I’m a family social worker, working in the Bronx. I like telling my mother stories about running from crackheads in the stairwells of housing projects, just to see her face.
I love my job, I really do. But I’ve always felt that if I don’t see the humor in it, I’ll go insane and be a real bitch to live with. I get to meet some amazing people and be a part of their lives in a unique way. Then again, a lot of the things I see and try to change are awful, frustrating, and infuriating. I’ve decided that the only way to cope with this is to make sarcastic comments about it on the internet.
socialjerk@gmail.com
SocialJerk 
Humor helps a lot of folks in education/social work/helping professions cope. And these musings certainly gave me a sorely-needed afternoon at work laugh.
Despite the humor and sarcasm, I know that the motivation for doing this kind of work comes from having a good heart!
And, as the mother of the blog author, I see that I have to work on having a poker face when I listen to social work stories from her. And I also see that I am getting paid back for the stories I used to tell my parents about the students I taught, or about life in the exciting, fun, but often wild Brooklyn neighborhood I chose to live in while in my 20s.
You know…I looked forever for a humorous social work blog before creating my own and I did not ever find this one until today. Congrats on a truly humourous site. I have recently found it very difficult to continue with humor amid all of the crises at work lately, and have been forced to not write at all or write about more serious subjects. I wish you more luck, and I will keep trying myself as well…so many of us need to lighten up.
I’ve been enjoying reading your thoughts and insights on this website! Thank you.
Hi, nice to meet you !
Pic!?
I am anonymous and aloof. Rest assured, I’m very good looking.
As you can tell from my site, I too am very good looking.
Ha!
“I wish I could auto-tune my face” – Rivers Cuomo of Weezer
I’m truly enjoying your blog. Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my story. It made me laugh.
Cheers.
Doris
Anytime! Thanks for commenting here
Hello – I am the editor of an email newsletter for the Canadian
Association of Nephrology Social Workers. We are a small professional
organization with about 100 members across Canada. Our newsletter is
sent out to members free of charge, and it is archived on our webpage at
http://www.cansw.org . We do not accept paid
advertising. I am seeking permission to reprint items from your blog that I think would be of interest to our members because your writing is really, really funny & refreshing. I am hoping to use “Lets take a deep cleansing breath…” in our next issue.
Regards,
Lyle
I think that sounds great. You can email me at socialjerk@gmail.com to discuss this further.
Thanks for reading and being interested!
Thanks for offering some honest and refreshingly funny insight into the world of social work. The next time my husband talks about how I’m working to “save the world” (yuck), I will make him read your blog in its entirety.
Please direct anyone who idealizes our job right over. And thanks so much for reading!
[…] SocialJerk: This family social worker shares insights in a rather irreverent — and sometimes funny — way. […]
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Just found your blog!! I am a social worker too…and love it!
Thanks for reading! I love it too.
Hello fellow Bronx social worker! Love the blog.
Yeah Bronx social work! Thanks for reading! Hope you’re having as much fun in the Bronx as I am 🙂
Some days yes, some days no! I’ve been pondering starting some sort of meet-up/happy hour for young-ish social workers in the bronx.. Ever thought of joining such a group? I’ve always loved hanging out with social workers and miss my grad-school peeps.
Spanking post with DCFS policy, please! The Texas case has me wanting to hear from you 🙂
I’ve been wanting to write a post on this topic for a while. (Just a tip–don’t debate it while out on a date. The waitress will not believe that you’re discussing corporal punishment.)
I’m not sure which case in Texas you’re referring to though. Is there an article you could direct me to?
I found you on twitter and am just now finding your blog! Love your tweets! I started a fashion blog with some of my social work friends from grad school. I’m going to add your blog to our list of links! Social work love!
Tina
(Social Work Couture
Thank you so much! I’m a big fan of social worker fashion 🙂 I checked out your blog, it looks great. I’ll have to link to you as well.
I just wanted to tell you thanks for linking to my blog. I have done a lot of hard work on it and I am very stoked that every once in a while, I get a pingback from your blog. Love ya, boo.
Anytime, sir! I’m highly influential, I’m glad you realize this now 🙂
I love your blog! I am a recent graduate with my BSW, any advice on a job search?
