A competent human service professional is a lifelong learner

Since first entering the field of psychiatry, I have had two abiding interests: group therapy and existential therapy.

Yalom, Irvin. The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients . HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. 

Like Dr. Yalom from the earliest years of my career I was very interested in and practiced group therapy and what he calls existential therapy. Then in the 80s I had the good fortune to become trained as a family therapist and in the 90s I learned Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Narrative Therapy.

Throughout my practice I truly have been “eclectic” drawing ideas and models from various models of psychotherapy, but my fundamental understanding of human nature, functioning, and change is based on what is called the bio-psycho-social- spiritual model.

Social Workers are trained to conceptualize human behavior based on the “person in situation” model. The courses we take on human development and behavior are often labeled as “human behavior and social environment” HBSE. There usually are two or three courses. HBSE I, HBSE II, HBSE III.

Understanding human growth and development while helpful is not enough for the practitioner to be a good clinician. The practitioner has to learn how to apply this knowledge developing skills and competencies in working with clients individually, in couples, in families, in communities, in societies, and even multiculturally.

A good Social Work practitioner is always learning from clients, colleagues, scientists, and life. A good Social Worker is a lifelong learner and autodidact. I have always thought of myself, and sometimes refer to myself to others laughingly, as a “scholarly social worker” as I am always reading and studying for fun. I enjoy always learning more about human nature, social systems, and myself.