Introduction
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked Hispanic social workers to talk to us about their careers.
Guadalupe G. Lara, MSW, LMSW
GGLara Consultants Allen Park, Michigan
Member of the Board of Directors
National Association of Social Workers
Washington, DC
Ms. Lara
Q. Ms. Lara, where did you earn your social work degree, what is your area of expertise and where are you employed?
I earned my master's degree in social work at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. My focus has been on serving children and families who have been in abusive situations, but I learned along the way that staff can also be disruptive and have developed strength-based training to manage workplace conflicts.
I have been fortunate to have great mentors and role models who taught me the meaning of justice and my responsibility to stand up for those who are being abused and who do not yet have a voice. I retired from the Detroit Medical Center, where I worked 27 years in various leadership positions, from Director of Social Work to Corporate Director of Social Work for the eight hospitals of the Corporation. Since then I have dedicated myself to caring for my mother who has Alzheimer's disease and provide consultation and training on managing conflict in the workplace with diverse populations.
Q. Why did you choose social work as a career?
I choose social work because right after high school I worked part-time at a hospital and saw the great need there was for social work on behalf of the elderly and although my job was as a clerk I found myself advocating for the patients. In addition, my mother was a Daughter of Charity Volunteer and worked primarily with the elderly and she has been my main inspiration all my life. I feel privileged to work in a field that I find so gratifying and that makes such a difference for so many.
Q. What are the main challenges facing Latinos today and how can social work help?
All Latinos face potential discrimination because of the backlash of the immigration hate movement. Latinos today still need culturally competent services, and there are still many children and families who require language assistance with translation services.
Children who have lived their entire lives here need advocacy on behalf of continued education beyond high school. There is still poverty and lack of health care access in many of these communities. I am proud that in Michigan our NASW chapter is advocating for the Dream Act and consistently has reached out to the Latino social workers to provide educational sessions at their annual conferences. They also have partnered with the Organization of Latino Social Workers in Michigan.
If you are a social worker in an area with high concentration of Latinos, advocate for training on who are the Latinos in your area, what are their needs and do focus groups with Latino community service providers on how you can better collaborate with them to better serve this growing community of diverse Latinos.
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