Hi everyone!

I'm a certified trauma-informed coach, and I'm developing my skills in group facilitation around nervous system awareness and regulation.

I'd love to host a small, free, online guided session for people interested in exploring gentle approaches to nervous system regulation. We will be doing simple exercises to release stress, regulate our nervous system and explore a different way of relating to bodily sensations. I'm still building my experience facilitating groups, so I'm looking for a few people who would enjoy trying the practice and sharing honest feedback afterward.

The session would be around 20 minutes and if it suits us, we can continue meeting weekly.

There would be no pressure to share personal experiences or discuss trauma. You can keep your eyes open, modify any exercise, or opt out at any point.

This is a coaching and educational practice session, not therapy or trauma treatment, and it isn't intended for crisis support.

If you'd be interested in joining, I'd love to hear from you. I'm planning to start it this week.

I'm especially interested in feedback on what felt useful, what didn't, and how the experience could be improved, since my goal here is to get better at facilitation!

Thank you!

Does anyone else feel like going into this field was a bad idea?
I enjoy my small therapy caseload, but man. Wish I could do it full time. Had to keep an unrelated job I hate to support my family because the pay and benefits around here just aren’t enough.
It’s like jobs in Appalachia are frozen while everything just gets more expensive. Put so much time into making this happen and still can’t afford to actually make the switch.
Anyone else have regret?

Has anyone had success utilizing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) student loan repayment program, particularly for behavioral health or social work professionals?

I’m interested in hearing about your experience with the application process, eligibility requirements, how long it took to receive approval, and whether you actually received loan repayment assistance.

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone working in or who had worked in community mental health or at an LMHA in Texas utilizing this program . I’m trying to determine how realistic this program is as a way to help manage student loan debt if I stay at an LMHA to work towards LCSW.

Thank you!

I'm talking about diagnoses that don't seem to fully fit symptoms, or engagement in unethical behavior that to the client seems normal. It makes me wonder how common this stuff is. Also, if my loved one trusts this health provider, then it seems like there isn't much room for me to say anything without upsetting them. I'm curious if others have come across this, and if so, how you handle it?

I have a client who is fostering to adopt two toddlers (4yo and 2.5yo). The toddlers are siblings and come from a very traumatic background of violence and neglect, along with the 4yo being born addicted to cocaine. I wanted to provide the client with some book recommendations and wanted to hear from you all.

Hi all,
I recently started working in a transitional living facility for homeless men. For context I work in a decent sized Canadian city with a large homeless population and widespread drug use. I will eventually move into case management as I settle into the role. Since I am new, I haven’t experienced the death of a client but I want to prepare for when it happens. I was wondering what coping skills work for other social workers, especially for those who work with homeless populations.

I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and I’m currently pursuing my MSW, but my first case management job has honestly made me question whether social work is even the right career for me.
I started working as a preventive services case planner in April 2026 in an intensive preventive services program, and when I say intensive, I mean INTENSIVE lol. This was my first case management job, and I genuinely had no idea what I was getting myself into or what case management really involved. I’ve honestly been miserable ever since I started.

When I first started, my caseload was six families, and now it’s increased to 12 families. Our program requires us to conduct TWO face-to-face visits PER WEEK with EACH family. That’s potentially 24 visits a week with my current caseload alone! On top of that, we’re responsible for seeing the children, which sometimes means conducting school visits. Some families live 40 minutes away, so between traveling, coordinating schedules, completing visits, and making phone calls, it’s incredibly difficult to manage everything.
And then there’s the ridiculous amount of paperwork. Between FASPs, progress notes, psychosocial assessments, CANS, PCFs, service plans, and everything else, I feel like I’m constantly drowning in documentation. There’s barely enough time to complete everything when we’re expected to spend so much time out in the field.

What makes it worse is that I don’t feel like we were properly trained. Another coworker and I were hired around the same time, and we were both confused about certain responsibilities and services we were supposed to provide. He actually quit last week because he couldn’t take it anymore. Since then, some of his cases have been reassigned to me, and management expects me to immediately complete everything required for these new families within the same week, despite barely knowing anything about them.

I recently had my six-month probationary evaluation, and management decided to extend my probation because I’ve been falling behind. What frustrated me even more was that my supervisor complained about me calling her before home visits to ask questions or seek guidance. She told me I shouldn’t be calling her while I’m out in the field unless it’s an emergency. This is literally my first case management job, and I don’t feel like I received enough training to confidently handle every situation independently. I honestly feel unsupported.

What I don’t understand is how management can acknowledge that I’m struggling to keep up, extend my probation because of it, and then continue assigning me more cases. It feels like the agency prioritizes meeting clients’ needs without considering how overwhelmed its employees are.

At this point, I’m completely burned out and honestly going to quit . I’ve already accepted another job and am just waiting for my start date to get closer.
Before this position, I spent almost six years working in a hospital as a patient care assistant. Although that job had its challenges, I enjoyed being in a hospital environment, staying active, and having more hands-on patient interactions. I didn’t realize how much I would dislike the constant phone calls, service coordination, and administrative responsibilities that come with case management.

