Social Work Spotlight - International Episode 26: Elizabeth (Romania)

Episode Date: August 15, 2026

In this episode I speak with Elizabeth, a first-year PhD student at the University of Bucharest and early career practitioner. Elizabeth has participated in several exchange programs under the Erasmus+ framework, broadening her perspective on social work practices and international collaboration. She has worked in diverse roles supporting older adults and children with autism, allowing her to develop a diverse set of skills and a deeper understanding of different vulnerable populations. Elizabeth is particularly interested in initiatives that promote innovation, inclusion, community development, and evidence-based practice within the social services sector.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Elizabeth’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethfarca%C8%99 Elizabeth’s WordPress page - https://elizabethfarcas.wordpress.com/ https://ro.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-farcas-1909aa225 Elizabeth’s TikTok account - http://tiktok.com/@elizabethfarcas Elizabeth’s Pinterest page - https://ro.pinterest.com/elizabethfarcas/_profile/ The Romanian Ministry of Labor, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity - https://mmuncii.gov.ro/Bucharest’s social services agency - https://www.dgas.ro/ Romania’s National Agency for Payments and Social Inspection - https://www.mmanpis.ro/ Romania’s National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - https://anpd.gov.ro/web/ This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BURBqURLK8nHM_EaemK7_quQaogNVJaUaBs72vIzs0M/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

Before beginning, I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the countries of guests featured in this podcast and acknowledge their continuing connection to land, waters and community. I pay my respects to the First Nations people, the cultures and the elders, past, present and emerging. Hi, and welcome to Social Work Spotlight, where I showcase different areas of the profession each episode, with a 12-month focus on social workers around the world as of August 2025. I'm your host, Yasmin Lupus, and today's guest is Elizabeth, a first-year PhD student at the University of Bucharest, an early career practitioner. Elizabeth has participated in several exchange programs under the Erasmus Plus framework, broadening her perspective on social work practices and international collaboration. She has worked in diverse roles supporting older adults and children with autism, allowing her to develop a diverse set of skills and a deeper understanding of different vulnerable populations. Elizabeth is particularly interested in initiatives that promote innovation, inclusion, community development and evidence-based practice within the social services sector.

Hi Elizabeth, thank you for joining me on the podcast today. Looking forward to speaking with you about your experience with social work in Romania. Hello, thank you for inviting me. I am very glad to participate on this podcast and I really think that it's very nice and held for other specialists in our file. Yes. So, I make a little introduction for myself. My name is Elizabeth Farkas. I am 26 years old.

I'm a social worker in Romania in Bucharest. The job of social worker is not a dream or high desire one in Romania. Most of the graduates do not practice it for various reasons. Our social assistance system needs improvements. and any time it's space for a better thing, for better cases or changes. In high school there was a presentation of social work faculty and that's how I learn more about this profession. And I have in my final year of high school and this catch me out.

My attention is captivated and I also enrolled in psychology, but I'm a lot. I didn't get it. I make it in a social work faculty. For the first semester I realized that it was the best choice for me. After that I came to Bucharest for a master degree in the same file and now I am in my first year of doctorate. I want to be a university teacher. It's one of my dream to speak with a teenager and to make a movement like I want to become I'm a founder of organization or association and I see myself like that. I'm being a teacher at university and also I have my organization and my student came up to me with contract for volunteer or anything like that.

Things very, very beautiful for other people. My doctoral thesis is seen the role of emotional intelligence in the succeed or failure of young people who left the child protection system. I think that's incredible. I kind of want to step back, though, just a minute to talk about. You said you were considering psychology, but I don't know if it's chance or maybe the direction that the universe saw for you to say, no, social work is your path. Was there a point at which while you were studying at university that you realized,

yet maybe social work is the right way for me, psychology, not so much? Yes. What was it, do you think, that tipped that balance for you? This part was on my first semester at the university, on the faculty, the social work. And when I learned about how social work make change in people lives, yes, in Romania, unfortunately, bureaucracy is very big. It's very big, it's more paper work 99%. Unfortunately, I didn't like it. I always said that it's okay like it's 50.

