In the last few years reality-based television series have proved a great way to highlight the myriad services social workers provide.

Social worker Mark Gaynor, MSW, ACSW,  helped clients on the Animal Planet’s “Confessions: Animal Hoarding” and educator and social worker Dr. Steve Perry, MSW, does interventions to save African American teen males in trouble on TVone’s “Save My Son.”

Over on the Sundance Channel a job training program pioneered by social worker Robert Carmona, MSSW, is the focus of the “Get to Work.” And California social worker, author and CBS radio host Sherry Gaba, MSW, provided behind-the-scenes counseling to celebrities struggling with addiction on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab.”

Gaba, Carmona, Perry and Gaynor wanted to offer special messages to social workers in honor of Social Work Month 2013. They wanted to talk about why the work social workers do is so important in today’s challenging society:

Dr. Steve Perry.

Dr. Steve Perry posted his message on YouTube:

 

 

Sherry Gaba

“It is my job as a clinical social worker to find that inner knowing and wisdom  that most people have  but at times has been lost due to life’s challenges.   We all experience setbacks, negative thinking , transitions, and/or grief and  loss, but when we can help a person  unleash their resiliency, we are most likely doing our jobs as clinicians or social workers. Despite the pain,everyone has the potential to move toward self assuredness  and self determination, and it is the role of social workers to advocate for these qualities in the work that they do.”

Robert Carmona

Robert Carmona posted his message on YouTube:

Mark Gaynor

“I have been a social worker for over 30 years and I continue to marvel at the human’s capacity for positive change in spite of adversities. Social workers are at the forefront every day advocating for social justice and  equal access to health care while at the same time believing in and building on the innate and natural strengths of every human being. I admire and respect the steadfast and skilled social work services that my colleagues provide, day in and day out. Social work has been a challenging and rewarding career that has been and continues to be my pride and passion.”

Visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Social Work Month 2013 website to learn 100 ways you can commemorate the month. And to learn more about the services social workers provide visit NASW’s HelpStartsHere.org consumer website.