Idk am i wrong for wanting to quit? is this normal for all case management jobs to be this way?

Hi all!
Question, what is the route I can take to become an Anti-Bullying Specialist? I see a course here for $600 that I can take on “Fonteva” is this correct?

I need a DSM-5-TR. While I don't want to pay $170 directly from APA, I also don't want to buy it somewhere that may not sell an accurate copy of the book. Where did y'all get yours? Any websites I should absolutely avoid?

Hi everyone!
I just accepted a job as a social worker in the ICU at a hospital. I would be doing case management full time.
In trying to prepare I’ve been searching “hospital staff must haves” and such to try to find some essentials for working in a hospital but of course most of them are for nurses and doctors, most working 12 hour shifts. Any insight would be greatly appreciated from fellow social workers working in the medical field. If you have any tips or suggestions for hospital essentials, I’d love any guidance you can give to this new grad with her first big girl job.

I posted also to r/therapists and thought it might be interest to folks here.

There have been some posts and discussions about working with male clients in this subreddit recently. I work with a number of guys, and there’s an upcoming online training program on what’s going on with men through the University of Michigan. Trainings are always so hit or miss, though maybe this could offer some insight for those able to make it.

I think I'm sort of bored with social work. I think this is a phase that will pass because the field is so vast and the people are so interesting. However, I am finding this urge to go back to school for a science degree. It's weird because I went to a seminar-type event today and felt re-invigorated and excited to have this new knowledge I can use with my clients. But the idea of going into work and applying it feels tedious. The speakers were amazing and wonderful and I found myself wanting to be like them.

Usually, I find myself thinking I'd be happy in my current role for a long while because of the diversity of the population I work with. But I'm starting to question it now. I love learning and I somewhat miss going to school. Lately, I've been thinking about trying to finish my environmental science associates degrees (I'd have to redo a lot, it's been so long), but I feel like that's so irrelevant to the work I'm doing now. I've considered environmental social work/policy work, but I don't know the types of education I'd need. Besides, I need to focus on getting my license and building my skills for my clients. But I also can't stop thinking about where I want to go from here career-wise. I thought I'd be happy in this role for a long while but now I'm finding myself wanting more, maybe.

I don't know. Has anyone else felt bored? It just feels so redundant some days. Is this boredom or burnout?

I have a job interview later this week for a school social worker role at an elementary school. I recently did my nails a dark maroon/berry color with a little Halloween ghost nail sticker on each nail. Would this be seen as unprofessional on a job interview? I think we are at a time where people have stopped putting so much weight on clothing choice (within reason of course), teachers/school staff dress more casually now than 10/20 years ago. Plus, having a design like that might show a bit of personality especially for an elementary age group. Idk if I should just err on the side of caution, it’s not the biggest deal to redo my nails to be a more neutral color. But at the same time my nails right now are cute and I’d like to make this manicure last longer lol.

It is my goal to work in this setting and with this age group and school positions in my area are competitive so I don’t want something like this to affect my chances.

I've been thinking critically about is how social work and social services have historically been shaped by Western and colonial understandings of what constitutes a good family, a functioning individual, and a successful society.
I wonder how often individuals and families are viewed as needing intervention simply because their circumstances, cultural practices, or ways of living don't align with dominant societal expectations.
For example, to what extent are issues rooted in poverty or systemic inequality treated as individual or family dysfunction rather than consequences of larger structural problems? And how often are cultural differences or nontraditional ways of living interpreted as deficiencies rather than simply different understandings of well-being?

I love love, love all your insight and appreciate everyone’s perspective

I keep hearing that insurance reviews are the most draining part of working at IOP/PHP programs, but I don't really understand the mechanics. How often do they come up? What's the reviewer actually looking for? And when a stay gets denied, what did the paperwork get wrong?

The population I work with often have recently been released from jail and have issues with alcoholism, crimes against women, domestic violence.

My brother recently relapsed from alcoholism after five years and was arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend. This is a pattern that has been evident in the men in my family for generations, and I thought that he would break that cycle. I am also a survivor of SA and domestic abuse. I am mourning the loss of my relationship with my brother while trying to work as a counselor at the same time.

I am struggling to care about my job and have unconditional positive regard for the people who display the same behaviors that have plagued my family for generations. Has anybody dealt with something similar and have advice on going forward? I am in my own therapy.

Hi all,

I’ve been in front line type social work for years. I’m a LCSW in Utah. Done private practice on/off. I think I’m at the point where I’ve like to pivot more away from my day job and do more therapy work. I’m taking virtual clients online and it’s been going well. I do feel a little rusty clinically though and want to pursue post graduate training so I can figure out my niche.

My interests are all over the place though! Can any of you recommend good post graduate certifications courses? What is in demand? What did you love?

