r/socialwork

I graduated as a social worker over 7 years ago and currently work in child protection. I work in a specialised program that investigates criminal matters with a main focus on child sexual abuse. However we also take severe cases of physical abuse and neglect on babies and young children.

Working in child protection I know we are often looked down on by the public and our clients and it’s never bothered me before because I know the system is super broken but most case workers are trying their best and are good people, they can only do so much in a broken system. Given my role is child sexual abuse most of my clients are glad to have me involved and protecting the children, of course when it’s parents who are the issue it can get difficult but it’s a very rare occasion that I need to remove the kids, and usually we organise them to stay with family if safe to do so and the perpetrator is not involved.

Lately there’s been a lot of news articles and social media posts about our social workers wanting to be on a offical register so that they are held to a high standard and also so that not any joe blow can claim to be a social worker without the correct education. It was rejected. All over social media the public was completely bashing social workers, saying they should be registered because social workers are scum and bad people who just want to ruin peoples lives, steal kids and not help anyone. There were no nice comments, it was all hate.

Just recently the last few days there was a horrific child murder in my state (likely caused by the child’s parent) and all the comments are blaming child protection (and police) for not protecting this child and not having done welfare checks or removed him from his parents care and it was child protections fault he was dead for once again not doing their job. Only this child was not known to child protection at all. All friends, family and neighbours reported the boy appearing happy and healthy and having a good relationship with his parent. There were no reports and no concerns. So what was child protection supposed to have done?

Usually all the hate doesn’t bother me, but it’s been a crappy week in social media for social workers and it’s just getting on my nerves. I’ve seen horrific cases, dealt with children dying, listening almost everyday to children describe graphic sexual and physical abuse, sat with babies in the hospital with broken bones and bruises. I have family members who also have incredibly hard jobs like nurses and teachers and everyone backs them while I get blamed and spat at for either not doing a good enough job, not protecting the children, or stealing kids from their families

I currently work in marketing for nonprofits but I'm finding that I want to switch gears a bit to make a more meaningful impact. I'm 7 years into my marketing career, mind you. I really don't want to climb the corporate ladder, and that's what I feel like I'd have to do if I stay in this career path. Plus, I need to get out of corporate America as much as possible.

Having said all of that, I'd much rather work for a nonprofit doing community outreach at some capacity. I would also love to do therapy. I feel like that would be so fulfilling.

So my question to you all is this: could I work at a nonprofit doing community outreach with an msw? And what kind of positions would that look like?

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The state of New Jersey is going to start going after employers who are not paying a living wage to people and are on state benefits.

I think this is fantastic because we can see that the community and the state and the country are already paying for these things and it’s corporate welfare when they’re not mandated to pay living wages, but they’re raking in billions every year in profits

The fees are pretty low right now, but I can see where they will eventually be raised

I’m an ASW practicing for a year part time with a very small caseload (3-4 clients). However, I’ve been on maternity leave since Feb (baby born in March). I am preparing to return to work on Wednesday, but I will be full time (20 clients).

Since having my son, my husband has become increasingly angry, spiteful, and full of rage. I do believe he is experiencing some paternal postpartum issues amongst other things, but this behavior isn’t new, just significantly increased in frequency and severity. Today, after a particularly concerning morning, I sought out help at a crisis center.

The provider was an LCSW. She was pretty insistent that I shouldn’t be going back to work while going through this situation. Yes, I’m pretty distraught—especially while venting at a crisis center about an abusive partner—but I feel fully capable of separating work and personal lives. I also feel strongly that I could identify counter transference or appropriately identify when to refer out a client to someone else if needed.

She made it sound like it would not be ethical for me to practice while going through this situation. I also cannot lose my income at the same time I’m navigating a potential divorce. I have a mortgage and children to provide for. I suppose I could discuss it with my supervisor, but again, I’d really like to keep my personal life separate as much as possible.

I was just really caught off guard by this and feeling my stress level increasing now that I’m in an ethical dilemma.

Any thoughts or experience in similar situations?

TLDR: sought help from an LCSW at a crisis center regarding IPV with spouse. She indicated multiple times that it would be unethical for me (ASW) to practice during this time. Thoughts?

