In May of 2015, I graduated Walters State Community College with an Associates of Science in Social Work. When I started at Walters State I was terrified, there was so many thought running through my head; I’m too old and would look silly going, but I shoved those thoughts out of my head and pushed forward. The day I walked across that stage for graduation, I told myself, “you can do anything if you want it bad enough,” and I have. I took a break from school to allow for my son to attend college, I couldn 't afford to pay tuition for the both of us, but the fall of 2016, I was able to enroll for my first semester at East Tennessee State University. When I shared the news of my plan of enrollment, …show more content…
There is a lot of data that needs to be collected, to analyze the situation, keep reports, as well as earning the trust of individuals to know anything they say is confidential. I also learned the true values of what social work is; help people in need, promote social justice, caring and respectful, know the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence (NASW, 2008). I have learned that being a social worker isn 't a nine to five job, that you can just clock in and clock out, it is so much more. It 's about caring, understanding, having patients with people, it’s about helping to improve a society 's overall well-being. As a social worker our main focus is helping to meet human needs; working together with individuals, groups, even communities to help address the problem of concern. Social work research has taught me that social work uses a collection of theories and learned practices to help promote social justice and social change with a client. Kim Strom – Gottfried, the author of “Straight Talk About Professional Ethics,” provided the understanding needed about how ethical dilemma can arise, and how essential it is to keep confidentiality for clients can be critical. Watching the independent learning films on Netflix was a great way of using the example of how a social worker can help avoid conflicts of interest, …show more content…
The meeting I attended was based on weight control, I heard a lot of negativity with people about themselves when speaking openly about their weight, and when they were done speaking other people would speak in support to them to turn the negativity into being positive. My heart broke to hear the hurt some of these people endure and how they just want to be seen for who they are inside not the flesh. Since I chose my major in social work, it has allowed me to not judge a book by its cover and understand that people bury things deep inside or hide behind a mask. I have learned there is no perfect person, everyone has flaws maybe some more than other but that does not make them any less and as a social worker it is my responsibility to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society (NASW,