Let’s Reset for 2022: Celebrating a New Year of Social Work

by Dr. Veronica L. Hardy, LCSW

     As social workers, we are constantly in a place of evolving and adjusting to the world around us. We reach career pivot points, are exposed to gaps in services that we want to fill, and we are often ready to place new ideas into action so we can better serve our communities. Daily, we build goals, objectives, and action steps across all levels of practice to promote the well-being of others and serve as change makers. As we evolve, we make decisions about the best version of ourselves that we want to be in those moments.

     Throughout 2021, we have seen #goals, #success, #motivation, and #inspiration on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other popular social networking sites. These hashtags were all about moving to the next level, focusing on a vision, and putting forth the effort to attain it. Well, we have reached the last week of 2021. Before this year reaches its end, let’s engage in a year-end review so we can make these last days full of success and inspiration as we enter a new year! As social workers, here are a few areas of reflection that may be helpful as you transition out of 2021 and into 2022.

Examine Your Narrative

     As we have learned throughout our social work courses, the narrative approach is grounded in the use of story to explore circumstances, identify themes, and realize how people make sense of their lives and the world in general. Assessing our experiences through the lens of story allows us to observe ourselves and realize the themes that have riddled our lives over the past year. Viewing our lives through the lens of story further enables us to uncover what we may not have seen before. You may currently use narrative in your daily life or as a part of self-care through journaling, writing poetry, or even vlogging—these methods capture your story. Creative expression through methods of communicating your story can be empowering. While you prepare to enter 2022, reflect over this past year of your life.

• If you were to describe this year to someone else, what would you say?
• What memories stand out from your social work career?
• Who was in your life as a support system?
• What major social work practice changes took place?
• How did you respond?
• In what ways did you cope with challenges in the workplace?
• What were your strengths?

Break Free From Comfort Zones

     A comfort zone is seen as a mentally and emotionally safe place. However, this place of safety may keep us repeating certain behaviors and hindering our growth. An article in The New Social Worker magazine titled Challenging Myself: Out of My Comfort Zone, by Kharoll-Ann Souffrant, focused on decision-making, self-doubt, and her reflective statement:

I have been taught that in life, in order to build your self-esteem and personal confidence, you must be ready to go out of your comfort zone. You must be ready to explore unusual roads and to challenge yourself with good choices, but less comfortable choices. It is the only way to improve and to get better. It is the best way to grow. And I want to be the best as possible.

     In preparing for 2022, are there ways you want to step out of your comfort zone as a social worker and into a growth mindset? In other words:

• What new goals, objectives, and action steps do you want to pursue within your social work career?
• What new social work knowledge would you like to learn?
• In what ways do you want to enhance your social work identity?

Create a Vision

     Solution-focused therapy was co-developed by social worker Insoo Kim Berg. This method was developed to focus on the future in a healthy, goal-oriented manner. A primary technique of solution-focused therapy is the miracle question. The YouTube video titled Insoo Kim Berg: The Miracle Question shows her in action explaining this technique. For example, imagine that you wake up tomorrow morning, it is 2022, and your social work career is all you have ever dreamed. What would that look like? Questions such as these help us to identify priorities and clarify where we are focusing our energy.

     The 2021 Social Work Month theme was Social Workers Are Essential. In other words, there are priorities we focus on and places we direct our energy that make social work important for the community. In considering this:

• What are your career plans for 2022?
• In what ways will you balance your career and personal life?
• What will be your career priorities?
• What ways will you engage in self-care so you can continue functioning in this essential role?

     As you enter 2022, be empowered by all you have learned from this past year. Explore your narrative to find your strengths, ways you have grown, and what you would like to build upon. Break free from comfort zones that may keep you stagnant. Create a vision for your career that will allow you to keep showing up as an essential professional across the world.

     Let’s celebrate social work as we enter 2022!

Dr. Veronica L. Hardy, LCSW, is a Professor of Social Work at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Dr. Hardy is a social justice advocate, professional consultant, author, and mentor to new social workers and junior faculty members. She is the creator of The Social Work Lounge, a mentorship group facilitated via Facebook.