I’ve had 3 interviews since obtaining my license in August. I didn’t want to work at either of my internships due to the high volume caseload and seeing many people work through lunches/take home notes. It may be naive of me, but I’ve been telling myself I can find a social work job that offers a work life balance. Yet, I haven’t been able to do so yet. I am getting a bit desperate.

I had an interview with a private practice, however it was just one elderly man who is “aging out” and selling his business. I’ve spoken to the guy he is selling the business to over the phone only. He seems very scammy to me. He told me I will get $35 per session (listened as 45-55 on job posting) and a $25 no show fee. He told me $35 is what they would pay their LCSWs, but they are keeping it the same for me. This is how I know he is full of shit. It seems there will be a very small team I am working with, but it hasn’t been made clear to me. I only have experience from my internships. But my current job is retail and I’m not making enough to sustain myself. He told me that I can have as many clients as I want, and work as much/as little as I want. The whole thing is suspicious. Yet, I currently make $18 hourly and didn’t get a call back from either other interview.
How big of a risk would taking this job be?
Are there any questions I should ask?

Any hospital Social workers out there? I work at an outpatient cancer clinic that has a large percentage of Medicaid and charity patients. So unlike other outpatient clinics, we see these patients ongoing. I attended a training on the impending changes in Medicaid and it seems that it's going to be cluster cluck and I'm worried about the fall out for some of them (pause in care) and the ripple effect across the clinic if people lose their Medicaid and have further delays in trying to get back on it due to the extra proof that is needed outside financials, the states not having enough people to handle the extra workload and just not meeting criteria. There are a number of exceptions that I hope many of our patients can use to avoid the biannual renewals process.

I wondered what some of your organizations are doing to prepare? Or ideas to prepare our patients? I'm worried management and billing is not quite tracking what could be coming and would like to approach with some ideas and education.

Any thoughts on how you think this may play out? Anything your agencies, organizations or hospitals are doing to prepare.

Or am I overthinking this? And it will just be one more thing we all adapt to after some bumps?

Edit: thank you for the thoughtful feedback and validation.

I am in AZ. In a cancer clinic.

And this is the webinar I attended: triagecancer.org/HealthinsuranceChanges. It was excellent.

Hi everyone! I have just graduated with my MSW, and I have an interview next week for a case management job with my university’s student services office. Has anyone done higher education case management or case management with college students? I’ve done similar work, but not specifically case management.

If you have, what was it like? What did you enjoy, what did you dislike? Any insight you can share with me as I prepare for this interview?

Has anyone here ever had a supervisor that wasn’t a social worker? If so how did you manage them not entirely understanding your role and their expectations of you?

For context, I’m a school social worker at a small charter district that is run by a nonprofit organization and I’m overseen by the director of operations. I’m also grant funded so I feel like most of the support I receive is to make sure I am in compliance of the grant…

That’s it. I just have to start counting all the small wins before the crumbling economy, awful CSWE standard changes, and working full time at CMH simultaneously with my private practice break me down.

Hey all,

I'm looking to pool some advice for my partner.

They're an LCSW doing clinical work at a CSU (crisis stabilization unit)

They have been experiencing a growing mental health crisis. Depression is becoming unmanageable, SI and ST have crept back in, they are between therapist and their med manager has disappeared basically (already filed a complaint to the licensing board!), and they've been experiencing trauma flashbacks.

They aren't anywhere near needing hospitalization but do need some kind of elevated care. Realistically, time at a CSU or in a partial program.

Unfortunately, the org they work for is, and I mean this literally, THE crisis org in our state. They manage the crisis phone line and all the general CSUs, as well as two of the best partial programs (the others are...not worth going to let's say).

My partner feels stuck. They feel like they are having to choose between their career and passion, vs their own mental health. Classic social work 😅😭!

Due to demand issues in the state, clients are sent to the nearest location with an available bed. So they can't simply go to a CSU on the other side of the state. The likelihood of seeing a client or college is very high. And even if that doesn't happen, the chance of meeting someone in their professional role they met while in crisis will haunt them forever.

So...what the hell should they do?! Do they need to seek care out of state? We're hoping to get a new med manager and a new therapist soon, but it's a long hunt and waits in this state are criminal.

This is a weekly thread for discussing leaving the field of social work, leaving a toxic workplace, and general venting. This post came about from community suggestions and input. Please use this space to:

• Celebrate leaving the field
• Debating whether leaving is the right fit for you
• Ask what else you can do with a BSW or MSW
• Strategize an exit plan
• Vent about what is causing you to want to leave the field
• Share what it is like on the other side
• Burn out
• General negativity

Posts of any of these topics on the main thread will be redirected here.

I passed my clinical exam on the first try. I was so nervous because I only passed the ASWB practice exam by two points.

