r/socialworkcanada

I just started therapy with a Registered Social Worker through a private practice. I've had one session with them so far and have another one scheduled. I really liked them and they seem really understanding, but when I looked up their OCSWCCW status, it says that they are a Suspended Social Work Registrant (Not Entitled to Practise), "Administrative suspension due to non-payment of fees as of April 03 2026".

I'm not sure if I should do anything with this information? I don't really want to seek a new therapist and my insurance did go through for the first session (After April). But it seems wrong that they are practicing without status. Should I do anything?

So I moved on to the interview portion for the position of Caseworker. I have a good understanding of what they'll ask during said interview but I have one question.

I was told the interview would be 45 minutes. While there is a time frame that is set up, how strict is it to be enforced. Do candidates usually fill up the 45 minutes or do they stop before then. Or is it the case where if you demonstrate good understanding of the scope and your answers are well thought out then you'll be fine?

For anyone who's been through the process, how was your interview ?

Hi there! I’m a Cognitive Neuroscience grad from UofT and made the decision to pursue a career in social work / psychotherapy. Looking to get into some entry level roles in social work - highly interested in working at DV shelters, transition housing, halfway houses etc.

Any tips on how to get into the field? I have applied to around 20 roles but didn’t hear back anything yet. Also open to volunteer roles if that means putting more relevant experience on my resume.

Also any thoughts on if it’s difficult / impossible for a neuroscience grad to get into social work? Most people I know in this field have a psych degree so just wondering if I’m setting an unrealistic goal for myself here. But I am passionate about this field and would really like to get more involved.

Currently I work as a behaviour assistant for kids with ASD.

Has anyone else had a professional regulator in BC refuse to make a registration decision until an employment arbitration was finished?

I completed my BSW and disclosed a past off-duty employment issue connected to a period of major stress/mental health struggles. I was not registered at the time, there were no criminal charges, and I disclosed everything proactively because I wanted to be honest.

Now I’m being told they likely will not make any decision on registration until my arbitration is over but arbitration timelines are over 2 years away.

I honestly feel devastated because my entire career and future are frozen while I wait years for a labour process to finish. I understand regulators want information, but it feels incredibly discouraging to be in limbo for that long, especially after trying to do the right thing and disclose everything myself.

I’m wondering if anyone in social work, counselling, nursing, healthcare, etc. has experienced something similar:
- Did your regulator defer a decision pending arbitration or litigation?
- Did things eventually work out?
- Were you able to work/study in related fields while waiting?

Please be kind. I’m already struggling mentally with all of this and just looking for perspective from people who’ve been through something similar.

Hi everyone :) I am strongly considering pursuing a social work degree and would love some feedback from folks working in the field.

I'm based in Vancouver, BA Sociology, MSc in Health Sciences. I have always wanted to be a SW, dad was one, many of my friends, but I went into harm reduction research + policy instead out of school. I started my career in social services but have been in health research for 7 years. I do CBPR and work for a health org, but I miss human service deeply, hate the ivory tower, and need to pivot.

A few questions: What is the best part of your job as a SW, and are you happy in your field, and if not, what cred do you wish you pursued instead? I was considering a RN, or a different allied health field, but I don't know if it's for me.

Thanks so much in advance :)

I'm currently in a BSc program and am seriously considering switching over to a BSw. But reading people's experiences has me second guessing, especially since I'm the type to bring it home.

This is mainly directed to people who have experience in both, but how does the burnout of social work compare to corporate burnout? How do you manage the stress to avoid bleeding into your personal life? Are your personal relationships doing well? What mindset should I adopt to be sane after years in the field?

Based on this subreddit, it seems that going private has the most work life balance, but I'm interested in working with children/youth from diverse backgrounds instead of only a small group that can afford private counselling (is this a mindset I have to change for my own wellbeing?). I am also interested in going the forensics route. How often do clients have emotional episodes (as in extreme crashouts), and how do you deal with them mentally?

