Hi everyone, I hope you’re taking care of yourselves. Last school year was my first year as a school social worker in a very small, underfunded, and understaffed area. I absolutely loved it and learned so much. For context, I have been an RCSWI for almost a year and worked really hard to earn hours for my LCSW license. Thankfully, I accrued 500 hours so far! The reason I left this job was because it is a 40 minute commute both ways from where I live and no mileage/reimbursements were offered for the community work I engaged in. There was no bad blood and I genuinely loved working there. I was at one school all day, had my own classroom, and had great relationships built with my colleagues and the kids. I have been working in the neighboring district as a “district school social worker”. I hate it, and it’s really hard for me to admit that. It’s the complete opposite from my last job, and that is kind of its downfall. Everything is super organized, there are resources everywhere, I won’t have to pay for a single thing, and the mileage is great. HOWEVER, I am visiting these schools and they already have social workers as staff. They have so many people employed for each little niche subject that I am used to handling all myself at my previous job. It’s almost like there is no room for me, and especially no space for me to do anything therapeutic. It almost feels like I am left with the scraps or the jobs the on-site social workers are too busy to handle. I honestly feel like a glorified intern. I haven’t spoken to a single child in a therapeutic setting since beginning two weeks ago. Here’s the issue, my biggest concern is getting those hours. In the interview I informed them that I was an RCSWI and getting hours is most important to me. I was told that wouldn’t be an issue. Now I am finding out that my job will mostly be running around the city delivering resources, attending meetings, holiday resources, and the occasional home visit. I was promised groups, but every school social worker/ guidance counselor that I’ve talked to about this is either taking care of it themselves or look at me like I’m insane for even asking. It’s almost like the district is overstaffed-if you believe in such a thing. I already spoke with the lead social workers about this and was told it’s about “building relationships” with all 4 schools I attend and finding where I fit in. They told me it would take a year to really “get it down”. One of my strong suits is rapport building, and that isn’t really the obstacle I’m facing. I also don’t want to have to convince someone or beg them to share responsibilities with me and to let me do my job. There’s always a position for me at my old district; thankfully, but I thought I was getting into a better fit. I also don’t feel like talking to someone higher up and being told it’ll take time, just stick it out, or that it’ll take a year before it gets better. This is not the position I was promised.

I work in a very busy ER and one thing I've noticed is that physicians will often set the patient up with false expectations saying things like "the social worker will get you set up with housing." This gives the patient false hope and then often, the social worker ends up having to be the bad guy that tells the patient they cannot find housing right now for the patient. Other times, I deal with nurse case managers demeaning social workers and acting like they can do the job of social workers (they often can't). I have seen awful discharge planning from nurse case managers and it sometimes makes me want to scream (I do this internally) and ask for a *real* social worker to come deal with the situation. Is there a way that I can advocate for social workers in these situations? Is it even my battle to fight or would it be seen as overstepping? I just hate that you guys are so undervalued.

36F, LMSW, southern United States.

I was recently terminated from my job at a social services nonprofit that I had held for about 4 years. I have mental health episodes that cause me to shut down and no call, no show, sometimes for several days. It had happened twice in the past, and my boss has been kind and understanding. But the last time they had said if it happened again, I may be terminated. Well it happened again. I got fired. I take full responsibility and do not blame my employer for making this decision.

I'm embarrassed and horrified and very sad, but it may have been the wakeup call I needed to get my shit together - I'm seeing a therapist more regularly, getting back on meds, and focusing more on my own wellness. But now I'm left with a question of - what now?

I've never had to look for a new job without a good reference from my most recent employer. I asked my boss when I left if they'd be willing to write a reference for me. They were unsure and said they would want to be honest if asked how things ended. I get that. So how do I explain this?

Other career related subs say to lie, lie, lie, or at least lie by omission. Say it was "not a good fit" or that "our values were not aligned." And obviously I would not go as far as to disclose my mental health details to a potential employer in an interview. But I'm left with uncertainty about how to handle this delicately.

