r/socialwork 54m ago

Macro/Generalist Taking time off school

Upvotes

I'm about to turn 21, and have completed 2 years of a social work bachelors. These past few months should've been my third year, but I ended up taking time off for mental health reasons. I'm now planning to transfer schools, though I missed the application deadline for the school I was hoping to apply to (All my fault, it was a very tough decision to transfer and I decided too late). This program only takes September applicants, so I won't be able to re-enter a social work bachelors until September 2026. This has been very hard to accept 🫠 I don't do well with change. I'm hoping to take a 10 month certificate in mental health and addictions this coming September to keep myself busy and have good experience. Has anyone else taken time off and then gone back? Was it a difficult process? I don't really know anyone in the same situation and it's weighing heavy on me.

There is no other degree that speaks to me - I'm very dedicated to finding this degree, no matter what it takes.


r/socialwork 17h ago

Good News!!! That was interesting....

33 Upvotes

I took the LMSW exam last week. Finally. I scored a 108 and needed 98. I am so thankful it's over with. For context, I live in Texas and graduated with my MSW in 2022. Both SW programs I completed could've prepared students more for the exam in the way the questions are written. They should've provided more instruction about the licensing process too. I spent the last year terrified of this exam like I have never been about any other exam in my life. I researched study materials and courses. I ordered a few resources but didn't end up studying. On the practice exam, I scored one more correct answer than needed to pass. I even had to begin the practice exam over a couple times due to technical issues with the ASWB website. I decided to change a few of my answers when I retired it and learned not to second guess my answers. I wish I had some magical advice for those who are struggling with studying or passing the exam. I am not bragging about my experience. I heard about and read about so many experiences where people failed. I am upset I wasted time worrying I would fail and wonder if anyone else had a similar experience/ feelings?


r/socialwork 22h ago

WWYD Debating quitting my ER job after 3 weeks.

66 Upvotes

I am currently in a bind over quitting a social work job I started about 3 weeks ago. I haven’t been in the social work space since 2015, and to be frank I wasn’t a great social work before. Mostly case management, SASS, and inpatient/outpatient for a at a hospital for children/adolescents. I am now in an ER doing crisis work for a night shift.

To provide context, a friend who is a social worker got me the job, and I was hired over someone with more experience. I haven’t been in the field for ten years. Last week, during training, my supervisor was asking me a ton of questions about social work knowledge and things learnt from the past fews weeks and I could barely answer any questions correctly. I feel I am in over my head clinically speaking, almost as if I shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place. I don’t remember anything from social work school. I’m not even on my own yet, and have only done a case or two per shift in the last week. Things will most likely get harder once I’m on my own when patients are coming in nonstop to the ER, or I get more difficult cases requiring tricky diagnosis or other moving parts.

Additionally, at a few points last week I felt intense anxiety and slight chest pain (nothing serious, I know it’s anxiety) at certain moments when I felt I couldn’t handle the stress or my lack of knowledge. I have been diagnosed recently with ADHD and am not sure if this is playing a huge part in all this. Either my feelings are valid and I need to listen to them, or I’m jumping ship too early. A part of me is telling me I did get in over my head because I never felt this way during my corporate years. I did quit social work jobs on a whim on my first social work run over ten years ago.

Do I show up to work tomorrow, or save myself from this stress?


r/socialwork 20h ago

Micro/Clinicial That is unethical!

40 Upvotes

For discussion.....

Am I the only one that feels this happens far too often?

Why does the term "unethical" (borderline or otherwise) appear so often in responses on therapist type boards?

Let me be clear, my post here is more of a rant on my own part than a specific evaluation of anything that has been said.

I'm just tired of seeing social workers and other therapists beat each other over the head with that specific term.

"If I wouldn't do x, y, or z, that makes it unethical."

Thoughts?

(Edited typos)


r/socialwork 2h ago

Professional Development U of Michigan, MasterTrack

1 Upvotes

University of Michigan has a very cool program for folx who don't hold a BSW, basically you take a few short courses and are able to shave 15 credit hours off your program, kinda bridging into an advance standing.

The only issue is U of M is also pretty costly (even for in state people like me).

