Social Work Personal Statement

My background, my values, my beliefs, my dreams, and my hopes are the reasons I have selected to pursue the social work profession. I genuinely want the best for those who surround me, and more so, for the future generations who will follow in my footsteps. Someone with wise words, once said, “this degree does not define you; it’s who you already are.” As most social workers are, I’m in this profession, to assist others in enhancing their lives. My whole life goal is to make a difference in the life of a variety of kids. Honestly, working with children is not just a passion of mine; it is a lifelong commitment. Additionally, my mission is to help them overcome challenges, become better individuals in society, reach their dreams, and stride

In fact, they still resonate with me. There are numerous times when I dwell on the events that have occurred, and I wonder to myself, “how in the world am I doing the things that I’m doing?” The answer is simple, it’s called resiliency. The mindset I possessed as a child was to fight through the difficult times to lead myself to the great times that were ahead. My score after taking the test was a 7. I acknowledge that lots of children around the world experience way worse; however, this score is exceptionally high, and is considered “concerning” for anyone in a health-related career. Strangely enough, I interpret this score in a positive manner. It tells me that all odds were against me, but I made it through. The background I occupy can be utilized to assist those who are also “exceptionally high” as well on the ACES exam by helping them accept the past as the past, and focus on optimistic thoughts. Moreover, the familiarity I now have with the ACES assessment can help me identify risk factors, and preventatives of the “wide range of physical, social, and emotional” problems children might face (Bloom,

“Direct Social Work Practice” highlights that “social workers are susceptible to relational reactions” (Hepworth et al., 2017, pg. 34). As a future social worker, it is important not to become personal with a client. The book unleashed an example of how a practitioner began to relate with someone on a family level, or rather she began to perceive the client as one of her family members. Eventually, this could cause severe problems in the client-social worker relationship. It is fundamental to be aware of the potential emotions that could avail throughout time between a client and professional. There may be situations when the person may have experienced what I have, or where I want to help the client personally, but I am required to be aware of the boundaries that exist. If the boundaries of professionalism are broken through a friendship or even a family-like relationship that is built it can consequently deter a client from “freely sharing about themselves and trusting the social worker’s reactions and statements” (Hepworth et al., 2017, pg. 62). It is significant that I am able to unearth the balance between treating each person essentially “as an object” and “being over emphatic and caring” in all cases that I