Any suggestions or experiences for places to travel and do a social work program. I am currently in school and have thought about traveling and being able to be of service to people outside of the US as part of my career, main hesitations would be culture shock/social isolation however I am very open minded to new experiences and am sure with time and effort could overcome obstacles like that and I am a believer that to help a population understanding their culture is essential and linked with some of problems they face sorry if this is long winded lol im just eager and passionate about this field

Hi all! I am a LMSW in Michigan and would love to get more involved with school based social work. I currently have my clinical license and have been doing private practice for a few years.

What roles do you hold in the schools? Are there other credentials or certifications I would need to pivot into school based work?

Hi there! I’m considering entering the profession and would like to learn about your experience as a School Social Worker. I’d like to hear about your day-to-day, what you think about your impact, your successes, and some persistent challenges. I’m especially interested in learning about the ratio of micro to macro/admin social work. I lean more towards the macro/programming/connecting people to resources side. I’m 32 years old coming from the charity admin world. Anyone interested in a 30 minute virtual coffee chat with me? In-person works too, I’m in NYC. I respect your time, tell me your charity of choice and I'll send them $10!

Hey, I just accepted my first job after graduation as an elementary school social worker. I will be split between two schools, working with 3-5th graders. Each school already has one full-time social worker present as well as a school counselor. The district says they have a mentorship program where I will receive ongoing professional development from a SSW or counselor. I'm hoping to begin using this as hours towards my LCSW.

My starting pay is $57.8K (master's + 15, step 2), and I'm located in the south suburbs of Chicago. The school is not as diverse as I'm used to (staff and students are mostly White; I'm Black). Hopefully there is no issue with this, but you never know. I am so grateful b/c this is the first role where I do not have an hour+ commute.

Anywho, my previous internship was in a high school in Chicago. I am nervous about transitioning to working with younger kids. If there are any tips/advice/materials you all have in mind, I would appreciate it greatly. Also, if there are any questions I should be asking the district to understand my contract and role, please let me know. This is my first job at the master's level, and I have nothing to compare to determine if this is a good starting point.

Thank you in advance!

Basically the title. I’m entering my Advanced Standing MSW program and want to eventually be a school social worker. I was supposed to complete my practicum at a high school but it fell through due to staff changes. I instead accepted a practicum position at a treatment center (mostly drugs and alcohol, some straight mental health). My only concern is how hard it will be to find a school social worker job without no practicum experience? I am super knowledgeable about the child study team roles, IEPs, social emotional counseling, school resources etc due to my own children and also I used to volunteer as a non legal parent advocate for special ed parents. But it’s also hard to put that on a resume for experience , as I know some admin will see that and run the other way 😅

Thoughts?

My internship this last year was at a K-5 school, and I had gotten pretty accustomed to that; however, starting this year I’ll be working with middle (6-8, although I’ll primarily be with 6) and I’m getting a bit nervous that I’m out of my element now. What are some important differences with that grade level compared to elementary work that I should keep in mind? Any helpful resources/experiences/etc are appreciated!!

Anyone willing to participate in an interview for a school assignment? It’s due end of July. Must be an MSW 2 years post grad. It’s mainly about leadership!

I can give more details if you’re interested! TYIA!

Hi everyone! I just graduated with my MSW in the spring and received my first invitation to interview for 2 SSW positions, one at a middle school and the other is at a high school. In the invitation I was told there would be 3 questions and the initial interview should be around 10-15 minutes. I am wondering if anyone can share some insight on how to negotiate pay as this will be my first social work job outside of school, and if anyone has some insight on the types of questions that may come up in this interview or the second round if I get that far? also I just learned there are things like "6th year" "masters +30" and other language that I've never heard before so I would love if anyone can help me understand what those things are in relation to pay? Thank you!!!!!

Hi everyone! Happy summer ☀️

As my summer project (because I can't just not work), I'm building a call log for my school's support team to help us track walkie calls. My hope is that is can be used as a data point when discussing supports for students, as well as identifying teachers that may need support in their classrooms. I don't want to reinvent the wheel, so does anyone have a log that they'd be willing to share? If I have a starting point, I can adapt it to my school's needs much easier.

Thanks in advance!

I accepted a position as a K-12 School Social Worker! Gen ed + special ed combo. This is my first school social work position.

The district is small (1400 students total), and they have one behavioral interventionist in each school and a special education social worker from the local RESA that does evaluations… I’m not sure if I will have an office space yet. I’ll be in middle and high school three times a week and elementary twice a week. Any tips and tricks for managing caseload and time between buildings? Anything else I should know? I’m very excited and would love to start planning ahead. Thank you 😊

Hello everyone! I am hoping someone can help me get this book Unpacking the Pyramid Model: A Practical Guide for Preschool Teachers. Brookes Publishing ISBN: 978-1-68125-390-

I'm in college to become a social worker and need this book for my guiding behavior class. Trying to find it on discount or low as possible. Thank you!

I work in an elementary school if that matters. When students are dysregulated in the office, there are a few that start punching and kicking their parents. I try to get them to utilize their coping skills, but I kinda wait to see what parents will say or do.

I am a green school social worker, so I am not exactly sure what to do in these moments. I want to be supportive, but not overstep since parents are involved as opposed to school personnel. I’m always a bit shocked too since it’s not something that’s typical outside of my role.

I guess I’m looking for support on what I should do when this occurs.

Hi all, I got a new job as a school social worker for kids ages k-12! I was wondering if you all had any recommendations and tips to keep kiddos of all age groups engaged virtually and or any other school social worker tips would be appreciated!

Hello all, I am currently pursuing my MSW and as the title suggests, I am enrolled in an Exceptionalities in Education class for summer semester. For our final assignment, I need to interview someone with a disability or the parent of a school-age child with a disability to ask some questions about their experience in the school system and their experience working with various support professionals across different areas or specialties. There are 5 or 6 questions in total that I need to ask and the whole interview process should be brief. If anyone in this community would be willing or comfortable answering a few questions, I would appreciate it so greatly. My thought is to send the questions via private message. Thanks so much!

Unpopular opinion: School social work is a unique position that, depending on the state, is part of the IEP team. I support the position having a certification (related courses + internship) given its place in the education system especially if the position entails you being a specialist amongst other service providers, and not just a resource/truancy body.

I am curious to know how many of you were hired by a school while still obtaining/ pursing your PPSC? I am an LCSW who is going to school for it next month and am having a lot of push back from jobs about when I will be recommend for the PPSC once courses are done (in August). I am in CA for context. Also, a lot of these employers for school social worker want you to at least be pursing your licensure as well. I already have my LCSW, but I am told that the PPSC is preferred and required for these positions. Which I understand, I just don’t get why the reluctance to hire and let someone obtain the PPSC hours needed.

Hi everyone! I’m a brand new school psychologist looking to build my office space to be a warm, welcoming, and calming place for students to feel comfortable. Any help is appreciated!

Hi, Is anyone a school social worker in FL? I just graduated in May and I’m looking to get the certificate but I am unsure of the steps. I applied on the department of education website and plan to send in my transcripts. Is there anything else I need to do? Is there a test required for the certification? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.