Any social workers, potential or otherwise, out there? | INFJ Forum

Any social workers, potential or otherwise, out there?

Chenoa

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Hey,
I was just wondering if anyone else is either going in for social work or working in that field right now. for those who might be currently working in it, what are some of the problems you've encountered and how have you dealt with them? Also, what are the things that you like most about it? Thanks.
Chenoa
 
I've got a BSW and am hoping to be accepted for grad school this coming fall. I had three years of experience in mental health case management.

I guess that two of my biggest problems were keeping up with routine paperwork and dealing with burnout. In order to deal with the paperwork I would occasionally stay late and work off of the clock voluntarily, which sucked but when DMH comes around there isn't any excuse not to have caseload summaries up to date.

The burnout was a different matter. There was a specific client who was extremely difficult to deal with in that he was extremely labile, physically intimidating, and relentlessly testing the boundaries of what staff and fellow residents would tolerate. The problem is, it was difficult to explain to the boss how much of a negative impact this client was having on both the morale of the staff and that of the residents. During that time I dreaded coming to work because the unit was always so high-tension, and I actually developed my first nervous tic. Anyway, that resident was finally out when he ended up threatening the boss, but dealing with him for months on end really drained me, and I knew I was burnt when I started becoming completely emotionally detached from the job. Hm, so I didn't really deal with that problem per se, but I did come to an understanding that mental health work can be extremely taxing and I don't think I'd last in a career in that field.

Though my work experience so far has only delved into a couple of facets of social work, I look forward to learning more and continuing in the discipline. One of the programs that I'm trying to enter is at Humboldt, and focuses on dealing with Native American populations, and I think I'd be happiest there. I've also got applications in to Berkeley and SF, though I'm less confident that I'll pass muster with them. Either way, I'm hoping to hear good news in february or march.

Oh, but I forgot to say why I like social work. I think my aptitudes are geared towards analyzing and problem-solving with regard to social issues, and so the opportunity to do this in the workplace is appealing to me. It might not be quite on the level of a labor of love, but I enjoy interacting with and learning from others from varying backgrounds and social strata. If I can be of service to endangered or under-represented populations then that's an ease to my conscience and a day well spent. For what it's worth...
 
I've got a BSW and am hoping to be accepted for grad school this coming fall. I had three years of experience in mental health case management.

I guess that two of my biggest problems were keeping up with routine paperwork and dealing with burnout. In order to deal with the paperwork I would occasionally stay late and work off of the clock voluntarily, which sucked but when DMH comes around there isn't any excuse not to have caseload summaries up to date.

The burnout was a different matter. There was a specific client who was extremely difficult to deal with in that he was extremely labile, physically intimidating, and relentlessly testing the boundaries of what staff and fellow residents would tolerate. The problem is, it was difficult to explain to the boss how much of a negative impact this client was having on both the morale of the staff and that of the residents. During that time I dreaded coming to work because the unit was always so high-tension, and I actually developed my first nervous tic. Anyway, that resident was finally out when he ended up threatening the boss, but dealing with him for months on end really drained me, and I knew I was burnt when I started becoming completely emotionally detached from the job. Hm, so I didn't really deal with that problem per se, but I did come to an understanding that mental health work can be extremely taxing and I don't think I'd last in a career in that field.

Though my work experience so far has only delved into a couple of facets of social work, I look forward to learning more and continuing in the discipline. One of the programs that I'm trying to enter is at Humboldt, and focuses on dealing with Native American populations, and I think I'd be happiest there. I've also got applications in to Berkeley and SF, though I'm less confident that I'll pass muster with them. Either way, I'm hoping to hear good news in february or march.

Oh, but I forgot to say why I like social work. I think my aptitudes are geared towards analyzing and problem-solving with regard to social issues, and so the opportunity to do this in the workplace is appealing to me. It might not be quite on the level of a labor of love, but I enjoy interacting with and learning from others from varying backgrounds and social strata. If I can be of service to endangered or under-represented populations then that's an ease to my conscience and a day well spent. For what it's worth...

your awesome, good luck! If I went into social work I would definetly work best with natives!
 
eh can't give anymore rep to you yet sloe but i'm interested in a career in counseling and your post was very informative. i've often worried about the taxing nature of such work myself, i'd heard before it can drain you and stuff. the fact that at the end of the day you felt good about what you were doing though despite that fact is what i think will keep me going if it works out, well said.
 
