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MOTIVATIONS AND CONCERNS

Motivations and Concerns

Husnnah Hazrati

8658356

HSF 1057

Debashis Dutta

October 1, 2019
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MOTIVATIONS AND CONCERNS

I became attracted to the helping professions once I recognized how selfless

people in the that field really are. A lot of people forget to commend them for what for

they do. They sort of put their mental health on the line to help others, is how I see it. I

plan on addressing my motivations and concerns to better my understanding of what

social work is really about. I am motivated by the need to manifest my grandfather’s

kindness in my future career, the want to use my own experiences to empathize with

others, and impact people’s lives positively. My concerns are the political distain my

clients may display towards me, a client taking an interest in me romantically and

individuals who are overly demanding. I will also discuss how some of my motivations

and concerns could negatively affect my future career in social work.

Motivations

What drew me to social work was the influence of my grandfather (Corey &

Corey, 2016, pg. 4). I grew up with my grandparents for a lot of my life. I became so

accustomed to them being my caregivers as a child, I almost saw them as my own

parents. They cared for me when my mother could not, balancing three jobs and three

other kids as well. Whenever I grieve over the lack of effort my father put in to maintain

a relationship with me, I just remember that I was fortunate enough to have my grandpa

take the role of a father figure in my life, and I am more than thankful for that. He had so

much compassion and love for others, that I saw him as naïve and child-like, despite

everything he had been through in Afghanistan. My grandfather was also very left-

leaning and obtained many obtained many liberal morals and values; he was a socialist,

he believed in gender equality, and he believed in secularism (being a Shia Muslim

himself). A lot of those values I have adapted myself. Whenever I think about my future
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in social work whether that would be with families, children or people in need of mental

health assistance, I remember to always embody the kindness and compassion he had

for others (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 4).

A lot of my interest in social work derive from the struggles I have had with my

family (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 4). I definitely have a lot of empathy for families who

approach social workers for assistance because of what I have gone through (Corey &

Corey, 2016, pg. 5). I did not start living with my parents until I was in elementary

school, but I would stay with my grandparents over the weekend. I eventually requested

to move in with them, feeling more secure under the wings of my grandparents. My

mom and dad were always at each other’s throats, to the point where I would fear for

my mother’s safety at times. Eventually, my school found out about my parents’ fighting,

and we were sort of forced to undergo family counseling. We had a social worker come

over for checkups every week. I always look back at the certain exercises we were

subjected to, and even though I saw it as torment back then, I recognize that it has

actually helped my family in a way. Coming from an immigrant family, that has little to

no knowledge on mental health, family counseling was very eye-opening to me. My

family was actually talking about their issues rather than kicking them under the rug. I

also applaud the social worker’s bravery; I could not imagine how nerve-wracking it

must be to have to work with a family that have a totally different background, possibly

obtaining some old-fashioned views. Thankfully, my family is not as traditional and was

a lot more obliging than some of the families she most likely encounters on the daily. It

definitely impacted my career choice, wanting to work with others who have had similar

struggles to mine (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 4).

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I want to have a positive effect on people’s lives (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 3). I

have always been driven by people’s satisfaction in my work. I almost feed off making

others happy. Knowing that I have made someone’s day, strengthens my work ethic. I

think it is why I have come to enjoy customer service. Just being able to make an

impact on someone by the simplest actions has made me realize that I am more of a

people person than I thought despite how socially awkward I can be. I honestly enjoy

customers who vent to me about their day. It seems inconvenient, but I have always

been that shoulder for others to cry on. I am pretty reliable in that sense. If all they need

is a stranger willing to listen to their problems because they maybe do not have

anybody else, I am more than happy being an outlet for them to release their

frustrations to. Kindness and compassion are principles that I live by entirely. I want to

be remembered for that. I want to embody that with my future clients. While I realize I do

not have the power to change everybody, if I can help at least one person and improve

their life any way possible, that will mean the world to me (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 3).

Concerns

A concern of mine is politics interfering with my work (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg.

135). I am aware that I will encounter people who will refuse to cooperate with me

because I do not share the same struggles that they do. They will probably find it hard

trying to open up to me due to their preconceived notion that I do not understand what

they have gone through, therefore, who the hell am I trying to pry into their lives (Corey

& Corey, 2016, pg. 135). Individuals who face systematic oppression, whether that be

due to their race, sexuality, or class, may place me in the same category as the

oppressor because I am different from them (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 135). For
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example, I am an avid supporter of the gay and transgender community, but I have

learned as an ally, I cannot speak for them since I have not had the same experiences

as them, being a straight, cis-gendered woman. How do I not overstep my boundaries

as a social worker? I have accepted that, and even though I am not exactly prepared on

how to tackle that, being a person of colour myself, I understand that feeling very well.

