Between Despair and Hope: Israeli Social Workers’ Perceptions of the Profession and of Student Supervision

This study examines social workers perceptions of their profession and of supervision of social work students. We gathered from 403 social workers metaphors related to the profession and supervision. We found that most of the metaphors concerning the profession revealed a positive view of it, though criticism was also expressed. The metaphors concerning supervision revealed a view that was even more positive than that of the profession itself. But the difficulty noted by some participants and the criticism of the employment conditions and low esteem of the profession must be addressed by the academic institutions and society in order to maintain the positive attitude toward the profession among the supervisors who are grooming the next generation of social workers.