- Published: September 10, 2022
- Updated: September 10, 2022
- University / College: RMIT University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 24
Lashawna Young is a social worker currently working in a large hospital in Evansville, IN. It has been over 30 years since she has been in the field; she was still in high school when she started as a hospital volunteer.
Q. “ What is the nature of your work?”
Answer: “ My practice is more community-centered and since I work in a supervised clinical setting, my work primarily involves counseling and providing therapy to patients. As much as I deal with clinical procedures, I also occasionally serve as a liaison between the different departments in the hospital.”
Q. “ What are your job qualifications?”
Answer: “ My pursuit of a career in social work began with a Bachelor’s degree. After earning a BSSW degree, I studied for another two years to earn my MSW degree. It took me another 3 years until I got my license to work in a hospital setting. When I started working in the hospital, I had prior experience of working as a hospital volunteer, and now it has been more than 30 years since I have been working in this field.”
Q. “ What Client Population and Target Population do you serve?”
Answer: “ Since I am working as a social worker / counselor, I mostly come across hospitalized patients ranging from teenagers to adults, and even the elderly, who might be in need of counseling, because they do not realize they are suffering from depression, or they need to be recommended more health care after being discharged. Considering the nature of my work, I rarely come across children.”
Q. “ What is your method of delivering service (home visits, group therapy, office visits, etc)?”
Answer: “ As I’ve mentioned, I work in a hospital, so I provide counseling and therapy to patients in a clinical setting, within the hospital, and I rarely have to leave. The nature of my work does not include home or offices visits.”
Q. What is the funding source of your hospital?
Answer: “ The hospital I am working in is a government restructured hospital. So not only does the hospital generate its own income, but it also continues to receive a bulk of its funding from the government.”
Q. Why did you choose to enter this field?
Answer: “ As I said, I had started volunteering at this very hospital I am working at, at an early age. I always believed that I am a good listener and my current job essentially requires the ability to listen. Although after earning my Master’s degree I could have entered any area of social work, but I specifically chose to work in a hospital, in the clinical setting because I felt that it would allow me to directly interact with patients and make an immediate difference in their lives.”
Q. What degrees do you have?
Answer: “ I already told you that I have a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree in Social Work.”
Q. What is your preferred theory to use?
Answer: “ I have always been a fan of Carl Rogers, the psychologist, and since I consider myself so adept at listening to what others have to say, I prefer to use Client-Centered Therapy (CCT) when providing counseling and/or therapy to my patients. So my counseling sessions and therapies involve listening and trying to understand things from the client’s viewpoint.
Q. What are your roles and functions as defined by your job description?
Answer: “ Again, as a counseling social worker, my biggest role and function is to listen to what clients have to say. When having a counseling or therapeutic session, I have to be self-accepting and self-aware of the client. Since I have such a vast experience, I am required to use it to understand each case that I come across. I have to listen to, understand a client’s problems, and offer relevant advice.”
Q. What do you like most about your job?
Answer: “ You would probably hear a lot of social workers say that the thing they enjoy most about their job is being able to help people. While I also love that aspect of my job, but honestly, what I enjoy the most is being able to just listen and talk to people. My work allows me to gain an insight into people’s lives, their problems, and in return, I get to offer them good advice.”
Q. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Answer: “ As a counselor and therapist, I would say the most challenging aspect of my job is that at times we have to recommend things to our clients that they do not want for themselves yet. While listening to a patient is one thing, recommending and suggesting them to do something is not an easy endeavor. For instance, clients do not take it lightly when I have to recommend that they leave a bad relationship, or gain the courage to look for a new profession.”
Q. What is the salary range for this position?
Answer: “ Well, let’s just say I earn somewhere between $57, 000 and $74, 000 a year, which is the average salary for a social worker in a hospital setting, here in Evansville.
Q. Any other relevant information?
Answer: “ Well, I’d like to say, anyone who wants to become a social worker, especially work in a clinical setting like me, should have an open mind, be willing to listen, and be very, very patient. Despite its challenges, this profession is fulfilling and can be enjoyable too.”