but no, it's more paperwork. So I was in the class and it's not specific teacher or classroom. Like in my first semester and I learned how social workers are going in family or it's very wonderful, like a social work can work with any categories of beneficiaries, like kids, young, adults, old person, like it's more option. And I learned how make change, like, okay, a social work came into your house, she or him, the person, analyzing that who are the person that need help and what help they need, and make the paperwork and call the specialist and make the contact with, I don't know, police,

hospital, it's like that. You are like a broker. Like a broker and you made all of the work. Like you are in the middle of connection from a person that need help and be better in the resolving the situation. I don't know, a conflict or crisis or a family problem or a finance problem like that. Yeah. And in the comparison, with the psychologist, the psychologist helped people, but the psychologist has the office, the person came in, sitting in the chair, psychologist talking with the person, and if the person really understand the psychologist or the recommendation that psychologist makes and putting in practice,

yes, it's a change, but for example, the person came to a psychologist and the after two meetings, she gave up, or him gave up the person. And it's not in change. You can make the contact with the person, like the person choose if coming to your office or not. In social work, you can see the really changes and you are more implicate, more into it. I see the things like that for me. Yeah. Personally.

I think also there's a lot to be said about social work skills in completing assessments and understanding, you said, knowing who needs help and what kind of help they need. But to do that assessment, it requires a really good capacity to understand a person in their context and to understand the system that that person works with, whether it's the family system or the legal system or the social system, and to know what. what support that person can receive. So within that, you kind of simplified it a little, but there's so much that happens in that situation where psychology, as you're saying, can be somewhat limiting because you don't get to see the dynamic with the other people in that person's life.

Yes, you, like a social worker, we are the little bit of everything. Yeah. The legislation, the paperwork, the connection with the family, the concierge, the psychologist, the friend or anything. And it's not very appreciated. Or recognized, do you think?

People don't understand the role. Yes, a lot. Because I don't know how it is in other country, but in Romania we don't have a channel or a radio. I think about this project for me, seriously, because, yes, in big city, like Bucharest, yeah, of another city the young people know a little bit but when also these young people when I asked what do you know about a social work what do social work in

society and they said just like that the social work is a person who came in family and take the kids like it's like that just like that and straight and period. Not everything else, not how. Yeah. And it's not recognized because the system is so not communicated or so social, saying that way. And another thing is because it's very less paid. And for my example, when I finished the university, it not was easy for me to to find a job. The job is very limited in the number of the post and when the younger that finish the university it's not motivated when they see that and also if they I don't know have an opportunity and have a job but they start very motivated very challenges very

happy but when they see the paperwork and the system how it goes when you see that you need to make work for two people and be paid for one is not very happy and the pay is very very low like it's the approximately the basic salary yeah no not more or less and they search for other job in other filed and also other thing is that the people who are working like a social work in the public institution must of them it's not person that make the faculty of social work it's like a public position it's a general one like a functioner and you apply you are a functioner public a function and after that you have in the contract do you need the make the jobs that make social work it's like that and it's unfortunately other thing of our system when you finished your course your

university degree what were your practical experiences before you graduated you had internship I'm guessing and how did that shape what you wanted to do when you left university before I leaving the university. I was with Erasmus program that I support very much. I think that it's for anyone and anyone need to apply for this program. It's very, very, it's wonderful. Do you need to have, of course, the graduates with a high note, but you can apply and give you an organization. Practically, in Erasmus, program, I was not with study with practice and I need to search for an institution to accept my internship.

And when I found it and they say to me that it's okay, you can hear it's very nice, etc. I make this paperwork sent to them. They accepted send me back. I go to the Erasmus office and then I receive study money for this internship. And I go in Italy, I stayed there for six months. And this was in an organization, Catholic one, religion organization. And it's for people who have disabilities, mental or any kind. And I enjoy very, very much.

