March is dedicated to the people who devote their lives to helping others through the celebration of Social Work Month. According to socialworkers.org, social workers help millions of Americans navigate life’s challenges each day. Social workers work in many areas of our society—in hospitals, schools, social service agencies, libraries, and hospitals to name a few. Driven by empathy, social workers use their expertise to impact millions in profound ways. Their skills are needed now more than ever.
Compassion + Action
Each year to commemorate these hard-working individuals, a new theme is chosen to best represent how valuable a role social workers play in our day-to-day lives. This year’s theme is “Compassion + Action,” to commemorate the tremendous caring capacity social workers have and how they put that and their years of training to help others every day.
By The Numbers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 751,900 social workers in the workforce in 2
023, and they predict the job outlook for 2023 through 2033 will rise seven percent, which is faster than average. In addition to being naturally compassionate and helpful, social workers put a lot of time into their studies, typically needing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Some may even need a license, depending on the state in which they live and practice.
Clinical social workers are licensed mental health professionals who specialize in assessing, diagnosing, and treating mental health conditions, emotional disturbances, and behavioral issues in order for them to provide counseling and therapy services to individuals, couples, families, and groups. They not only need a master’s degree and a license from the state in which they practice, they also need supervised clinical experience.
The People Of NVFS
In order for Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) to provide the best possible counseling to the people who come to us for help, we have a number of clinical social workers on our staff.
With National Professional Social Work Month upon us, we took the opportunity to reach out to some of our dedicated staff members to find out what got them interested in social work and why they love the work they’re doing. Here’s what they had to say:
Avan
Avan is a Family Advocate with our Early Education Program. She provides case management for families with children enrolled in one of our child development centers by maintaining Family Partnership Agreements through individual meetings and home visits. She also supports parents in attaining their goals and achieving self-sufficiency.
Avan became a social worker because she received financial and emotional support from great social workers during the most difficult part of her family life.
“I love the small moments when I am able to connect with a family, seeing the family grow during our program, or hear later from them about the goal they accomplished or seeing them trust you.”
Jossy
Jossy is a Mental Health Counselor with our Violence Prevention & Intervention Program (VPIP). She provides mental health services for families with low incomes and initially got into social work because she loves helping people.
What does she love about being a social worker? “I get to meet new people and hear their stories about immigration, new beginnings, and trauma along the way. It’s truly inspiring how much trauma we can face and still be hopeful or help families find help.”
Kasie
Kasie is a Family Advocate with our Early Education Program. She works with families to increase self-sufficiency and helps strengthen their family units so the children are happy, healthy, and prepared for school. She became a social worker because she has always enjoyed helping people and feeling like she has made a difference.
She says she chose to work at NVFS because she was an intern with us while in school and thought it was a great agency that really cares about the community and their employees.
Roza
Roza is another Family Advocate with our Early Education Program. She became a social worker because of her passion to help others and make a positive impact on people’s lives, which she does every day. She works closely with families to assess their needs and connects them with community resources such as housing, food assistance, healthcare, and more. She also assists families in setting goals and providing support to ensure they have the tools they need to create a stable and nurturing environment for their children.
“What I love about being a social worker is the opportunity I have to make a difference with the clients we serve. Being able to build a meaningful relationship with my clients, witnessing their growth and resilience, and knowing I played a part in their journey is truly rewarding.”
Tanya
Tanya just recently earned her Master of Social Work degree while working as a Program Manager for NVFS’s Healthy Families program in Prince William and Loudoun counties. Although she has worked for several nonprofits in management and administration, she was drawn to earning her Master’s degree so she could engage with clients clinically and directly.
“In social work, we talk about the intersection of an individual’s identity factors. And there are also the rapid changes across technology, economics, and politics which add to the complexities of these human intersections. The impact of it all on the individual and the collective seems to be changing how we interact as humans. The ethical principles of social work respect the dignity and worth of the person and recognize the importance of human relationships. I love being a social worker because my personal values align with the values of the profession and NVFS, allowing me to work within my belief systems to support individual and family self-agency, empowerment, and participate in the effort to create healthy communities.”
Join Our Mission
NVFS is proud to salute our social workers, this month and every month, as well as all of our other staff members and volunteers who selflessly give to help others. If you’d like to find out how you can help, please reach out to us.