Hi, I’m Dalice and I am a Social Worker based in Christchurch, New Zealand. I work in the health field. I love it and over the years I realised that I have stored away loads of information and had something to offer to others so I moved into additionally offering supervision to other Social Workers and I love that too! I get to do two things I am passionate about and it feels great. How lucky am I?!

Recently, someone suggested I start writing a blog and I immediately went into all this fear and doubt but, I gave it a go and flicked off a very rough copy of what I thought could be a blog to my website person and it was published! It’s the previous one about what a Social Worker is. I was a little horrified and then tried desperately to log on and correct all the things I thought were ‘wrong’ with it and I couldn’t and I was frustrated and then it dawned me – writing a blog is a bit like Social Work and that if I can ‘Social Work” (which I can AND, I do very well!), then I can blog. So here I am giving it another go.

Are you still with me?! There goes that fear thing again.

I compared the 6 quick tips I found via a Google search on how to write a blog with my idea of being a Social Worker and the similarities are definitely there!

1. Read a lot – tick. Have done loads of that while studying to get to where I am and I continue to!
2. Decide upon formal or informal – tick. I’d already decided on mostly informal and real – as real as I can be. After all, Social Work is about as real as you can get.
3. Go for variation – tick. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll get that is exactly what Social Work is in my experience.
4. Don’t use abstract concepts – tick. Goes along with being real and clear and I find, the only way to be with your clients (along with professional of course).
5. Look into ways to spice up your text – tick. I think it’s safe to say I will use humour and storytelling – I am sure my family and those that know me would agree!
6. Ask for a fresh pair of eyes to review it – tick. My trusty Mum and fiancee will cover that role well as would my colleagues and using various forms of supervision or my manager.

And, finally, it suggests a conclusion.

So, there you have it. In short, writing a blog can be scary. It can feel unfamiliar. It can challenge you. It can make you feel uncomfortable and this can be a lot like what being a Social Worker can feel like at times, (or many other professions for that matter, I am sure). As you start out, and I am very sure a lot like what it can feel like for a client who is likely vulnerable, scared, feeling challenged and uncomfortable in allowing someone to journey alongside them.

In all scenarios – one must remember the basics –  BE KIND.

(Van de Rakt,Yoast, SEO, 2020).