MSW personal statement conundrum

[kestrelcry]

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I'm applying to clinical MSW programs (Smith, NYU, Hunter, and BC) with the intention of becoming a LMSW/LCMSW what-have-you and doing couples counseling. I've done quite a bit of research on credentials and feel that an MSW would be the wisest option. I realize I'll probably have to acquire more specific couples-focused training afterwards as well, and have plans to do so.
The issue I'm having is with my personal statement. The schools all want to know about one's social work goals, why one is interested in social work, social justice interests, etc. Well, I'm really only interested in private practice. I've worked in community mental health and community/agency practice is not what I hope to do in the long term. I feel like my goals aren't what programs are looking for, but I know that LMSWs do couples work. Are my assumptions about what schools are looking for incorrect? Or, do I need to focus on something else in my essays?

 

[thepsychgeek]

The schools you've listed are heavily based in preparing you for clinical work (which LMSWs do). Or at least, their reputations are (Smith in particular). I'd say be honest, and explain what it is you want to do. You're interested in doing social work because you want to work with couples in a private practice. And there has to be some social justice issue out there for you to talk about- it doesn't necessarily have to be something you plan to spend the rest of your life doing, just something that interests you and that you have a vested interest in seeing worked out.

Does that make any sense?

 

[pingouin]

I would suggest that, despite the fact that you have an idea of what you want to do after graduation, you realize that if you get a MSW you will always be a social worker FIRST, and a specific job description second. You need to be able to say why you want to be a social worker, not a couples therapist. People change their minds all the time about what they want to do after they get into school.

 

[kestrelcry]

The schools you've listed are heavily based in preparing you for clinical work (which LMSWs do). Or at least, their reputations are (Smith in particular). I'd say be honest, and explain what it is you want to do. You're interested in doing social work because you want to work with couples in a private practice. And there has to be some social justice issue out there for you to talk about- it doesn't necessarily have to be something you plan to spend the rest of your life doing, just something that interests you and that you have a vested interest in seeing worked out.

Does that make any sense?

Thank you; that does make sense, and makes the social issue essay a lot easier to do.

I would suggest that, despite the fact that you have an idea of what you want to do after graduation, you realize that if you get a MSW you will always be a social worker FIRST, and a specific job description second. You need to be able to say why you want to be a social worker, not a couples therapist. People change their minds all the time about what they want to do after they get into school.

Awesome - I was actually about to PM you to get your input as well. Thanks for responding to the thread.
See that's the problem - I really don't want to do social work(per my view of what social work is). I worked for a mental health agency for years and I have no interest in working in/for the system again. I have huge respect for everyone who is able to make that their career, and I know that I am not one of those people.
I mean, I'd do what I had to do to make money while getting a private practice up off the ground, but I'd really be going to school for the degree, so I can do what I want to do, which is couples. It's been my practice interest ever since college, and that was quite a while ago. I'm applying for an MSW over another MA because it's more flexible and better licensure/insurance options and I'll have more opportunities, not because I want to do social work.
I'm also aware that because of my work history, I may have a skewed and narrow idea of what social work is. The bottom line though, is that couples work is my population of interest. I'm passionate about it and I've gotten relevant experience in the past year or so to confirm that.
This is why I'm having such a hard time with the essay. I want to just be upfront about my goals like Psychgeek suggests, and I'm also really concerned that what I want to do won't qualify as 'social worker' and that writing about it will kill my chances.

 

[2BeAProfessor]

Think about this, SOCIAL WORK is EXTREMELY BROAD.
People go into private practice/public service/voluntary services in their free time/ (sometimes ppl. who volunteer a lot call themselves as social workers as well - in India you don't need a certificate to be a social worker - that's my understanding), social workers work for private corporations as well as that relates a lot to better productivity and better results within the organization.

Over the years, you can even become a counseling center director, and you won't be looked down upon even though u have a MSW. You can also work in the VA.

Now that you have the above mentioned options laid out for you, note that your prior service in the mental health agency in the community areas counts A LOT in your application to the MSW school - that speaks volumes that your worked there for SO LONG!

It appears that what you're doing when thinking about the personal statement is very similar to the conundrum that I was in when considering the personal statements of the programs that I was applying to.
Only after getting away from it for a while, have I understood that people choose social work for "ALL" sorts of reasons INCLUDING Private Practice.

Remember how the SAT or the GRE is to weed out people who don't want to put in any effort at all and reduce the number of applications to consider? - Similarly, the essay and the questions posed in the essay work in much of the same way
- they just don't want you to consider human services as a huge money making game and come in with a detached attitude of learning the material to go make money

Also, once you graduate you are going to need supervision hours and I believe the hours will vary depending on which state you are in - so consider the work environment straight up when you graduate - you are going to be "paying your dues" - keep that in focus when writing your social work statement.....

Give your view on socia justice - don't attempt to be overly idealistic - specify what you feel about it, what you feel it should be like, and in reality, how you can "contribute" to improving the world around you - after all - gandhi did say - be the change you wish to see...

hope that helps!

 

[pingouin]

See that's the problem - I really don't want to do social work(per my view of what social work is). I worked for a mental health agency for years and I have no interest in working in/for the system again. I have huge respect for everyone who is able to make that their career, and I know that I am not one of those people.
I mean, I'd do what I had to do to make money while getting a private practice up off the ground, but I'd really be going to school for the degree, so I can do what I want to do, which is couples. It's been my practice interest ever since college, and that was quite a while ago. I'm applying for an MSW over another MA because it's more flexible and better licensure/insurance options and I'll have more opportunities, not because I want to do social work.
I'm also aware that because of my work history, I may have a skewed and narrow idea of what social work is. The bottom line though, is that couples work is my population of interest. I'm passionate about it and I've gotten relevant experience in the past year or so to confirm that.
This is why I'm having such a hard time with the essay. I want to just be upfront about my goals like Psychgeek suggests, and I'm also really concerned that what I want to do won't qualify as 'social worker' and that writing about it will kill my chances.

