u/ChapterForward2241

I’m testing in the next month or so in IL for my LCSW and currently work full-time as an outpatient medical social worker and part-time at a group practice. Therapy is the side of social work I’ve been in since grad school (I graduated about 3 years ago) and I am wanting to start my solo practice after getting my LCSW.

I’ve heard mixed reviews: “Don’t do it it’s naive—starting a practice right after getting your LCSW is a lot.”

Or

“I wish I went solo sooner!”

My main motivators are that I have a niche population I’d like to work with, I would get 100% of my income (especially if I went the private pay route and didn’t bother with insurance), and I can start getting my services out there as a solo practitioner.

Would love to hear from people who ran with it and started their solo practice right after receiving their LCSW!

I’m newer to medical/oncology social work and am the sole SW at my center connected to a hospital. It has been great so far— mainly doing short-term counseling, DME coordination, transportation, and basic insurance help. Also connecting lower-resourced patients with food and cash assistance resources at times.

Compared to other SW jobs I’ve had (school therapist for a nonprofit) this one does not seem to be burning me out all that much. Like I’m suspicious on slow days being like “should I be doing more?” Dare I say I even get bored sometimes. During times where it is slow and I don’t have a lot of new patients to meet with, I find myself either not doing much at all, or going a couple extra steps in case management for patients (EX: becoming their approved representative for SNAP).

I know that there are times when the clinic is busier and maybe it is just slow right now. Anybody else experience this? I think I’m conflicted with trying to be more productive because I don’t want to set the standard that for all patients I will be able to stay on the phone with DHS for hours or be given even more and more work until I burnout.

I guess I’m just trying to gauge how involved other outpatient onc SWs are in their clinic. I’m trying to see if this is a sustainable long-term position for me especially since my position is with a nonprofit hospital and my company fits under PSLF (the only reason I’d think of staying with nonprofits for the next 10 years haha).