Social Worker
Do you have experience working a job where day in and day out, you know exactly what to expect? A job where, for the most part, everything runs smoothly. Working as an intern at a finance company, I know what those jobs are like, and I must say, they are not for me! I crave excitement and connection. To put it simply, I want to feel alive!
That is why I love social work. With four months of experience working for Independent Living Institute, an organization that helps developmentally disabled adults live independently, I can tell you all about it. The start of the workday for a social worker is like a coin toss. By the end of the day, you could be sitting on the couch with your client watching a funny movie or in the emergency room waiting for his release.
Here are the three most important roles of a social worker
- Enforcer (not as serious as it sounds)
- Motivator
- Connector
I will explain these responsibilities using examples from my experience on the job. These skills come into play when you are talking to clients, so I will use dialogue for many of them.
Enforcer
As an enforcer, you have two responsibilities:
- Reinforce good behavior
- Discourage bad behavior
Here's a simple example of discouraging bad behavior. Sammy, one of my clients with down-syndrome, loves to drink beer. Learning this behavior from his alcoholic father, Sammy talks about beer whenever he can. So, to discourage drinking beer, whenever Sammy brings it up, I say that I do not drink beer because it tastes gross and makes me feel bad.
But discouraging bad behavior is not always so easy. Let’s say that I arrive for my overnight shift at Sammy's and (that is what we call it when you sleep at a client's house) he is drunk. When I prompt Sammy to wash his dishes before bedtime, he lashes out at me physically and verbally. In this situation, I discourage the bad behavior (drinking beer) by telling him, "I will be in my room for the rest of the evening because I do not like hanging out with people who are drunk." This discourages the behavior because he knows I will not hang out with him if he is drunk.
Reinforcing good behavior is much easier and more enjoyable. When a client does something good like washing the dishes, you give them words of encouragement to reinforce the good behavior.
For example, my client, Cole, requires hours of encouragement before he agrees to shower. So, when he finishes, I put on a bit of a show to reinforce his good behavior. Something I would say to Cole after his shower would be, "Oh, dude! Is that you, Cole? I thought I was looking at Brad Pitt there for a second! You look so fresh, man! Way to go!" Whenever I do that Cole smiles and gets a boost of confidence, but most importantly, it reinforces the good behavior.
Motivator
As a motivator, you have two responsibilities
- Prompt the client to do daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and self-hygiene
- Discourage negative self-image
Prompting clients is an important skill because doing it incorrectly can result in an angry client. For example, Sammy hates to throw away food from his fridge, even if it's rotting. So, if Sammy wants to go to the beach, I could prompt him by saying, "We can go to the beach but only after you look through your fridge and throw away anything that is old." But if I told Sammy to look through his fridge without prompting him, he would tell me to, “F*ck off.”
Many developmentally disabled adults have a low self-image. They struggle to do everyday tasks that are a given for the average person. At times, clients will say things like, “I am stupid” or, “I can’t do anything right.” When clients self-deprecate, you counter by saying something positive about them. Let’s say a client is struggling to write his Christmas list to Santa Claus and says, “I am stupid! I read and write like a dummy!” Something I would say to discourage his negative self-belief could be, “No you are not! You are very smart! And I have seen your handwriting and it's beautiful. Also, I know how many books you have read so don’t even go there!”
Connector
The role of connector is the most important role in social work. Connecting with clients makes your job easier and their lives better. I like to make connections with clients by taking them on hikes, watching movies with them, playing their favorite songs in the car, and asking them about their day. Here’s a real-life example showing the importance of the connector role.
I am on my way home from work and receive a text from my boss telling me to meet her at Denny’s on State Street immediately. When I arrive, there is a fire truck, an ambulance, and about 10 paramedics trying to calm Cole down, on the verge of subduing him (meaning he would spend the rest of his evening strapped down to a table at the emergency room). An hour before, Cole began throwing an adult temper tantrum when his staff member would not let him order two milkshakes. Being a six-foot-five, 260-pound man with the mental and emotional capacity of a ten-year-old boy, these temper tantrums can get out of hand. Breaking his plate, punching his staff member, and throwing rocks at the Denny’s windows were just the start of it.
My special connection with Cole means that I am the only one that can calm him down in these situations. Cole and I are very close. He calls me his little brother, his security guard, and holds our relationship in high regard. Running towards him, I yell, “Big brother, what's going on? How are you?” Cole, trying to play it cool, responds, “I am good. Oh nothing much, just hanging out.” I ask him, “Hey, why don't we head home and watch a movie? It is getting cold out.” Cole agrees, we head home and spend the rest of the evening watching the movie, Dodgeball.
Hemingway Editor:
0 uses of passive voice.
Readable.com:
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 6.7
Flesch Reading Ease: 71.4