The schools' priorities will not be graduating couples counselors. It will be graduating social workers, some of whom may train in couples counseling. So if you're pretty sure of what you want to do, that's fine, but they need to hear why you want the MSW to do it. (And "it's more flexible" probably isn't going to fly very far.)

So before you write your PS, I'd recommend taking a peek at the 6 core values of social work (go to www.socialworkers.org, and I believe it is the preface to the Code of Ethics) and think about a) what within those values appeal to you and b) how you think you could apply them in your practice, whether it's doing couples counseling or something else.

Honestly, if you want to do a masters to do couples counseling and nothing but? I'd go MFT.

(Then again, as established a while ago, I'd rather gouge my eyeballs repeatedly than do couples counseling. But that's just me.)

 

[kestrelcry]

So before you write your PS, I'd recommend taking a peek at the 6 core values of social work (go to www.socialworkers.org, and I believe it is the preface to the Code of Ethics) and think about a) what within those values appeal to you and b) how you think you could apply them in your practice, whether it's doing couples counseling or something else.

Honestly, if you want to do a masters to do couples counseling and nothing but? I'd go MFT.

(Then again, as established a while ago, I'd rather gouge my eyeballs repeatedly than do couples counseling. But that's just me.)

Thank you! Those core values were really helpful! Totally the key I needed.
I thought about an MFT, but it seems it's the most limited in terms of licensing, etc. Ah pragmatism.

 

[doubleyou]

Without writing your personal statement for you, Social Workers tend to want to change things. If you look at the history of Social Work (Jane Adams etc.) you'll see that its filled with people that want to change things and be a voice for populations that tend to be marginalized. Schools are looking for student who feel "called" to this profession in order to change things for people for the better. I would review the NASW code of ethics and mission statements. It gives you an idea of what Social Work as a profession stands for...and you can be admissions boards are looking for those qualities.

That being said, be honest. If you really don't care about starving kids in Africa don't say you do, but 2 key themes you want want to get across is that you feel you have a calling, and you that you want to be an agent of change.

 

[polomaguti]

If you don't want to do social work - that will come across in your essays very clearly. If you say you want to do couple's therapy and private practice, they will reject you. It's the cardinal sin of applying to MSW programs. And if you ask why they rejected you, they'll tell you that you applied to the wrong program, and you need to look at clinical psych. or MFT programs.

MSW programs want your LCSW to be used to help those with serious and persistent mental illnesses, people who make up one of our society's most marginalized and stigmatized populations - that is what social work is about, and they will not accept someone who is not intereste din that. They don't want to see your LCSW used to help a WASP couple from Connecticut.

 

[kestrelcry]

If you don't want to do social work - that will come across in your essays very clearly. If you say you want to do couple's therapy and private practice, they will reject you. It's the cardinal sin of applying to MSW programs. And if you ask why they rejected you, they'll tell you that you applied to the wrong program, and you need to look at clinical psych. or MFT programs.

MSW programs want your LCSW to be used to help those with serious and persistent mental illnesses, people who make up one of our society's most marginalized and stigmatized populations - that is what social work is about, and they will not accept someone who is not intereste din that. They don't want to see your LCSW used to help a WASP couple from Connecticut.

For the benefit of anyone else reading this thread who gets panicked by this. I just spoke to admission at Smith College, Boston College, and NYU, and this is not the case at those three schools. Just three schools that I picked totally at random. 😉 It's actually quite common for people who want to go into private practice to apply to those schools, and they encourage it. I don't know why I didn't call and just straight up ask before; I feel much better about the whole thing now. Any other schools I don't know about, although I'll get back to you later on Hunter College.

 

[michalita]

They don't want to see your LCSW used to help a WASP couple from Connecticut.

Well, that depends... Perhaps the Caucasian couple from CT has domestic violence issues, or one or more partners comes from an abusive past, or they are dealing with complicated grief, or one partner is completely emotionally unavailable to the other, or there's a child involved... And not all Caucasian Anglo-Saxon Protestants from CT are well off. Just as we shouldn't label and assume about the more marginalized populations, do not judge books by their cover or people by their ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds. 😱

 

[michalita]

For the benefit of anyone else reading this thread who gets panicked by this. I just spoke to admission at Smith College, Boston College, and NYU, and this is not the case at those three schools. Just three schools that I picked totally at random. 😉 It's actually quite common for people who want to go into private practice to apply to those schools, and they encourage it. I don't know why I didn't call and just straight up ask before; I feel much better about the whole thing now. Any other schools I don't know about, although I'll get back to you later on Hunter College.

As others have said, I suggest you keep an open mind as you go through the program. I hope you have some experiences that are different from your current background to give you a broader view of social work and what it means to be a social worker. I'm all for living your dream, but you just never know if that dream might change.

PS. I too hope to have a private practice in my future someday but will first have to navigate agencies or residentials or hospitals (I'm a bit hooked on hospitals) before I can make that happen. Thanks for being brave and bringing up this subject as you may get the message from professors and others that private practice is evil and not social work in its purest form, etc...