You Know You're a Social Worker When...

So, March was Social Work Month and I just learned that there is a film crew that has created a documentary about social work. The documentary is scheduled for release on May 6th, 2011. The purpose of the documentary is to enhance knowledge and awareness of various existing social work roles. To learn more visit http://socialworksdocumentary.wordpress.com

I am hoping there will be a focus on social workers who work in the area of mental health. In 2008 I graduated from USC in the area of mental health social work and I am currently employed at a long term psychiatric hospital. My long term goal is to begin my own private practice and work with adults with mental illnesses.

On the blog site SocialWorksDocumentary I found and interesting and humorous post entitled You Know You're a Social Worker When...

I was able to relate to a lot of what was posted and I will post the list for you know. Below there are some bolded sentences and the bold font is meant to represent statements which I can especially relate to. Under some of the statements I have written side comments in parenthesis.

1. You think $40,000 a year is “really making it”.
(I used to but now I find this amount to be incredibly insulting. The good thing is that one doesn't have to live with this forever. One can work their way up through experience and obtaining licensure)

2. You don’t really know what it’s like to work with men.

3. You know all the latest lingo for drugs, where to get them, and how much they cost.

4. You’ve started a sentence with ‘So what I hear you saying is…’

5. You’ve had 2 or more jobs at one time just to pay the bills.

6. You tell people what you do and they say “that’s so noble”.

7. You have had to explain to people that not all social workers take away kids.

8. You use the words ‘validate,’ ‘appropriate’ and ‘intervention’ daily.

9. You spend more than half your day documenting and doing paperwork.
(not always but when it happens yeah it's grueling. If you get a job with the county or the state? Man, paperwork will be your life)

10. You think nothing of discussing child abuse over dinner.

11. People have said to you “I don’t know how you do what you do”.

12. You’ve never been on a business trip or had an expense account.

13. You know a lot of other social workers who have left the profession for another.

14. You’ve very familiar with the concept of entitlement. (ah yes, working with patients with severe borderline traits)

15. Staying at a job for 2 years is ‘a long time’.

16. Your phone number is unlisted for good reason.

17. Your professional newsletters always have articles about raising salaries…but you still haven’t seen it.
(yep!)

18. You’re very familiar with the term ‘budget cut’.

19. You can’t imagine working at a bank or crunching numbers all day.

20. You’ve had clients who liked you just a little too much.

21. Having lunch is a luxury many days.

22. You’ve been cursed at or threatened…and it doesn’t bother you.
(just a part of the gig)

23. Your job orientation has included self defense.

24. You have the best stories at any cocktail party.

25. Your parents don’t know half of the stuff that you’ve dealt with at your job.

26. You know all the excuses clients use for a failed drug test by heart

27. People think its a compliment if they mistake you for a psychologist
(I consider it flattering actually)

28. It’s a common occurrence to walk through metal detectors.

29. You’re thankful that you have a license without having to go to school for umpteen years like a psychologist.

30. You work odd hours and wonder why others can’t also be as flexible, or why we have to be the only ones who work strange hours. (I will do anything I can to avoid working "odd" hours)

31. Despite the poor reputation of a social worker your job has you interacting with those in higher authority positions (lawyers, doctors, judges, state representatives, superintendents, directors, etc)…and they come looking for you in a panic when they need you…

32. You can make just about anything a client does into a strength.

33. You laugh at things “normal” people would be shocked by.

34. You constantly struggle with the work/life balance.

35. You find it hard to get babysitters as you don’t trust anyone with your children.
(don't want children)

36. You’re exhausted but you keep smiling!!
(in front of patients yes, in front of others no)

37. Hearing the worst news stories does not shock you in the least bit.

38. You think nothing of saying the words vagina, penis, or anus in a daily conversation

39. You assess your date (in your head) while out on a date just to see if they meet criteria for any DSM IV diagnosis.

40. Your mother tells people you are a psychiatrist or psychologist. For the umpteenth time, I’m a social worker.

41. Your significant other has learned that when someone greets you in public not to ask “who was that?”

42. You know the suicide crisis phone number, the food shelf and the community shelter phone numbers right off the top of your head

43. Your friends/family/acquaintances/co-workers will approach you with a “hypothetical problem” to help them with and you can’t charge them for your advice.

44. When people ask for your help, they expect you to have all the answers and solution to problems that do not even exist, immediately. We’re social workers…not magicians.

45. You know where to find “free” anything (clothes, food, equipment, transportation) but you are not eligible for any of them yourself.

46. You are considered an “expert” with financial assistance for your low-income individuals but you can’t keep your own checkbook balanced.

47. You have a file or a list posted in your office on “Stress Reducing Techniques.”

48. After a long week of solving other people’s problems, you recognize that you haven’t dealt with your own at home

49. You don’t know what “sick days” are and you call your vacation time “long mental health breaks” or “burn out prevention days”.

50. The clinical staff find the patient/family situation appalling and in urgent need of intervention and in your “social work” opinion, you don’t really think it’s all that bad. You’re pretty sure you’ve seen worse.

51. You love/loathe the idea of role-plays and know that they aren’t something perverted necessarily. (loathe role plays but yet everyone seems to think they are so effective)

52. You’ve found yourself in a group situation with other social workers discussing a super deep topic, and someone says that they’re happy that they were able to have the conversation with other people who “get it” and everyone immediately agrees.

53. You really do have the best gossip around, but have to make sure to remove any possible identifying information first.

54. You really know how to enjoy a good bottle of wine.