It's the best part of my university time. Because I see a different world. In my second year of university, it was a pandemic and we go home, we have the lesson in online, all of that, and I also didn't give up to my wish to go in Italy. And I go just me, not a colleague wants to come with me, and I see the world different. Yes, I travel, I visiting, of course, it's beautiful, but I see. But I see the real work of social work, like one day for a week, I go in the office of social work from this organization and she let me to see the documents, the file. And I see when she goes to the family, speak with them and make efforts to give them money for what they need and how she speaks with sponsor or everything.

like that and not just that I also stay in every day with the beneficiaries and the teacher so organization have three levels where in the first level kids came to the therapy and go home came with the parents and go home I don't see much in this level in the second level is younger teenagers I don't know 16 20, 26, 35 who are with disability, with autism, depression, anxiety and another one. And they came like a school. They came in the morning and in the evening left. And I participate like every lessons with the teacher and help with activities, with all of that.

And the finally level is with the... old person that also have a healthy problem or disability and they live there like a residential centre and yes family visited or also in vacation bring them home and after that bring them back but it's very nice to see the three categories different and how it works how they adjust everything for for better activities when each person have the specific needs. It's the best part of my university. Yeah. Yes.

And did you have a good mentor or person supporting you through the placement? Yes, I have. It's a social work that work in this organization. Yes, have time for me, but not all the time. And how I said, the organization is a religion one. and it's a congregation, the mother of St. Mary Providence, and the sister superior every week on Sunday, we have lunch together and asked me how it goes, and not just Sunday. And every day when I was at the lesson with the teacher and with the beneficiaries,

she came in Elizabeth how we're going you are well every week yeah that's lovely yes and it sounds like a really supportive environment as well for you yes yes sure it was and did that then get you excited about maybe working somewhere similar when you graduate they asked me that they asked me that but I like to live in Romania like I don't see me work for many years or I I don't know, for whole my life in other countries. Yes, I want to experience. I am very happy to do it, and I do it again on a master degree,

but it's very short at master, two weeks of a project with Erasmus. But I want to experience like six months or a year or, I don't know, maximum two years, to see how it goes to live in another country, the system of social work. I think that you learn more, very, very more that in university, in real life, in a system. And when you make comparison, when you are analyzing and when you are out of your comfort zone, in not your country, not your home, not your city, not with your friend or colleague from university or any of that, you have a better change to grow.

Yes. I want to make this. For example, I know English, I read English, I write, but from high school, it's some years, I didn't speak. I don't have the opportunity to speak. I want to have a challenge like this in my job. I wanted to speak in another language in English the most, but I didn't have it. And now, if I practice repeatedly and I'm preparing myself, I see that. that when I'm talking to you now, I'm making pose.

But I'm very glad because it's for good. I progress. I grow. I know that I'm not speaking like very, very, but I grow when I speak with you. Yeah, that's great. And so you've launched into your PhD with a very wonderful topic and very important research. Are you doing some work on top of that? Are you working part-time?

I'm going to work for. time, full job with the kids. Oh wow. With the kids. And for my PhD, when I said, I said, I don't have time, very much time. Is this the reason? I work full time job. And in the weekend, I organized it with the family, vacation and everything else. I need to make. I read the article. Well, in my first year, I need to settle down my theory or the study for based for my thesis. And I read in the weekend. And of course, in the week, Monday to Friday, but when I have time, but it's very little, little time. And in the weekend, it's the best time.

Because when I read, I don't just read. I read, compare, make a pose. I wrote a resume of article and I have my agenda, my big agenda. Yeah. So tell me about the work that you're doing. I'd love to talk a bit more about the PhD, but when you're working with the children, what sort of work and what are your responsibilities?

I chose to become a social work to help, those who need help, support, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds and who are going through difficult situations. But at the same time to protect the vulnerable people. At the moment, I have three years and health almost in experience on the professional side. I haven't progressed much except for the fact that I changed jobs and the salary went up with that.