[MENTION=2263]bagelriffic[/MENTION]

I appreciate the thought, and I'm in the same boat with the whole rep thing! I don't want to place too much emphasis on the whole burnout thing, but it is a possibility depending upon which field you go into and who you have to work with. I guess that can be said about a lot of jobs though.

I hope that some more social workers do chime in if we've got any. I haven't heard from Satya in a while, but I thought that he had a masters or was applying. My experience is limited to only a few years in a couple of fields (mental health and group homes) that hardly encompass the breadth of experiences available in the social work profession. It's kind of similar to medicine in that way, there are so many specialties that you can delve into.

After I worked in mental health, I actually did think about going into the medical field for nursing, and then decided to try to follow my parents' footsteps and become an MD. Well, I ended up wasting two years of tuition in getting my ass kicked by general sciences, ultimately deciding that I should just stick with what I know how to do.

Good luck, bagelriffic, and if you've got any questions feel free to ask!
 
It's kind of similar to medicine in that way, there are so many specialties that you can delve into.

i hear ya and unfortunately bc of this i'm not really sure of my own specific direction yet. i've always wanted to have my own practice with more of a general approach but i probably shouldn't base my perceptions of what a counselors job is like on frasier anymore lol.
 
Thanks for the replies, y'all! I've decided to work with either refugees or low-income families. I think as long as I minimize the time the paperwork takes and still keep it informative and coherent, that might work out. I'll also need to make sure I don't take any of my work home with me, emotional or otherwise. I figure I'll treat it like I'm in the CIA or something and be one of those people who gives as little information about their work as possible. Lol. I'd rather do that than risk breaking confidentiality just because I might be stressed or something.
 
Good Morning! Sorry I'm getting to this late. I went to an all day silent retreat on Sunday and it kinda carried over into Monday.

I've been employed as a social worker now for a year and a half and I interned for a year before that while in grad school. I'm really quite old though and have 30+ years of experience in a variety of positions. I can say without doubt I have found my place in this capitalistic world. I finally am able to say that what I do actually makes a contribution for the better in a community.

That's not to say that all get the help they need.

Which brings me to the main problem that I have encountered. Your clients will not always get the help they need.

While working as an intern (out in the Field as they call it) - my Field Instructor spent some time talking with me about going into counseling. He talked about burnout and what he percieved was the main reason for social workers getting to that point. He is a PhD, has his own private counseling practice, provides consulting for the Child Protective Services here, and teaches as an adjunct professor in the master program.

The basic premise of his talk was that social workers provide guidance and specific plans for people to help them get their lives back. When people don't do the plans - most social workers get upset - and over time get jaded. The client didn't meet the expectations of the social worker.

The client populations worked with in any given community will tend to be similar and the worker will start to see patterns. Then the worker starts making assumptions about each new client to walk through the door before they even get the full picture of what's going on with the client and their life.

Making assumptions.
Clients not meeting expectations.

These 2 points of view on the part of the social worker lead to burnout and dissatisfaction with the job.

My mentor essentially told me the same thing before I started the masters program. I was very aware of my own tendencacy to give advice to people and then in the past I had become disillusioned with or angry with the people who ignored my advice. So I asked him - how can I avoid becoming very sad and dissapointed with the people I was trying to help. He told - start meditating and practicing mindfulness daily. This practice helps me to see how my actions and expectations affect the decisions I make regarding a client. It also shows me how my expectations lead to my clinging to a specific outcome for the client. Over time I have developed a way of developing plans to help people that I am not attached to. Then - it doesn't matter whether the client takes the action steps in the plan or not. All that matters is whether the client is getting what they need.

