Winning Articles

The Profession of Social Work - The Sidekick (2005)

Cynthia Agyeman-Anane

The woman walks into the office and sits down across from the social worker. She is wearing a black pinstriped pantsuit, her hair neatly pinned, makeup lightly done. She sits up in her chair, her shoulders high and chin raised proudly, her hands folded neatly into her lap. She smiles slowly. She speaks, she begins to cry softly: "I am not supposed to be here. I am supposed to be stronger. I am supposed to handle this."

There are many times in our lives when we believe that we are supposed to handle life's stresses, surprises and curve balls on our own due to societal ideals about individualism and being able to "handle" life and all it has to offer. People are looked upon in our society as weak if they seek someone else to lean on, someone to hold their hand while they shed a tear. Society has these notions that people are supposed to be strong regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, religion, etc. Family, friends and colleagues hold these notions as well about being strong and "handling" life by oneself. However, despite these ideals about individualism, there is a strong belief among certain people that "no man is an island." Philosophers - like Rousseau and Locke - believed that no man was an island and that communities and groups of people were vital for the survival of mankind. These theories have proved to be true and individualism, though very popular in the Western countries, has not been as well received in many other parts of the world.

Social work is a profession that allows this notion of "no man is an island" to ring true in society. As professionals, social workers use their professional skills and knowledge to assist clients in dealing with their problems in the context of their social environment, while helping them to develop and or improve their own skills and knowledge to effectively solve their problems. In addition, social workers are active listeners, as I found that sometimes listening to someone talk his or her problems out can be more beneficial than having "magic pills" or all the "correct answers".

In the case of the client above, she was worried about how people would think about her; after all, she is "supposed to be stronger…handle this." Sometimes being a superhero is not all it's cracked up to be. And besides, even superheroes need sidekicks. In allowing the client above to be vulnerable and open, she was able to deal with fears surrounding her marriage breakdown. Through many sessions, she was able to face these fears and ask them questions like "what do you (the fears) want from me?" She was able to look at her current situation, learn from it and make necessary changes within herself, her environment in order to find her strengths to assist her in dealing with her marriage breakup and picking up the pieces so that she could become a devoted single parent to her two young children. In the end, this client learned that "handling" life's problems individually is fine, as long as you can reach out for some assistance when it is required.

In the end, the woman in the pinstriped suit learned that sometimes it is alright to allow a sidekick help the superhero.

Cynthia Agyeman-Anane, BSW (McMaster), will be completing her MSW at the University of Toronto this fall. She is currently working in child welfare.