Introduction to Social Work: Personal Motivation and Practice Levels

This essay, written by a student, explores the motivations behind pursuing a degree in social work, detailing a personal experience that sparked the desire to help vulnerable individuals, particularly those struggling with alcohol addiction. The essay defines social work and human services, emphasizing their role in addressing social stressors and promoting positive change within society. It highlights the importance of quality service delivery, accessibility, accountability, and coordination. The student reflects on the purpose of social work in remediating systems and empowering individuals, using their experience as an alcohol counselor to illustrate the impact of social work on decision-making and improved relationships. The essay then discusses the three levels of social work practice: micro, mezzo, and macro, with the student identifying macro practice as the level that best aligns with their goals of effecting change on a broader scale. The student concludes by emphasizing the importance of respecting people's choices and rights, and their desire to make a greater impact within the field.

Introduction to Social Work 1
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK
By (student name):
Course:
Professor:
Institution:
Date:

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What led or motivated you to undertake a degree in social work?
Social work aspect encompasses offering services to the society in order to prevent,
remedy or improve quality of services, agencies or institutions established to help vulnerable in
society. The main aim of professionals in social work and human service profession is to
improve service delivery by ensuring quality, accessibility, accountability and proper
coordination techniques (Levenson, J., 2017). Desire to be a human service worker is a key
component for every professional in this career; one must be able to show patience,
understanding and care while dealing with a victim or employer. Since I was young, I have
always had the zeal to make a difference in my society by helping the vulnerable.
During my undergraduate study in University of Toronto Canada, I went through an
experience that prompted my desire to become a social worker. A bunch of my classmates
missed their end semester exams and we were left wondering where they could have gone and
what happened to them. Me and my friends decided to check on them in their places of
residence, we were shocked upon arrival. They were drunk and sleeping literally on the floor
with their shoes on. The house was untidy and stuffy, one of them had vomited on the floor and
their physical health and physiological well-being had started to deteriorate (Journal of Applied
Psychology, 2017). They were expelled and their careers ruined. I felt like there was need to help
my classmates and others who could be going through alcohol addiction.
The following year I managed to secure placement with human service department in the
university to study degree in social work. After completion of my studies, I volunteered to work
as alcohol counselor assistant with social service agency established by the university
management. I assisted in counseling and empowering students addicted to alcohol and other
drug abuse. Percentage of students dropping out of university due to alcoholism reduced

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tremendously and at that moment I felt my full potential had been put to practice. I was living
my dream of helping the vulnerable in the society.
How would you understand the purpose of social work or human services practice?
I believe social stressors people face in society are not only due to lack of intelligence
and awareness but also due to complex social, political and economic structures that influences
and shape behaviors, experiences and relationships. Social work and human services therefore
plays a major role in the society as the main objective is to promote change and mitigate bad
experiences (Pain, E., 2017). Social work help in remediation of systems, agencies and
institutions that are meant to help the vulnerable in society yet have been infiltrated by people
with personal interests and ill motives as social workers always advance changes in social
policing. Social work is always geared towards solving social problems in society, being an
alcohol counselor I feel like I have impacted lives of so many alcohol addicts in my society
especially the university students.
Social work has also contributed immensely in regard to social empowerment (Kelly, L.
and Jackson, S., 2011). Through human service programs that have been established by various
agencies in the society such as Children welfare, Home Health Aide, Crisis Intervention and
Community Outreach, vulnerable in the society have been empowered and their physical health
and psychological well-being have improved significantly. The social behavior of university
students changed positively and this made me feel like an agent of change. Decision making
model of addicts improve when they are engaged in therapy sessions (Ferrer, I., Lorenzetti, L.
and Shaw, J., 2019). After undergoing through counseling, alcoholic students changed their way
of lives. They developed better relationship with their classmates, lecturers and even their
parents, they concentrated more on their academics.

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How would you understand the relative importance of the various 'levels of practice'?
which level of practice resonate with your initial motive? Why might this be?
Social work practice is broken down into three levels of scopes of practice namely; micro
social practice, mezzo social practice and macro social practice (Farooqi, R., 2019). Micro social
practice involves working with the victim, his or her family members directly in the process of
offering social services to empower and effect change. For instance, clinical services, therapy
services or substance abuse counselling. Mezzo social practice involves working with small
groups of people to effect change. For instance, working with community organisation to
sensitize them on a particular social problem and steps they need to take to eradicate them.
Establishment of substance abuse and treatment groups are some examples.
Macro social practice on the other hand encompasses broader scale of intervention. It
involves addressing issues in micro social practice and mezzo social practice at a community or
national level. For instance, lobbying for a change in the country so that female genital
mutilation practices can be banned and abolished among the communities that practice it. Macro
social practice has been my main focus since the beginning of my career. I feel like it resonates
well with my objective of working as administrative officer sensitizing all alcohol addicts in our
entire country. Social work and human services experiences enable one to respect people’s
choices, rights and relationship (Greenslade, L., McAuliffe, D. and Chenoweth, L., 2014). It has
enables me to view life in a more positive perspective and therefore, I feel I can make even
greater impacts at macro level given the chance.

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References
Farooqi, R., 2019. Child-centred social work: theory and practice. Journal of Social Work
Practice, pp.1-4.
Ferrer, I., Lorenzetti, L. and Shaw, J., 2019. Podcasting for social justice: exploring the potential
of experiential and transformative teaching and learning through social work podcasts.
Social Work Education, pp.1-17.
Greenslade, L., McAuliffe, D. and Chenoweth, L., 2014. Social Workers' Experiences of Covert
Workplace Activism. Australian Social Work, 68(4), pp.422-437.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 2017. “An integrative formal model of motivation and decision
making: The MGPM*”: Correction to Ballard et al. (2016). 102(2), pp.235-235.
Kelly, L. and Jackson, S., 2011. Fit for Purpose? Post-Qualifying Social Work Education in
Child Protection in Scotland. Social Work Education, 30(5), pp.480-496.
Levenson, J., 2017. Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice. Social Work,.
Pain, E., 2017. Ph.D. students face significant mental health challenges. Science,.