World Social Work Day: March 27

Social Workers are being recognized at this time. March is Social Work Month and tomorrow is "World Social Work Day." (see National Association of Social Workers website, also title linked above.)

I am a retired clinical social worker, often described as a mental health counselor, or psychotherapist. I worked for a nonprofit agency; my clients were mostly adult women.
Other social workers are employed as discharge planners in hospitals, counselors in schools, advocates/caseworkers for abused and neglected children, community organizers, and even as elected officials. According to NASW,

There are over 170 social workers in national, state and local elected office, including two U.S. Senators and four U.S. Representatives. These include: Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY), and Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA).

The U.S. House of Representatives earlier this afternoon officially paid tribute to social workers through a couple of nice short speeches and House Resolution 266. Representatives Carol Shea-Porter (D-New Hampshire, with Bachelor's Degree in Social Services and Master's in Public Administration) and David Davis (R-Tennessee, who worked his way through school as a Respiratory Therapist) spoke warmly about the social work profession's varied work roles, professional credentials and contributions to their communities.

As a clinical social worker, I loved my work. I had opportunities to work with hundreds of very special clients who taught me much more than I taught them. I worked with women and men from all walks of life, and of all ages from teens to elders. As a volunteer I worked on community development, on mental health education and with homeless people. I came into the profession later in life, bringing my own life experiences with me on a wonderful journey.

Why not buy some Social Work Stamps as a way to say thanks to social workers you may know, or even those you've just heard about. They are still on sale at local Post Offices. You might also think about contacting one of the senators or representatives (linked in the list above) to thank them for what they do for all of us.

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My "creative post" today at Southwest Blogger is about oil.