Reflections social work journal7/5/2023 My first few weeks at the clinic, I was guided through the roles and responsibilities that the social workers carry out and what was expected of me. However, the constant assurances from faculty members to relax and learn to “sit with your discomfort” seemed to simply mock my sweaty palms and beating heart. When classes started and I began to meet my fellow students, the second question out of everyone’s mouth after “What’s your name?” was “Where’s your field placement?” It felt reassuring to know I wasn’t the only one with anxieties. I knew my placement was at a community health center in West Harlem, New York City, and that I would be working with two social workers to provide case management and therapeutic support to the clinic’s patients. Prior to starting my field work in the fall, I had no idea what to expect. I would like to give a voice to first-year graduate students, and shed light and calm anxieties about what this experience might be like for incoming students, as well as serve as a validation for students in their first few months of field work that it’s okay to not have all the answers. The challenges that I have faced have been internal as well as external, as at times I have found myself in the position of examining where I come from and how I view the world, to learning the seemingly endless implications of providing physical and emotional care to those in need. With the best of intentions, we learn to apply the principles of social work, while at the same time we are still diligently taking notes late at night on exactly what those principles are.Īs I finish my first year of graduate school, I would like to reflect and share the experiences I have had with those entering the field. The one thing that binds us all together is the opportunity we were offered to recreate ourselves as professional social workers-delicately, and at times clumsily, weaving together our experiences, worldview, compassion, and sense of self into the work we do. Actually, I believe it unfair to assume that there is one “standard” experience of a student in this field, as the beauty of this profession is that it attracts people with such a rich and diverse array of experience that it is impossible to identify a “typical” student. I’m not sure if my experience as a first-year social work graduate student exactly mirrors that of others. I lean forward onto the desk, smile, and am sure that I sit with an open posture to the client, giving her my undivided attention as we were taught in our Social Work Practice Lab. Is her eyebrow raised in suspicion, or am I just imagining that? “What can I help you with today?” Just dive in. “My name is Katherine Freeman, and I’m the social work intern at the clinic.” She can hear my voice shaking.
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