There has been a lot of talk recently about what it means to be a social worker, and how the title needs protection and the profession needs more defined parameters.
A headline in Non-Profit quarterly caught my eye:
Remembering the Philanthropist Who Wanted to Be a Social Worker
After a quick scan, intrigued, I linked to the main story in the New York Times to learn:
“Joseph Rosenmiller earned a fortune building a chain of radio stations and then donated tens of millions to promote causes that he felt traditional philanthropies largely ignored, like voting rights and the empowerment of domestic workers.
Mr. Rosenmiller told his sons that being a reconnaissance officer behind enemy lines in France and Austria in World War II had opened his eyes to social inequalities, as did his years after the war at Yale and then at Columbia University, where he did graduate study in social work.” Mr. Rosenmiller was unable to get a job as a social worker, so, in 1956, he and a classamte bought an AM radio station.”
Some years later, he “founded a nonprofit, Volunteer Opportunities, to match volunteers with needy organizations,” and in 1996 gave a grant to endow the Solidago Foundation, making gifts that eventually totaled about $40 million.
This story reminded me that social work cannot easily be defined and many of us would be compelled to pursue social work goals regardless of our titles. Does our profession deserve respect equal to that of other professionally defined, state licensed careers? Absolutely. But will the lack of jobs or arguments over professional definitions and titling keep social workers from doing good in the world and facilitating change in unique and diverse ways? Doubt it.
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Thank you. This has become a bit of a passion of mine. I think we would be remiss to narrowly define social work. That is my concern with title protect. The tendency has been to enact title protection laws that define social work based on Licensing. This basically would be defining social work as clinical practice when it is and should be so much more..
I am convinced that title protection laws should be written to limit the title of Social Worker to anyone who holds a degree in Social Work and not weather or not they are an LMSW or LCSW. A fellow social worker recently passed on a bit of advice on a discussion board that I found helpful. He said “don’t let anyone define what social work is for you.”
Thanks for the feedback Rachel. It’s a tough issue in a very diverse field.
Michelle and Rachel, I agree with both of you. Social Work itself is a broad term, the profession itself is a bit more defined and protected-almost too much in some ways……
I have recently investigated this ‘protection’ here in Canada and what I found out surprised me, but answered alot of questions:
‘So, a further update obtained from the Canadian Association of Social Work re: Regulatory issues here in Canada, only 2 provinces require social workers to be part of the provincial order for social workers. In the other provinces, one must register with the provincial order to obtain certification and to use the title of social worker.
http://www.casw-acts.ca/en/node/21/policy-and-regulations/regulatory-bodies.
This means one can have a BSW or MSW, call themself a Counselor, have/maintain a private practise and work. No one can take away a degree earned-this is all about title protection.
This is not the case in the states……’
As an anglophone in Quebec, which is mostly French speaking, although Canada itself is bilingual (English and French), Quebec on many levels is unilingual as in French-I cannot be part of the social work order without passing a difficult language and written exam in French.
Now, what I found out today is I can still practise privately as long as I call myself anything but social worker! This is both a blessing and not a blessing. I can open a private practise and call myself counselor, focus on a specifc technique, etc and the MSW stays after my name, but—on the other hand I was trained and educated as a social worker. I worked hard for my advanced degree and take great pride in calling myself a social worker. (I grew up and was educated in the states).
What does one choose? Not an easy decision.
That Is interesting Vikki and extremely confusing.
Rachel and Michelle, the term ‘counselor’ was an example. Basically I can call myself anything I want as long as I do not use the title social worker……
I would never go into private practice without having further training in a specific technique like CBT or Neurolinguistic Programming, but these are the rules I learned of here in Canada.
I realize this is not the case in the states and when I lived there I was a CSW in the state of NY only after passing an exam and graduating with my MSW.
Agreed. Very confusing. We can practice “counseling” with no authorization, but having gone for higher ed, passed a licensing exam and paid the license fee we are professionally bound not to use that title in conjunction with clinical social work or psychotherapy. That “scope of practice” requires at least three more years of supervised clinical practice in an “approved” setting, which is narrowly defined, and then pay and sit for another licensing exam….
Social work ! UG! I have had 20 yrs of conspiracy and half assed work done the system is too CROOKED!!
Sorry to hear of your disappointment with the profession Chantelle.
Rachel and Michelle. Here in Canada it appears to be about title protection. I have practised as a social worker for 15 years and have been supervised by one who is part of the order here in Quebec for 12 years. No one can take away my degree and no one can take away my work experience.
I have done/do group facilitation, supportive counseling, case management, in home and out of home assessments, referrals, linkage to other service providers and professionals, I edit/created a newsletter, was involved with a memoir project which became a book of interviews of 17 Holocaust survivors, and as I work at non-profit have many other job functions as well.
For all purposes I am a social worker-but my official title is Social Service Staff. Again, no one can take away my MSW…….
Understood, and this is why practitioners need to work together and establish a comprehensive evidence-base, to fix a broken system.
Understood, and this is why practitioners need to work together and establish a comprehensive evidence-base, to fix a broken system.