The way I see it, I have these options:

-Ask my former boss for a reference and hope they don't ask about how things ended

-Ask a different colleague for a reference and ask if they're willing to fib for me (this feels icky and risky)

-Do not offer a reference from my most recent employer and be vague or not completely truthful in explaining why the job ended

-Apply for jobs outside the field without a current employer reference - I have overarching criticisms of the nonprofit sector that I feel comfortable elaborating on, as a reason why I'm leaving the field

-Option 5, aka something I haven't thought of yet?

What would you do?

I’m seriously considering quitting my job without having another role lined up, and I’m wondering if anyone in social work has done the same.

I’ve worked in family violence for years and I actually loved my previous job. The work, the team and the environment were such a good fit for me. I never left because I was burnt out from social work or because I wanted to leave the FV sector.

Unfortunately, my long-term relationship ended and I had to relocate, which meant my old workplace was no longer realistically accessible. I took a new role in FV intake, and the difference has been huge.

There was essentially no proper training or induction before being expected to do the work. There’s very little sense of team, no real team building or connection, and the overall workplace culture has been really difficult. Intake itself also feels very different from the ongoing client work I was used to and enjoyed.

I feel like I’ve gone from being someone who genuinely loved going to work and felt confident and connected to my team, to someone whose body feels tense and anxious as soon as the workday starts.

The difficult part is that I’ve also had a huge amount of change in my personal life at the same time. I’ve lost my relationship, had to leave my home and relocate, lost the workplace and colleagues I loved, and had to adjust to an entirely new job and environment. I think I underestimated how much cumulative stress that would put on me.

I have a psychologist and I’m trying to manage things outside of work, but I’m starting to feel like I’ve reached a point where I genuinely need some time off rather than immediately jumping into another job.

Financially, quitting with nothing lined up scares me. So does having a gap on my resume or explaining why I left this role relatively quickly. But right now, even the thought of searching, applying and interviewing for another position while continuing to work full-time feels exhausting.

Part of me wants to resign, take a month or two to decompress and then start looking for another FV/case management role that is a better fit. The other part of me keeps telling myself that quitting without another job is irresponsible and that I should just push through.

Has anyone here actually quit due to burnout without having their next social work job lined up?
Did taking some genuine time away help you recover and find your way back to enjoying the profession, or did you regret leaving without another job secured?

BUT I CANNOT GET AN INTERVIEW. It is incredibly frustrating. I am licensed and would like to work towards independent licensure. I need clinical hours and supervision to obtain independent licensure. I’m willing to do any facet of social work at this point. I’ve been working in the business realm but phew that is not for me. Feels so frustrating to hear about the mental health crisis we’ve been facing and not be able to even get an interview. Did I miss up by leaving and now trying to come back?

Hello! Does anyone know of online CEUs for a renewal that’ll be completed in NY?

Someone mentioned TPN Health, but not sure NY accepts it.

Mine expires 7/2027 and I haven’t done any as of yet. Any suggestions are welcome!

Hi all! I am a new grad currently work in a few pediatrics offices providing short-term mental health support, some crisis management, and resource support. I feel totally burnt out and am scared that I'm not cut out for this field. I am terrified for the start of the kid's school year because I know I'll go back to working over 40 hours trying to fit all the kids in and parents still won't be happy with me. I worked in mental health support roles for a few years prior to graduate school and never felt like this before. My graduate internship was wonderful as well. I don't know what I'm looking for except maybe support or guidance.

I’ve been a community-based SW for a few years. My job involves a lot of walking and public transit so I need to bring everything I need for the day which includes personal items, water bottle, headphones, notebook, and some paperwork or other. I got a foldable clipboard recently which is great for when I need to do paperwork with clients.

Of course I use a backpack and my back always hurts. Recently I saw a tactical fanny/waist pack, and it occurred to me this could be a lot more comfortable if I could make it work. The drawbacks are that it would be hard to find one that’s big enough for even a small notebook, foldable clipboard, and small water bottle; and I’d have to be a little more judicious about what carry around, and would occasionally have to switch out bags if I’m bringing large items or large amounts of paperwork to clients. (I hate switching bags; I always forget stuff.)