That's about it. I have the first job in a residual center with old people immediately after my graduate like in June I finished and in August 22 I am hiring. I am on the job. And my career started in the residential center, how I said. And it's continued after one year and a half at the residential center. I decided to choose another category of beneficiaries because from the university I want to work with kids. work with kids. I love people, I love and I want to have every categories, but I have

sympathy especially for kids, I love kids with all my heart. And when I finish the university, I catch and I bring to the table the first opportunity that it came, but after that I searched for my wish for kids and I found when I was the other reason, the rest of the center I was in a public institution. After that, when I decided to work with kids, I find the job in a private sector and I have two years from now when I get the job and I make very okay paperwork remains but 20% like the rest of that time I spend time with kids directly and I make games and activities and we go out and like that. That's a much better balance.

Yes, yes. But also I learned how I said previously with the grow. I want to grow. I want to learn to experience very much. But I like very much this experience with kids. I learn a lot. But I learn about myself also that work with kids in a private sector is very different like the public one. In the public one, they have a short time.

Like I work with kids eight hours a day. In public, they are working for it. It's counting different. and it's very good for who have the job in public sector. And I came in this center with kids, I'm very glad, but I learned that it's very different. When, yes, I love the kids, I like to spend time with them to make activity, games, everything they want, but it's consuming you very much. The energy, they are kids, they are playing, they are hurt, I don't know, the speed,

with the parents. With the parents, it's most hard that it's with the kids. Like it's more hard. And it's not just kids, but it's special kids. Yeah. And again, in the public sector, one teacher, one, I don't know, social work or anything, any person, have for maximum five kids, special kids. In private sector, it's not like this. It's hard to gestenate the situation. And one day of my daily work, it's like this. I arrive in the morning and go to the Brit, the children in the dining room where they have breakfast. After that I go to the classroom and prepare materials for the day's activities.

They came to class after breakfast. They have a 50 minutes pause and they have to choose a game, playing, discussion with themselves. After that we start making the attendance and planning what we are doing together that day. We also have a very big image on the wall with the weather, the time, the image or a girl and a boy, how it's dressed when it's rain, how it's when it's cold outside or something like that. And also the visual program for them with images. And they are helped that they can see. We are doing now a story.

And after that, I take it down the image and I put it on another one with, I don't know, mathematics or something else. And they also see on that visual program that they have free time to game, to drink water, to have a snack to everything. So we have a visual table that helps them see exactly what we're doing and what is. coming up after that we have a play break again we continue with the activity and then we go outside after they play outside they go to the dining room and have lunch lunch ends and they go to sleep I assist them all this time in the afternoon I take care of the materials and everything that it's needed for the next day or for various events like I said when is the party like it's final day my

My favorite part or most satisfying things are when I see progress or even solve a difficult situation someone is in. I find the work that involves people are the raw materials, so to speak, the most difficult. Each beneficiary is different and has his own needs and I'm one and I try to fully fill them all, but sometimes the system doesn't helping me and there are also situations when I am under tension because yes I have colleagues but everyone thinks different and act different. Yeah so you've got a lot of responsibility really. You're doing a lot of coordinating, a lot of making sure that because it's not just saying yes, here's a program, here's what we're doing today, especially with children with special needs, you're going to have a lot of disruption to the day.

So you can plan as much as you like to, but I'm sure that there's not one day that everything goes according to your plan. It's like none of them is very rarely. When in a day, I respect the program that I make. It's very real. It's not very often. No, not at all.

Not at all. So I said that system does not help me and there are also station when I'm under tension. There is a lot of bureaucracy in Romania, how I said, and there are also not enough social workers. There are many who graduate from university, but do not practice this profession at all or very little. When they see there is a very hard work

and the emotional part, in the economics part, in the paperwork and everything, they give up. There are many cases. when the people they are gave up, after, I don't know, two, three years, they try again. But like how I said, they don't find a job. And when they see that the system is not upgraded, I can say that. They give up for all. And we also have the cases when they graduate, they try more and more and find a job.

