Generalist Social Worker

“The world needs specialists and highly trained people with advanced degrees, no question about it. But the world also needs diversity and versatility. It needs people who know as much about our value system as they do about our solar system.

Roger Smith

I like to think of myself as a generalist – one who knows lots of information and has a range of skills and therapies that help me help the clients.

I am firstly a social worker, then a mental health professional.  I hold many skills and trainings that have been added to over the years of practice (and some before).  I must admit that mindfulness and self-care are a staple in most discussions that I have as I believe that this is a necessary component to ensure that your best self is presented at all times.  Thankfully, there is a range of resources available to share with clients on these two topics.

I have an eclectic range and bring out suggestions for the client to see if this matches their needs.  Whether psychoeducation, strengths based, solution focused, cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, sensorimotor, acceptance and commitment therapy or emotional freedom techniques.  I am currently learning new therapy and am looking forward to completing this in a few months – this will add to my suite of services.  The collection is ever growing for this new therapy (well it’s new to me)!  I am also investigating other art-based therapies, so watch this space. 

Sometimes, I explore issues that are concerning to the client and not necessarily about their mental health.  We will look at stressors and how that is affecting their social and emotional wellbeing.  We may look at their values and is this making the situation worse?  Are they expecting others to hold the same value system as themselves?  We will explore the issue(s) and see where these leads.  This is often where the psychoeducation happens as how we view the world can impact on other people’s actions.  We explore ways of seeing if we can change our views on what others could do. 

People come to health professionals for a range of different reasons and as always, the choice is yours as to who to visit and what therapy or conversation YOU need to have.