r/socialwork

I started my licensure process early this year through my current workplace, but quickly realized the work I’m doing does not qualify for clinical hours. I was just offered a role with a local government agency that better aligns and includes onsite supervisors. However, my offer was much less than I’m currently making. Because it’s government they don’t negotiate whatsoever (equity pay). I live in a (v)HCOL city and am being crushed by student loans and the reality that everything keeps increasing in price. This job feels like a step forward professionally but a huge step back financially. Their offer is akin to what I started with two years ago (I actually took a similar pay cut to be where I am now—so realistically it’s what I was making 4 years ago before the first pay cut) so I feel like I’m constantly backsliding. Im planning on saying no but I guess I would love some guidance, affirmations, feedback on what I should I do.

Thanks all!

I recently left my position working for my state’s CPS. I’m working for a nonprofit now as a workforce case manager for the unhoused community. I took a slight pay cut, but I can’t help but hope the working environment will be better. My state agency was so petty, toxic, unprofessional, and unsupportive that I couldn’t take it anymore. Then when adding to it the nature of the job itself, and it was time to go.

Has anyone here made a similar transition? If so, what was your experience in going from public to private and leaving CPS behind to work with adult clients?

Hey everyone , almost two weeks post grad from graduating with my MSW and I finally have an interview after applying to jobs since March. My interview is next week with a counseling center. Any interview tips for someone who is fresh out of school/getting into the field? I know this will be different from when I had my internships interviews during the program.

I wanna spend the last 30 minutes of my group on the topic of fear playing a game with the clients. There's only 5-6 clients but I need ideas for a relevant and fun game. Thanks :)

Hi!! I am a late 20s social worker in michigan and looking to get to know some more people who are also in the field. I am open to getting to know people from across the U.S. but just thought it would be extra cool if anyone here is also from Michigan.

***WARNING HEAVY TOPIC***
Hello fellow Social Workers! I read a news article recently that hit me really hard. I don’t know if you saw it or not but the BBC about the famine in Afghanistan that’s causing a humanitarian crisis. I’m a Marine Afghanistan veteran and I just can’t stand for this. We need to do something. Children should not starve. Children should not be in this position.

Where could I write an Op Ed or Call to Action?

I am currently a case manager in a red state for the past three years, and am one year into my MSW program. Daily I witness the lack of support. From treatment court only releasing incarcerated clients who can afford legal representatives. To spending an hour of my day over the phone explaining why our outpatient treatment services 99% of the time can not be covered by medicaid or medicare.

I knew my state had very few resources. We are in a drought of social workers, and things are only getting worse. My program is only graduating around 15 MSWs, and this is the only MSW program I know of in the state. We have always been in the top 5 for suicides.

Im still young (27) and my state has no lgbt, abortion, social safety net etc protections and we are slipping further right as the years go on. If I stay, I am guarenteed a job with 5-year-student loan repayment options. Im stressed at work, don't feels safe in my rural community. I have few ties here, and for similar reasons, once I have my degree, and some experience in the field, I want to flee even if I will barely be able to afford life.

Do y'all have any reccomendations for states that work to protect social welfare programs beyond the obvious (Cali, Minnisota, Washington, Oregon). I'm making a list to hive myself hope, so any opinion is accepted!

I am currently working in addictions and hevaily interact with local courts, but in future want to work hospital/inpatient for mental health.

Thank you all so mucb for your time.

I learned one of the most popular professors in my social work graduate program believes CPS should be abolished and all public money used for it currently should be given directly to low-income parents. Having direct experience with domestic abuse as a victim and an advocate for children in other capacities, I have mixed feelings about this. Since there are many experienced social workers in this community though, I’m curious what others think?

I just graduated with my MSW yesterday (yay!). It’s silly but I want to make an instagram post and am looking for a funny short social work-related joke or something for my caption. Like a simple one line pun or even a short funny quote from a movie/TV show about social work. When I looked up social work graduation captions they all felt kind of overdone. And the only thing from a TV show/movie I can think of is from Hacks, when Deborah says “she’s not even a psychologist, she’s a social worker!” (and that’s not exactly the most positive towards our profession lol)

I wanna see people gas themselves up here.

I've always fancied myself a collector of stories and an inherent strengths seeking missile. There are few people I find boring. My favorite part of my job is drafting a care plan and having new clients read the "strengths" section. I love seeing the smile it puts on their face when they see I've added to the section in addition to what they said.

The down side of this trait is I have the worst time management when it comes to face-to-face visits. Intakes can be up to 3 hours and a check-in can sometimes be 2. I serve the older adult population, and I heavily lean on the excuse that so many of these people just haven't been listened to in forever.

