IntroductionBeing self-aware as a social worker is imperative if one plans to be an effective and competent social worker. There will be many incidents and situations that social workers may encounter in their professional work, which may present some difficulties as to the next step to take in their work with a client. Being aware of this is the first step.Background InformationThe family subset that will be explored in this article is a mother-son dyad that I worked with during my internship last year. The mother, called Mrs Patrick, and her son, called Sam, were having difficulty at home. Ms. Patrick is a widowed white woman in her 50s and her son, Sam, is a 16-year-old biracial (African American/White) man. Sam is the youngest child of Mrs. Patrick and her deceased husband. Mrs. Patrick and her deceased husband had six children, including Sam. Sam is the only child living in the house. Patrick said she was "in a battle with her son for control." Ms Patrick described her son as disrespectful and disobedient. Ms. Patrick first sought therapy; she wanted her son to join her during the next sessions. Ms. Patrick went to therapy because she wanted to know if there was a way to change herself to treat her son. Sam did attend therapy at his mother's insistence, in subsequent sessions. Problem Identified In a one-on-one session with Sam, he described his mother as reckless and irresponsible. Sam said that sometimes his mother would call him the "N" word, especially when she was extremely angry with him. Sam quickly recovered and said his mother was not racist. At that moment, I could partly understand why Sam would have no respect for his mother...... middle of paper ...... social work practice, I believe I will not only meet clients who have discriminatory beliefs, but the colleagues, supervisors and other professionals with whom I will have to collaborate on behalf of my clients.ConclusionSocial workers may, during their professional career, be confronted with situations which may lead them to question the next step. If social workers follow their ethical standards, most difficult situations will be handled fairly for the client. Social workers must be aware of themselves as therapists in order to be effective professionals.ReferencesAnderson, RE, Carter, IE, & Lowe, G. (1999). Human behavior in the social environment: asocial systems approach. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter. Nichols, M. and Schwartz, R. (2008). Family therapy: concepts and methods (8th edition). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.