I have just completed my first week in social work grad school, and every moment has been a reminder that this is exactly where I want to be. Not to put too fine a point on it, I LOVE it! I have also been asked the question of how I came to social work multiple times. So here's the story... in brief.
Given the fact that some social workers can be antagonistic to Christianity, it might be surprising to some to learn that I came to social work through the church. My parents were missionaries (another bad word among some social scientists) in São Paulo, Brazil, where I grew up, and spent my first years after college. My parent's early work had a lot to do with providing strategies and mechanisms to help churches become healthier. Among other things, they provided training and material for small groups. It was in those small groups that I formed my most influential teenage relationships, and where I first discovered the power of empathetic listening joined with prayer.
Skip forward. I'm a freshman psychology major at Wheaton College and don't hit it off well with the only clinical psych prof, as she doesn't seem to take seriously the importance of considering spirituality in a clinical setting. Meanwhile, my gen ed Intro to Sociology professor blows open my vision of the world with my first formal contact with the ways systems determine aspects of people's lives. I change majors.
After college, I struggle for some years with where I will go professionally. The change from psychology to sociology throws open a gamut of options in social justice or community organizing, but with a wider set of possibilities, I find myself wandering somewhat lost. While earning my bread in administrative positions, I volunteer with several different organizations, but fail to find a place where I can see myself long-term. More and more, I discover my personality is better suited to one-on-one or small group counseling then to community or systems change.
The more I delve into the idea of working with individuals for their transformation, the better I like it. My personal experience confirms that this is a good area for me. However, counseling in the state of Pennsylvania requires a masters-level license. I explore the possibilities of a masters in counseling or in social work, and discover that the latter not only provides more job options than the former, but merges my love for individual counseling with my college-produced passion for the role of larger systems. Not wanting to leave Pittsburgh made the University of Pittsburgh, with a program among the best in the country, the perfect answer.
After college, I struggle for some years with where I will go professionally. The change from psychology to sociology throws open a gamut of options in social justice or community organizing, but with a wider set of possibilities, I find myself wandering somewhat lost. While earning my bread in administrative positions, I volunteer with several different organizations, but fail to find a place where I can see myself long-term. More and more, I discover my personality is better suited to one-on-one or small group counseling then to community or systems change.
The more I delve into the idea of working with individuals for their transformation, the better I like it. My personal experience confirms that this is a good area for me. However, counseling in the state of Pennsylvania requires a masters-level license. I explore the possibilities of a masters in counseling or in social work, and discover that the latter not only provides more job options than the former, but merges my love for individual counseling with my college-produced passion for the role of larger systems. Not wanting to leave Pittsburgh made the University of Pittsburgh, with a program among the best in the country, the perfect answer.
Although I am not religious myself, I recently shared a very informative conversation about Christian social justice activists in Brasil. Two figures I found particularly inspiring were Leonardo Boff and Frei Beto. This is a quote from Boff's personal website regarding social justice and theology: "Among the many functions of theology today two are most urgent: how theology collaborates in the liberation of the oppressed, who are today’s “crucified Christs,” and how theology helps to preserve the memory of God so that we do not lose the sentiment and sacredness of human life which is threatened by a culture of superficiality, consumption and entertainment. We should always unite faith with justice, where a perspective of liberation is born, keeping the flame of our sacred lamp burning so that it can feed the hope for a better future for the Earth and all humanity." Frei Beto was very active against injustices during the military dictatorship and continues to be very politically active on behalf of the poor and oppressed. On a different note, I think spirituality can certainly have a therapeutic role in many people's lives and as a social worker I would like to be sensitive to my clients needs and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteCarolina, thank you so much for your reply. That is a beautiful quote from Frei Beto. There has been a social justice movement among Catholics in Latin America that has brought about some beautiful results at times. I identify with what he said in terms of faith requiring a concern for justice and an active recognition of the sacredness of every human life. Thanks again!
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