Hey everyone,

I've debated making this post a million times, and I guess I finally got the courage to go through with it tonight. I'm an MSW student who will be graduating next month. I know I should feel excited, but frankly I'm feeling a lot of anxiety and dread. I don't have anyone to talk to about what's been going through my head, so I'm hoping reddit can help me with finding some advice. Throwaway account for obv reasons.

Given my own trauma and lived experiences, I've always known I wanted to go into this field and help others. When I was in high school, I tried my hardest to show up for others and be the 'therapist friend'. When I was in undergrad, I volunteered with several clubs revolving around mental health. My gap years before starting my MSW were a bit rough because I started working frontline social services for the first time, but I gradually got better...right before I graduated, my supervisor told me I was one of the best case managers on the team. But something happened to me after starting this program. I genuinely don't know what it is, but...I feel like I've lost my spark and my abilities to be a good social worker at any capacity. Even though I'm 25, the social awkwardness from my teen years has somehow returned 10-fold, and I never feel like I know what to say to people when they confide in my anymore. I have no clue how I got through my placement, and I question every day why my friends still confide in me, and whether I was ever actually any help to them. In moments of high pressure/ crisis, I literally feel my brain go blank and numb, and I feel so useless. Lately I've been noticing myself getting more reactive/ easily dysregulated as well, and I have no clue why. All my old insecurities are coming back, and although I'd assumed being an MSW student would make me better at handling them, I'm afraid that hasn't been the case.

The cherry on the top...is that it's kind of been my dream to go into crisis services :') Maybe calling it my dream is too far-fetched -- I don't feel passionate about anything at the moment -- but it's definitely a skill set I know I want to grow and get comfortable using. I'd always hoped I could join an ACT team or Mobile Crisis Response team someday, but with the way things are panning out, I don't know if that's a realistic goal anymore. I don't know what's next for me in this career I just spent thousands of dollars on, and I feel really defeated. I know I have low self-esteem, but I genuinely worry I will disappoint my future clients, co-workers and supervisors at this rate. I feel embarrassed having to even type this all out, but I'd rather do this now and get some help from you guys than flail once I'm actually responsible for peoples' well-beings.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before? Do any of you have success stories for me, or perhaps some suggestions on how I can conquer my social awkwardness (for real, this time) and improve my crisis response skills? Alternatively, do you think I should just quit while I'm ahead and go into something at the mezzo- or macro-level of social work?

Any and all feedback is welcome. Just, please be kind :')

Im a CYW working in group homes and LITS and it’s been getting harder and harder in this field. Theres only so much we can do and I feel like more and more as the years go by, kids/youth leave treatment after making so much progress coping with their behavioural and mental health challenges, and it goes right back to square one.

Anyone who’s previously lived in a group home / LITS and turned your life around. Where are you now? Even if things didn’t go your way and you’re still facing challenges, I just want to hear your stories. Thank you.

Hi,

So I'm just finishing up my SSW certification and I have always been interested in medical social work and was wondering if its worth it to just become a nurse instead. I am doing my practicum in supportive housing, however I just feel the need to do more and at my current location I sort of feel like a glorified secretary. I love interacting with the tenants and how we accept them where they are. But I think it would be more fulfilling if I was able to see them become better with their physical health. My other worry is knowing whether or not im smart enough for nursing school rather than getting a bsw. Idk what to do and I hope some of you could advise me. Thanks in advance : )

BCCSW Registration after portal updates

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has gone through the RSW registration since the portal updates in 2026?

I recently completed my MSW, got a conferral letter, submitted everything April 25th, my references have shown as being received May 8th, and am now awaiting approval for an exam date. All of my documents are straight forward and submitted.

I have a job offer contingent on me being able to get provisional registration but BCCSW doesn't allow that until you receive an exam date. I just sent them an email today. Has anyone recently went through this process and about how long did it take?

