Dear New Social Workers
By Dr. Meagan Corrado
As I reflect on my years of practice as a social worker, there are several important lessons I havelearned. I am sharing some of them with you as you embark on your own professional journey.
Perfection is an illusion
I am telling you now that you will not be perfect. You will mess up. You will make mistakes.
Some of your mistakes will be small. Other mistakes will be big. Learn from them. And when
you mess up (because you will mess up), show yourself the same compassion that you show yourclients. Just as your clients are able to progress, grow, recover, and learn, you can too.
Remember that learning from your mistakes requires an attitude of openness andacknowledgement of the fact that we are all works in progress. And with this attitude ofopenness, you can explore your strengths and your weaknesses. You can identify the gaps inyour knowledge and skills. And after you have identified these gaps, you can come up with anaction plan to facilitate your personal and professional growth.
Change isn’t always linear
As social workers, we advocate for change at every level. Each of us have our own perspectives
about how the change process should look. Remember that change looks different for every
individual, community, and system. Sometimes change is a circle. Sometimes change is a line.
Sometimes change is a roller coaster. Sometimes we move backward before we can move
forward. Sometimes when we finally move, the movement is painstakingly slow. Don’t bediscouraged. Change takes time. And every client’s process is different.
Don’t open up doors that you can’t help people close
Many new social work graduates enter the field excited to put the theoretical concepts they havelearned into practice. Preserve this excitement. Remember this excitement. But also remember© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

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to be careful about the doors that you open in your work with clients. Sometimes in ourexcitement, we recklessly open doors. Doors to pain. Doors to adversity. Doors to secrets andexperiences that were hidden away for a reason. And we forget to help our clients close thedoors again before they leave our offices and reintegrate back into the “real world.” I want toencourage you to remember that helping clients open forbidden doors is only part of our task.
We also have to help them shut the doors so that they can continue to survive their current
environments.

Use accessible language
You have learned a lot of fancy words and terminology. Be proud of your expanded vocabulary
and your enhanced understanding of theoretical concepts. But also know where and when to use
these terms. Sometimes we use these fancy words to prove ourselves. I think it’s because associal workers, we often find ourselves fighting for respect. For a voice. For a seat at the table.
We are often in host settings where people don’t always understand what we do. And we want toprove that we are more than just kind-hearted, empathetic helpers. There is craft and skill
involved in what we do. But our use of fancy words and terms comes at a cost- the cost of our© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

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clients’ understanding. The cost of connection. The cost of clarity. As social workers, we haveto be conversant in multiple languages. In a single day, you will be called upon to assess anddiagnose, advocate, supervise, support, empathize. And each task you engage in may require
you to understand and use a different language. Sometimes our language will be professional
and proper. Other times it will be casual and conversational. Our roles require us to identify theappropriate language to use at the appropriate time in the appropriate context with theappropriate people. This enables us to connect and not alienate. Join with instead of against.
Some of the most powerful interventions don’t require words
In our educational programs, we learn about theories, interventions, and strategies. You will findyourself using all of these at given points in time in your professional career. But there will betimes when you find yourself pushing these academic interventions to the side to meet the person
where they are. At various points in your practice, you will find yourself sitting in silence.
Playing a game of Uno. Listening to music. Dribbling a basketball. Laying out an array of art
supplies and watching your clients create. In these moments, you will wonder if you are doing
enough. If these silent interventions- without fancy names or acronyms- are enough. They are.
Our clients have endured pain that has cut so deep that there are no words to describe what they
have been through. Sometimes they are looking for an intervention that has survived the scrutinyof IRBs and randomized control trials. And other times, they are looking for consistency, safety,and respect. In the silent moments you share with clients when you are not using one of theinterventions you learned about in social work school…in the silent moments when you arewondering whether or not what you are doing is enough…remember. It is. In the silent,
noncurated moments when we feel we are not doing anything, we may actually be doing
everything.
Take self-care seriously
Have you ever worked with a social worker or another helping professional who has a horrible
attitude? I know you have. We all have. When you see this and silently pass judgment on this© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

3colleague because of their cynicism, I want you to check yourself. Because one day, this could
be you. Most people do not enter the helping profession calloused and abrasive. Most people
enter the profession as you will enter the profession. Optimistic. Motivated. Energized.
Enthusiastic. And then after years of exposure to systemic failures, shattered hopes, ridiculously
large caseloads, and secondary trauma, they slowly but surely devolve into a state of selfpreservation, protecting themselves by putting up walls of hopelessness and skepticism. Whenyou encounter these colleagues, remember the importance of self-care. Self care is not aboutbubble baths and trips to the nail salon. Self care is about preserving your identity. By
intentionally incorporating reflective, rejuvenating, and expressive practices into your daily life
so that you do not lose your drive. Your empathy. Yourself.
Join with other helpers, not against them
You now have a unique skill set. This skill set will support you as you navigate a variety ofdifferent systems and provide support to a wide range of client populations. In the course of yourwork as a helper, you will encounter other individuals- teachers, grassroots organizers, mentors,coaches, invested family members. These individuals will probably not have a social work
degree. But their expertise will be invaluable. Work with these helpers, not against them.
Remember that although social workers represent a professional group of helpers, we are not theonly helpers. And some people will never step into our offices. They will never seek out ourservices. Or if they do, they may be hesitant to talk to us because of their preconceived notions
about who we are and what we do. But they will go to a teacher, a coach. A mentor. Truth betold, there are not enough social workers in the world to do the work that needs to be done tosupport traumatized, marginalized communities.
Winnicott- one of my favorite theorists and founders of object relations theory- speaks to this.
Winnicott provided support to youth who had been evacuated from London to the countrysideduring World War II. Many of these youth were placed in hostels and residential institutions.
Winnicott said, “Rather quickly I learned that the therapy was being done in the institution, by© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

