Beginnings, Middles, & Ends: Sideways Stories on the Art & Soul of Social Work

by Ogden W. Rogers

A sideways story is some moment in life when you thought you were doing one thing, but you ended up learning another. A sideways story can also be a poem, or prose, that, because of the way it is written, may not be all that direct in its meaning. What’s nice about both clouds, and art, is that you can look at them and just resonate. That can be good for both the heart and the mind.

Many of the moments of this book have grown from experiences the author has had or stories he used in his lectures with students or told in his office with clients. Some of them have grown from essays written for others, for personal or professional reasons. They are moments on a path through the discovery of social work, a journey of beginnings, middles, and ends.

With just the right blend of humor and candor, each of these stories contains nuggets of wisdom that you will not find in a traditional textbook. They capture the essence and the art and soul of social work. In a world rushed with the illusion of technique and rank empiricism, it is the author’s hope that some of the things here might make some moment in your thinking or feeling grow as a social worker. If they provoke a smile, or a tear, or a critical question, it’s worth it. Everyone makes a different journey in a life of social work. These stories are one social worker’s travelogue along the way.

Genres: Social Work, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2013

About the author

Ogden W. Rogers, Ph.D., LCSW, ACSW, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work at The University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has been a clinician, consultant, educator, and storyteller. Dr. Rogers began his social work career in community and adult psychiatry in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He’s worked in emergency and critical-care medicine, disaster mental health, and mental health program delivery and evaluation in both public and private auspices.

When asked about how he got involved with making a career in social work, he smiled and said, “That reminds me of a story....”

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginnings are filled with anticipation and hope. Ends are filled with the acuity of pain or joy, and memory. Middles, on the other hand, are duller places. Calms in the ocean of stormy relationships and problems. There is a familiarity.

3.5 stars. I'd had this book on my radar for years--since I finished my BSW, more or less. And while I'm not a hospital social worker (though I wanted to be one so desperately for a time) or in private practice, I found these stories to be wonderful reminders of the power of social work. Some stories were better than others, but there was such tenderness in many of the stories that reminded me of why I do this work (even though my work is so vastly different than what is outlined). The stories read like case studies of social work and maybe that's good or maybe that's bad, but regardless, they provide insight on the power of the profession.

Here is a place for the social worker. We are the people of the middles.

[BunnySuicides · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished it while writing 5 essays, a dissertation proposal and wondering why am I doing this course. Thank you Mr Rogers for reminding me.

#readathon18 [8/13] ~ [Ένα βιβλίο που θα διαβάσετε σε ebook]

[Paulette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fucking hated it. Absolute Garbage. I honestly can’t believe this guy calls himself a social worker.

He obviously did social work back in the 80s when there were no boundaries or professionalism. The amount of times I was horrified reading about his lack of boundaries and working outside his scope of practice is so problematic.

There are a few good stories where he made connections with people but that’s about it.

I’m disappointed some people are reviewing it as heartfelt and “truly connected to the calling of social work” as if we don’t have ethical boundaries to uphold. If you do social work like this guy I hope you have great malpractice insurance!!

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a series of essays detailing beginnings, middles, and ends throughout the author's life and career. We read about the author's new role as a father to the deaths of clients. As a fellow social worker, it was interesting reading about the experiences of one who worked in hospitals and with the Red Cross. The essays in each section do not seem to follow an order, but they still made for nice reads.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book describing the actual beginnings of client experiences, middle of the experiences and the ends of the relationships we have with clients, students etc in social work. I come back to this book often when I begin to feel compassion fatigue. It is so rich and validating

[Fawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this during grad school, skimmed it and liked what I read. I was able to spend more time with this short book during this go around. These really are sideways stories but all with a blatant connection or kernel of truth related to social work. Rogers is clearly an old-school social worker, evident through his writing and choice of language in some of these essays, some of which I found problematic. I skipped the section written about his mentor for a variety of reasons but ultimately found this to be a heartfelt book that resonated in many ways. The shocking, the banal, the tedious, and the little victories are reminders of why this work is so important. Social workers are not magic, they are just very good at living in the grey and really seeing people.

[Valarie Ikemoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a recent MSW graduate, I find these stories helpful in the way they highlight a life's work of experience in the field. The stories are heartfelt, touching and give a sense of reverence to the human experience.

[Kayla Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was recommended by a friend. I think I would have liked it a little better if I was a medical social worker, as that's what most of the stories were about.