Social work can be one of the most rewarding and stressful career paths. A strong belief in the human spirit and the genuine desire to help others fuels the heart of a social worker. Attending school is the first and most important step in becoming a social worker. Attending an online school can take the stress of having to rush off to class every day.
These are only a few stories of people who have chosen one of the most difficult professions of our time. Their stories inspire the human spirit within and encourage all those on the path to becoming a social worker.
Becoming a Social Worker
The road to becoming a social worker can be a daunting task. Patience, effort and persistence are required. Organizational skills and belief in oneself is needed.
1. Social Worker to Be
Musings of an aspiring social worker student are reflected in this moving and honest blog. She shares her feelings on applying for a job as well as her fears.
2. Reflections of an MSW Journey
Sarah is a student completing her final year of grad school and looks to embark on her career as a social worker.
3. Blind Social Work
Blind Social Work is the unique blog of a legally blind social worker student who shares her passion and dreams of becoming a social worker.
4. Active Social Work Blog
A woman uses her blog to share her feelings regarding the process of becoming a social worker and the start of her career.
5. Social Work at ASU
A social worker student shares her feelings on what it is like studying to be a social worker. She opens up the subject of midterms and the feeling of discomfort it bring her.
6. Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina offers tips and advice on how to be a successful college student. Learn to prioritize time, ideas and goals. Also included in Steve's blog are numerous self help and motivational articles.
7. Social Work World Blog
A blog dedicated to social workers, students studying to be social workers created by a retired social worker. Lindsey Lohan Case - Will the Co-Dependent Behavior Ever End and Top Ten Tips for a Successful Social Work Job Interview are a few of the topics the blog touches upon.
8. The Licensed Clinical Social Worker Exam
Dedicated to helping those who are studying to become social workers this blog has a wealth of resources such as 5 tips for passing the exam.
9. Social Work Exam
Social Work Exam is a site providing tutorial services for social work students in hopes of passing the social work exam.
10. Social Work Prep Test
Social Work Prep Test is a blog that offers free quizzes for students studying social work, tutorials and a podcast about social work.
Healing From Within
Healing is the circle that must happen for social workers efforts to be successful, it goes hand in hand. An important step in the work of a social worker, healing cannot happen over night but gradually and through consistent attention to the problem at hand. Healing may come in many shapes and forms as unique as each individual.
1. Everyone Needs Therapy
Everyone Need Therapy is a social workers blogs about child protection, divorce, kids, self blame and more. On Those Seven Things No One Tells You About Marriage is a unique and interesting articles featured on the blog.
2. The Marriage Counseling Blog
Anger can come in many forms. Discover the difference between sneaky anger and deliberate anger and what affect they have on marriage. Learn how to heal marriage and release anger.
3. Healing Grief Through Dru Yoga and Relaxation
Healing can come in many forms and grief being one of the strongest negative emotions felt, learning to heal through yoga is an alternative welcomed by many in the social work profession.
4. Help Guide
Learn how to empower yourself and others through Help Guide by learning how to understand, prevent and resolve problems.
5. Hope Forward
Hope Forward is an inspirational blog which offers ways to heal emotional pain, addictions and discover new ways of dealing with difficult people.
6. The Sage Place
The Sage Place is a positive and inspirational web site providing tips on how to encourage emotional, spiritual and psychological growth.
7. Katie Malinski
Katie’s blog offers great resources and is abundant with articles on topics such as emotional coping skills. A few of the topics featured on Katie's blog include beyond birds and bees, teachable moments and therapy.
Stress
The common social worker feels more stress on average then other 9- 5 workers. It is important to know how and when to release the stress that builds up daily. Stress can build up silently and recognizing the first signs of stress can prevent many problems.
1. Fried Social Worker Blog
A resourceful blog that offers safety tips, encouragement and all else needed for a hard working social worker. Articles touch up on important issues in the social work field such as how to deal with clients that stalk.
2. Wall - A Social Workers Blog
Brick is a retiring social worker who shares his experiences in a humours and interesting way. Learning the importance of knowing when to let go, he entices his reader to create calmness with their mind and body.
3. Confessions of a Young Social Worker
A woman shares her life as a social worker with her readers and finds freedom and relief in being able to confess her experiences.
4. Chris Mills Child Protection Blog
Chris is an experienced child protection manager and social worker. Through his blog he expresses his views, experiences and wisdom.
5. Seeking Safety
Seeking Safety offers valuable training on how to deal with stress disorders. Seeking safety also provides seeking safety adherence scale that is used to evaluate the success of a client’s treatment.
6. The life of a Social Worker
A social worker blogs about his life and the chance he has to improve peoples lives daily and the stress it sometimes bring.
