I want very much to attain an MSW Degree from the University of XXXX to better prepare myself to continue my career as a mental health and substance abuse specialist in greater Washington XXXX. This will help me to achieve my long-term goal of some group homes for the mentally ill and mildly mentally retarded persons.
I am currently employed as a family support worker in Washington DC, for a community-based organization, servicing and strengthening families through outreach. I assist them with finding housing, employment, developing parenting skills and coping in creative and effective ways with their mental health related issues, especially substance abuse. I do home visits and I also work with youth who are aging out of the foster care system, helping them to successfully integrate into the community and find and keep employment and affordable housing.
I have also worked as a case manager for seniors, helping them to attain the services that they need to be able to remain at home and avoid nursing home placement. Throughout my many years as a social worker, I have always struggled mightily to do all I can for my clients and to always make ethical decisions. I have also worked as a therapist in youth detention facilities, conducted anger management groups, and provided substance abuse education for incarcerated youths both male and female. I have worked as a probation officer preparing sentence investigation reports to assist the courts in sentencing dispositions, and as a parole officer.
At 56, I am far from a traditional student, yet I feel strongly that my vast experience will enable me to make a valuable contribution to your program and to enhance our celebration of diversity. I am a Black woman, and this is important to my identity as a social worker. My gifts include serving as a role model, especially for Black women, and an example of how we as Black people need to take responsibility for our own and help each other out as a minority community. I often feel most effective as a social worker when I am assigned to work with Black clients, especially women.
Contribution to my community is my primary concern in life. I see a tremendous need for new and improved social service programs and access to information in the community, so that people are not lost in the system and failed by our society. I see people slip through the cracks of our system every day and this pains me, especially in the case of young people. I ask for the opportunity to spend the balance of my professional life helping to improve our interconnected system of community service, making it more effective for those most in need of our services.
I admire the University of XXXX and will feel enormously privileged and grateful if you help me to fulfill my lifelong dream of obtaining a graduate degree in my field. I look forward to using the knowledge and skills that I will develop in your program to help individuals and families better navigate the system. I look forward to learning how to better help people thrive and contribute to our community through participation in specialized educational programs and job skill development. I want to learn how to best assist my clients in the referral process and obtaining needed services based on the unique needs of each individual and family, especially affordable housing. Of singular importance in this regard will be helping youth avoid the criminal justice system, wasting their lives in jail, and being a burden rather than a contribution to our society.
MSW FAMILY Welfare Personal Purpose Statement