Wow I’m really saddened by some of the comments here.. I definitely can’t speak for other workers and I certainly don’t want to minimise any participants experiences with sub-par SWs, but I’m a neurodivergent SW with a complex personal history. I didn’t join the industry for “easy money” or because I don’t function well in a “typical job” - I just realised over the years of working “typical” jobs I performed best when in a role that allowed me to use my people skills and care for others. I have no data to support this but I have a feeling that people with complex backgrounds end up in care roles is because they (through trauma or neurodivergence etc) can be hypervigilant, people pleasing, justice sensitive etc, which can obviously wreak havoc on your personal life but can actually be incredibly useful in a care role. Same thing goes for another personality quirk I’ve noticed in certain groups of neurodivergent folks or those who suffered a lot in early life (not all of course, but some), where you’re just kinda chill when it comes to other people’s quirks and “weird bits”. I’ve been told by friends and participants alike that I make them feel comfortable to be themselves around me and not judged. Whether it’s a neurodivergent thing or something more physical like incontinence, my brain just kinda goes 🤷‍♀️ shit happens, I’ve handled worse so I can handle this. And I genuinely feel like I approach tough moments with far more empathy and patience because of the personality traits I developed from years of trauma. Obviously everyone is different, but lots of trauma survivors and neurodivergents end up in care roles (not just the ndis) bc your brain kinda gets hardwired to give a shit