If a career as a social worker has you interested, do you know the qualifications set forth to be one? For many moms, the idea of lending a helping hand to others dealing with abuse issues in the home, troubled children, trying to adopt a child etc. can be enticing. Having the right skill set to forge a career as a social worker is not as difficult as one might think, though there are certain skills that definitely benefit one in this line of work. With that being the case, are you qualified to be a social worker?
What Will Be Expected of Me?
For those moms thinking of becoming social workers, the first step is to truly understand what one does in this field. Ask yourself if you are prepared for some of the challenges you are likely to face.
- Can you handle a troubled family situation where a child or children may need to be removed from the home?
- Are you able to spot both the physical and mental signs of domestic violence in a home? If so, do you have the knowledge and wherewithal to recommend a family possibly be split up?
- When it comes to adoption, can you best locate the families that are truly ready to become parents? Is the environment they are living in conducive to bringing a young boy or girl into it?
Among the tasks at hand when it comes to the qualifications required to become a social worker include:
- Having the required social worker educational background (States vary as to what they accept when it comes to Bachelor’s Degrees and Master’s Degrees);
- Gaining accreditation;
- Working under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker.
Once you have received the proper level of education and have your accreditation, how can you use your own experiences as a mom to help others, especially women?
Among the ways to go about this:
- Listen, don’t automatically judge – Rushing to judgment when stepping inside of a home that might require changes is something you should never do. Unless there are obvious signs of mental or physical trauma to a child and/or a parent, it is always best to get all the facts before recommending a solution or solutions. In many cases, you don’t always get both sides of the story without doing some investigation. Listening to all the parties involved (including those children old enough to speak up for themselves) is the best way to go about coming to a fair and worthwhile solution;
- Knowing the signs of stress – While stress can come in a variety of ways, knowing the real anguish in the face of a child or woman in a home not best suited for them is important. Maybe you yourself have gone through similar ordeals many years ago or in the recent past? Learning from those experiences can help you in assisting others in your current role as a social worker. One of the ways to get to the root of the problem is gaining the trust of a child and/or adult. When they feel like they can fully trust you, they are more likely to open up about what is wrong in the household. As for adoption, making sure a parent or parents are truly ready to bring a child into their home is crucial. Unfortunately, too many kids end up in homes that simply were not ready for them. As a result, the child may end up being shipped to more than one home over his or her early years. This in and of itself can prove quite traumatic, leading to problems now and even down the road;
- Don’t take your work home with you – Lastly, although it can prove quite difficult at times, avoid as much as possible taking your work home with you each and every day. Social workers sometimes come across some of the worst in people, so it is understandable that those thoughts and images can stick around for a period of time. Going home to your own family is something you should cherish, so don’t bring your work home with you if at all possible.
If you feel like you may be qualified to be a social worker through your own experiences as a mother, there are countless children and adults just waiting for your help.
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