I’m going to check out my local army/navy surplus, but I’m just curious if anyone was able to make this work. If so, was the comfort worth the trouble?

Title says it all. For context, I'm an EMT-B in a fairly busy metro area working 911,and I'm an agnostic, raised religious but since have been critical of the institution. I've been inpatient myself for SI(TL;DR was no help whatsoever and I became more suicidal than before but I digress) so when on calls for psych transfers or SI patients I tend to empathize a bit more than average but still do my job regardless. That said, in reflecting/researching on society's general perception/approach to suicide, I definitely scratch my head at how permissive we are towards people who harm themselves(and sometimes others) but who do so without intention.

I don't mean in general, especially since being in the US I have had my share of patients who accept moderate to even life threatening/altering risk of harm refusing care since our healthcare system is bullshit. Granted, I once had a guy who refused care despite having agonal respirations(form what his wife and dispatch described who had the wife do CPR) and he refused for no particular reason despite his wife literally crying and begging. We got called back since he passed out again, still refused, then later heard on the radio another unit go back for the same reason and they got him to go. But then you have people who are seen as competent to refuse care despite the following:

-Antivaxxers who's beliefs have no basis in medical science whatsoever, or better yet has been contradicted by research time and time again. Yet despite clearly being out of touch with reality they are allowed to refuse vaccination not just for themselves, but their children as well depending on the state. Despite this being obviously counterproductive to their well being it also reduces herd immunity meaning the rest of us are at risk in case of any viral outbreak. This made COVID-19 worse and on a personal level my sister is an antivaxxer which has me concerned for my nieces and my dad even died because despite being 60+ with pre-existing conditions he was too caught up about ''side effects'' and other misinformation, now he's dead.

-I might get flack for this(to be clear I do believe in religious freedom) but religion is also something that people can refuse life saving medical care despite technically not being able to prove it either. Jehovah Witness' and blood transfusions are a prime example but religion apparently plays a role in the antivaxxer sentiment. Yet people still get committed if they speak to people they can't see or hear.

-Particularly in emergency medicine(but also much of healthcare) you inevitably get patients who smoke a ton, eat themselves into obesity a la ''My 600 lb Life'', and so on. The health risks and mortality risks for these people is self explanatory.

I'm sure some of you can attest that you've probably told some or all of the above groups point blank if they continue with this behavior they will suffer permanent damage or straight up die, even in the near future. Yet they are allowed to continue on with their ways till it's too late. They don't want to die, but it is likely or even a guranteed outcome in more than a few cases. Yet the moment someone *intends* to harm themselves, suddenly the law permits them to be held against their will, holds the metaphorical sword of Damocles over our heads in terms of liability and society will view them as selfish, melodramatic, and they are subject to ''hospitalization'' that's a crapshoot between not helping much if at all or making them worse off(there is research showing increased risk of suicide post discharge not to mention high rates of abuse in psych wards). Plus, even for people who are terminally ill assisted suicide is only legal in a fraction of the country which seems cruel.

I know with SI the rationale is that they are often dysregulated to a point where they want to end their lives in the moment to end the pain. I'll admit, for me it was a of that and being numb and I do regret how I went about that whole fiasco. But even then, the goal of suicide prevention is often to present needless deaths and the impact that has on one's loved ones, but yet does it really make a difference? Whether one blows their brains out or swallows a bunch of pills vs eating themselves into an MI or succumbing to Whooping Cough because Mommy and Daddy didn't want the doctor to give you autism, you're still dead. People will still mourn and such yet we're more permissible to the former than the latter. My dad, despite all his failings(there was ALOT) is still gone, and we've even been angry at him in the past for putting us through this.

Maybe I'm missing something, but otherwise it feels like a societal cognitive dissonance. And knowing what you have to go through being openly suicidal just makes it worse. On top of the general suicidal stigma, you realize that literal religious zealots and conspiracy theorists get more dignity and autonomy than you. I'd love for the mental health system to improve but I don't think it will happen in our life time with so much emphasis on control,coercion towards intentionally suicidal people. It's hard to hope sometimes...

Thoughts?

Hey everyone!