You may think this is strange way of interacting with clients. What do do? There you are - you've developed an excellent plan for getting your client back on their feet and functioning again. And what do they do? Nothing that you've outlined for them. And you think - damn - that was a good plan - why is the client balking? You might think - what's wrong here? Maybe you think the client is lazy, lying, stupid, trying to work the system, etc. The social worker is totally attached to their plan at this point and digging in their heels to try to make it work with client. They are also judging the client because the client is not meeting the social worker's expectations.

When this scenario happens, everybody loses.

So now we've got: Attachment to outcome, Expectations of the client and the social worker's plan, and Judgment of the client going on.

I use meditation and mindfulness practice combined with the Buddhist guide for "Do No Harm" to mitigate my disillusionment and sadness regarding the clients.

On the other hand - as I am an INFJ - and have a huge sense of Justice - my attitude towards those in charge of the funding and the criteria to get the assistance - is very - very - Jaded. Hmmph. :rant:So - I've had to work hard on getting a balance within me on my expectations of what government Can and Will do. I can tell you that working in the US government social services system SUCKS!!!!! OK - so - I bet you can tell that I'm not very balanced in that area of my life yet.... :lol:

You say you are looking to work with low income families and refugees. Both of those groups will come to you with a huge array of problems and issues. Your work will not be boring. That's one of the reasons I like social work. Every client that walks in the door is unique. While their problem may be the same as others - how THEY see it will be different. How they arrived at that problem will be different. And how they solve their problem(s) will be a different path - however slightly. I find that challenging and stimulating.

Mostly though - I enjoy the interaction with people. I think INFJ's make the best listeners because we can intuit the client and empathize with them like no other type. Most everyone of my clients thanked me for listening to them - even though most of them never received any help in this program I've been working in for the last 1.5 years... They say things like: " No one has ever listened to my problems like you. No one has ever taken an interest in my situation like you" ...and so on. The clients can actually feel that you care about them as a human.

My advice to you is to find a method you can practice that encourages you to let go of your attachement to outcome. If you can recognize that in yourself, it will lesson your expectations and judgments. And your emotions will be easier to deal with.

Oh - and the best part about not having any expectations? Is that when they do follow your plan for the moment and they experience some joy in their life - it will come as a very pleasant surprise and you'll go home for the day - grinning from ear to ear. :tongue1:

May you have Joy in your day today.
 
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[MENTION=2578]K-gal[/MENTION]

Excellent post! What field do you currently work in?
 
Thank you Sloe Djinn!

FEMA gave funds to the Health and Human Services Commission to start a pilot program on Case Management for Disasters. This was primarily due to the last hurricane we had here called Ike. There were many people left on the lists who had not recovered from Ike and they wanted to see if a case management program could be developed from our experiences here. We have a research team working with us and our supervisors and program director submit reports to HHSC monthly. I think FEMA intends to have a working model developed from this and when there's a disaster it can be implemented with case managers hitting the ground a few weeks after a disaster.

Our program has no resources or funding to help anyone. We are strictly referral CM's. We have no control over what or who gets help. We act as advocates, as collaborators between agencies who may provide help, and provide application assistance to clients who apply at various agencies for their needs. We were also supposed to do a sort of mental health assessment- but - most people who were hired - which were not social workers - have no idea how to do that. It just demonstrates how TX dosen't really care about mental health. I think my mentor told me we are now 50th in providing adequate mental health services...

Because I interned in an MH center - I had some ideas on assessing mental health - and I steered 2 of my female clients in the right direction to get help with their depression. I find that very rewarding personally.

So far - here at the end of my program - we haven't helped many people at all with their major home repair issues. Tis frustrating to see your client still living in a home where water rains in, snakes get in because walls don't meet the rotting floors - and black mold is steadily growing. That's the part that bothers me. Funding is there - all right - but they cannot agree on how much will go where and to who first. And time drags on - and people's live continue to deteriorate.