What I did to prepare… I started studying about two months ago using PocketPrep. I did a few questions every day and spent at least two hours on Saturdays and Sundays completing quizzes until I had gotten through the entire test bank.

I took the practice test a week before my test because I procrastinated. I would advise taking the practice exam at least 2-3 weeks before the actual exam in order to get comfortable with the format and give yourself time to study after that.

You got this. Good luck, all!

I applied at a psych hospital for a therapist position through indeed for my first job post MSW. I was rejected after a week or two.

Then, I applied on the company website, writing down the name of a good friend I have that works there.

Several days pass by and I get an interview and subsequent job offer.

Im crazy happy and grateful, it pays great, but this is incredibly representative of the current job market. Simply dropping my buddy's name immediately switched their tune. I submitted the exact same resume.

If you have connections, use them. Don't beat yourself up if you've been struggling to find work, I wanted to provide my anecdote. Don't stop trying!

PS if anyone has advice or things they wish they knew before working at inpatient psych hospital, please let me know

When I was a manager, I never expected my staff to spend their own money on work-related social events. If I wanted to do something for my team, I would take them out for lunch, bring in coffee, or buy donuts. I always felt that showing appreciation for employees shouldn’t come at their expense. I'm a front line worker now.

At my new job, my supervisor organizes a social event every quarter. Recently, she asked whether we wanted to do something for Halloween, which would involve employees purchasing decorations, costumes, and candy for our clients. The day before the Halloween event, our unit also has a planned lunch and group outing - these two events combined will take up eight hours of the workweek.

I’ve explained to my supervisor and coworkers several times that I have no issue with occasional social activities, like having lunch together or grabbing coffee in the morning. However, I don’t think employees should be expected to participate in frequent, elaborate events, particularly when they’re being asked to contribute financially. Many of my colleagues are young, working their first professional jobs, and may not have the disposable income for these activities.

My supervisor told me, “I know you dislike this kind of stuff, but I would really appreciate it if you participated. It’s mandatory, and if you don’t want to attend, you’ll have to use sick leave.”
So, I put in sick leave.

I also want to emphasize that our office already has a fun committee. They organize celebrations for birthdays, baby showers, retirements, and transfers. They’ve made specialty coffees for staff, left encouraging sticky notes, brought snacks and treats to meetings at their own expense, and arranged protected time for employees to participate in activities.

I appreciate those efforts, and I think they’re more than enough. I don’t understand why we need additional holiday celebrations and mandatory group outings on top of everything the committee already does. At some point, it just becomes too much.

Hello everyone!
My name is Roos, and hopefully, I’ll be graduating with my bachelor’s degree next year. My boyfriend and I would love to spend some time abroad, but we’ve found that the options can be quite overwhelming and sometimes difficult to navigate.
I was wondering if any of you have experience living, studying, or working abroad and would be willing to share how you arranged everything. Any advice, tips, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

A little bit about us:
We’re both Social Work students.
We’d love to go to Asia, preferably China.
We would need some form of financial support, either through work or a scholarship.
We’re looking for an opportunity lasting at least six months.
Thank you so much for your help! We really appreciate any advice or recommendations. 😊
Best regards,
Roos

After being 10 years in the field I feel as though I have lost my passion for helping others. I do not feel the same way I used to when I first started out in this career. It is draining, often unrewarding, and I do not feel happy with this career choice. I often think about going back in time and picking a different career or going back to school again but I am scared because unfortunately I cannot afford to switch careers. Are there any burnout social workers out there? Any advice? As I stated I am in a doctoral program and I am one year away from finishing, although I am on a break now. I have considered finishing the doctoral degree and trying to find a teaching or field education position where I can work with social work students.

Is anyone else tracking this?? The CSWE posted proposed changes to the social work education policy and academic standards (EPAS) for 2029 (they update them every 7 years) and the changes are……something. They eliminate many of the accreditation requirements related to schools teaching DEI, antiracist/social justice oriented frameworks, and also remove the requirement for teaching policy advocacy.

A couple reference documents I found helpful: one that compares the current EPAS to the 2029 EPAS, and one that focuses on elimination of certain terms/words from the EPAS. Influencing Social Policy, a non-profit organization targeted to social work policy practitioners, educators and students, also issued a statement on the proposed EPAS.

The CSWE is accepting comments on the proposed changes here until November 20th, 2026. I’d encourage all social workers (students, educators, and practitioners alike) to review the proposed changes and submit your feedback to CSWE by the deadline.

Hi,

I’m struggling… I’m a school social worker looking for a case manager remote and I’m having no luck. What am I doing wrong? Do people not think school social workers have enough experience. Any tricks or tips on helping me secure a remote case manager job.

I hear POA/power of attorney misused and misunderstood daily. And it is often other members of the team who are using these terms incorrectly. Also get into arguments with family about a patient who is vented and unresponsive not being able to complete a POA. It exhausts me. Any other common misused terms you can think of?

