BEFORE I get started…
Here I am, Sept 2023, mentally (and financially) preparing to enter back into post-secondary school in order to obtain a Masters of Social Work degree.
Nervous? Absolutely
Excited? Also, Absolutely!
Now I have decided to enter my master’s program a different way because the purpose of my gaining this degree is not for clinical use. I will be using the laddering pathway offered through the University of Calgary. Which means, I will complete two separate certificates before applying for the masters program. If/when successful, I will be able to apply the two certificates as program credits.
The focus I have chosen is the Leadership in Human Services certificate combined with Advanced Social Work.
The counselling I support and advocate already for at a BSW level is the type of counselling I wish to carry on with (of course, enhancing my skills along the way).
I am not getting an MSW for the purpose of becoming a therapist but rather for the purpose of reimagining how we approach mental health to begin with.
Why don’t I want to become a therapist? Because it takes away from my mission of preventive care and early access to support for mental health. We do need therapists to actively support with complex situations, but I very much believe that if we provided earlier care and access to skilled Social Workers (BSWs) then we would have less of a need for therapists.
I can expand on my above statement, but this post is a way for me to have a comparison point in order to see the shifts and developments I make over the next three years. I want to be challenged and essentially question myself every step of the way.
The two BIG questions that I am taking into this journey are:
1. How do we deconstruct the two-tiered mental health system in Alberta in order to reduce shame around mental health supports and increase access and choice when it comes to individual mental wellness care?
2. How do I better support employees to advocate for and create person-first care in their work environments so that policies around mental health are individualized and central in the growth and development of employees?
What will be interesting to me is to see how my questions become altered over the next three years and how my perspective shifts.
What are my biases? What I am neglecting? What might better define these questions?
Reflection is key in our ability to grow, and so is application.
Connect with Tia if you have more questions or want to share your ideas about mental health care.
DM on IG: @unscriptedco.ca
Email: tia@unscriptedco.ca
