March is Social Work Month and its been three weeks since I published my first novel, “The Cat on Salter’s Point.” Since its release on Amazon, many of my social work colleagues including an ex-boyfriend have told me how publishing my book has inspired them to publish their own stories and experiences. Inspiring my colleagues is a honor because my primary mission for writing such an entertaining story is to give the public a true glimpse of the social work profession, its challenges as well as the interesting clients we often encounter. Often in the media, both television and in the motion picture industry, social workers are portray as “caseworkers” who take away children from abusive parents. Although some of us specialize in the field of child welfare, many of us specialize in other fields like mental health, administration, education, community organization, politics etc. Social Work is a very versatile profession crossing over all areas in today’s global society and work place. Hearing my colleagues tell me I have inspired them to write and publish their own stories has been an uplifting revelation to me.
For the past week, I have shared my journey with my peers, telling them the steps I took to write “The Cat on Salter’s Point” to finally getting it published. It’s been exciting to hear their feedback which has been inspiring to me as well. I am encouraged. I now know there will be more social workers like me in the near future writing their unique stories whether they decide to write fiction like I did or go the nonfiction route. It’s an exciting time for Social Work and I can’t wait to see how all of this pans out! Anita Dixon Thomas, LCSW, ACSW
(“The Cat on Salter’s Point” is available for purchase on Amazon.com)
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