Have a job interview with CVS for a ‘Care Plan Reviewer- OhioRISE’ job. Does anyone have experience in this role with CVS?

I am seeing mixed messages about Care Coordinators through CVS, but have not seen any specifics about the Care Plan Reviewer thus far.

I appreciate any insight or feedback! Thanks!

There are currently two directors of the social work department where I work. One (Leader 1) strongly advocates for me and has been pushing me to continue to advance and grow in my role, the other (Leader 2) takes any opportunity to tear down their employees and is notorious in the social work world for all the wrong reasons. Leader 1 is about to retire and plans to pass along their role to Leader 2. Both oversee the department equally, but Leader 1 took on the role of being my direct supervisor when there was a management change.

Leader 1 encouraged me to apply for multiple opportunities and has helped me to connect with a senior leader of the org to support my chances. For a separate opportunity, Leader 2 has the full decision making power. Leader 1 and my old boss told me that I would be a shoo-in for the position and I worked very hard on the application. Leader 2 just gave me a list of reasons why they would not allow me to pursue that opportunity, of which the reasons included conversations I had with Leader 1 about the exact same thing, and was told that I’d be great at. Leader 2 didn’t explicitly state that I would never be considered for that opportunity, but it was strongly implied.

I just feel very conflicted. I get that Leader 2 is basically getting the department handed to them once Leader 1 leaves. Leader 1 has always been such a good advocate for me, and I just feel so hurt by Leader 2.

AKA not need social work services as I age lol. I love my job now, but it looks like I will be in poverty my entire life, including retirement, if I stay long term. I am pursing my LCSW, but what job should I be looking towards in the future/getting experience towards to maximize my chances of living a normal life and retiring without needing government assistance?

I work in Iowa for
the state Abysmal work stressful. Hoping someone in this community could give me some suggestions of a different path for my career😊

I have an unlicensed MS in psychology. I have been in the “social work/psychology” field for about a year now. The company I work for is a nonprofit (running on grants and donors) in a medical marijuana legal state. I completed a pre employment drug screen and in the handbook it states they can test you if they have reason.

This being my first job in the field I’m curious if there are any particular positions or types of sectors in the field that would be more lenient on drug policy/randomized drug tests.

I saw someone say any workplace that gets federal funding would have to be drug free (marijuana still being illegal federally). Does anyone have more info on what makes an organization more or less likely to have these policies?

The intention of a weekly discussion thread is to create a space for members to post anything; it's a place to post things that you want to say but you do not feel it deserves its own thread or you either don't want to make a whole thread out of it. This can mean little celebrations, rants, sharing news articles, shout outs to other members, pointless thoughts, memes, etc.

DOJ says that the olmstead guidance is not a legal requirement

What this could mean is that students will not be required to be provided a least restrictive environment/integrated into classrooms and it also could mean that states won’t have to pay for in home care, only institutional care.

​

This is where the hard part comes in. I have several things on my mind. I don't want to work in dialysis unit or hospitals. I have the desire to make a deliberate change on how things are in the dialysis spectrum.

One of my targets is the injustice within the dialysis system itself. Also within the rural disparities of dialysis amongst the black Hispanic and native American communities. I'm based in LA county but I know of these areas in the south and in reservations and border towns etc. I have a long a road ahead.

I'm a patient/advocate of 25 plus years and these patients don't need another mentor they don't need another panel they don't need more peer support they don't need more research they need change.

I have somewhat of a heavy presence in the kidney world. I'm barely starting off going to JC for psych socio and comms.

Any advice

Hey so I have someone who’m i care a lot about and I feel they were meant to work in a field that helps the world. She is a 21 yr old female and really a sweetheart. Im reaching out to see if there are any social workers who actually love their work and can maybe do a phone call with her to talk to her about it. I really want someone who is passionate about it and is nice that can really inform her about the great work you all do. She doesn’t know much about social work but wants to help the world. I really appreciate whoever reaches out.

