Social Work and Systems Theory The text speaks “that a system is a whole consisting of interacting parts.”(Suppes & Wells, 2012) It  continues stating that “these parts are so interrelated that a change in any one part affects all the others.”(Suppes & Wells, 2012) This system to me is the cornerstone of this chapter. It is the piece of the puzzle that ties everything together. Without a working system then things begin to break down. Comparing the social system to the body brought to a new level of understanding of social work or more importantly systems theory. I have always looked at social work in a one-dimensional view. The residential treatment facility I work for; the social workers here seem only to deal one on one with the student. I know they also deal with the probation, courts, and family members as well, but I never put it together as one big system. As I analyze and think about this system as it relates to the social workers at my work, I begin to realize that this system is quite large. If and when one part of this system collapses everything starts to collapse until the social worker, can put pieces back together again. The critical thinking question found on page 45 “Why is social work leadership more likely to be successful if all relevant systems are involved?” (Suppes & Wells, 2012) When I used to look at social work, I never visioned as a leadership type position, but that is what social work is. The social worker takes the lead in assisting and helping those who need it, but this leadership needs all the pieces to be in place for it to be effective. The social worker's ability to lead and take charge is imperative if they expect to have desired outcomes. The levels of intervention once again gave me even more of a broader spectrum of social work than the narrow view I had. My personal dealings with social worker both in the residential treatment facility and in a retirement home has always typically been a relation between social worker and client as well as family members on most occasions. The intervening at the group, organization, and community level makes me realized that social work is a much broader area of work than I knew even existed. Knowing the vast scope of social work does not change my desire and passion for working with youth with addictions, but it does allow me more understanding at the vastness of this profession. As I look at the programming at my job, I am trying to see where the different levels may be. Obviously, the client and family levels are present, but is there a group, or, organization or community levels Group level could be the combined sessions we do with the students in a group therapy session. The community could be the work the kids volunteer to do out in the community. The organization is where I struggle, but I wonder if the organization could be the courts and probation departments that are dealt with on a regular basis.   In closing, I surmise that social work revolves around systems theory which is made up of several pieces that work together. When one of those pieces fail, then the entire system fails.