And they're in the toxic relationship. with colleagues, with the work, and the salary is very little and it's not enough. And the emotional part is breaking down and they have depression or anxiety or everything. They're used to it. But that is a thing that it's not good because when you do that, you do not treat yourself better. You don't have pay attention of your body, of your health, and you don't, you don't have, pay attention of your body, of your health. your health and it's not ending well. There is an arbriously, they can find many jobs.

I said the salary is very low, but the health and the good for you, you need to make the most priority. Yes, you want of course any time to help people, but I think my personal opinion is like, you can't help other if you can't help yourself. If you are not better, you are not good with yourself, with your health, with your mind, how can you solve the problem or support one in a different situation and very hard one? So how do you make sure that you can do the work long term? How do you support yourself?

When I see that it's a toxic relationship, I change the job and I truly think that it's good for me to make my own organization and not just that but to work on my on my count just I and when I found the right people to make a team yes to make a team but I want to write just me in Romania after five years of working without any poses you have the right to apply to make a office. If you don't have the five years working, you can make that. You just be employed. But I don't want to wait for this five years. I have three years and approximately half. And I want to make my organization and work for me because I was in the public sector. Now I am in the private sector and I see how it works, how many, many times people there are supposed to be specialist or to know better.

It's just for the show, unfortunately, I'm very sad of that. They are a specialist that make recommendation to parents and these parents are disparate. They are kids without this. They are disparate. They make all you ask of them. And this specialist, it's not very into it. It's not acting at it correctly or like everything is very superficial. It's not correct.

And I see that and I'm very sad of this. And when I open my organization, I can make the things go better. Maybe not better. and the most better from Romania, but more better that I've seen in my experience. And it's so important to have that experience so that you can say, I know how things are done here and I know how they could be done better. Yes. Because without that, there's no sort of integrity or no basis from which to say,

this is how things could be done. So I think you've gone about it the right way. You've got the experience. Thank you. You're doing more research. You're understanding the context and how things could. be improved. Thank you.

And it's very sad when I see that many colleagues on our file, they are really involved with toxic people from the work and they changed everything. For example, I am in a situation now and also in the public sector. And I see things that are not right. I told them this is not good and everything that I need to say, I said. And it's like I am the one and they are making a group and it's like, no, it's not like you said. But in the first place they agree with me and after that they change. They change because of the toxic people and became one.

It's not just like that. It's very true when it says that tell me about the person that we are living next to. And I tell you that this person, it makes you to think in a way or another or it's changing. It's true. I think it's true. I see it and it's very sad. And I have a blog and the YouTube channel with the same name. The listeners, they are curious.

I start posting not much because I'm crazy about time. Yeah. In my first year of my PhD I'm trying to post more if they want to know more about social assistance in Romania. They can search for the website of the larger organization, active in Romania or the official pages of the general director of social assistance and child protection. These are located at the level of each county and sector of the country. capital. I might find some of those resources and put them in the show notes so people can go off and do their own research or get a better understanding of the context in which you work.

Sure, sure, sure. And maybe people can reach out to you as well if they've got any questions about the type of work you're doing or the research. I post a little thing about social work, but I promise that I post it more. Like on my blog page, I made two articles. When in the first one, I told about the system, the social work system in Romania, and how I said before, it's not a lot information about people in our field or how you become a social work and what make a social work. And I make an article about that, how become a social work in Romania and what make a social work. Another article is about the abuse that I am very shocked. in an education field that are very, very, a lot of children abused, that teacher, bullying,

other kids, like a lot, a lot of kids. And I make a lot about the violence. And also about the society, because in this society, in this days, the people are very individuals. They are thinking that it's not. I'm just me, I think just for myself, I'm watching just for myself, but it's not like that. Because when you go out in the society, you make education with the rest of the world. I said also that in that article that the education, the process of education, it's not just in school.

