A Rewarding Social Work Career

by Phyllis M. Babrove, MSW, LCSW

     Since retiring as a school social worker in 2015, I have been able to reflect on my career. Although I started later in life, I worked in various capacities as a social worker for almost 20 years. My places of employment and roles included the Department of Children and Families in protective services, crisis counselor for a community mental health agency, assessment counselor for county court dependency cases, counselor in a diversion program, and school social worker. While I was working, I often thought about how different my roles were. But as I reflect on the positions I held, I realize that my job descriptions may have varied, but I had only one goal as a social worker. Whether the situation was to keep a child from being abused, to assist a family in a crisis situation, to help a child understand how detrimental a criminal record can be on the child's future, or to stress the importance of attending school and obtaining an education, I had one goal. That was to help my clients, students, and families make changes that would allow them to be successful in life.

     I realized after a couple of years that my success would not be measured by how many people I would be able to "save," but it was about empowering those who wanted a better life so they could reach their goals. So, yes, I consider myself a success. Referring a family to resources that would help ease a burden they were facing, enforcing the state truancy laws and holding parents accountable so they would send their children to school every day, or referring a family in crisis to the appropriate therapy programs to prevent a subsequent crisis - these were my successes. I don't have a specific situation or number that I can provide as to how many people benefited from me being in their lives. I don't need to attach a number to it for me to feel as though I was successful, because I know that I was.

     One of my greatest challenges was to become licensed, which I did. I am now working part time and providing supervision to social workers for licensure. I hope that my successes will assist them in having a career that they will be able to look back on someday and take pride in, as I do in mine.

Phyllis M. Babrove, MSW, LCSW, recently completed her first novel and is hoping to have it published. She enjoys spending time with her family and likes to travel to New England with her husband of 46 years.