March is social work month. While the month celebrates the contributions and hard work of social workers across the nation, it also provides the opportunity to clarify what it means to be a social worker. There is often a misconception about what social workers do. Why is there such a misunderstanding about social workers?

As a women’s health therapist and of course, as a woman, I have always been interested in women’s health, specifically what contributes to good overall health. When we think of women’s health, we tend to focus on a woman’s physical health, such as the biological structures (think: female anatomy and reproduction); the hormonal conditions, specific to women (menstruation and menopause), and life events (pregnancy and childbirth). However, a woman’s health is not exclusive to her biological and hormonal symptoms, it also includes social determinants that contribute to good health and mental health.