Making a difference, one step at a time

I would assume that you know the analogy of the boy who walks around throwing starfishes into the sea. This old man comes up to him to ask him what he is doing. The boy replies that he is trying to save the starfishes by returning them into the water. The old man tells the boy that it makes no difference as there are literally hundreds of thousands of starfishes strewn up on the shore. The boy replies, "well, it makes a difference to that starfish", as he throws another starfish into the sea.

In social work, this starfish might well be a large turtle.

Believe me, being a social worker is truly challenging stuff. You have to contend with your own frustrations with the client, as well as being aware of how these frustrations affect your relationship with clients.

(to be continued)