ProspectiveMSW

Thanks a lot everyone! I'll have to look more into research and policy change/program development possibilities. Hey Goobah, Thanks a lot for the input! When I say that "direct creativity" is what really excites me, what I mean to refer to is the process of posing novel "solutions" or ideas that others may not have thought of. I feel this is where I most thrive. If I'm being totally honest, I suppose this is also something I would prefer to be recognized for on some level (again, being idealistic here). Based on some of my experiences and things I've learned, I'm not sure therapy fits this mold. I've come under the impression that the most effective therapy might really be more about mirroring a clients thoughts in a way that helps them solve a problem for themselves (or at least that helps them think that's what they're doing). While I feel there is certainly latitude and some creativity involved in carrying this method out effectively, I feel that with experience, this process itself may also begin to become quite methodical. Within this approach to therapy, I suspect the room for a therapist actually proposing novel solutions or ideas is quite secondary. And in terms of my ideals as defined above, any opportunity for "recognition" for posing such novel ideas and solutions would seem quite minimal (though again, that is idealistic and I understand it's quite aside from the point of giving therapy... I very much care about people too and genuinely value the idea of helping them). I understand there are probably other methods of therapy that would more-so fit my ideals, but so long as I believe that the aforementioned method is most effective in most cases, I don't think I could justify NOT adhering to the aforementioned method as a therapist. Of course, I think I need more information regarding these suspicions before I rule out therapy on this basis, and I'm open to information of that nature. But assuming there might be some realistic truth to my suspicions as outlined above, I'd like to explore what else is available that could possibly fulfill my needs better. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you both! I don't know a lot about what research entails, but I was kind of under the impression that doing research was pretty methodical on a day-to-day basis. Am I wrong about this? I definitely see how creativity is involved in proposing the research, but I would have guessed the process of actually carrying it out in the lab would be pretty methodical... at least until something goes "wrong", in which case I could see how creativity and problem solving would again come into play. U-M_Detroiter, would you be willing to give me some examples of the things you were doing on a day-to-day basis research-wise? I'll have to check more into macro social work. :-)

I see creativity (and to a certain extent, problem solving) as my greatest asset. It's certainly the thing that enthralls me the most, and if I can utilize this in a service profession, then that's even more motivating. I've previously considered some type of counseling to be my ideal role within the Social Work profession. However, I've gotten the impression that this might really be more about devotion to a trusted, pre-defined method, rather than the direct type of creativity that really excites me. I haven't yet ruled out counseling, but it seems like I should begin to evaluate some other options: So, what subsections of Social Work would you suggest entail a lot of creativity on the job? Thanks a lot for your time!

Thank you all!

Hello, hello! Does anyone have any input on the reputation of different MSW programs in Michigan? I'm not interested in "rankings" so much as I'm interested in word-of-mouth input on the programs' reputations. UofM is not an option for me, but input on any other CSWE-accredited MSW programs in Michigan would be greatly appreciated! (I think that includes Grand Valley, MSU, Wayne State, Western, and Eastern.) Thanks a lot! 0 Quote MultiQuote Edit

Hey there! Does anyone have any input on the reputation of different MSW programs in Michigan? I'm not interested in "rankings" so mcuh as I'm interested in word-of-mouth input on the programs' reputations. UofM is not an option for me, but input on any other CSWE-accredited MSW programs in Michigan would be greatly appreciated! (I think that includes Grand Valley, MSU, Wayne State, Western, and Eastern.) Thanks!