Explore career opportunities in social work at LifeWorks NW!
March is Social Work Month, a perfect time to spotlight the lifesaving work done by LifeWorks NW social workers. According to the National Association of Social Workers, there were more than 715,000 social workers in the United States in 2020. Their role is to “assist people by helping them cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationships, and solve personal and family problems.” This broad definition takes many forms at LifeWorks NW, and we’re seizing the opportunity to celebrate the varied and critical work of our social workers across the organization.
“Compassion + Action” is this year’s theme. Tina Kilton, LCSW, Clinical Supervisor of the Washington County Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team, embraces that combination.
“Our work is all about compassion in ACTion” she says, highlighting the ACT acronym in her team’s name. “Our clients are faced with systemic barriers, stigma, and, at times, they have no one else.”
“In the midst of their situations, we get to meet them with compassion,” she adds. "We show up wherever the client may be in the county, listen to them, show them kindness, and make a plan."
The plan is crucial. Different aspects can be as immediate as finding a hot meal or as far-reaching as nailing down a correct diagnosis and establishing treatment.
Addressing the whole person
Tina highlights the holistic approach of LifeWorks NW social workers.
“You have to address the whole person to truly support their recovery. If a client is in recovery but doesn't have housing and is dealing with health problems, while not taking their medications for their mental illness, the chance of relapse is high,” she says. “Social workers have the chance to use their skills to intervene and possibly avoid clients’ turning back to substances.”
Compassion to connect
For Angela M. Abousamra, CSWA, LMSW, Adult Outpatient Clinical Supervisor, the Compassion+Action theme also resonates strongly.
“It's everything I have been striving to do since I first started my journey into becoming a social worker. Having the compassion to truly connect to those who are in need - whether it's for emotional support, or a new skill, or a different perspective, or even to just work on getting a basic need plus finding ways to get them connected to those needs - is what is engrained in me,” says Angela "I do this every day with LifeWorks NW.”
Compassion+Action as self-care
Social workers who prioritize their own wellbeing are able to keep showing up for the tough but rewarding daily tasks of changing lives for the better. They show compassion toward themselves and their coworkers every day.
Tina embraces these ideals. “We know this work can lead to high rates of burnout, compassion fatigue, and turnover, which impacts staff's ability to do the work,” she explains. “I work daily to prioritize the staff's wellbeing by checking in with them, making sure they are supported, heard, taking breaks, and empowered to their job. I work to create a safe space for them to express their needs and to address them.”
Social work changes systems
Beyond their day-to-day efforts to create better lives, Tina points out that social workers as a community can be the catalyst for positive change.
“Social workers are able to advocate for change,” says Tina. “This could include the creation of dual diagnosis programs, policy changes, social justice issues, or other concerns impacting vulnerable populations.”
“We sound like we have superpowers,” says Angela. “And sometimes I see other social workers around me and yes, I really do think they do!”
