Days in the Lives of Social Workers: 62 Professionals Tell "Real-Life" Stories From Social Work Practice

by Linda May Grobman (editor), Kathryn Conley Wehrmann (Foreword)

Spend a day with social workers in 62 different settings, and learn about the many career paths available to you. Did you ever wish you could tag along with a professional in your chosen field, just for a day? DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS allows you to take a firsthand, close-up look at the real-life days of 62 professional social workers as they share their stories. Join them on their journeys, and learn about the rewards and challenges they face.

This book is an essential guide for anyone who wants an inside look at the social work profession. Whether you are a social work graduate student or undergraduate student, an experienced professional wishing to make a change in career direction, or just thinking about going into the field, you will learn valuable lessons from the experiences described in DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS. The 5th edition includes updates throughout, as well as new chapters on police social work, library social work, suicide prevention/intervention, anti-trafficking, social work and the opioid crisis, legislative social work, adoption social work, social work education, and arts-based social work. From the The more I thought about the book and what it contributes, I realized that it paints a “word picture” of what social work is as a profession. This is not an easy thing to do, given how multifaceted social work is and given the many settings in which it is practiced. This book presents the mosaic that is social work—a mosaic of multiple “tiles” held together with the core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence, all applied “within the context and the complexity of the human experience,” as stated in the NASW Code of Ethics. -Kathryn Conley Wehrmann, Ph.D., LCSW, President, NASW From the My hope is that you will use this book as a starting point—an introduction to the variety of roles social workers play every day. Use it as you would the opportunity to literally follow and observe 62 different social workers for a day. Soak up as much as you can from each experience, decide what you would like to explore further, and then take it from there! -Linda May Grobman, MSW, LSW, ACSW

Genres: Social Work, Nonfiction

452 pages, Paperback

Published May 22, 2019

About the author

Linda May Grobman is the founder, publisher, and editor of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine at http://www.socialworker.com. Linda also is the creator and editor of the DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS book series.

Reviews

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very helpful book in trying to understand and envision the many different types of careers that social workers have. It is very hard to figure out whether a career would be a good fit without actually experiencing the career, and I thought this book did a great job of bringing the reader as close to that experience as possible because all of the writers wrote very candidly and realistically about their job experiences. One issue that I had with this book is that I think some of the chapters should have been edited more because some of the terms and language used by some of the writers was outdated and disrespectful to clients.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m so behind in my reading goal i’m counting textbooks now

[Izzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my SW1010 class and I am so grateful. I learned a lot and it made me even more excited to get my degree.

[WC L · Rating 4 out of 5]

62 very diverse stories from social workers. Some are exhilarating, some are a little more dull and centers around paperwork. Perhaps at a macro level, that's also an apt way to show the reader that the lives of social workers are filled with ups and downs. But at the end, all of the stories more than effectively served the purpose of informing on the depth, and even more so, the breadth of social work. Social work is the practice that ties all the stories together, but each of them cannot be more different in terms of the work nature. The editor did a brilliant job to curate and string these stories together.

Social workers are truly the unsung heroes in my heart, and this is best resonated at the end of the 1st story regarding the ER social worker, where the editor sets forth this question: Watch a medical show on television. Think about how the role of the social worker would be presented in the show.

[Linda Grobman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the new edition of my book, Days in the Lives of Social Workers (5th edition), I added 9 new chapters, an epilogue and prologue, and updated the book througout. I am excited to hear your thoughts on the new edition! New chapters include: library social work, police social work, adoption social work, anti-trafficking, opioid treatment, suicide prevention/intervention, social work in a legislative office, arts-based social work, and social work education.

[Spectre I · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s exactly what you’d expect from the title. Snippets of days from a variety of social workers. My favorite sections were “International Social Work” and “Policy Practice.” I also found chapter 44 “Hospice Social Work” touching and what I needed to hear before heading out do a difficult visit.

I have a gripe. Many of the authors days can be summed like this: “I wake up at 5:00AM. Skip breakfast because a client has an emergency. Answer 345 emails while talking on 2 cell phones. I don’t have time to eat lunch so I chew on an old pizza crust I found under my seat as I drive to another client emergency. It’s 8:30pm and I’m answering one more email before getting into bed. I leave my phone next to my pillow in case someone needs me.” (This is an over exaggeration to make my point.) It seems to me that professionals ooze with pride at how overrun and burned out they are.

I daydream about being burnt out and when I do start to get overwhelmed it’s addicting. It feels good to hurt for a reason but it’s a feeling I have to remind myself not to pursue.

I am a social worker and I take a full hour lunch and end my day at 5:00pm. My phone is turned off and thrown into a 12 inch vibranium vault when I get home. At home my clients no longer exist and my family is my priority.

“Is it really heroic to be broken on purpose?
Is there some kind of honor to keep living in the dark?
Or is it treason to your heart?”
-Treason by Gable Price and Friends

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where was this book when I was in grad school? It should at least be recommended reading for everyone in a masters level social work program - required would be fine too honestly. This book walks you through one day in 62 different social work roles with humor, sadness, honesty, challenges, and excitement. It's a glimpse but it gives an idea of career options that may be available or worth pursuing. I recommend it to everyone in the profession whether they're at the beginning of their career, in the middle, or the end.

1 star was removed because it's a long book that kind of dragged at the end.

[Isla Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from some outdated language this was a great and informative read. I liked structure, the diversity of positions/jobs included, and the myriad resources available in the back. The last story, by the author, will really stick with me.

“Social work education is a transformative process… it doesn’t just teach you about social work. If successful, it turns you into a social worker.”

Reading it before/while applying to MSW programs was helpful in reassuring me that it’s the path I want to take. Definitely recommend it for people considering BSWs or MSWs, and even social workers who are considering switching positions within the field.

[Krista Panas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for insight into the day to day life as a social worker. I do wish there was more chapters for my own personal interest of private practice but great overall showing the various settings and populations social workers can be employed and work with.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. Every social worker or person considering social work or person confused about what social work is needs to read this book.

[Audrey McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. I am a MSW student and this book helped me to know where to focus my studies and career path.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 recommend for any social work student or social worker looking to get into a different field of social work!

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's great to get a first-hand account of what a career is like. You can only learn so much from reading books, but explanations from other people's experiences are helpful.