Hey y'all,

I work for a small non-profit that works primarily with the homeless. We have a clinic, a daytime shelter, and a housing/case management wing. I do case management for the housing -first program we run and, lately, I've been having a hard time justifying the work that I do to myself.

After some really extreme staffing issues (firing good employees for minor technicalities while simply slapping employees guilty of MASSIVE ethical and HIPAA violations [one involving a literally SA allegation wherein the employee was found lying throughout the entire investigation] on the wrist and keeping them on board), I've had a lot of discussions with my teammates about the nature of the work we do and... it's like the more I talk about the work, the less good I see myself doing. My coworkers have brought up the fact that the only reason our company has the job stability it does is because our case management is so poor that our clients stay dependent on us decade after decade.

For instance, we don't expect to keep our contract very long due to state funding, recent conservative swings legislatively, and our program having a terrible reputation w/ the county. That said, running a housing-first program, I can't help but think about how 90% of the clients I manage will be worse off once we lose funding than they were when we onboarded them. Many of our clients (from before I joined the company) have racked up tens of thousands of dollars in debts to landlords and courts for evictions they only sustained because we were paying 100% of their rent without being able to get them the other help they needed. These clients are have worse lives and guaranteed worse case outcomes because of the work we did for them considering the massive debt, ruined credit, and ruined rental history. Many of the clients who get evicted from apartments we put them in simply become unhousable afterwards. Now, my job is simply to play damage control and try to ensure they're fed and look for other programs to refer them out to because we failed. And, looking ahead, we really only anticipate about 10% of our case load to be "successful" by the terms of our program.

I've also watched so many of my cases simply become placated by the financial assistance we offer that their mental health and self-efficacy have a total backslide once we house them. And between that and knowing our company is operating needle exchanges while refusing to encourage sobriety for our clients I just... I wonder what the fuck I'm even doing. I got into this field because I wanted to help people but... I'm not helping anybody. And I can't help but wonder whether or not, if my company dissolved tomorrow, would the community we serve be better or worse off? It may be harder for them initially, but it may also drive them towards more resilience. With every budget cut we've received thus far, our clients have become more resilient each time we give them less financial aid. And, like, my politics are SO far to the left that I want to say "no, I'm being silly! Everyone deserves an easier time!" but if I look at the actual outcomes in client wellness like... I don't know if I believe that... at least not ran this way. So it's like this... ethical work crisis and then this internal political crisis of like.... ostensibly this is work that aligns with me politically but... seeing it fail... have my politics changed?

I guess I'm just curious for others doing similar work.... is this a normal feeling to have? Like, I love my job and I like my work but... the more I wonder about the long-arch implications... the less I seem to be able to justify continuing to do it; especially for a company ran so haphazardly and so unwilling to address issues (like staffing concerns) that directly affect client and employee well-being.

Feeling really conflicted about my current position and how I’ve been treated from a compensation perspective. I’m provisionally licensed in a hybrid mezzo/micro role with a population I really love working with, and there aren’t a lot of agencies who specialize in this population. I was hired on at a salary rate with the expectation that I got my caseload up to a certain # in the first 6 months. The agency has been going through a growth spirt, and referrals haven’t been coming in. There was a lot of pressure put on clinicians to “get our caseloads up” with no clear direction, then suddenly decreased mine and some other clinicians to a base salary of a significant decrease and revenue split for clients seen weekly. Their presentation of this info was terrible and felt punitive, but I love the population so much and other aspects of the job that I thought I’d try to make it work. I’ve busted my ass to get my caseload up, but realized I wasn’t getting paid for all of the sessions. When I asked about this I was told that some of our contracts include “5 free” sessions for clients and that we’re not compensated for those. I went back and forth with HR/leadership about this and was offered a moderate salary increase, but this essentially makes up for ~2 sessions/week. Next week, 8 out of 16 of my clients are in the “5 free” window. I know this isn’t sustainable for me but I feel so emotionally invested in this job and love every other aspect. I just feel so defeated and like this isn’t fair treatment, but don’t know if I should just move on or keep trying to push them for a better compensation structure.

