Social Work Is Life, Life Is Social Work - Poetry
by Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty
Social work is not just a profession
It’s a way of life, a way of being, a way of thinking
It’s a thought process, it’s the reaction that requires action
It’s a person called to respond to injustice not just a feeling
It’s the student looking for more than the headline news
It’s the educator instilling character values
It’s the administrator upholding values of ethics, justice, and self-determination
It's the responsibility to do something in disaster and uprising
It is the call to change and advocate against wrong
It’s the person who knows there is more to life than hatred, revenge, and suffering
It’s the professional telling the story of those unheard voices
It’s the decision to help reduce the carnage
It’s the mental health professional helping to silence the story of pain from many sources
My dear people, social work is not just a major in some college
It’s a decision to stand up
It’s a decision to listen
It’s a decision to rise up
It’s the plan to help others author a new ending
It’s the counselor choosing to help children escape gun violence in their schools
It’s the worker choosing to create programs for bullies
It’s the worker organizing food in pantries
It’s the worker choosing to use a theory lens to understand the client in their office
Move them through the stages of change, as they explore problem, history, environment, goals, and strengths
Social work is more than the sum of its parts,
It's more than the ecomap
It's more than strengths
It's more than responding to conflict, roles, childhood, power, and rap
It’s a people, a profession, art, a skill set, a way of life
Social work is life, life is social work
We are social work; our stories form grounds for our relevance,
The seeping pain of our clients fuels our work
We are the intermediaries between big government and grassroots
We create bridges for systemic change to occur
Social workers make change, call for change, and are the change
Social work helps co-author endings
Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty is a student-centered researcher and educator at Indiana University in the School of Social Work.