I just got off the phone with one of my really old lady client. Her home was built up in the air by her late husband about a million years ago and is a mobile home up on 10 foot stilts with a roof over. Talk about a major job! I had no where to get help for her as she missed the deadline for application for assistance. She told me she fell and hit her head the other day and has a subdural hematoma....sigh... She reminds me so much of my late grandmother that this one tugs at my heart strings... You know what I'm talking about. So - I gave her some more phone numbers to call, what to say, and told her she may get help and she may not. Depends upon their funding and her home repair issues (which I know to be a huge obstacle). But - hey - you never know - this might be the right timing for her. I can keep my fingers crossed.

You're not working in mental health anymore are you? Was it a psych hospital?
I expect I will end up in a situation like that eventually - assuming TX will spring for more mental health money - which doesn't look likely any time soon. I've toured one - and it looked very intimidating. I don't know what would be worse - working there - or in the prisons.

Now - I'd love to work with a Native Population. That would be very interesting.
 
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Hi.
I was just wondering, since I'm really cautious about my future professional career, about the ethics involved. I was just wondering, out of curiosity, if it is still within ethical guidelines to tell us that much information about your client or does it not matter since we don't know her name or anything? I'm not jumping on you or anything, I'm just interested in the particulars so that, later, when I have clients, I know exactly what I can and can't say abouth them. People are going to ask and I don't want to come across like I'm snobbish about it or something. Just wondering. Thanks.
Chenoa
 
Hey Chenoa.
It sure is nice to see someone concerned with confidientality and ethics for a change! That makes me smile!

You got it!

Because I didn't say her name and you none of you live in my community - there's no way you'd be able to figure out who she is. I have learned that even not saying the name in a small town is not enough to protect the client. I was surprised at how much everyone here knows everyone else's business. So a description like that put here - might - have given some people enough information to figure out who I was talking about.

Oh - you'll be a wonderful social worker! I wish all the best in your endeavors - whatever they may be.
 
Awww! Thanks! It's just something I think everyone in that field and others related to it should take it as seriously as possible. I think some workers get stressed out and just forget that they just told the client they're currently venting about that they wouldn't repeat anything abouth them except for the THREE THINGS. Thanks a lot.
Chenoa
 
[MENTION=2578]K-gal[/MENTION]

Meant to answer you earlier. No, I don't work in mental health at the moment. When I did, it was at a locked sub-acute psych facility. Not really huge, and nothing quite as intimidating as a state hospital where many of the cases involve criminal insanity, but still intimidating in its own right. The environment these days is somewhat more welcoming to the resident due to the introduction of the recovery model as opposed to the goon squads and symptom-based treatments of the past. Still, there are plenty of occasions upon which I was attacked or involved in incidents requiring physical/chemical restraints, and though I was willing to burn the candle at both ends for a while, it did eventually catch up to me. These things didn't happen every day though, and things could be okay for a few weeks at a time between incidents.

Case management there was demanding but also rewarding. I was initially scared to death of running multiple daily groups, and I dragged my feet as much as I could, but eventually I had to pull my weight and do it, and after a while there was really nothing to it. It started off terribly because I thought that I would essentially have to lecture for the duration of each group, but it became way easier when I began to grasp the concept of facilitation and how to stimulate the group members into providing the majority of the dialogue while simply making sure that the general discussion is anchored into something both relevant and interesting for the group.

What really gave me the most happiness was whenever I was able to follow up on a promise or when I could successfully talk someone down from crisis. This wasn't always easy to do, and I failed plenty of times, but it really made the job redeeming to me. The residents were always in limbo due to the overall administrative process, and it was difficult to give them a clear picture of what was expected of them, and when they could expect to move on to a more independent situation, especially when having to deal with everyone from the judges to the county conservators, to the facility doctors, etc. One couldn't really blame most of them for being stressed out or depressed, but if I could follow through and get them some concrete information, take someone shopping who had been waiting for months, or get through to people during a group, it was the greatest feeling in the world.

We once had an older guy who was somewhat of a long-term resident. Whenever he would move on, he would always awol from his new placement and come back with drugs in his system. He exhibited all kinds of spiritually-oriented delusions and it was hard to hold coherent conversation with him beyond brief chit chat. Well, for the most part he was quiet and kept to himself and didn't really bother anyone save for the occasional verbal outburst and slamming of doors. At the facility there were weekly lab draws, and he had been in to see the phlebotomist who had not been successful as this guy's veins were extremely difficult to find. He had been stuck like a pin-cushion and eventually got fed up, got up and went back to his room. Initial prompts to come back to the medical room were met with verbal tirades. So eventually the boss said that we needed the lab draw, and we would have to prepare for a hands-on escort.