After two years working under a very abusive supervisor, I am finally free. Two years of literal psychological torture. I worked as a case manager for a large nonprofit and complained to every person that supervised her. I cried, filed complaints, and even snapped at her multiple times when she pushed me to the absolute edge (I don't regret any of it). I had a large caseload and provided excellent care to all of my clients. So much so that they all cried when I told them I was leaving and we had to say our goodbyes 😭 Genuinely heartbreaking and I'm still processing it. I worked so damn hard and was constantly met with endless questioning and suspicion, "where are you??" messages when my calendar had my exact location and times for field visits, and constantly doubting my competence and intelligence. I'm worried that I won't be there to advocate for clients. But I also know I cant serve them when I am suffering myself.

After a month into the role, I realized I couldnt trust her judgement. I was given guidance to say and do things to clients who were very mentally ill. Things that would deeply disrupt and destabilize their lives. I was told to lie, both big lies and little white lies. I always ignored the advice and did the opposite of what she said. The way she viewed Severe Mental Illness made my skin crawl. I even came out to her when she was passing severe judgement on a queer client. I'll never forget the shock on her face - it was worth it, even if she treated me differently for it. Don't even get me started on her racism.

We all know companies hire abusive nitwits as supervisors because they are easily manipulated and hold their workers hostage. Win win. I cried almost every week from the constant badgering and inhumane treatment towards clients and my colleagues. Many folks left under her and I know they all shared my exact same complaints. She was so disorganized and constantly pointed fingers at her team while we were drowning with high caseloads some of the most tragic situations.

We have a serious problem in our society (U.S. and I know many others) with pushing abuse under the rug. Saying "oh its not intentional, its just who they are." I never let things slide, as I am happily confrontational. And no matter how much I advocated for change, it didnt make a difference. These past two years feel like they took a decade off my life.

But I will never lose my fire. It reminded me how far we have to go, how we are the literal bridge of resources to folks who society wants dead. Even in nonprofits that are "supposed" to be that life raft. I held my head high, even until the last day when she said "I'm sorry if I ever was mean or rude to you." I looked at her, said "thank you" and walked away. Never let a shitty boss make you forget your purpose. Remind yourself who you're there to serve and concentrate on the connections you're building. And make some good trouble along the way.

I am so lucky that my next position is with an amazing org that has high retention and a lot of respect in the community. And I am so excited to continue this path of transformation and hope alongside clients.

Don't be this person.

I feel like most social workers have a story of a social worker who should not, in fact, be working *in social work* due to bad ethics or just awful thing they did without insight or self-awareness or sometimes just burn out :( I was curious of what other people's stories were as a warning, but also grain of salt in our field to look out for.

I took over a caseload for a social worker who eventually got fired from hospice. She was writing her notes saying she was making visits seeing the dying patients when in fact, she was *not*. Repeat, lying about seeing dying patients and just writing the notes. She got caught on this behavior 3 fucking times before they finally fired her. I took over her caseload and went into a facility and introduced myself and they said they were surprised to know they had a social worker because they haven't seen one in MONTHS. We had several clients in that building. I felt awful and immediately went to go visit the sweet folks.

That was awful. I hope that social worker got a job in a different field. End of story. Yours?

Also, please leave the field before actively doing harm! Thank you ❤️🥰

A patient left our facility, went across the street, shoplifted a bottle of booze, came back drunk and started threatening to damage all the staff cars in the parking lot.

The head of the faculty who is an RN said it wasn’t her patient- clinical needed to deal with it. The staff was on teams asking that the police be called. We need permission to call the police. At that point I punched out. I’m not clinical, nothing was being done and I wasn’t waiting for him to smash my car. I left. I just knew what would happen - he was going to be brought back up to the unit despite breaking every rule we have against aggression. We have no security and staff have apparently no right to safety.

When I texted my boss that I left early and why, I was told the patient seemed nice now that he’s drunk and did I plan to make up the time. For real. That assertion aged like milk.

The patient shifted and said he wanted to stay at the facility and indeed was brought back up to the unit on the grounds that if he got hurt it could be a sentinel event. Then he shifted again and left with his girlfriend who was also a patient. He had booze hidden and the two of them gulped it down right in the grounds.

Things escalated and his girlfriend started throwing rocks at our cars. When staff started complaining that since nothing was being done they expected the facility would pay for any damages to personal vehicles, they were told to act like professionals on teams.

