripheral health care professionals. The health care services which include medicine, psychology and social work possess substantial commonalities. One of the commonalities that the health care services share with the social work profession is the application of the DSM- IV- TR (Park & Gayland- Ross, 1989; Dejong & Berg, 2008; Van de Molen et al., 2010).

Another common aspect which is shared by the social work professions with the medical and psychological professions is the application of the structure of problem solving. Since the emergence of the medical model, the majority of the MSW personnel provide a structure which is similar to the medical and the psychological personnel with regards to problems solving. The aspect that the disciplines of medicine, psychology and social work have in common is that the three disciplines view that prior to the client receiving assistance, the practitioners must ascertain the nature of the client’s dysfunction Park & Garland- Ross, 1989; Dejon & Berg, 2008; Van de Molène et al., 2010).

The next common aspects which will be reviewed are an extension from the initial common aspects. The problems which the clients possess can be reviewed from the previous resear4ch in which evidence has been collected by researchers. The goal of the social work professional is to empower the clients into experiencing a more satisfying and productive educational experience. This is of great significance for the population which I serve which is middle age adolescents with learning challenges Park & Gayland- Ross, 1989; DeJong & Berg, 2008; Van de Molen et al., 2010).

I use the DSM- IV- TR in order to observe the behavior of my students and when necessary, recommend them to the behavioral counselors for further assistance.  The most rewarding part of my work is to see the students benefit from the social counseling work. This may incorporate the students deriving advantages from having additional resources or adequate housing in order to continue their educational progress (Park & Gayland- Ross, 1989; DeJong & Berg, 2008; Van de Molen et al., 2010).

I would recommend to the students whom are considering studying social work and attaining a MSW to consider their options. I would recommend that the students obtain a robust support system. This is attributable to the aspect that the endeavor of social work is not as highly compensated as other fields. I would also recommend to the students whom are aspiring to be MSWs to avoid accruing substantial educational debt. This is important due to the attribute that the compensation which is received by the MSWs is not as high as the compensation that is received in other fields. However, the benefits of being a MSW are that the intrinsic rewards often outweigh the extrinsic rewards.

References

De Jong, P. & Berg, I.K. (2008). Interviewing for solutions, 3^rd Edition. Thomas Learning, Inc.

NASW (2014). Code of Ethics. National Association of Social Workers.

SVSU (2012). Social Work and Service Programs. Saginaw Valley State University.

Park, H- S. & Gaylord- Ross, R. (1989). A problem- solving approach to social skills in training in employment settings with mentally retarded youth. Journal of Applied   Behavior Analysis, 22(4): 373- 380.

Van de Molen, M.J., Van Luit, J.E.H. , Van de Molen, M. W., Klugkist, I. & Jongmans, M. J. (2010). Effectiveness of a computerized working memory in adolescents with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Research, 54(5): 433- 447.