I hope to be accepted into the Masters of Social Work in Mental Health online program at the University of XXXX so that I might have the privilege of spending my professional life caring for women and children in need. I look forward to an intense immersion experience at UXX studying the full gambit of social work issues: particularly domestic violence, pregnant women - especially teens - and the broad variety of special mental health issues that they face.

I look forward to a professional lifetime as a licensed social worker, providing help, counseling, and a safe environment for victims of domestic violence, pregnant women, and new mothers that are in need of the support of our community. In addition to the sheer excellence of your MSW Program at UXX, I appreciate the fact that is online since I need and want very much to continue to work and study at the same time. I have now almost completed all of my undergraduate studies online and I know that this is something that I can do. I have been managing school, work, and volunteering many hours of my time while maintaining a GPA of 3.7. I do plan to begin studying part time for the first year and then transition to full time in my second year, another option that I very much appreciate about the program at UXX.

For me Social Work practice will entail providing a safe haven and a helping hand to children of alcoholic families – somewhere for them to turn for support and guidance – usually along with their mother. The facility or institution where I will engage and make my mark as an MSW professional will have prenatal classes, postpartum interventions, and 24/7 care for women in need. I am particularly concerned with the way in which pregnant women of lower-income groups are underserved by our mental health resources, since many tend not to seek help for their psychological symptoms out of fear of the system and possible repercussions. Women who do not seek help and experience emotional and behavioral problems will in turn affect the mental health of their children, even for many years to come. I have seen how vulnerable women are during and after birth to a range of emotional health problems so I want to create better follow up care for these women after they leave the hospital. I want women to have the resources without feeling scared or worried that the system might take their children away. I very much look forward to getting licensed to council and eventually getting my PHD as well. I love learning and helping people and I feel strongly that mental health is an area where more people are needed who have a dedicated heart and a wiliness to work very hard to make a difference.

If I were accepted into your MSW Program at UXX, I will have the opportunity to acquire the tools and resources to make very significant improvements in the lives of many people who suffer. I want to be that critical voice for so many children who have little or no say in the outcome of their future. I told a doctor last week that I wanted to get into the MSW program at UXX and he asked me “why, they don’t make any money and they work so hard?” That does not matter to me, however, because this is what I love. I spend much of my free time watching TED talks, listening to influential speakers on education, science, and creativity. I want to engage in social change and improve the world we live in. I can relate to those who are in the system and I want the opportunity to share my gifts with those in need. My mother and father divorced and it only took a few years for my mother to lose everything; soon we were living in a shelter. I am concerned by the fact that far too many children grow up in a home of alcoholic parents and they never receive the attention they need. I want to know at the end of the day, each and every day for the balance of my life, that I did something that had meaning. I could never be satisfied with a high paying job that gave me no purpose. Social work feeds my soul.

I strongly believe happiness comes from being in the service of others; when I am helping other people, I feel the most alive. When I am in the hospital for nearly 30 hours straight helping a women fight through the pain of labor, I know I am a part of something beautiful. But labor is only half the battle. Once the mom gets home she has a whole plate of new challenges awaiting her. I want to build long term relationships with families, make them feel that I am their friend and do everything that I can to support them. I have antennas for spotting the signs of alcohol neglect or abuse. But I also know that the solution is not the same for everyone and finding the right solution does not always mean simply following a protocol.

I could count the number of days my mother was sober in any given month on one hand while I was growing up. Lucky for us both I still have five fingers. My early experiences as a child are what have motivated me over the years to become someone with a purpose and be that significant figure in the lives of others who are confronted with similar, devastating life circumstances. I strongly believe that each and every one of us is put on this earth for a reason and the things that happen in our lives are in some way destined to be. Every single being has the power for greatness within them because we all possess a special gift that is meant to be shared with the world. Neither of my parents attended college; nor did they ever talk to me about going. Soon after turning eighteen I packed up my little red Honda and moved all on my own from my hometown, Spokane, WA to Los Angeles. This was the beginning of my journey in self-discovery. Moving away from home and living on my own has taught me so many valuable life lessons that I can use to help other people. I now see my childhood as a gift that has guided me to find my own strength and determination to discover my own place in the world. School has kept me focused and I have always made it my first priority.  

While I was working as a medical assistant for three years I loved knowing that I was helping people. At the same time, I realized the patient’s physical health was only part of the whole picture, I wanted to do more. It soon became clear that I was fascinated with understanding how the mind controlled every aspect of our lives.  I was increasingly interested in the mental aspects of healing the body and mind. While doing research on many topics in my psychology classes I realized just how many children under the age of 18 are on psychostimulants and/or other medications for behavioral problems and the numbers disturbed me greatly.

I currently volunteer at the XXXX hospital in XXXX as a doula. So I have seen how important it is to have that psychological support during pregnancy. I choose certain shift days that run for a 12’hour period generally speaking but if I go in I am with the mom until she has the baby. I do not leave for any reason other than restroom and snack breaks, providing continuous labor support for an empowering birth experience which I find enormously inspiring. When I look a mom in her eyes to tell her she can do this, I am here for her until this baby comes, she feels safe and supported and at the same time this gives my life meaning and value knowing I can be there for her during this most important time in her life. Many women come into the hospital experiencing psychosocial issues such as anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. I want to learn the skills that will allow me to give these women the best care possible. My heart is here to serve all women, children, and fathers from every population, if I had the training and expertise being taught through UXX’s Social Work program, I could impact the world much more.  What draws me into social work is the fact that I will have the ability to get to the root of many social problems and find solutions in the system to better address families in the community.

As a social worker I will be able to assist underprivileged youth and help families overcome what is preventing them from living happy meaningful lives. Anger stems from deep emotional, unresolved issues so if parents have never taken the time to heal these wounds the children suffer too. Adding a busy work schedule or unemployment burdens can create a lot of unintended consequences. I want to be able to give families and children the tools they need to help them be who they were meant to be.

I am most animated and engaged with women’s health issues, before, during, and following their pregnancies, paying a lot of attention to the growing amount of data suggesting that women frequently suffer a variety of emotional issues that can have long term effects on the child. I also study the role of community mental health clinics in the well-being of women. I am saddened that my country, the United States, does not mandate maternity leave as is done in other wealthy countries and I want to join in the struggle to change this.

Long fascinated by diversity and hungry for constant multicultural experience, while I confess that I am still a beginner, I am working hard at my Spanish and I hope to be approaching an intermediate level at least by the time I graduate with my MSW at UXX. Nothing interests me more than the way in which many minority women, Latinas in particular, have a much harder time seeking help for anxiety or depression after childbirth because of the fear of what child services will do. Stigmas continue, especially in Latino communities, and particularly for those who do not have immigration papers since they fear deportation.

I thank you for considering my application to the finest MSW program in the world at UXX.