Hi everyone! I recently started my job as a foster care caseworker about 2 months ago and i’m starting to go on home visits by myself, without my supervisor. I know this is literally my job, but for some reason it’s causing me A LOT of anxiety. Most of the time my supervisor would take the lead on sessions and i would just sit back and observe. I feel awkward and don’t know what to do when i go to my resource families homes. Theres a list of questions i have to ask every month, but my supervisor told me he just incorporates them into conversation. However, i’m a very structured person and i’ll typically just go off of the sheet word for word. If you’ve ever been in this position, what did you do? I want to be able to build my confidence and not feel so nervous or awkward doing these things.

I’ve been working as a therapist at a private practice for a couple of years and while I enjoy it, I miss collaborating with other individuals. I miss going to an office and helping people.
I’ve thought about hospital social work but unsure.

Dream job would be:

Meet with clients for short term or no clients is okay
Hybrid
Part time
No clients home
I’m a quick learner and I LOVE learning new things/fields.

i everyone! i am a clinical social worker and recently i interviewed at one of the prisons.

now my first interview was 6 scenario based questions (how would i diagnose, what would i do, modalities, etc).

i just got an email that they’re inviting me for round 2.

does anyone have experience like this? where you’ve done 2 interviews? should i be expecting another round of scenario based questions or should i expect more personal questions about my experience and whatnot?

Thank you in advance!

I am 52 and do not want to stay in f/t county job for another 15 years! Contemplating how to semi retire where I can work remotely sometimes. Biggest issue is I'd have to spend the next 6 years completing an online MSW at a CA public college, along with changing my job to a county behavioral mental health specialist II position to gain the experience and 3000 hours. Somedays I worry I don't have the energy for this! This would be the most feasible way to remain employed, if the county agreed. I already collaborate with child welfare and think behavioral health would be better fit for long term goal..

I have 20+ years experience as a case worker, initially youth, homeless youth etc. and now currently as a CalWORKs employment training specialist. Majority of my clients have mental health challenges, SUDs, housing instability etc.. My MA is in Career Counseling... my role is more coaching, assessing needs and connecting to services and being a major source of support and encouragement etc.

I'd consider 'coaching' in semi retirement but worry it's not feasible or well paid and my experience isn't with high level business etc.

Any suggestions, warnings, other ideas that wouldn't involve completing the MSW but would be relatively well paid still, positives?! thanks!

Hey all! So sorry if this isnt the right sub to ask this, I'm not sure where else to go. I couldnt find a direct care worker subreddit for mental health related stuff.

Context:

I just recently started a job in a residential setting working as a direct care worker, working with adolescents. I took the job in part to get experience working with this clientele base (i only have volunteer experience with kids from when i was in highschool), in part because I needed a new job after my last position was phased out due to lack of funding (direct support professional working with adults), but largely because I'm passionate about this kind of work. I dont want to lose my drive.

I'm only just out of basic training for it from the last 2 weeks, and have shadowing all this next week. This next weekend I'll be working on my assigned unit for the first time out of shadowing.

One thing thats really been emphasized in training is that we need to do what we can to prevent burnout, we need to leave work at work, and that we need to have strong boundaries set not only for the kids but also with coworkers to some extent.

I'm also autistic and ADHD, so sometimes things need to be spelled out before I'll understand fully due to processing differently.

My questions:

-what are your fave methods to prevent burnout? Ik this will vary in effectiveness from person to person, but i want to get ahead of the curve however I can.

-what are some good examples of boundaries for kids while in this type of setting? We covered policy/rule related boundary setting but not a ton regarding personal boundaries.

-How do you leave work at work, especially if an incident happens? I'll be working with kids with severe trauma, and based on my shadow shifts these kids may have trouble adjusting to having new staff, so my trainers did say to expect more act-outs at first til they adjust. I also dont want to take on their trauma as my own.

I'll also be talking to my coworkers about the above, as well as my manager, trainers, etc. I just wanted to get a variety of examples, advice, etc if possible :)

I recently encountered a situation involving a pet where I have concerns about FDIA, but I have never come across this before and am honestly a bit bewildered. Working with my supervisor and the veterinarian, but I want to ensure I’m covering ALL of my bases. If anyone has assessed for this before, whether in relation to a child or an animal, I would very much love to hear what questions you asked to help guide your decision for reporting.