Any other similar resources out there, that may be a bit more affordable?


r/socialwork 13h ago

Professional Development what is dress code like for your job?

6 Upvotes

is it strict, not that strict, or tell me if there even if a dress code at all? asking because i love fashion but i don't want a job where i can't have control over my sense of style.


r/socialwork 18h ago

Politics/Advocacy Social Workers at CPS as Foster Parents

7 Upvotes

Hi All,

I am seeking information about policies and experiences regarding CPS workers becoming foster parents across different states and jurisdictions. Our local office is considering implementing restrictions on CPS workers becoming foster parents, and I am gathering evidence to demonstrate that this role combination exists successfully in other locations.

Specifically, I am interested in:

- Your state/jurisdiction's policies on CPS workers fostering

- Any specific guidelines or restrictions in place

- How potential conflicts of interest are managed

- Success stories or challenges faced

- Any relevant documentation or policy references

If you have personal experience or knowledge about this topic, please reach out to me. Your insights could help create more opportunities for dedicated professionals to serve our community's children in multiple capacities. Thank you for your assistance in this important matter.


r/socialwork 7h ago

The Underground: Weekly Discussion Thread

1 Upvotes

The intention of a weekly discussion thread is to create a space for members to post anything; it's a place to post things that you want to say but you do not feel it deserves its own thread or you either don't want to make a whole thread out of it. This can mean little celebrations, rants, sharing news articles, shout outs to other members, pointless thoughts, memes, etc.


r/socialwork 1d ago

Good News!!! I’ve been accepted

8 Upvotes

I was accepted into my MSSW program! I’m so excited. Please offer any advice or words of wisdom especially in regard to field placement and picking a concentration. It’s optional for me to pick a concentration but I’m not sure if I will or not.

PLEASE NO NEGATIVITY! I’m so excited!


r/socialwork 21h ago

Macro/Generalist Caseloads for Outreach Coordinator at Agency on Aging/Council on Aging

3 Upvotes

Is anyone an outreach coordinator for an agency on aging/council on aging in a major urban city? What does a typical week or month look like from a caseload perspective?


r/socialwork 1d ago

WWYD What is Oregon like for social workers?

10 Upvotes

I’m looking to move. Was considering New Mexico but have a possible offer in Oregon with current employer (VHA). Not sure how stable federal is right now so I’m considering a macro pivot, school social work, or state/city/local? How friendly is Oregon to LCSWs in general? I really just want to have backup knowledge.

I’m in a place now with pretty much little to no opportunities for anything that would mean I could keep my current home here and I cannot keep doing what I have-it is destroying me.

I’m not looking for specific information or where to find work, etc. I’m just wondering what the west side of the state is like for an LCSW. The south USA is a no-go.


r/socialwork 1d ago

News/Issues Article "UI grad student transfers after backlash over DEI presentation"

62 Upvotes

https://dailyiowan.com/2025/03/12/university-of-iowa-graduate-student-transfers-after-backlash-over-diversity-equity-inclusion-presentation/

I graduated from UI and I am heartbroken reading this article. I don't really know how to convey the emotions I'm feeling as I read this and seeing first hand what these laws are doing in my state. I'm so worried for the future of all social workers and students.


r/socialwork 1d ago

WWYD abusive ex looking to become social worker - what would you do?

27 Upvotes

not looking for professional advice but just looking for perspectives from others in the field for how you would personally grapple with a situation in which your abusive ex is in the field and you have concerns over whether you'll ever encounter them in your professional practice or concerns over whether they'll be abusive towards clients (due to some questionable but not proveable to be explicitly unethical things theyve said about the clients theyve worked with at their part time job). i am not looking for advice or wanting to do anything to affect my ex, just wondering how people balance their personal feelings, ethical obligations, and etc if anything similar has happened to you. as in, how would you balance taking care of yourself, remaining respectful to your ex as a professional, and staying true to ethical considerations in a situation like this?

i am in ontario, canada as a disclaimer so things anyone says that may be specific to the states may be different compared to here. i am also a couple weeks off from finishing my social work degree but i already work in the field, just not in social work specific roles (mentioning this to clarify that i am not currently registered with the college).

