There’s something to be said about the people who choose a profession dedicated to helping people in the most traumatizing moments of their lives…

By Hannah Barrett, Kindred Roots Intern Therapist, BSW, RSW

Since March is National Social Workers’ Month, I thought I would share a bit of my (admittedly biased) opinion on what makes social workers a great choice as your therapist. Being an student intern therapist on a team made up almost entirely of social workers has really opened my eyes to the amazing and varied capabilities of social workers as therapists, and not a single day goes by that I am not astounded and inspired by the social workers I get to look up to and the incredible work they do as therapists.

I have been a registered social worker since 2016 and have worked on many multidisciplinary teams with other professionals such as teachers, principals, psychologists, medical doctors, nurses, certified counselors… all bring a unique and valuable style of working with others to the table, and all contribute tirelessly to helping others, but there are a few things about social workers that really set us apart.

Commitment to social justice

Not only do social workers have an awareness of social context, but they can also recognize the problems within it. Social workers not only empathize with your social and emotional struggles, but they deeply care about the systems in place that may be perpetuating them. It is embedded within the actual ethical code of social workers that we are active advocates for social justice and changing oppressive systems that perpetuate problems for our clients, and we are trained in school to properly advocate for change and to empower you as our clients to do the same.

Holistic training

Social workers learn to work with a variety of different populations in a variety of different styles, whether it be with individuals, families, groups, or communities and are required to continue their education each year to sharpen their skills in working with diverse populations in the most effective, evidence-based ways available. Social workers—through their education and job opportunities-- have had the opportunity to learn from various social workers and/or other mental health professionals in different settings on the “front lines” and incorporate this learning into their style, ensuring that you as a client are getting the best information and interventions available.

Empowerment

As much as they love to continue connecting with and supporting you, social workers’ commitment to the empowerment of their clients ultimately has them working themselves out of a job: social workers not only want to support you in your healing in therapy, but are passionate about teaching you the tools to continue your healing outside of therapy, and ultimately having the skills to do your healing and coping without them. You’ll always be welcomed back to therapy. However, you’ll also be empowered to be the source of your own healing and to remember that you are capable of solving your problems!

Humour

There’s something to be said for choosing an entire profession dedicated to helping people in the most traumatizing moments of their lives… and that something is that the people who choose it must be unwell or have a wicked sense of humour to get through it.

Social workers have a special brand of dark, self-aware humour that comes with the territory of… well… having seen some things! A social worker is a great choice as a therapist if you’re worried that whatever you’re processing is ‘too much’— trust us, we’re already in therapy too, and we’ll talk to your grand-therapist about it if we need to.

So thank you to clients past, present, and future who recognize these and many other ways that social workers make unique and powerful therapists.

And thank you to all social workers, of all backgrounds, who are contributing to the therapy space and giving clients everywhere a richer, more diverse pool of incredible professionals to choose from.

SOCIAL WORKERS ON THE KINDRED ROOTS TEAM INCLUDE: ALLEGRA, CLAIRE, NICOLE, KRISTY, JESSICA, KELLY, ALI, AND THE AUTHOR HERSELF, HANNAH.
BASICALLY EVERYONE EXCEPT, RAYAN, WHO IS A PSYCHOLOGIST. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOCIAL WORK AND PSYCHOLOGY? THAT’S A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER POST.