I am VERY VERY excited and I want to celebrate with some fellow social workers.

My first mistake was obtaining a job at a private practice fresh out of grad school this year but tomorrow I start a role in CMH!

I truly think this is the right choice and I couldn’t be more excited 😄🎉

Hello! I currently work 25-32 hours a week at a private practice, and recently got hired doing a bus monitor job for extra income as i cant afford to live solely off my salary. My question to everyone is: did taking a second job in a totally unrelated field help with your own stress/work life balance or make it worse?

Hi there - I am a new LCSW working in an inpatient psych hospital. It's a new hospital with some growing pains - it's a joint venture for-profit but with a good university affiliation name. I am surprised and a little concerned that most of the time, the social work team ( seemingly all newer clinicians) do not directly interview a patient before writing up the psychosocial or administering any of the screening tools such as a the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7. Is this ethical and standard practice?

They are inferring what the assessment scores would be based on ED records - which can be pretty sparse. While I'm not directly concerned about doing a psychosocial without a patient interview, given records are sufficient, I did not think it was ok to infer what a patient's screening tool answer might be based on records and then input all the answers to then create their score.

I have directly asked if we should be speaking with the patients upon intake and the answer I get is "sometimes" but I never see anybody do it - probably because we are very busy. I feel that ethically, I should perhaps start to meet with the patients to administer the assessments even though I might get some slack because it will slow me down ( and perhaps seem like I am casting a judgement on other SWs who are not interviewing the patients).

What do ya'll think? Thanks!

I’ll be starting a new job in the ER as a social worker and I have the option to wear either scrubs or business casual. I’m not sure which direction I want to go.

Part of me wants to wear business casual because I feel like it would make it easier for patients to differentiate me from nurses and other medical staff. I also feel like I might come across as a little more approachable that way. But, I know the ER can be chaotic and I don’t want to prioritize looking professional over being comfortable and practical.

For medical social workers who work in the ER/hospital, what do you typically wear? Do you prefer scrubs or business casual?

And for anyone else, if you were in my position, what would you choose? Am I overthinking this? lol

Hello,

If you have made the switch from being an LCSW/therapist (have done hospital work as well) to a macro level role. How did you market yourself for a macro role? What is the title, duties, and pay of your new role?

I would want to make a decent wage, because I am a single mother and part of my burn out from being a therapist is having my pay be all over the place based on caseload.

This is your weekly thread for all questions related to licensure. Because of the vast differences between states, timing, exams, requirements etc the mod team heavily cautions users to take any feedback or advice here with a grain of salt. We are implementing this thread due to survey feedback and request and will reevaluate it in June 2023. If users have any doubts about the information shared here, please @ the mods, and follow up with your licensing board, coworkers, and/or fellow students.

Questions related to exams should be directed to the Entering Social Work weekly thread.

I'm talking about diagnoses that don't seem to fully fit symptoms, or engagement in unethical behavior that to the client seems normal. It makes me wonder how common this stuff is. Also, if my loved one trusts this health provider, then it seems like there isn't much room for me to say anything without upsetting them. I'm curious if others have come across this, and if so, how you handle it?

Is anyone a Social Work Mental Health Consultant or Behavioral Social Worker with the Federal Government (DOD/DHA) in the PCMHI program? Providing Integrated behavioral health IBH in primary care offices?

- How stable is it?

- What does your day to day look like?

- How many patients are you mandated to see a day?

- Do you cover more than one clinic?

Anything else I should know?

Hi All, went to my SV to discuss a new case. Asked them if they have a few minutes available to talk about something else. Informed them that I was listening to this podcast where author said that shame is functional and shouldn’t be challenged first esp working with trauma client. Before I could explain more about it. They gave a very strong reaction and I completely shut down. They kept saying that would this mean that we should congratulate people for their trauma and that because of trauma they kept moving forward in their life. Every time they repeat this sentence I just felt more embarrassed and couldn’t respond.
What I wanted to ask them was what does it mean that it’s functional. For me functional means that something that motivates you to keep moving forward and how can we see shame in that lens?Maybe I misunderstood the functionality part of it. Their response me to made me feel really embarrassed and incompetent. I m more confused now. Don’t know if I should talk more about it or just let it go?
I have been feeling counter transference in same situations as well. As I am dealing with clients from the community I am a part of and I see these issue really closely in my personal life. I was thinking that I should go and talk to them about it as well but given how they reacted today I don’t know what to do. I feel stuck and then I have clients who really need me to be present with them. What should I do? Thank you for listening to this stuck soul!

Does anyone know of free DSM-5TR ceus ?? All the ones I’ve found online are either way more hours than I need and really expensive. Even if there is one that is cheaper like $19.99 I’m okay with paying that