Happy Social Work Month!

I spent the better part of a decade of my life believing that the sum total of social work was "the kids people.” In truth, I’d never met a social worker and had absolutely no clue what it even was that a social worker did. As is frequently the way of adulthood, I came to the profession in an unexpected and completely non-linear fashion. After finishing my Master of Fine Arts, I really wanted to work as a graduate assistant at Ohio University’s Survivor Advocacy Program. To obtain the position, I had to be enrolled in the social work program. It was then that a whole new world opened up for me.

In addition to the incredible work done by our Child Protective colleagues, I learned that social workers are:

-          Researchers

-          Learners

-          Educators

-          Case workers

-          Counselors

-          Grant writers

-          Program coordinators

-          Policy advisors

and most importantly, social workers are advocates. Over the past two years of my graduate program, one thing I have come to learn is that social workers are not superheroes.

I understand the comparison, because social workers are incredible, but hear me out. Being a social worker is not a feat of superhuman power or herculean strength; it is the intentional and consistent effort of folks who know exactly how hard it is to be where their clients are and choose to wage through the thick of it with them, so they don’t have to do it alone. It is not a solo effort, like in a superhero movie. It is a dedicated, daily act of coalition and community building, especially in rural social work where funding is scarce and resources are limited for our clients.

The thing I appreciate most about social work is the way it looks at societal problems through a systems-based approach. Not only do social workers come alongside individuals, but they also ask questions about the systems that create the difficulties people experience in their daily lives. This lens is non-stigmatizing and non-pathologizing. Even more importantly, this advocacy creates a society with more equitable access, where people do not have to experience these difficulties in the first place. Social work has got to be one of the only occupations where we work each and every day to put ourselves out of a job, ha.

I am so grateful to have landed in this field and want to take this time to thank social workers for setting an example of courage, persistence, and kindness each and every day. The work that we do can frequently be discouraging and under-resourced. Despite that, we are out there doing it, because we know that this work matters to people. We are not superheroes, protected by plot armor and looking suave in every scene. We may at times show up with puffy eyes and coffee jitters, doing so much with so little, but we always show up. We are world-changers. And that is something worth celebrating.

Mary Kate McElroy, MFA, SWT

Survivor Advocacy Program

Ohio University