What I fear the most is my race being used against me. If I have a client that perceives

me in a certain way because of my ethnic background; or views me as insufficient

because I am, what they consider, inferior, I do not know how to combat that without

feeling resentment towards them. I want to be comfortable with those type of people; I

want to know how to communicate with them.

The thought of a client falling in love with me absolutely terrifies me (Corey &

Corey, 2016, pg. 136). I am not an outspoken individual; in fact, I am quite the opposite.

I have a problem speaking up for myself, so when I am put in uncomfortable situations, I

never know how to respond. I am always afraid of offending someone even when they

are blatantly trying to make me squirm. I have dealt with a lot of overbearing customers

that are willing to flirt with me despite there being an obvious age difference, so what

would stop a client from doing so? I also suffer from low self-esteem about my physical

looks. I am completely oblivious whether a customer is just complimenting me or

objectifying me because I just take it as flattery. Some of what has been said to me can

be perceived as degrading, but because I have little to no confidence regarding my

appearance, I cannot help but overlook their advances, due to the constant validation I

seek from others. Simple flirtation does not compare to infatuation though. I have never
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dealt with stalkers or people have been attracted to me to an obsessive extent, so I do

not even know how I would approach the issue.

I am troubled by the thought of a client being excessively demanding (Corey &

Corey, 2016, pg. 136). I do not know how to take control of a situation where an

individual has overstepped their boundaries as a client and views me as a friend rather

than their social worker. I have a hard time simply saying no, so if a client requests to

extend the session times we have arranged, I would have a problem rejecting them

(Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 136). I also want to be able to enjoy my days off and the time

I have outside the workplace. I do not know what to do if the client asks to speak to me

or call me on those days. I fear that by declining certain demands of theirs, they would

start to distrust me (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 136). I would consider myself a

peacemaker, but with that title, comes a lot of appeasing which I have become

accustomed to doing. As a social worker, I cannot afford to fulfil every single order they

have because I could risk damaging them in the process. If I say yes to every single

need they have, they might just latch onto me and become entirely dependent on me

(Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 136). That would defeat my purpose entirely, considering I

am slowly trying to ween them off of me. I am afraid of taking charging in these types of

situations.

The Negative Impact

The complications I could endure by being motivated by my own trauma vary. By

working with others that share the similar problems that I have struggled with in the

past, I could actually risk worsening my mental health if I do not heal properly (Corey &

Corey, 2016, pg. 5). The skills and methods I chose to enforce whether that be with
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children, families or those seeking mental health assistance could be less effective if I

do not get proper treatment for myself. I could become blinded by empathy and start to

relate to my clients to the point where I grow an attachment to them. If I do not come to

terms with my own issues, I will not be able to serve people in need as a social worker. I

do not want to put my client’s life in danger because of my own emotional well-being

(Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 5).

My fear of political interference can negatively affect my pursuit in social work in

many ways. It is something that is very prevalent. Those who are hurt by the system will

project their frustrations onto me because they have assumed that I am profiting off their

struggles and their need for assistance (Corey & Corey, 2016, pg. 135). I do not know

how I could look past that and gain their trust. Knowing that I am nowhere near perfect

and have not had it easy at all may eliminate my desire to even work with them. As a

social worker, you have to put your ego aside and you have to fight back with kindness

and compassion. My sensitivity to those accusations will get in the way and put the

whole process to the hilt.

In order to tackle the obstacles I will have to face as a social worker, I need to get

proper treatment for my mental health. Most of my concerns are connected to my

mental health in some way or another. I want to be confident in my skills and qualities

as a social worker, but I do not think I would be able to obtain that in the current state

that I am in. I do not want distress to ensue from interacting with an overwhelming

amount of clients, so I plan on attending to my own needs as well. I want to look into

seeking actual mental health assistance, maybe through the college, before rushing into
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social work because I do not want to hurry into something so big that could impact the

lives of others if I am unsure whether or not I am prepared for it fully.

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References

Corey, M.S., & Corey, G. (2014). Becoming a Helper (7th ed.) Boston, United States:

Cengage Learning.