4the walls and the roof...The therapy was being done by the cook, by the regularity of the arrivalof food on the table, by the warm enough and perhaps warmly colored bedspreads.”
I would like to take the liberty of adding to Winnicott’s reflections. Therapy is not confined to
the four walls of an outpatient mental health clinic. It’s not restricted to the services of socialworkers, counselors, or licensed clinicians. Therapy takes place on the basketball court and thefootball field. At dance practice and art class. In community centers. Churches and temples andmosques. On the laps of grandparents, aunties, and uncles. Therapy takes place wherever thereis safety, consistency, connection, and acceptance.
Everything is not for everyone
Your social work degree affords you the opportunity to work with a wide range of systems andclient populations. It allows you to work in hospitals, schools, homes, community centers,prisons, courthouses, and outpatient facilities. You can work with infants, children, teenagers,
young adults, and older adults. You can work with people experiencing complex trauma,
homelessness, domestic violence, mental illness, and medical challenges. As you navigate
through these systems to find your way as a social worker, you will find yourself excited andempowered in your work with particular systems and client populations. You will also findyourself feeling frustrated and disconnected in your work with others. In these moments, it isimportant to first engage in self-reflection. Figure out whether or not your responses are theresult of implicit bias or if you need additional education about the population or setting in whichyou are working. Consider whether or not you need to do your own internal work on a particularissue. And then after engaging in this reflection, remind yourself that everything is not foreveryone. It takes some time to identify which systems and populations bring out your strengths.
And when you find a job that doesn’t feel like it’s a good fit, don’t shame yourself. Because
everything is not for everyone.
Don’t be afraid to burn bridges if you have to, but don’t burn them unless you have to.

© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

5Social work education trains you to be critical thinkers, powerful advocates, fearless trailblazers.
Social workers are passionate. Evocative. Innovative. These are strengths inherent in ourprofession. It is important for us to remember that in the course of our work, we may have toburn some bridges. But we should only burn bridges if we have to. The helping profession issmall. If and when you choose to burn a bridge, also consider the potential implications of thebridges you have burned. Burning a bridge is a bold and permanent decision that may have
implications that impact you for the rest of your career. Burning a bridge may also leave you
voiceless and ostracized. And if you are voiceless and ostracized, so are the individuals andcommunities that you represent. Strategically advocate. Think about innovative ways to address
barriers. Creatively approach challenges. Consult with other social workers about alternative
advocacy efforts. And if all else fails and bridge-burning is the only viable solution. Don’t beafraid to do it. In some circumstances, this may be the only choice you have left. Just be careful
not to do it prematurely.
For every story of trauma, there is also a story of strength
You will hear a lot of stories. You will hear stories of adversity. Stories of terror. Stories ofdeprivation and neglect. Stories of betrayal. Stories of loss. These stories will change you.
But remember that for every story of trauma, there is also a story of strength. For every story of
someone falling down, there is a story of someone getting back up again. For every story ofdestruction, there is also a story of creativity. For every story of adversity, there is a story ofresilience. For every story of defeat, there is a story of empowerment. As you support clientsand systems through their most trying, overwhelming, and traumatic experiences, remember toalways look for the strength. This won’t be easy. And you have to train your eyes, adjust yourvision. But over time, this will come naturally to you. And you will see the strength everywhere
you look. You will see the destruction too- the trauma and the pain. But this will becounteracted by the strength and resilience that you see in every individual, family, group,community, and system.
© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

6You are the change
At various points in your career, you will notice problems- big problems. And you will wonder
how theses problems got to be so big. You will look around at colleagues and supervisors to see
if they see what you see. You will look to your agencies, administrators, and policymakers forsolutions. You will wait, and you will wonder if anything will get better. If anything willchange. And if so, who will make the changes happen. In these moments, I want you toremember that you are the change. And you can hope and wait for someone else to come alongfor however many weeks or months or years it may take. Or you can look in the mirror. Reflect
on your own skill set, experiences, insights. And you can enact the change yourself.
Recommended Resources
www.storiezguide.com
It’s Not You, It’s What Happened to You (Courtois)
Help for the Helper (Rothschild)
I Thought It Was Just Me (Brown)
Playing and Reality (Winnicott)Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin (Katherine)© Dr. Meagan Corradowww.storiezguide.com

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