Social Work: The Pebble In The Pond

You may have noticed that the therapists on our team have letters behind their names to reflect the education they have attained in order to become psychotherapists. Some are RP’s (Registered Psychotherapists), while others are RSW (Registered Social Workers). March is National Social Work Month, so let’s reflect on the social work profession and explore our “why”. 

Social workers enter the field with a strong desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The interesting thing about this is that although we work hard to have that positive impact on our clients, we rarely witness the end of their story because our work with our clients is but a moment in time within their lives. When we work with someone we provide therapy or support to help with a specific issue that is causing them pain and distress in their lives. The best-case scenario is that their distress is managed and they move forward with new skills that foster resilience. However, once our work with a client ends, we don’t often get the opportunity to hear from them months or years later and see how far they have come. 

Praise, or gratitude do not drive us in our desire to support. Yes, sometimes we think of our clients and wonder where they are now and have hope that they are thriving. Occasionally we run into our clients and receive a hug or a thank you for the impact we have had. That feels great! Although these interactions remind us of why we chose this path, we don’t use them to measure our worth as a social worker. Early on in our careers we learn that if we did that, we would burn out and perhaps leave the field. Success as a social worker is not measured by ticking boxes of successful outcomes or definitively knowing that our clients are “better”. 

What drives us is the desire to keep pushing forward alongside our clients, even when the road ahead seems daunting. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about what we do; it’s about who we are and the impact we leave on the world. Even though we don’t get to hear the long-term impact of our work together, we know that we have done our best to support people during the most difficult points in their lives, and in turn, we know our clients are stronger for it.

Whether it’s listening to a client's story or fostering growth and learning new skills, empathy drives our actions. We consider the ability to empathize and see the strengths in others as our gift. We leave every client interaction believing in them, and hoping that they believe in themselves. Our wish for them is that they will continue to find strength in the work we have done together far beyond the time we spent in therapy. In short, our greatest hope is the work we do is the pebble thrown into the pond. The ripples that come off of the pebble move outward, impacting the lives of our clients, their families and friends, and their interactions in the world. Knowing that our belief in the worth of each person, the wisdom they possess to know what they need and the ability to apply the lessons they have learned is what motivates us each and every day. That is why we chose this profession.