The challenges of social work

BY EMILY MACARTHUR, RSW

When I tell people I’m a social worker I am sometimes met with strange reactions. When I told people that I was going to school for social work, I was met with criticism and sometimes negativity. Although the career of social work has its challenges, I feel like there is a lot of misconception in the public about what those challenges are.

I preface this with sharing that I am a new social worker. As well, the profession of social work has a diverse and broad range of fields to work within and each come with their unique set of challenges. I am speaking solely from my own experience.

Often, people assume that clients are the most challenging aspect of the work. While sometimes clients may be challenging, in my experience the real challenge is working with limited resources, and within oppressive systems rooted in colonization, heteronormativity, and patriarchal values.

It is also important to note that when there are challenges with the people with which we work, it is usually much more complicated than we can ever understand at face value. They may have a distrust of systems because of past experiences, they may be struggling with their mental health, or we may fail to recognize how our approach is playing a role.

The most difficult parts of my career have been related to the feelings of helplessness that tends to accompany the lack of services. When people are crying out for help and there is no one to hear their cries. When they are stigmatized because of the judgement of their identity or lived experiences. When they are retraumatized by systems that were intended to help the most vulnerable, but instead patronize or punish them for reaching out for support.

These experiences as a social worker have been challenging, humbling, and enlightening. I am constantly reminded of the importance of navigating privilege and power dynamics. My practice has become rooted in the concept that people are the experts of their own lives, and it is a privilege for me to walk alongside them if they so choose.

The people with whom we work do not owe us anything, and our role as social workers is not to “save” or “fix” someone. Rather, it is more about “fixing” oppressive systems.

While I deeply value front line work and supporting individuals and families, a big component of social work is done at the macro-level. If there is no engagement in societal change, we as social workers overlook a crucial aspect of the profession. A commitment to social justice is one of the overarching values as described in the Code of Ethics which guides our practice.

While the notion of societal change can be daunting or overwhelming, I feel that it also sustains us and promotes resiliency. Scrolling through social feeds or consuming news media can be significantly disheartening. Community engagement has taken on many forms for me such as joining boards and committees, attending rallies and protests, attending professional development opportunities, and volunteering for causes about which I’m passionate. These activities have allowed me the opportunity to align myself with people holding similar values, learn more about causes I care about, and devote energy to important issues in my community. In many ways, social action has become a crucial aspect to my self-care practice and an important strategy in approaching some of the challenges I faced within the field.

One of my BSW professors once described the practice of social work as walking a tight rope. The more I immerse myself in the profession, the more this analogy rings true. Everything is about balance.

As a social worker, I am constantly unraveling my privilege without taking the focus away from the person or group I’m working with. I am challenging systemic systems, advocating for community change, and engaging in social action without burning bridges. I am constantly working to establish and maintain personal and professional boundaries, and ensuring that I take care of myself while still practicing a commitment to the profession. As a social worker, I can feel myself constantly inching across a thin, suspended tightrope. Sometimes I am wobbly and shaky, sometimes I may even fall down, but with each step, however small, I feel so fulfilled and accomplished.

It is an amazing thing to have the privilege and opportunity to practice in a profession in which you can find such meaning and purpose. I welcome the challenges because they force me to take initiative, step out of my comfort zone, and encourage me to seek creative and innovative solutions. Although navigating a tightrope can be tricky sometimes, I couldn’t imagine working in any other career field. I am so grateful for the opportunities this profession has afforded me, and I look forward to continuing to venture, step by step, across the tightrope that is social work.

EMILY MACARTHUR is a social worker and writer who lives in Cape Breton. An earlier version of this article was previously published as a post on her blog, where she writes about happiness, feminism, body positivity, social issues, and mental health. You can read more of her words at emilymacarthur.wordpress.com.