As the staff were banding together, I decided to give 1:1 a shot, so I asked them to hold off for a minute and went in to his room to talk to him. I did my best to convey to him the reason that the lab draw was necessary, but I knew that his issue wasn't really about that. He was just tired of the routine. Being woken up in the morning once or twice a week, every damn week, to get poked repeatedly with a needle to satisfy the whims of some doctor who rarely ever spoke to him and who worked for people who had restricted his freedom against his will. I knew he had a right to be pissed, even if it was in his best interest to be in a locked facility. So, after conveying to him the fact that I understood and I didn't know what to do either, I let out a deep sigh and ended up sitting down with him in silence for a while. I was kind of tired of it too and I didn't enjoy enforcing any more than he enjoyed resisting. I sat without staring at him or attempting to press the issue, and I think he understood that I wasn't his enemy in this case. After a while, he let out a brief chuckle, smirked, shrugged, stood up and followed me down to the medical room. It was a gamble, but I was glad that I had been able to reach somewhat of a silent understanding with him as opposed to the hostility, shouting and struggling that would have rapidly taken place otherwise.

I didn't mean to ramble, but you did provide some great insight as to things that you were able to do for clients, and I didn't want to leave off like mental health was all just physical altercations and so forth. I really do have a soft spot for psych patients in general because I feel that we all have detrimental/irrational thought processes here and there, and that the only difference between the psych patient and the free citizen lies in their ability to cope with those negative thought processes, or perhaps a lack of a formal diagnosis.
 
Good Morning! Sorry I'm getting to this late. I went to an all day silent retreat on Sunday and it kinda carried over into Monday.

I've been employed as a social worker now for a year and a half and I interned for a year before that while in grad school. I'm really quite old though and have 30+ years of experience in a variety of positions. I can say without doubt I have found my place in this capitalistic world. I finally am able to say that what I do actually makes a contribution for the better in a community.

That's not to say that all get the help they need.

Which brings me to the main problem that I have encountered. Your clients will not always get the help they need.

While working as an intern (out in the Field as they call it) - my Field Instructor spent some time talking with me about going into counseling. He talked about burnout and what he percieved was the main reason for social workers getting to that point. He is a PhD, has his own private counseling practice, provides consulting for the Child Protective Services here, and teaches as an adjunct professor in the master program.

The basic premise of his talk was that social workers provide guidance and specific plans for people to help them get their lives back. When people don't do the plans - most social workers get upset - and over time get jaded. The client didn't meet the expectations of the social worker.

The client populations worked with in any given community will tend to be similar and the worker will start to see patterns. Then the worker starts making assumptions about each new client to walk through the door before they even get the full picture of what's going on with the client and their life.

Making assumptions.
Clients not meeting expectations.

These 2 points of view on the part of the social worker lead to burnout and dissatisfaction with the job.

My mentor essentially told me the same thing before I started the masters program. I was very aware of my own tendencacy to give advice to people and then in the past I had become disillusioned with or angry with the people who ignored my advice. So I asked him - how can I avoid becoming very sad and dissapointed with the people I was trying to help. He told - start meditating and practicing mindfulness daily. This practice helps me to see how my actions and expectations affect the decisions I make regarding a client. It also shows me how my expectations lead to my clinging to a specific outcome for the client. Over time I have developed a way of developing plans to help people that I am not attached to. Then - it doesn't matter whether the client takes the action steps in the plan or not. All that matters is whether the client is getting what they need.

You may think this is strange way of interacting with clients. What do do? There you are - you've developed an excellent plan for getting your client back on their feet and functioning again. And what do they do? Nothing that you've outlined for them. And you think - damn - that was a good plan - why is the client balking? You might think - what's wrong here? Maybe you think the client is lazy, lying, stupid, trying to work the system, etc. The social worker is totally attached to their plan at this point and digging in their heels to try to make it work with client. They are also judging the client because the client is not meeting the social worker's expectations.

