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Management versus Therapy
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Social Workers Do More May 2001 Interns Jason Swain and Jeannine Guarino are in a masters of social work program at the University of California at Berkeley. The Dragon asked them what interested them in social work.
Guarino: “There are certain things you need to
have in place before the therapy road will benefit someone. Our clients
are typically very disenfranchised and come from families where there
have been generations of dysfunctionality. So therapy might be only one
small part of getting clients to have some modicum of functionality....It
is much more exciting, and instantly gratifying, to get a person housing,
for example, as opposed to some long-term theoretical goal.” Guarino: “I’m committed to bettering the community. A lot of psychologists are willing to work with people with lesser problems and higher means, and that is fine for them, but personally I want to start at the lower level, because that is where there is the greater need.” Swain: “When you look at a two-tier health care system there is satisfaction in knowing that you are working with the lower tier, offering care to people that might not otherwise have access to professional care.”
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Swain:
“I like the flexibility of social work as opposed to counseling.
You get to do more things. Therapy seems a little too myopic. You focus
on the session and what is going on in the room. In social work you work
with what exists outside the room. Social work teaches you a lot more
ways to see a client. You can work with them from a social perspective
and make use of a network of referrals. How effective is therapy for people
who are homeless, for example?”