 Preserving Rights. Strengthening Voices. by Constance A. Hanser, ACSW March 28, 2003
Every day over half a million professional social workers take action to prevent and eliminate injustice. Most of them work to ensure that people in their community have access to adequate resources, services, and opportunities. Some social workers work to expand choices for those who are disadvantaged or oppressed. Still, many more advocate changes in policy and legislation to improve social and health conditions for all. According to Terry Mizrahi, PhD, MSW, President of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), "A primary goal of social work is to protect people's rights and to enable individuals to achieve success on their own terms." Here in Ketchikan, social worker, Bill Hardy, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and member of NASW's Alaska Chapter, has preserved the rights and strengthened the voices of a variety of populations since entering the social work field in 1972. The people of California, Texas, and Alaska have been the recipients of Bill's passion for his work and tireless efforts advocating for the disenfranchised and marginalized populations of our society. In Ketchikan Bill has worked as a Child Protective Worker, a mental health clinician, Program Director for Ketchikan General Hospital's Recovery Center, and a private practitioner. Presently, he works as a medical social worker for the Ketchikan Tribal Health Clinic. Bill has recently been nominated and named the Social Worker of the Year for the Southeast region of the Alaska Chapter of NASW. This award recognizes Bill's twenty-year commitment to the people of the State of Alaska and his true exemplification of what it means to be a social worker. Bill is only one of several social workers in Ketchikan and the Southeast region of Alaska. Whether they work in direct practice, administration, education and research, or policy development, professional social workers are trained to make a difference. Social work is a distinct profession, with its own code of ethics and body of knowledge. It is important to note that, effective July 1, 2001, only those who hold a social work license through the State of Alaska may use the title "Social Worker." This new law is aimed at protecting the people served by social workers. Working to preserve rights and strengthen voices - that is the power of social work.
Constance A. Hanser, ACSW Note: Constance A. Hanser,
ACSW, is the Southeast Representative on the Board of Directors
of the Alaska Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.
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