Personal Learning Goals

My experiences in the Bachelor of Social Work program at Wayne State University have
been amazing. I have met many new people and developed many great relationships for the
future. I look forward to ending this phase of my education and graduating from the BSW
program.
I have been accepted into the Master of Social Work program and plan to start in July
2015. This is a ten month program where I am planning an Interpersonal Practice concentration
in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Practice. This program requires four electives of which I
have chosen Social Services in the schools, Family Violence, Trauma-Informed Child Welfare
Practice, and Juvenile Delinquency. I believe these courses will better equip me to advocate for
children and Families. During my MSW studies, I plan to work in a mental health agency and
gain further experience working with children with mental health problems.
Over the next two years following MSW graduation, I intend to secure employment in a
foster care agency or the Foster Care Review Board. There I hope to learn more about the
process of children entering the foster care system, progressing through the system, and exiting
the system. I would like to explore many departments within the foster care system. Working
directly with foster care children will afford me an opportunity to gain more insight into the
issues children face within the foster care system as well as some of the problems inherent in
many children who have found themselves in the system. In my opinion it is important to gain a
greater understanding of foster care parents and their motivations for opening their homes to
children in the foster care system. I find this important because of the many foster parents who
have been found to abuse their foster care children. During this time, I would like to evaluate the

foster care licensing system and determine its weaknesses in order to advocate for change. After
working approximately two years within foster care I plan to apply for my MSW License.
Upon licensure, I intend to continue to work within the foster care field or school social
work and start planning to open my own private practice. In private practice I will work with
children and families including marital issues, blended families, and juvenile delinquency. This is
not an all-inclusive list of areas I plan to cover but serves as an example. The knowledge and
expertise I plan to gain in my learning and working experiences should allow me to remain an
effective social worker and allow me to contribute to the advancement of human rights and social
justice in a way that directly impacts my clients and society as a whole.