Thanks so much for any guidance, its truly appreciated 🙏

Note: posted in another social work thread too ✨️

I applied for Ontario works caseworker position about a week ago. I moved on and completed a written assessment they provided. I need a certain % to pass however.
My question is, how do they mark the assessments? I feel like I did a decent job but I truly don't know, and I'm super nervous thinking about it.
Any caseworkers at OW want to share their experience in the process? Would appreciate it greatly

Hi, I'm curious about the different types of fields of social work. Would anyone like to share their experiences? (Ex: school, hospital, care home, caseworker, etc.)

I'm curious because i'm debating if I would like to take the Social Service Worker – Immigrants and Refugees (SSWI) program vs the normal Social service worker program.

I am about to graduate from my BSW, and was just wondering about this. ​To be clear, I am going to be registering no matter what, but I was wondering if I should go ahead and start applying for positions now even though I won't be able to become an RSW until June at the earliest.

i, like so many social workers, went to school because of my own lived experience. i thought i was uNiQuElY qUaLiFiEd to help people, because of my traumas and understanding of how important help is. now my career feels tied to my traumas and i hate it.

i graduated in 2022, am approaching the end of a maternity leave and i would rather rip my eyes out than go back to working with a vulnerable sector. it’s exhausting and so much responsibility, and little to no success stores. one of the last clients i was working before my leave, told me in the last session that he’d been lying to me the entire time we were working together.

i daydream of having a boring, no risk job like
working at a car dealership or something. but i feel stuck in SW. if i read this when i was in school my reaction would have been “you sound like a terrible SW, you shouldn’t see clients” - burn out is real in this thankless job. i’m already a mother of 2 and i don’t want to take care of people at work as well.

I went back to school at 42 and took communitiy work diplomma and then I went to Ryerson (TMU) and graduated with my BSW but I've had such difficulty finding a job. I am a mature student and my job background is very different than social work. Does anyone have any advice for getting my foot on the door? Thanks in advance.

I’m currently finishing my BSW, and the only thing standing between me and graduating is placement. I’m about halfway through my hours, but honestly… this placement has been a nightmare. I’ve been struggling to stay committed and I dread going every day.

What makes it harder is that I’ve been working in the field for years and have always been a strong employee, so this is the first time I’ve really run into issues in a professional setting. I feel very socially excluded at my placement and they keep moving goal posts and I feel I’m often doing more than some of the actual employees. I mean… there’s a lot more I could say but I’m also trying to be careful.

Tell me your placement horror stories. I think hearing that other people have had difficult experiences too might make me feel a little less alone right now.

For those with an MSW currently in clinical work - did you need to complete extra certifications or trainings in order to work in counselling. What would those extra certifications and trainings be? Did you feel your MSW aided you in preparation for clinical work or did majority of your skill development come from practicums and job roles?

I’m based in Nova Scotia which has specific clinical specialist licensing and my end goal with the MSW is to work in private practice or mental health setting.

Hello. I am a 19 year old soon-to-be MSW Student finishing up my Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. I will be starting my MSW program this coming fall. I have around 7 months experience working as a behavioral therapist for neurodivergent children (as a neurodivergent adult myself) and during my 2 year MSW program I will doing a paid internship at a hotline.

I am considering moving due to healthcare, social, and legislative/civil rights concerns around my identity as a transgender woman, as well as general decline across the board in the US. My question to you all is if, when, and how my move might be feasible, and what I should expect from this process, mainly in terms of my education and career, but also perhaps in other respects as well. Thanks much!

Not sure if this subreddit would help but I’ll give it a shot!

I enjoy working directly with the criminal justice system (namely victims and offenders). I have pretty direct experience in law enforcement and plan to use my experience (community and institutional) in a therapeutic setting therapy with those in conflict with the law, namely sex offenders.

I’m currently in practicum and I’d love to know any resources anyone may have that could assist in expanding my knowledge theory wise! Books, podcasts, authors, articles, theories, etc! TYIA!

Looking to work in casual/on-call jobs in the Vancouver area. Not finished BSW yet (second year undergrad), but have many years of experience working with vulnerable populations, child with special needs.

Anyone know of any companies/agencies? Any good websites for job postings? What job positions I should be looking out for? Just want to work while finishing my schooling.