Christine McVay, MSSA, LISW-S
Clinical Manager of Emergency Services
Napoleon Crisis Center
A Renewed Mind
There is a rising need for social workers in the United States to help us cope with societal problems. The need for social workers is expected to grow 15 percent from 2016 to 2026, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.
As a veteran social worker I want to encourage men and women to consider social work as a profession.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines social worker as:
Social worker n.
n. Organized work intended to advance the social conditions of a community and especially of the disadvantaged, by providing psychological counseling, guidance, and assistance, especially in the form of social services.
My career in the social work field started out as a dream to “help others.” I had no idea whom I was going to help or how. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how to start, I just wanted to help.
So, I stumbled, as many of us have, into a field where I could put those dreams into action. I had knowledge from school. I had an internship. I was ready. Then I quickly found out, I was not.
I had no idea how many different needs so many have. How so many have been ignored, overlooked, pushed aside or abused. How it is so easy to look the other way. How easy it is to say “that is not my problem.” Those thoughts made me want to jump from being a spectator to being an advocate for change.
We are the workers driving in the middle of the night to talk with a person who is thinking of suicide.
We protect the elderly when they are being abused by those who were to be taking care of them.
We stand up for children who do not have enough to eat, who are bullied, who are labeled by a society who do not take time to listen.
We track down food pantries for families. We will visit in jail. We will go to the ER and support in a time of sadness.
We find ourselves in schools, hospitals, emergency shelters, and homes. We work with soon-to-be parents, toddlers, teens and elderly. We can there at the birth, as well as death.
We respect your gender, your religion or lack of one, your socioeconomic status, your abilities and disabilities. We value you and who you are.
I define social work as : an opportunity to work with others. To put ourselves in another’s shoes. To be part of a journey with another.
It really is the best job many of us have ever had. I’m proud to work with A Renewed Mind and with my over 100 fellow social workers at A Renewed Mind, including our CEO.