It's like anybody at home, anybody at the street, at the supermarket, how you look at people, how it responds, How do you make through the, I don't know, difficult situation or a tension one? It's like that. Do you feel confident in Romania, given the way the system is structured and the history, do you feel confident speaking out against these structural problems? Do you feel as though maybe there's risk of having some sort of risk to your job or to any sort of other problems, opportunities further down the line. I'm just wondering, because I don't know too much about the system,

but I know sort of historically there have been a lot of structures where you couldn't speak out or you couldn't say anything negative. Yes, I don't have this because I am this like person when I want to tell something I told them in every way and in the good mood. Like, it's not aggressive, it's not, it's constructive. It's a good way to communicate. So it's about the delivery more than the content? It's 50-50.

From now, I didn't have any problem. And I hope, thank you. I hope that it's not being of any kind in the future. And I went to make changes. That is what I want. And I'm sure I can make it a good one. Yeah. And the changes.

can't come about unless someone speaks out. So it's good that there's someone representing the people that are vulnerable. It's very easy to not speak, to not say, to not get involved. But it's not correct. I can't shut up for everything, for anything like it's not correct. It's not ethnic. It's violent. It's not good and everything.

I can. For example, if I go on the street and I see, I don't know, two people fighting or I mix something like okay I am not strong enough to to separate them but I call the police I don't know I tell them anything I involved how can I not yeah the place we are working now I'm wondering what the structure of your team is your colleagues are there other social workers working with you or is it a mix of professions it's a mixed profession the center have three classes like little ones, in the middle and in the big kids. It's like a kindergarten, three classes, three levels.

Also, we have these classes, the teacher, a person who helped the teacher. We have also the psychologist, my colleague is four psychologists, and they work one to one with the kids on therapy. They came to the classes, bring the kid, and go to the therapy room, make therapy, after that, bring it back. And I am the only social work for the centre and I make the activity with kids. It's very similar with the activity who made the teacher. Yes. Does that mean that your job was not advertised as a social work job or were they specifically looking for a social worker to do the role? No, it's a social worker job and in the contract and in everything, I'm a social

worker but it's like this I have the job on the public sector I find this post with the kids I move in I make activity with the kids one-to-one in the first place and after that my bus have three center and two of them it's just with the therapy or activity one-to-one in the first place I went there one of them and And after that, from August in 25, they asked me to move on this center when it's a kindergarten and with therapy activity because they say to me that I'm good with the kids that are very energetic one and they are also five, six years old, a little big. And I said, of course, I want to experience this.

And from August, from now I am here. Okay. And I don't continue with the activity one-to-one. Now I have the group. Yeah. And the responsibility is more bigger and it's more hard and it's different. So I guess they recognize that you had more capacity, more ability beyond the one-to-one therapy and they wanted to give you that opportunity.

Yes. And I am glad for that. But also I want to change. I am searching for another job to challenge me. to keep that alive, that progress. Yeah, yeah. Keep moving. Otherwise, you're not developing your skills.

Yes, yes, because in every center or in every organization is different. When I, also in the public sector, when I was in the center with the whole people, we have a structure that I watch and I need to respect. the things are going to do in a way or another. But when I was also in this public sector, I was on the service that house of the beneficiaries who needs help and for, I don't know, almost one year I was on this service. It's one of the service that this center practiced and I was at the house of the beneficiaries and I make the documents for them to benefit, I don't know, a doctor, healthy program or

cleaning in our food, cleaning in house. And I see that when I make this change in this service, yes, it was the same institution, the same center, but the things are going and the work is different and is the same institution. Yeah. Like in other center and that institution, it's completely different. Yeah. So you're looking for other roles plus you're doing your PhD. You mentioned potentially looking in other countries. I think that explains a lot about social work in the sense that it's so translatable to different areas. So even though maybe a job might not be advertised as a social work job, you can make it a social work role because of your experience and your values.