This morning the lobby windows were broken and several staff cars did have their windows broken. The police had finally been called but the patients got away before they could be arrested.

I made a list of my caseload, where I left off on every case, sent it to my boss and quit.

After completing masters in social work how can initiate my career in mental health services?

As a beginner what's the scope?

How's the internship?

I’ve had my MSW since 2010. Over the years in my career, and also in all of my observations on social work groups and pages on social media, I’ve noticed that social workers struggle to advocate for ourselves and negotiate higher and fairer wages. We are so good at advocating for our clients but yet struggle to do that for ourselves. I’ve also noticed that we don’t advocate for ourselves in other ways in the workforce. What do you all think that’s about?

I've had my LCSW in NY for about 4 years and have worked as a supervisor at an outpatient behavioral health for 3. Any tips? My director sort of gatekeeps their work so I'm nervous about how well I'd interview.

I work with individuals that have a disability of some variety currently full time. I love all of my clients and helping families. The benefits are through the government and are nice. Recently, I started on evenings working at a private practice. I’m slowly building a clients and have referrals sent to me constantly. I truly love it and the practice owner is respectful and treats me well. Since starting that job, I have come to loathe my other job. All of the government rules seem to change every other week. I can’t keep up with the bureaucracy. I want to just walk out the door every day. I’d rather be at my other job.

I have my MSW (May 2026) and have applied to 30+ jobs. I really want to do therapy and feel like it’s my calling. I’ve applied to private practices, group practices etc. you name it. I’ve had interviews but only one offer and it’s for community mental health. I don’t mind it but truly just want to do therapy. My resume is solid and I have internship and professional experience. The only thing I can think of is that I’m not an RCSWI but to apply for the application I need a supervisor but I believe you need a job to get a supervisor? I live in FL btw

Update: Thanks for all the responses! It’s a tough pill to swallow but I realize that I’ll have to put in more work before I can do solely therapy. I’m looking into the process for becoming an rcswi and unfortunately my cmh job doesn’t come with supervision so I’ll be paying out of pocket. It sucks but I don’t have much choice

Hello all, I work as a LCSW as independent contractor providing mental health services to older adults. Occasionally, the companies I contract with ask me to provide clinical supervision to interns or students. I was approached by a new owner of a company to provide clinical supervision for a MFT intern. After meeting with her, I realized that her English is very limited and we had much difficultly understanding each other. I told the owner that he could either provide me with a translator or they could find another supervisor for her who spoke her language. He proceeded to terminate my contract with the company after our conversation, which was not surprising. I was not upset over the termination, however, he is telling employees that I discriminated against the intern because she did not speak English by refusing to supervise her. This is very upsetting to me as it is a complete lie and falsehood. It is unethical for me to provide clinical supervision to an intern if we cannot speak the same language. I feel like confronting him, but I think I should just let it go. What would you do in this situation?#

So I graduated in May of this year and felt the need to go somewhere else to start working on my license as I was doing case management but now with my MSW want to work towards my clinical license. So I got a job at a community mental health center in their crisis walk in.

So my schedule is 11am-9pm Mon-thurs and I make about 26 an hr in colorado. So I started June 1st and I am not a big fan. To be honest I feel like I rushed the decision and just wanted to jump ship at my last job. I also thought crisis would be a little more crisis you know. Not saying that people having a really bad day are not in crisis, but it just feels like sitting there, waiting to give resources and discharge people who are scared to go home because they don’t meet criteria for inpatient. I also have really not clicked with the schedule. I used to work a typical day job and get off at 4pm. My wife gets off at 5 and works weekdays so she’s typically off to work when I wake up and I’m at work till we go to sleep Mon-Thursdays and then I really only see her Friday evening through Sunday. Don’t get me wrong it’s not the worst job. Benefits aren’t bad and the people are nice enough. I just don’t really feel like I’m clicking with it. It’s currently 5 as I write this and I feel jealous at all my coworkers leaving and my wife going home while I won’t get to go home for another 4-5 hrs.

Don’t get me wrong, I accepted this job, I didn’t fully understand what it would be like, I knew the schedule. I knew the pay. But I just don’t like it and feel so terrible here. But leaving after a month feels like a cop out. I also don’t know what else to do to be successful in social work but not do therapy type stuff.

Any opinions, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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