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Highlighting abuse and safeguarding issues in psychological therapies. Campaigning for stronger regulation in counselling and psychotherapy.
On starting a Social Work Course
As the universities start on their teaching paths and the summer fades into autumn, I turn to reflect on my own years since I arrived at the university on my social work course what advice I’d give to me if I were starting today.
Here’s what I would tell the younger me who entered the social work training, unsure what to expect.
I’ve indulged myself a little and hopefully some will find this useful and add to the list in the comment section.
1) Seek opportunities, don’t wait for them to arrive.
“Remember to look up at the stars, not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious,”
Personally I combine the courses I’ve studied, both my qualification degree and my post-qualifying training with the motivation to seek out information, read related texts and ignite discussions around policies and politics outside work as parts of my professional development.
2) Build strong relationships with your peers.
I am still close to some of the people I trained on my social work course with and have been since we were students. We’ve travelled down very different professional paths and had very different personal experiences along the way but the support we’ve been able to give to each other through treading a common path at that point in our lives has been a valuable strength through the good, bad and wobbly periods. Peer support is crucial and those on the outside will find it hard to understand the pressure you are under while you are training.
3) Be the social worker you would want to have
This is quite a simple motto. Never see the user – whatever area you are working in as the ‘other’. It could be you, your child, your parent, your friend. You might not see that now. But imagine it if that’s too difficult and think about the interactions you have and how you would change them if you were receiving them. Sometimes you will be hated and resented. It’s the role and (usually) isn’t personal. You won’t often be thanked but you will be paid. Knowing you did your best and treated people as you would want to be treated or would want a close family member to be treated can be reward enough.
This is a chestnut but it took me a while to get it.
In the words of Alexander Pope
Know then thyself, presume not God to scan
The proper study of Mankind is Man.
Know yourself. Know what makes you react the way you do. Know how you respond and what experiences in your life have led you to those responses. Know what you might have to do to change those reactions. Learn from them. If you have not been used to it reflection can be hard initially to ‘get’. It is a self-examination that tempers responses and allows them to be learnt from. When you do ‘get’ it, things will become easier. Reflection also builds resilience when you know what your own strengths and weaknesses are.
5) Remember the feeling of presumed powerlessness for when you are in a positions of power.
This is one I didn’t really get for a while either. When I was a student – particularly on placement, I felt meek and lacked confidence in my actions. I wasn’t a ‘real’ social worker and had (quite rightly) excellent supervision and guidance by the team around me. I didn’t feel like I was in a ‘powerful’ position however even as a student with those doubts, I went into the homes of others and carried out reviews, fed the information back to my team and helped make decisions about packages of care. I did have power in respect to the people I was allocated to work with.
In relation to my practice educator, I felt she held all the cards. She was wonderful and positive but it could have been different and I’ve heard many stories about oppressive practitioners with students. I’d say remember those feelings of powerlessness and think how the users who come into contact with you both as a social work student and eventually as a practitioner will feel. Power is something that can take a while to appreciate – particularly if you have it – but not acknowledging it can be dangerous.
Sometimes distractions, hobbies, external interests can be vital. One of the things that kept me going through the very intense course and my career post qualification is having interests that are nothing at all related to the work that allow me to mix with and meet people from different backgrounds and attitudes that have allowed me to grow in different ways and ‘get away from it’ from time to time. Don’t neglect other interests/people/friends. You’ll likely need them later.
I wonder what advice other people would share with their younger selves?
This entry was posted in social care, social work and tagged advice, advice to social work students, social care, social work, social work degree, social work training, uk. Bookmark the permalink.
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7 thoughts on “On starting a Social Work Course”
Amanda M L Taylor
I love this blog! Thank you for taking the time to write and forward it
BA (Hons) Social Work Deputy Course Lead
BA (Hons) Social Work 1st Year Lead
University of Central Lancashire
School of Social Work
wise words the only thing i would add is as much as you can avoid office politics social work fields are small worlds
Excellent advice and just to add to your first point- I wish I had learnt more about “growth mindset” and had less fear of failure and less inhibition about not feeling intuitive- I have since learnt to ask questions rather than feel I should somehow know.
As always you excel, beautifully written, sometimes poignant but always proportionate and relevant. As a lecturer you are the kind of social worker I want to encourage and help develop. Our profession is much the better for having you in it. Well done (again)
Wonderful advice, Ermintrude 🙂 The only one that I would add is that to also be prepared to learn more about yourself in ways that you never thought possible. In other words, you may think that you know all there is to know about yourself and your family upon entering social work school but this is very far from the truth… You will become much more aware of who you are (who you were) and you will change… The image that comes to mind is like a butterfly emerging from a caterpillar.
Thanks and thanks for the comment. It’s a really really good point
I found your argument to be both insightful and constructive. I appreciated the fact that you identified and highlighted that Cameron, a fickle politician who arose from a highly privileged background, fails to acknowledge that there is a distinct difference between those who are able to work and those who want to, but can’t. I agree with your argument on all counts but, in particular, I agree with your point that Cameron is primarily responsible for the class divide within society. Your argument that he is unable to rightfully distinguish the contrast between those who ‘work hard’ and those who do not, evoked outrage from me. I felt your questioning of- how Cameron can justify stating the Duchess of Cambridge’ role is ‘hard- work’ yet doubt the mind-set of those who have physical/mental ailments; who have to meet their everyday challenges with little financial resource , and accuse them of not working hard- poignant.
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