Thanks so much! And congrats on the BSW.
I’m not the best person to ask about job searches, because I was very fortunate to be hired by the agency I interned at, and have been there ever since. I think networking (even though that word makes me want to die) is usually the way to go. I don’t know if any of the people you graduated with were hired, or if a place you interned or volunteered at might be hiring, but I’d start there. And GetSocWorkJobs on Twitter seems pretty good.
Good luck! And thanks for reading.
Social worker from Salt Lake City (also a white lady who looks 12)… Love the blog!!
Love your blog! I work in child protective services down in the good ol’ south. I completely agree that finding the humor in the job is essential to keeping sane. I just started a twitter of sarcastic quips throughout the day. So much better (and cheaper) than therapy! 🙂
Ahhh! Even just your intro made me laugh. Looking forward to reading more when it’s not 2 am!
Just wanted to say thanks for perfectly capturing what a lot of us social workers are thinking. You are hilarious. I hope you never stop blogging.
I’ve never done “this” before, but hoping it’s worth the potential spam. I trained in the Bronx !
I enjoy your blog so much! I am currently doing an internship at a child welfare agency and absolutely love it and hope to one day work in the field! In the short time that I have been at my internship I learned very quickly that people outside of that type of work do not find the same humor in certain situations that you do! Reading your stuff makes me feel like it’s ok to find certain situations funny. Look forward to the next blog : )
I love your blog. I am currently working as a social work intern at an elementary school in the Bronx. I was thinking about making a blog for similar purposes. Kudos fellow social worker!
I’ve nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award because I love your blog! For more info visit:
http://theyearofwhatif.com/2012/03/13/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Hey! I started reading your blog/twitter after a fellow social worker emailed me about it, and I love it! I just left a job in foster care prevention in Brooklyn so BASICALLY everything you talk about hits home like woah. So much so that I had to stop myself from retweeting that thing about Amerigroup not being taken anywhere (Had a mom with that insurance and ended having to refer her to MH places that were too far away for her to effectively utilize? Thanks, insurance.)
Keep up the good work!
Finally a social worker who shares a similar sense of humor! I always get the evil eye when I express my dark sense of humor around other social work types. Keep up the great work!
I just wanted to let you know that your blog kept me hooked for days! And continues to keep me hooked. I love the sarcasm, and your ability to look at things in such a humorous perspective, especially in such a tough job, is refreshing and very original. You guys (Social workers) are rockstars! Keep on writing!
I’ve chosen to spotlight your blog for the launch of my Spotlight Award. There is absolutely nothing you have to do, I just like to take time every month to highlight blogs I think are awesome. You can read about it here if you choose to http://nmnphx.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/july-spotlight/
Hi, I have nominated you for the Liebster Award. I hope you will accept. Check it out on my blog on the Fluffy Moments page. 🙂
Hello there,
I love your blog, it’s always nice finding other social workers out there. I follow you on Twitter, as well – just to delurk myself and not be too stalkerish and creepy. LOL
Take care,
Sarah
Thanks so much! Not stalkerish at all, much appreciated 🙂
Wonderful blog!
Very fun blog! I’ve spent the last seven years as an other-coast social worker (foster care/adoption in Southern California). I love what you’re doing! Do you ever do/accept guest posts?
Dear Social Jerk,
Just wanted to say thanks for writing this blog and keep up with the fun and insightful entries! I’m currently a Peace Corps volunteer but looking to move into the behavioral health and social work field on my return (unfortunately without a BSW), and reading your blog helps me understand the realities of the job much more!
Social work student, here. Just found your blog (the day before writing an exam, of course). Resisting the urge to read it all the way through! Thank you for some much needed perspective… looking forward to past and future posts!!
Hi, you would probably like the performance of “Call Me Crazy: Diary of a Mad Social Worker”. Love your blog!
Just found your blog the other day! Thank you for bringing me some much needed humor!! This is definitely what social workers need.
Be proud of who you are!
I’m currently in private practice and just found your blog….. AWESOME!!!
Thanks for this man! I just started a social work job, so this is MUCH needed!