Thread by @colleendamerell

I wrote to my professor last week about ethical concerns I had on an assignment that required me to observe a support group. I was backed up by people in the Nonprofit Happy Hour network.

I have real concerns about the way a lot of my assignments put me in the position of asking other people to just let me use their time and emotional energy for my own benefit with no value provided to them (these are one-off observations or interviews, not field placements).

I come by my concerns honestly. I looked at the Code of Ethics. I’ve worked in direct service for years. I’ve received therapy from MSW students. I’ve worked as a patient instructor for medical students. And other professionals told me I wasn’t crazy.

Today the professor told me that “As practicing skills in real world situations is best practice in social work education, I do imagine you are going to have some challenges completing our curriculum.” She suggested I might not want to continue the class.

I don’t let a lot of grad school bullshit get to me but I burst into tears reading that. I’m not trying to get out of doing the work. I want real world experience. I raised this issue because I *have* real world experience.

Being in a social work program has crushed my spirit in so many ways. To hear this from someone who is supposed to be teaching me is just really hard.

I wanted my MSW so I could practice as a therapist. I chose social work over counseling because I wanted to talk about social justice too. But God forbid I say “I’m worried what we’ve been asked to do could have unintended harmful consequences.”

I’m tired of assignments that ask me to be a vulture feeding on other people’s crises. I’m tired of assignments that assume me and my classmates don’t have lived experience in the very issues we’re learning about. It’s really fucked up.

I don’t really have a conclusion. I just feel awful and I don’t know if it’s worth it to keep ramming my head against this wall just so I can get this degree.

If anyone from social work Twitter or nonprofit Twitter or therapy Twitter has any ideas...let’s talk.