The Price of a Dream

I recently read a post (linked here) highlighting President Obama's student loan initiatives.  In the same post he says he wants more young people to become social workers (among other "helping" professions mentioned) and to be in a position to follow their dreams.  I read this post on Facebook, and as I scrolled through the comments, I noticed a common theme.  Most of the comments were negative.  They pointed to the low wages social workers earn, the poor investment of paying for a degree when your annual salary is likely to be less than the cost of your education, and how social workers are underpaid and under appreciated.  These comments struck me as somehow false, but I didn't get very far with that idea.  Yes they didn't ring true to me, but I couldn't really figure out why.  As both a social worker and a social work educator, I am aware of both the salary range for social workers and the cost of social work education.  Higher education is expensive and costs continue to rise.  Although social work jobs are in high demand, salaries are modest.  So my "feelings" and the "facts" didn't quite mesh and I tabled the discussion in my head.

Today as I was meeting with my colleagues we had a discussion that reopened the debate.  We were discussing how to approach a cost benefit analysis on an important research project.  The discussion revolved around the cost of a complex human problem.  During this discussion it occurred to me that my "feelings" and my "facts" didn't mesh because I had oversimplified my facts.

It is a common mistake, measuring costs and benefits in simple dollars and cents.  The truth is the "cost" of our choices is far more than any monetary amount will ever capture and so are the "benefits".  I once had a phone conversation with a friend while I was on my way to the office on a Saturday.  When the friend found out where I was headed they quickly offered sympathies.  In that moment I was reminded of what I have always known.  Social work is special.  I had the privilege of saying, "It's okay.  I like it".    Those who know me know I love, triple love my work.  The passion I feel for the work and the fullness it gives me are rare in a world of dollars and cents.  It's heart work.  Being a social worker isn't a "job" it is a state of being.  We get to be present with people where they are. They share with us their strength and their vulnerability.  They honor us with their story.  They invite us to travel with them on this journey of life.  You just can't quantify the benefit of that. 

I am known for challenging my students to practice radical self-care.  Maybe it is time I also challenge everyone else to radical, passionate, fulfilling work.  I wake up every day with the privilege and honor to go to "work".  That is a benefit you may never quantify but I sure hope you get to experience it.

The picture below is of OLLU Worden School of Social Service Spring Social Work Graduates.  My wish for them is all the wealth that social work has to offer.  In my experience....they will be very rich indeed.

Authenticity

I received the greatest compliment this week.  You are a great colleague?  You're so smart? Talented? Well-dressed? Organized? Do you give up?  It was none of these things.  The compliment I received was (drum role please)....."You are so real".

Social work students often want to know what it takes to be a great clinician.  How do you do it, they ask?  What is most important?  What makes you good?  I love these questions because they have very simple yet very difficult answers.

A clinical social worker spends years in training.  At a minimum they will complete a masters degree from a University with a social work degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.  They will clock a minimum of 900 hours of supervised education in the field as a student, take a state licensing exam, and then spend a minimum of 24 months working in a clinical position while receiving over a 100 hours of supervision.  When they have completed that, they will take an additional licensing exam.  So yes education is important, and yes supervision is important.    As a social work educator I am acutely aware of the intensive curriculum my students are trained in. I am also careful to remind them not to forget some simple qualities that may present quite a difficulty.

Social work is a human profession.  One human being guiding another on their journey.  It's not just books,  or computer algorithms,  it is human to human.  So when my students ask me what it takes to be great, one of the things I talk to them about is authenticity.  I tell them not to get so lost in theory, skills, and treatment plans that they forget to be real. 

This may sound simple and in some ways it is, after all we have been told by our mothers since we were young to "just be ourselves".  We learn that we are unique and that no one will be as good at being us as us, but in a world where we are often judged by what we "do" instead of who we "are" we can find ourselves constantly stretching for the next mile marker, wanting to hide our flaws, and anticipating where others will find us lacking.  All of this makes the simple task of being "real" very difficult.

This can be especially challenging for new social workers.  Armed with a passion to help others and a great education, they are still new.  Even when we are seasoned in our chosen profession we can be humbled by what we don't know.  After all we are always learning and growing....it's a journey.  The humility of recognizing we have a lifetime of knowledge to learn from our clients is good for us.  Great in fact, but humility is different from fear.  For the freshly graduated social work student realizing that they will enter the field with more questions than answers can be more than humbling.  It can be terrifying.  More than one of us as entered a new experience wondering when everyone will realize we don't belong there, we are just an imposter.  The problem is that fear can interfere with our ability to connect with people and connecting with people is essential to good social work practice.  When we are afraid we may be defensive or put up unnecessarily rigid boundaries.  Being "real" is  just not consistent with making sure no one discovers you are a fraud.  So I encourage students to take a risk, to trust themselves, and just be "real".  They will make mistakes, they will stumble, they will learn, and they will end up exactly where they are supposed to be.

So here is to being real.  Messy, imperfect, and quite amazing!




Information on social work education can be accessed at the Council of Social Work Education at:
http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=31580