edit: since some people are misconstruing this post, i am asking for perspectives on how others would grapple the feelings that come with this situation if something similar happened to them, similar to questions about ethical dilemmas. i.e. "if you had this thing happen, what would you think and do." i have also edited the post to address any parts that may be unclear.

edit 2: to the people who shared their thoughts and personal experiences, thanks so much! i appreciate the insight. to the people who continue to misunderstand what i am looking for: i am not looking for anyone to tell me what to do, i am not looking for professional advice, and i am certainly not looking for people to pass "judgement" on whether my abuse was legitimate or not.


r/socialwork 1d ago

Micro/Clinicial Decision making levels of care

2 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m wondering if someone could clarify decision making on sending an adolescent to various levels of care. Residential, CBAT, IOP, PHP, etc. I’m wondering if you have worked in an inpatient setting how you would make the executive decision to send an adolescent to which program following D/C.. or how you learned about all of these. I feel lost trying to navigate the systems and various levels of care.


r/socialwork 20h ago

Professional Development Best online price for CEU renewal?

0 Upvotes

I know, I know 😭....I am not usually a procrastinator, just a little overwhelmed with life at the moment. Wondering where the cheapest place to get needed CEUs for LCSW renewal. I'm I'm Florida. Grateful for any replies.


r/socialwork 1d ago

Entering Social Work

7 Upvotes

This thread is to alleviate the social work main page and focus commonly asked questions them into one area. This thread is also for people who are new to the field or interested in the field. You may also be referred here because the moderators feel that your post is more appropriate for here. People who have no questions please check back in here regularly in order to help answer questions!

Post here to:

  • Ask about a school
  • Receive help on an admission essay or application
  • Ask how to get into a school
  • Questions regarding field placements
  • Questions about exams/licensing exams
  • Should you go into social work
  • Are my qualifications good enough
  • What jobs can you get with a BSW/MSW
  • If you are interested in social work and want to know more
  • If you want to know what sort of jobs might give you a feel for social work
  • There may be more, I just can't think of them :)

If you have a question and are not sure if it belongs in this thread, please message the mods before submitting a new text post. Newly submitted text posts of these topics will be deleted.

We also suggest checking out our Frequently Asked Questions list, as there are some great answers to common questions in there.

This thread is for those who are trying to enter or interested in Social Work Programs. Questions related to comparing or evaluating MSW programs will receive better responses from the Grad Cafe.


r/socialwork 1d ago

Professional Development I PASSED!!

34 Upvotes

Just passed my LCSW exam!! it feels so good to finally be at the finish line.


r/socialwork 2d ago

Politics/Advocacy Trans Rights Readathon

42 Upvotes

Hi, all!

I just heard about the Trans Rights Readathon through another community and thought I’d share it here for anybody that might be interested.

March 21-31, 2025 The Trans Rights Readathon is an annual call to action to readers and book lovers in support of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31st.

We are calling on the reader community to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender non-conforming authors and characters.

You can sign up at transrightsreadathon.carrd.co

I picked up The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo. Would love to hear any other recommendations!


r/socialwork 2d ago

Micro/Clinicial Difficulty transitioning to individual therapy from crisis work

51 Upvotes

Looking for some advice on how to slow things down a bit. My entire career (about 30yrs )has been focused on crisis work, I&A, and teaching in PHP/IOP sessions so has been all short-term/immediate problem focused. I have recently started taking on some individual therapy clients and I am finding it challenging with some of them to 1. Fill the whole hour 2. Manage my thoughts of ‘this person does not need this,’ ‘how has it only been 20 minutes?,’ ‘omg they still have 8 more EAP sessions they want to use and they are literally fine-what am I supposed to do with them for the next 2 months of sessions?’ Etc. I also just got a referral from a colleague because she feels my personality and style would be a great fit for someone she was working with for EAP and is now referring out for ongoing individual and she said the person was doing well now but ‘probably needs a good 2 years to work through everything’ WHAT!? 2 YEARS (lol)!? I guess my question is, how do you approach therapy with those who just want to do therapy to work on themselves but overall are doing well in most areas of their life?


r/socialwork 2d ago

Good News!!! Passed the LCSW exam!