and your learning. So there are so many opportunities within social work to be able to travel and get new experience. So how would that work with your PhD? Do you think? How would you coordinate all of that? I think I'm very good at the organization. And I think that it's very usefully for me because also in my thesis, I want to go and I apply and send me for another organization or university from Chibi's aliens that I want to make a comparison or the system from another country the system for child protection that from Romania because in my thesis I talk about the young living care that they are leaving the child the protection system and how they are included in

social and also profession life and how they make through these challenges, how they are prepared for this independent life, how and what services they have in the child protection system that helped them to develop the capacity to resolve the problem, I don't know, to gestinate the money, to search a house for rent and everything like that. And I want to make a comparison and I want to live Romania and I don't know for two, three months to live in another country and not just one. I want for sure to go in Sweden, Norway because their child protection system from there is mentioned in every book that I read like is the best. Yeah. And I want to see the best, I want to see and then came to Romania, came back and to apply in my country,

within Norway and in another country. And when I found a job in another country or that it's hybrid, it's more easy for me because I need also to work and to have my PhD because I need to pay my rent and everything like that. Of course, yeah. Okay, so there's a lot that you've already planned ahead to do and so many opportunities out there for you given the experience you've already had. And I'm very glad that you were exposed to the social work profession very early on and that you could choose this path and it's obviously the right path for you.

And you've had the opportunity for the internships in Italy through the Erasmus program. I'll put a link to the Erasmus program as well because I'm not sure a lot of people in Australia might be aware of it, but it's wonderful opportunity for people who want to travel and get experience. in other places and get training. But you've been able to work with people through all ages, from young people to older people. You've gained so much experience and you've developed so much capacity

within a relatively short amount of time. And it sounds to me like you've chased your interest. You thought, what will help me to develop further? What will help me to still stay interested and want to do this type of social work? But what will lead me down the best path? And you mentioned you were interested in teaching social work as well and wanting to lead change. So, you know, later foundation, I guess, is how I'm seeing it.

It's like your building has the foundation now and you're just going to continue to be able to build that in a way that works with your interest, but also what feels right to you. And you're wanting to be true to who you are, but also to be able to see what's right for someone else. So it's finding that balance of how do you. best work within your interest and within your capacity without completely burning out and feeling as though you can't do this work anymore. That's a really fine balance to have to learn very quickly. Thank you. Also, I need that it's very important to know when and how to stop to hurt yourself in this file because it's a very hard work. We work with people, with

situation with the system with all of them and when do you not pay attention very quickly it can happen that you are lost on the way and you do not remember what makes me want me to be a social worker what makes me to be a social work and help people and we are not satisfied going this routine paperwork frustration everything like that and we forgot the meaning of our role. We didn't enjoy it. And my advice to other social work is not to give up or profession that gives them pleasure and hope and meaning for doing something better. But at the same time, wait at the cost. If consume you in every way and sometimes you wonder if it's really worth all the effort, you can always reprofile yourself in other files that are also the service of others, but at the same time allow you to take much better care of yourself.

Yeah. Because I know people and also myself, I have this question in mind. Like when it's very tough and I ask myself, but I can't give up. I make this three years of university, two years of master. I am in my first year of my PhD. I don't want to give up. can but the system is not and the people are it's not very easy to handle it and it's very hard for me and I keep saying that in my mind that I couldn't give up and it's okay I also love to read

and I finished weeks ago a book and in that book the author mentioned it that it's fine when you want to make another career when to my it's It's fine, it's all right, it's okay. You don't have to make explanation or to have a reason or, no, you feel that way, you came along with it and you make it. Sometimes, I be honest, in my mind, this thing, this question, I have these years of study, of work, I don't want to lose them, but when you look more deeply, you don't lose them. the author writing that book that you don't lose them.

You have the experience. It's okay. You know that. You are trying. But it's okay that you said, okay. And after that, you search for another thing, another career, another person. I don't know. Yeah.

That's a really good point. Yes. Doesn't change the way you want to help people, who you are or something. No. And I can't forget that in my university, I have. I have a teacher that he said that life is a gift. And if we don't have taken care of this gift, it's a sin. And I think it's very, very true and wonderful.