Support and Communication
If there is one thing that hardworking social workers rely on it is the support of their peers. Through socializing and communicating with those who understand them social workers are able to function healthier and with more optimism.
1. Social Work Action Network
Social Work Action network was created by social workers, students and workers of the social industry.
2. Community Care
An online community created to help and support all those working in the social work industry. Learn how to recognize serious stress signals in yourself and more.
3. Shelley O Bar
Shelley is a licensed clinical social worker who works with adults and adolescents. Passionate about her job as a social worker she encourages others to donate an hour of their time to military and their families.
4. Social Work Leadership
Social Work Leadership is woman’s blog about her experience as a social work educator. In her blog she mentions why she feels that social work is not an easy career.
5. Buck Black
Buck is a social worker who helps clients better their personal relationships, manage their anger and guide them to a more balanced place in their lives.
6. Social Work Student Center
An abundant collection of resources meant to aide and support any social work student or recent graduate. Includes how to guides, articles and more.
7. NY Swog
Jude shares what it is like working as a social worker in New York City. Her blog is rich with resources, honest thoughts and ideas.
8. AASWG
AASWG is an international organization of social workers supporting one another in group work. AASWG contains a community news blog.
9. Psych Publishing
Sheila, the owner of Psych Publishing teaches social work and has created this web site as a way to assist other social workers that have a desire to be published.
10. Anti-Social Social Worker Blog
The transition of one woman’s journey from various occupations to finally becoming a social worker is reflected in the Anti-Social Social Worker Blog.
News and Updates
The turn over of information is 50 times faster today then it was 30 years ago. To stay on top of the social work laws and changes, checking news daily is important. Keeping on top of the latest news and changes in regards to social work is an easy task with the many sites listed below.
1. Social Workers Speak
Social Workers Speak is abundant with information for social workers. Expert interviews, articles and the latest news in social work.
2. Social Work News
A community for social workers in all fields, Social Work New is update by the minute with the latest new regarding social work.
3. The Social Work Podcast
Jonathan is an enthusiastic social worker who has a podcast providing all information relevant to social work on his site.
4. Justice Today
A resourceful site created by a man passionate about social work. Read about simple rules for health care reform and economic stimulus for social workers.
5. Fighting Monsters
The thoughts and views of life as a social worker seen through the eyes of experienced social workers. The Things I Have Learned About Social Work and Social Workers is one of the articles featured on her blog.
Substance Abuse and Addictions
Unfortunately substance abuse and addictions are often issues that social workers must face when working with people. The journey to recovery is often a long one requiring maximum patience and determination. Below you will find a few helpful and informative sites that explore these issues in depth.
1. Working With Young People
An informative site with a wealth of information beneficial to a social worker. Articles describing how to have a better awareness of child abuse, the nature of adolescence and more.
2. One Fathers Love
This website contains a collection of resources for domestic violence help, substance abuse, free medical clinics and more.
3. Addict Help
Addict Help offers useful information such as how to notice the difference between a recreational drinker and an abuser and what the difference between a chronic problem and situational problem drinker.
4. Drug Abuse Help
Drug Abuse Help offers honest information regarding drug abuse. Discover the difference between beneficial drug use and problematic use. Also included is information on different types of drugs and how they affect the human body.
5. Mutual Aide Based Group
A resource for social workers to further promote group work, it offers insight into substance abuse, phases of helping, social action and more.
6. Dual Recovery Anonymous
A website dedicated to helping those that are struggling with addictions. The site also includes helpful information on how to deal with people with addictions and the best approach to take in helping them with their recovery.
7. Dr. Linda Hancock
Dr. Linda is a writer with a degree in education and social work. In her blog she explores themes connected to the heart of social work such as addictions, divorce, abuse and more.
Trauma
Trauma plays an active part in the job of a social worker. It can and usually does disrupt a person’s life completely. The role of a social worker is to know how to deal with the trauma their client is experiencing.
1. Activist Trauma Support
Activist Trauma Support is dedicated to proving information about the mental care of activist. Also included are stories of activist who had suffered as a result of not receiving adequate mental care.
2. 5 Beginning Steps for Dealing with Trauma
Discover the 5 beginning steps for dealing with trauma and moving on with life with a new emotional body. Make decisions about your own life, tell someone what happened, develop a close relationship with someone, work with a counselor or join a group, and develop an action plan.
3. The Mental Health Social Worker
A network site, The Mental Health Social Worker, contains a collection of the latest news from different sources regarding social work. Topics range from education, emotional distress, to ethics and research.
4. A case Manages Verse
A Case Managers Verse is a blog about the daily life of a self proclaimed idealistic social worker who is beginning to feel burnt out.
5. Winston Smith
A man blogs about his experience and trials as a social worker and answers touching emails that he receives from readers. Readers share their stories of sadness, hardship and trauma.
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