Charlie Sheen Back on TV: Not Exactly an Ideal Social Worker

Impulsive, short-tempered, reckless, even delusional — Charlie Sheen has been accused of possessing many of these characteristics. In the past year alone, the actor has been at the center of a series of controversies.

But what does any of this have to do with Sheen making a good social worker?

Sheen has been casted to play a social worker in an upcoming sitcom, according to TMZ, an entertainment gossip website. In the role, Sheen will be working in the criminal justice system, with criminal defendants undergoing anger management. He has been casted as the Nicholson character, a confrontational doctor with some odd therapeutic techniques. The catch? Sheen will be dealing with anger management problems of his very own. While fans may be pleased by Sheen’s return to television, real life social workers may have mixed feelings.

The sitcom is loosely based off of the 2003 movie, “Anger Management” starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson.

The combination of Sheen’s notorious reputation off screen and the prospect of his negative representation of social workers on screen has the potential to adversely affect the image of social workers everywhere. Viewers who may simply not know any better could come to develop a negative, misinterpreted understanding of what it is that social workers actually do. The noble profession of social work does not seem to get enough recognition in the first place – Sheen may only further agitate this issue.

Having said this, maybe it’s best we spend some time discussing what goes on behind the scenes of social work, rather than behind the scenes of Sheen’s new television series.

Simply put, a social worker’s job is to improve the lives of others. Social workers help clients learn how to better cope with difficult issues they may be facing, issues like domestic violence, chronic illness, substance abuse or, as in the case of Sheen’s television show, anger management problems. Social workers connect people with governmental and non-profit organizations that offer them beneficial resources, along the way helping their beleaguered clients navigate bureaucratic processes and other difficulties. Aside from these client interactions, social workers may also work on research, policy, community organization and teaching, all towards the same goal of aiding social welfare, advancing change and pursuing justice.

Being a social worker is not an easy task. It requires patience, dedication and an enormous degree of passion. Social workers have the opportunity to truly make an impact on people’s lives. So, while it may be a challenging profession, it is a rewarding one as well.

It is unlikely that Sheen will portray a highly dedicated, passionate social worker focused on improving the lives of his clients — but that’s okay. As long as we are able to keep in mind what it truly means to be a social worker, we can sit back, laugh, relax and take Sheen’s show for what it is: just a television show.

No network has been selected yet to air this show (or any writers), and filming has not yet started.  Some heavy hitters are attached to the show though, including former Walt Disney Studios chairman and Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth.   It remains to see how this will all play out, but let’s hope it doesn’t hurt social workers’ reputations.

Jenn Pedde is the community manager for the Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California, one of top ten ranked MSW degrees in the country by US News & World Report.  She’s an avid traveler, and enjoys photography.