Research Paper on:
Getting Away from the Original Mission of Social Work

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty" (Anonymous,  2001). With this in mind, it is clear to see why the effort of maintaining a separation from psychotherapy is so pertinent to the NASW goal. One can  readily surmise from the NASWs ethical code that there exists a separation between and among societal value systems, with particular emphasis upon a mandate for social and economic justice.  According to Harry Specht and Mark E. Courtneys Unfaithful Angels : How Social Work Has Abandoned Its Mission, the very nature of social work has lost its ability to focus  upon the masses over and above the private, individualized population. "...Social workers should not be the secular priests in the church of individual repair; they should be the caretakers  of the conscience of the community" (Specht et al, 1997). When assessing the manner in which social work has been divided among itself, one can readily surmise that the most  prominent split has much to do with the direction it appears to be taking. Specht et al note that social workers have lost sight of the programs original intent  and, thus, have splintered into ineffective, discriminating subgroups. At issue is the debate between the direction social work appears to be taking, which is an arguably wrong turn toward  psychotherapy. Specht et al contend that social workers are not meant to take on the overwhelming tasks inherently associated with psychotherapy, inasmuch as doing so requires significantly more investment  of time and ability than social workers currently possess. Additionally, delving into the world of psychotherapy was never considered to be a component of any kind within the concept