Welcome
My name is Mickel (Mike) Hoback and I’d like to welcome you to my Masters of Social Work Portfolio Site. This site will reflect on the accomplishments I have made as a social worker, including work done for the completion of my Masters of Social Work degree at Southern Adventist University.
This experience has been both challenging and rewarding for me and I have grown significantly as a professional over the course of my MSW program. Prior to entering the MSW program at Southern I had spent my whole life working in law enforcement and military. This program has opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities and equipped me take on challenges I never dreamed possible.
Mission Statement:
My mission is to provide high quality, comprehensive, evidence-based services to all individuals through building relationships that foster trust, respect, commitment, compassion and excellence.
About Me:
I was born in Wiesbaden, Germany while my father was stationed there with the U.S. Army. Due to my father being a career military individual I have traveled and lived all over the world which has also exposed me to many different cultures throughout my life. My father retired in 1992 and my family settled in Cleveland, Tennessee, where I continue to reside. In 1999 I graduated with a bachelor degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and began working for the Chattanooga Police Department in 2000. The best day of my life occurred in August 2002, when my daughter Megan was born. Life was great until that fateful day in May 2004 when my National Guard unit was called up in support of Operation Iraq Freedom. I was deployed to Iraq with the 278th Armored Calvary Regiment in 2004 and returned home in 2006 and continued my job with the police department. During the next three years I continued to work at the police department and was awarded several awards including the “Officer of the Year Award”. I was also nominated by the citizens of Chattanooga for the “All Star Hero Award”, from the television show America’s most wanted, for the work I had done in the community. It was during these years I began to see how veterans returning from combat were facing readjustment issues when they arrived home.
At that point I knew I wanted to make it my career goal to do something to help other veterans facing the same issues as I had. Mike Bearden, a military readjustment counselor, had talked with me about going into social work where I would learn both the skills and knowledge to help individuals facing this same type of crisis. I entered the newly developed MSW program at Southern and learned many useful skills that have helped and will continue to help me advocate for veterans and individuals with mental disabilities. In late 2011 the Tennessee Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) actually changed their policy and Tennessee State Law dealing with individuals who work in law enforcement and have a mental disability.
Dealing with my own “crisis” issues of being a single father, unemployed and facing “provider ethic”, has helped me in understanding clients that face these same issues and gives me an insight as to what they are dealing with.
Finally, I am particularly grateful to my parents and my daughter for allowing me the opportunity to complete this program. Without their undying support this grueling journey would not have been possible. My parents have provided me with much needed support throughout this program. My daughter has continued to be my rock and has given me the drive which was needed to endure this long but enlightening road. Every time I would start to doubt myself I would look into her eyes and see someone that thought I could do anything. Making her proud of me has always been the most important thing in my life.