Like, life is a gift. We are healthy. We can walk. We can see, like everything like that. And we have this beautiful world. I hope that people change their behavior and make a better world. And we need to appreciate that. Yeah.

To appreciate it every day. And if you don't continue with the career or, I don't know, relationship or work or it's okay. You can stop. You take care of yourself. I think that it's many fun in that you can apply and work and also support to other people. It's not just social work. Yes, the social work is the one of the, I think, the mother of this side. this meaning, but we can be helping other people every day in much different ways.

Yeah, and I think that expectation of staying in the one job for such a long time is it's antiquated, it's something from a different generation, our parents or our grandparents, that was the expectation, but I think we're becoming a bit more empowered to realize that if we're not developing and learning, we're not doing a good service to anybody. We're not helping, and that's what we're set out to do, is to help society, help people, and we can't do that unless we're growing ourselves, which just brought to my attention the fact that also while you're doing all of this, you're away from your family.

Yes, you don't have that support that so many other people might have. So it's almost like you're swimming upstream sometimes. You've got all these challenges and all these things that you're trying to do, but you're so far removed from your own support. So, yeah, it's incredible what you're able to achieve. despite that. Thank you. Yes, I think about myself and I am a bigger and I don't care with me if I say that when I go home. Yes, I said cases or example or my family but not all. And I don't want to make sad the atmosphere in my family. And also I need that to mention it came to me

right now that in our file we are going to see the world in the sad way in the difficult one like it's not an easy easy thing because we are like in hospital and just I don't know just bad cases or just killing health problem and I remember that I was in Italy and I speak with this sister that lead the organization and this organization have house they called house, house Santa Rosa, house and they have named and I was at the house

Santa Rosa in Italy, Rome, and they have house and many structure in other country and in Italy also many, not just the house where I was.

And the sister, she leads Santa Rosa, I asked she if I can move to each level. Kids, their teenagers, that are coming up in the morning and leaving in the evening and after that a

old person I said to her that I didn't want to tell just in one place because I don't want to make an impression of the file of the world the sad one because with the old person it's very sad it's not like with teenager or with kids yeah and also kids were very affected or also teenagers like severe autism and they don't speak they are violent they have patterns but it's different when it's everything color it's a young person I know it's dressing in pink for example but with all person it's not like that you see the aging you see the more vulnerability and it's different yeah it's good to have that balance so that you can, it's always going to be potentially upsetting the type of work we do

because as you said, we're working with vulnerability, we're working with people potentially on their worst days. But if you've got that balance, then you have a bit of distance sometimes to be able to appreciate that it's good in the bad sometimes. I've kept you so long. Thank you so much for all of your time. Before we finish up, Elizabeth, is there anything that you feel like we haven't been able to talk about yet or anything else you would? wanted to say about your work? No, I think that that is all. Thank you all another time because you are inviting me and I'm so glad that I'm participating on this podcast. Thank you so much for your energy and your effort and for sharing the really important work that you've been doing so far.

I think that's part of why I want to do this is because there are so many people in the world doing excellent work and wanting to continue to do that and I think we don't talk about it enough. So thank you for sharing all of that and hopefully you've been able to inspire more people to do similar work. Thank you. Thanks for joining me this week. If you'd like to continue this discussion or ask anything of either myself or Elizabeth, please visit my anchor page at anchor.fm slash social work spotlight. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky, or you can email SW Spotlight Podcast at gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. Next episode's guest is Gouljan, a social worker from Turkey currently living in Serbia with experience in migration and refugee support,

child protection and emergency and crisis settings, with field experience in humanitarian responses during the COVID-19 period, the Syrian refugee crisis and the 2003 earthquake response in Turkey. She has worked with vulnerable children and women living in camps and other protection settings in both Turkey and Serbia. I release a new episode every two weeks. Please subscribe to my podcast so you'll notified when this next episode is available. See you then.