Field Consultant and Lecturer Robert Watts III obtained his MSW from Berkeley in 2013. In addition to several years of employment at Seneca Family of Agencies as a counselor and therapist, Robert was a leading social worker at New Haven Unified School District (Union City, CA), where he specialized in coordination of services, trauma informed and restorative practices, as well as the implementation of social and emotional development. Robert also has a private practice where he focuses on working with adults of color on managing stress, relationships, and challenges related to communication, identity and self-esteem.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in social welfare?
After working a corporate job for a few years after undergrad, I wanted to do something with my life that had more of an impact especially with young people of color. Being of service to others has been something that was instilled in me at a young age by my parents and grandparents, so I knew that if I wanted to be happy in a career it had to involve doing something that focused on using my privilege to give back to others. So, on a whim I applied for a job working with Seneca Family of Agencies at a school in Berkeley. It was my introduction to mental and behavioral health, and the profession of school-based social work. During my years at Seneca I learned the power of building relationships, the power of narratives, and the power of using my voice to influence the outcomes for young people within the public school system. It was during these two years that I knew I wanted to be a social worker, and more than 10 years later here I am!
What interested you in the position at UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare?
I wanted an opportunity to contribute to the profession on a larger scale. I especially wanted to bring the perspective of a black male social worker to the School. During my time as a student I learned a lot of great principles and practices for becoming a professional social worker, but I didn't get the opportunity to explore specific strategies for engaging and working with individuals and families from my community, or how to address the pressure of being a service provider that is represented in the communities I serve. My biggest goal in returning to Berkeley Social Welfare is to create more intentional training and development around the specific challenges impacting black communities in the U.S., and how social workers of diverse backgrounds need to prepare themselves for being an ally. I also hope that through these efforts I can work with other members of the faculty to increase the awareness around the field of social welfare in the black community, create more opportunities for the recruitment of black social workers, and establish a program that can support and elevate them within the SSW and the profession as a whole.
Describe a few high points of the year.
This year has easily been one of the most challenging of my career. Starting my first year with the School completely remote has pushed me in ways I never could imagine, but it has been filled with many bright moments. The biggest highlight of the year has been the level of support and encouragement I have received from the Field Faculty and the Dean's Office. There are not too many times in my life I have felt as welcomed as I have this year. I am also grateful for the ways in which my students have embarrassed me, especially my second-year cohort. Switching their field consultant in the middle of their two year program is a lot, and they did it with grace. Lastly, it has been a joy to work with students on realizing their full potential. I have had the privilege of getting to know some talented students this year, and help them begin to form their identity as social workers, and how they want to wield that power.
Humility. It is imperative that social workers are open to critically reflecting on the way in which they show up in the world, and work every day to grow. Humility allows other people's experiences of us to inform how we can be most effective for them, and most disruptive for racist and oppressive systems. Humility allows us to remain in community with those we hope to support, and allows for their voice to echo louder than our own agenda.