I just started a new position on an inpatient unit at a large hospital system and my assessments are short. The most senior social worker who trained me seems to do the bare minimum (no judgement, they‘re burnt out). I’m wondering what other social workers assessments look like in terms of time, length, and information gathered.

Thanks!

Guys have a question, can I work as a social worker with a psychology degree or can I work with them in same environment? I’m in Canada so if answer considering that, that would be awesomee thank youu.

A potentially important development in the issues surrounding student loan availability for MSW.

>The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Maryland, comes nearly three weeks after the Education Department finalized rules that lower the amount of money graduate students can borrow from the federal government. The rules, which take effect July 1, are a feature of the One Big Beautiful Bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last summer. They implement borrowing caps based on whether students are pursuing a degree in what is designated as a professional or graduate program.

Students in professional programs can borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 total, while those in graduate programs will face annual limits of $20,500 and a lifetime limit of $100,000.

The law listed examples of professional programs, including pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology.

Before now, all graduate students could borrow up to the full cost of attendance, which conservative lawmakers blamed for high program costs and high student debt.

In the fall, the Education Department and a committee of higher education experts negotiated the details of the loan caps, but the terms sparked a backlash over the exclusion of some professions from the higher loan limits, including nursing, physical therapy and social work. The department received more than 80,000 comments on the proposed rule, with many industry groups challenging the professional designation and warning that students would be shut out of critical fields.

Professional degrees are not limited to the list, the regulation says, but the Education Department held fast to the examples — only agreeing to add clinical psychology after intense debate with experts.

Despite the outcry, the Education Department refused to further expand the list of degrees deemed professional in the final rule.

In the lawsuit, the states claim the department exceeded its authority with an arbitrary definition of “professional degree” that Congress never envisioned.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently in my first month as a social work intern at a public library, and I’m trying to get a better sense of my role moving forward.
This is my first internship in my BSW program. My initial field placement preference was at an outpatient treatment center focused on addiction care for adults; however, that opportunity ultimately fell through, and as my deadline for securing a placement was approaching, my options became more limited. At that point, I pursued this library placement to ensure I was able to meet program requirements and begin my field education on time while still gaining meaningful experience in a community-based setting.
The library does not currently have a licensed social worker on staff, so my position feels a bit unclear at the moment. So far, I’ve mainly been focused on orientation—getting to know the staff, learning how the library operates, and understanding the general services they provide. While there is currently no social worker on staff, the library has previously employed social workers and is familiar with supporting social work practice in this setting. My supervision is provided by the Executive Director, who holds an MLIS and has previously served as a field supervisor for BSW students. The library has also recently taken on an MSW intern, which further supports the structure and learning opportunities within the placement.
I’m starting to wonder what my role could look like once onboarding is complete. I don’t often see patrons coming in specifically requesting social services or resource support, which may be related to the fact that the library is in a relatively well-resourced suburban community.
For those who have worked in similar settings, what kinds of tasks, outreach, or programs did you take on as a social work intern in a library? How did you identify needs in the community and create meaningful ways to contribute when direct service requests were limited?

Any advice or examples would be really appreciated.

Does anyone know of more niche social work roles within healthcare? I'm talking like oncology social worker, or transplant social worker. I'm used to doing SNF discharge planning primarily, but when I get my LCSW that obviously will open a lot of career doors, and I'm interested in more specialized healthcare positions. Does anyone know of any other healthcare social work niches I could look into? I am not interested in hospice, or at least, I would only be interested in inpatient.

hi everyone!!!!!! i officially passed my exam on saturday!!!!!!! I am so so so excited and wanted to share my joy with my fellow social workers. I used TDC and it was pretty helpful, although I will say the most helpful thing was the mock exams and quizzes! I also took the ASWB mock exam and that was very helpful. I noticed any answers i got wrong were usually because I changed my answer last minute. So go with your gut!!! YAYYYYYYY

I feel like I’m overthinking this. I recently started supervision for my clinical license. How are you logging your hours? Like are we just using a word doc with date/time and a slot for signature from our supervisor? Any tips, tricks, advice would be greatly appreciated!

As I am sure everyone here in the US is noticing, the cost of living due to higher fuel costs has soared. Social work is already a fairly low paying career, so this hits especially hard. I work full time as a Macro social worker for the county here in NJ. My pay is no longer able to cover my mortgage (1br, 1ba), student loans, car and homeowners insurance etc. What are some side gigs that other social workers do that can help ease this crunch? Extra points for side gigs that require less brain power since I'm mentally drained after my 8 hrs with the county.

It feels strange not including one, but I haven’t job searched in a while! Do you think hospitals read them? Smaller agencies? Please share your experience and your thoughts!

I've never had a job before where I'm getting an unlimited amount of work. If someone leaves or goes on vacation, you get their work. There is also no cap or limit on new cases coming in. Is this a thing in this field?