Sacramento Professor Has Recommendations For Future Social Workers

With a Ph.D in social welfare, licensed to practice as a clinical social worker in Washington and California, as well as holding a teaching profession in the greater Sacramento community (as an assistant professor at Sacramento State), Tyler Arguello actively educates, adds meaningful research to and advocates on behalf of some, "of the most under-served and marginalized in our communities."

What does your job entail?

"I am an assistant professor in the Division of Social Work at California State University, Sacramento, where I teach and mentor graduate students in numerous courses, including cultural diversity and social justice, advanced clinical practice in community mental health, psychodiagnostics and qualitative health research. Parallel to my classroom activities, I conduct health research related to HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ populations and health promotion. Also, I maintain a private psychotherapy practice, wherein I work with clients dealing with mental health issues, chronic health problems, life transitions and relationship difficulties."

What parts of your job do you enjoy?

"One of the core motivations for me to become a social worker has been the desire to work with people to be and accomplish more than they thought they could be and do. This holds true for clients, students and colleagues. I truly enjoy mentoring future social workers to provide culturally competent services to and advocate for the social justice of the most under-served and marginalized in our communities. Many of these students themselves must persevere through major life obstacles in order to complete their education and become working professional social workers."

What was your education history?

"I received all my advanced education and training at the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA. I hold a Ph.D. in Social Welfare, a Master of Social Work degree (M.S.W.) in health and mental health, a Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare (B.S.W.) and a BA in Spanish Language and Literature. I also completed the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, in San Francisco, California. Further, in order to conduct the clinical work I do, I have been licensed in the State of California (LCSW) as well as Washington and have become a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (DCSW)."

Do you think your education has helped in your line of work?

"Absolutely. As I relay to my students, achieving your degree in any (health) profession is really just the first step in a lifelong process of learning, growing and continually working at being the best you can be in order to best serve your clients and communities."

Any advice for someone seeking a similar career path?

"Going into social work is an interesting and particular endeavor. In order to see if it is a good fit for someone, I would highly recommend talking with social workers and other healthcare and human service professionals to better understand the array of allied health professionals. Moreover, I would encourage people to volunteer in a variety of agencies that do a type of work they are passionate about, and/or serve a particular population of interest."

Paulo Acoba is a California native raised in the Bay Area and living in the Central Valley. He enjoys distance running, cycling and grassroots motorsports. He holds a degree in management from the University of California Merced. Paulo has been writing for Examiner.com since 2012 and covering the Fresno area.