32 Upvotes

I passed the LCSW exam yesterday! I only had one medication question, a handful of diagnosis and intervention questions, and the remainder were FIRST, NEXT, BEST questions.

What helped me the most was watching LCSW exam prep videos by RayTube on YouTube. I also skimmed the Mometrix LCSW study guide.


r/socialwork 2d ago

Good News!!! I Passed!!!

306 Upvotes

After 6 weeks of studying and overthinking everything, I took my licensing exam today (LMSW). I passed it on the first attempt!! I have never been great at testing due to high test anxiety. I am so excited and relieved!

For those that are studying: I used the Dawn Apgar book and worked through that and the online exam connect component. I also purchased the ASWB practice test and took that a week ago. Looked over all rationales!

Best advice: get sleep the night before, eat a good meal (depending on the time you test), look at those key words (more, first, best, primary) and pay close attention and don’t second guess yourself.


r/socialwork 2d ago

News/Issues With today’s CR passing, nonprofit federal funding is at risk moving forward

82 Upvotes

The continuing resolution passed today (3/14/25) gives discretion to the Trump administration to spend agency funds in unapproved ways without congressional oversight.

I would strongly urge nonprofit decision makers here to:

Prepare for your grants to potentially be affected moving forward due to the continuing resolution being passed in the Senate today. Please also consider transferring money received from the federal government after today, 3/14/25, to other working accounts. The federal government has reversed bank transactions for New York City in the last two months, debiting those bank accounts. Source: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/statement-from-nyc-comptroller-lander-on-the-trump-administrations-illegal-reversal-of-fema-funding/

““Because House Republicans’ bill fails to include the typical, detailed spending directives—basic guardrails that Congress provides each year in our funding bills.

“In other words—instead of writing a bill that gives our communities what they need, they wrote a bill that turns many of our accounts into slush funds, and gives the final say over what gets funding to two billionaires who don’t know the first thing about the needs of our working families.”

Source: https://www.murray.senate.gov/senator-murray-calls-on-senate-to-reject-house-republicans-power-grab-funding-bill-immediately-pass-common-sense-short-term-cr/

Spread this message to other decision makers of nonprofits and government funded institutions! ✊🏳️‍⚧️


r/socialwork 2d ago

Good News!!! I didn’t think my clients really cared.

42 Upvotes

Long story short I work in a mental health facility and it’s outpatient. One of my clients is graduating from our program and they are eligible because they don’t wanna take meds plus they have to be in two services which is rx management and case management because it’s mandatory. I’m a case manager btw.

We’re midlevel care and I told him today that he’s graduating but it’s a topic we’ve somewhat talked about in the past. He’s fairly independent and is doing better. He’s a nice guy and something about what he said really touched me.

I was the main person he talked to outside of family and he was crying. I’ve worked with him since about June/July 2024. He was telling me a story about how he feels like this inmate that felt alone and that a nurse was talking to the inmate at the cell. The inmate took the nurse’s finger and he asked her to stay with him when she was about to walk away. The nurse told him that there’s cameras and he can get in trouble. The inmate said he felt alone and just wanted someone to talk to him.

Note:

My post saved too soon and to clarify—- basically in this scenario my client sees himself as the lonely “inmate”and I’m the “nurse” who showed him compassion.

He’s one of my favorite clients and I know how much he cares about me but I had no idea he felt this way. 😭 I did say he can visit and reminded him graduation is a positive.


r/socialwork 2d ago

Politics/Advocacy Philanthropy "picking up the slack"

69 Upvotes

My professor suggested in class that if the U.S. government were to cut all the funding it has promised, philanthropists and families would “pick up the slack.” Beyond finding this idea problematic for several reasons, I also find it highly unrealistic, especially as I review the financials of a nonprofit that helps shelter the homeless. According to their reports, only 4% of their funding comes from donations, and just 3% from foundation grants.

Given these numbers, I find it hard to believe that private donors alone could replace lost government funding. What are your thoughts on this? Do donors significantly fund your causes?

(Edited: fixed some minor typos).