Social Work 120: I Want to Help People

2) Autobiographical Summary:
Choose a first-person narrative of a person giving or receiving help. This can be a personal account of a professional helper (e.g. a nurse working in an African public health program or a therapist working with clients) OR a personal account of being a “client” (e.g. living with schizophrenia or parenting a child with a severe disability.

• The source may be a book, a magazine, journal, etc.
• Consider using the St. Olaf library to find books or online materials
• The key is to find a source that is interesting to you and/or might connect to a future vocation
• In class you will be asked to write short answer reflections on your person’s experience.
• This may include:
  • Relating the story to the course content
  • Describe the human service area this story explored
  • Being able to describe the helping, its purpose, it’s appropriateness, whether it is helpful or harmful