When this scenario happens, everybody loses.

So now we've got: Attachment to outcome, Expectations of the client and the social worker's plan, and Judgment of the client going on.

I use meditation and mindfulness practice combined with the Buddhist guide for "Do No Harm" to mitigate my disillusionment and sadness regarding the clients.

On the other hand - as I am an INFJ - and have a huge sense of Justice - my attitude towards those in charge of the funding and the criteria to get the assistance - is very - very - Jaded. Hmmph. :rant:So - I've had to work hard on getting a balance within me on my expectations of what government Can and Will do. I can tell you that working in the US government social services system SUCKS!!!!! OK - so - I bet you can tell that I'm not very balanced in that area of my life yet.... :lol:

You say you are looking to work with low income families and refugees. Both of those groups will come to you with a huge array of problems and issues. Your work will not be boring. That's one of the reasons I like social work. Every client that walks in the door is unique. While their problem may be the same as others - how THEY see it will be different. How they arrived at that problem will be different. And how they solve their problem(s) will be a different path - however slightly. I find that challenging and stimulating.

Mostly though - I enjoy the interaction with people. I think INFJ's make the best listeners because we can intuit the client and empathize with them like no other type. Most everyone of my clients thanked me for listening to them - even though most of them never received any help in this program I've been working in for the last 1.5 years... They say things like: " No one has ever listened to my problems like you. No one has ever taken an interest in my situation like you" ...and so on. The clients can actually feel that you care about them as a human.

My advice to you is to find a method you can practice that encourages you to let go of your attachement to outcome. If you can recognize that in yourself, it will lesson your expectations and judgments. And your emotions will be easier to deal with.

Oh - and the best part about not having any expectations? Is that when they do follow your plan for the moment and they experience some joy in their life - it will come as a very pleasant surprise and you'll go home for the day - grinning from ear to ear. :tongue1:

May you have Joy in your day today.

Great and descriptive post!

What do you recommend as far as schooling degrees? Is MD better and necessary than a regular Masters in social work or general counseling. Is it best to specialize?
 
Every individual who enters social work will have their own unique set of problems to contend with and they will ultimately have to find what works for them.

As far as myself, I faced a number of difficulties in my childhood, including abuse, neglect, abandonment, addiction, grief, depression, and so on. The benefit of such experiences is that I know where clients are coming from and I can certainly empathize with them. The downside is I have experienced a great deal of arrested emotional development and various attachment issues. Part of the process of becoming a proficient social worker is developing the self awareness to address these kinds of issues because they could end up harming a client down the road. Because of the particular nature of my issues and my disposition toward depression, this process has brought me to the brink of suicide on more than one occasion. Fortunately, not everyone who goes into social work has to contend with those kinds of emotional difficulties but it is a reality for a good share of people who choose this particular field and it contributes a great deal to burnout.

Another problem is simply lack of experience. Social work is not a
 
...
I didn't mean to ramble, but you did provide some great insight as to things that you were able to do for clients, and I didn't want to leave off like mental health was all just physical altercations and so forth.

I really do have a soft spot for psych patients in general because I feel that we all have detrimental/irrational thought processes here and there, and that the only difference between the psych patient and the free citizen lies in their ability to cope with those negative thought processes, or perhaps a lack of a formal diagnosis.

[MENTION=2434]Sloe Djinn[/MENTION]

I very much agree with your statement above. :nod:

Many people look down their noses at others who have mental illnesses or can't cope in the ways They would do it. imo that attitude works to stigmatize and hinder those trying to learn new ways to cope.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. It's nice to see!
 
I would like to be a social worker, but I'm too condescending. Like, I have no problem taking care of the downtrodden, and infact I would enjoy it... But I know I would say things like "so.... why aren't you fixing this? WRONG ANSWER. There's no reason to. Now stop being a lazy ass and get up and do it!"


I'd say it out of love, but I can be an ass sometimes without meaning to.