Lifelong Learning of a Social Worker by Isley

Lifelong Learning of a Social Worker by Isley - September 2018 Scholarship Essay

Social workers are agents of change. A requirement of social work is the continuation of learning throughout one’s lifetime. I pride myself in being a social worker, the person who helps others overcome adversity. The only way to be successful and effective is to continue to learn from those around me. Every individual, situation, and case are different from one another.
Social workers are required to obtain an amount of credits from classes, lectures, and events in lifelong learning. I plan to be learning, in 25 years, from attending lectures about successful, new techniques and interventions for counseling. For example, East Carolina University offers lecture series during the academic year. Students, professors and professionals can attend a lecture every month, about different topics that can be utilized in practice. An example, this month the lecture is on Play Therapy. Attending these lectures will help build my knowledge and enhance interventions I put in place for my clients.
Furthermore, I hope to mentor new scholars who will in turn teach me new ways of thinking and practice. A social worker will never know everything, we must be open minded to other professionals in various fields. We work in teams to help individuals and families overcome their issues; we learn about a client’s lifestyle, history, family, and problems they are going through. We learn how to best aid these individuals and provide them with resources to help them overcome their struggles. We learn the tragedies people go through, the hardships they face, and the determination they have to defy the odds.