Mental Health and Personal Statement

[esp.msw]

Has anyone mentioned their struggles with mental health in their SOP? Like their personal experience seeking counseling, therapy, etc. 

Would you recommend it, or not so much? I feel like it would have its pros and cons, specifically if taking the clinical track. 

 

 

Anyone advised to do it? Potential pitfalls? 

 

 

Thanks! 

Edited August 18, 2014 by saidypoo

[allis]

I'm trying to figure out the same thing, especially because my mental health (and complete lack of access to mental health resources) during undergrad made my GPA less than ideal, and also was what made me choose social work as a career path.  My current plan is to mention my anxiety disorder in the personal statement as an example of ~resilience~ and ~the importance of mental healthcare~.  Obviously I have to find more specific ways to spin it, but I think it's worth mentioning?  I can't imagine the people who will be reviewing our applications to become mental health professionals will think anything too negative about us for that, but I guess you never know.

[Lifesaver]

I've been told and have read that doing so isn't suggested. I see an SOP as an opportunity to promote myself and my skills, not somewhere to air my dirty laundry, per se.

[KNik]

This article is a little old (written in '06), but I think it does a decent job of explaining what you do and do not want in a

SOP. 

http://psychology.unl.edu/psichi/Graduate_School_Application_Kisses_of_Death.pdf   Check the section "damaging personal statements"

[nugget]

I believe that the advice given above is great when applying to most grad school programs, such as psychology, education, etc. However, if you are applying for an MSW I think there is more leeway for you to write about mental illness. If you were denied admission due to a mental illness then this would be contradictory to the values upheld by social workers and what the profession stands for. Someone who truly embodies the values upheld in this profession will not penalize you for having  experienced a mental illness.

 

This being said, I believe great care should be taken when discussing your mental illness. I would be brief when mentioning it and focus on the positives of having gone through such experiences and how such experience will help you become a better social worker (compared to someone who doesn't have the same life experience). Describe your experience as a STRENGTH. If your difficulties happened a long time ago (like 5 years ago or more) and you can irrefutably demonstrate that you are capable of doing well in the program and will not be hampered in any way due to having a mental illness, then I think if is safe to include such information, but ONLY for social work programs.

 

If you feel that the benefits of including such information are minimal in the way that you would present it and it would be far more helpful to discuss other experiences, such as your work history, etc, then it may make more sense to not write about it at all.

 

You only have a limited amount of space and it is best to write about your strongest assets as an applicant rather than include lots of ideas without fully developing all of your points and presenting your ideas strongly.

[LittleDarlings]

I actually did right about my struggle with self esteem and my choice to go to counseling. If you would like you can PM me and I will send you a copy of my personal ststeemsnt.

[k8j1s]

I wrote about my struggle with mental health issues because it is absolutely the reason I am going into social work.  I wrote about how it has motivated me to help others experiencing the same struggle, as a strength that will help me understand their experience.  I also wrote about how AA is an important part of my self-care and support system. 

I don't know if that would be recommended in all cases.  I was applying to Jane Addams, which is a school that believes really strongly in social justice and diversity, so I knew going into it that my story might make me a strong candidate.  And I did get in.  Ultimately, my experiences with mental illness are such an integral part of my story and the reason I am going into this field.  I couldn't imagine not writing about it in my Personal Statement.