I’ve looked at University of Michigan sex therapist training, I’ve looked at Coast to Coast EMDR, I’ve considered specializing in couples therapy… things with college credits interest me because my current job is as a school social worker and additional college credits gets me additional pay potentially on their pay scales if I stay. Thanks!

I have had men in the past year (almost a year) I have been working in CMH who make comments about me physically, and or do something to make me feel uncomfortable. My supervisor is somewhat helpful but chalks a lot of it up to the populations we work with, but I’m starting to get triggered working with older men. It’s not all of them, but about 50% of my intakes with men over the age of 25 have left me reeling for days. My supervisor will often laugh a lot of this off, but if I am uncomfortable she will transition them (has only happened once where I ask a transfer)

I have had men get an erection (this is the one that I asked to be transferred) this guy even told me I was wearing too revealing of an outfit, it was a knee length dress, with an oversized cardigan with nothing showing. I had another ask if I am married, tell me I am beautiful endlessly, etc. I think I am decent at setting boundaries and telling people this is a professional setting, which often sours the rapport immediately.

What inspired this post is just yesterday is a man in an intake told me I looked like a woman who has wronged him in the past, and he knows he needs to not take it out on me. He said this four times throughout the intake, it was the tone and his facial expression that caused me to get weirded out. He recently got out of prison about six months ago and is seeking therapy, and his comment wasn’t sexual in nature but it makes me hesitate to want to work with him again. The rest of his intake he told me in detail about how he has physically harmed people and hurt them (how he ended up in prison) He has scheduled a follow up and I just a dying internally at the thought. I’m thinking of asking for a transfer or simply asking for men to not be on my schedule.

The other half of men that I work with I enjoy working with them, bur its such a high percentage that anytime I see a new male intake on my schedule I die inside.

I’m in my late 20s, I dress professionally, I try to be very approachable but it’s just getting to me too much.

Edit: he went into quite a bit of detail of the violence he has done upon others. I don’t want to go into too much detail but it was extensive

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.

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I’m having a hard time finding a stable job and I feel like my résumé doesn’t explain how I got here. My background is in community services and healthcare but I’ve worked different jobs because I needed income. Sometimes you just have to take what’s available, learn what you need to learn, and show up because you have bills to pay.

Hiring managers have questioned the job changes because most of what i do is contract work. So obviously after the project management role ends, im looking for the next gig. During a recent interview, I was asked if I was serious about being a social worker. What they don’t see is that I was laid off from my FT job then had to switch to contract bc its hard to find a FT job.

Then I was struggling to find dependable childcare to take my LMSW exam. People who agreed to help would back out. My kids were around six months to a year old during those attempts. I looked into paid childcare, but they required a parent to be reachable by phone, which I understand. With my husband frequently away for training or in the field, I was the default parent. There ended up being a three-year gap between graduation and licensure.

I’ve tried highlighting my transferable skills, but that doesn’t seem to get much consideration. The focus keeps coming back to why I don’t have five years of experience in traditional social work roles. I’m trying to gain that experience, but I can’t keep waiting for someone to give me a chance while turning down other work. I have bills to pay, so I take the opportunities available to me. That doesn’t mean I’m not serious about social work.

It’s discouraging because I’ve been trying to support my family and build my career. Ive even tried hospital social work because I used to work in a hospital but that was a no go.

And no, I don’t have family who can help watch our kids. I’m the first in my family to graduate from college, and I’ve received a lot of pushback for wanting to do something different and build financial stability rather than depend on government assistance.

Before anyone asks, I don’t voluntarily share that we’re a military family or that I have kids during interviews. Some cities on my résumé are obvious military areas, so there’s only so much I can do about that. I keep it professional and focus on my experience. If someone asks a personal question that doesn’t belong in the interview, I kindly redirect and keep the conversation going.

I was going to join the military but im medically disqualified and then I would have to wait to apply for a medical waiver.

Has anyone else experienced this? How do you explain that your work history reflects doing what you needed to survive, while still showing that you’re serious about building your career?

Has anyone made the leap from sw to corporate? Tell us about the experience and how to do it. I been seeing all of this corporate videos and it made me curious about people on the other side.

I will most likely be relocating to a city in south-eastern Ohio, which borders both Pennsylvania and West Virginia. I’m have an MSW and am licensed in Ohio as an LSW (not clinically licensed and not working towards it). I currently do hospice work which I would love and would really ideally like to stay in, but unfortunately as I’ve been looking at jobs in the city we’d be moving to, (Steubenville, OH) there aren’t a lot of options. Because the city so closely borders West Virginia and Pennsylvania, I was thinking that when I do start actively looking for jobs there, I might have better chances if I become licensed in those states as well as Ohio, so I could have more options for places to apply to.

I know the obvious answer is call the ASWB board for clarification, which I would but it’s a Sunday so I can’t, but I’m also looking to hear about people’s personal experiences navigating getting multiple licenses, NOT just the details around how to do so because when I call the board I can figure that out. I’m just curious if anyone else has done something similar with getting multiple state licenses due to location and job opportunities. What was that process like for you? How long did it take? I’m currently expecting (28 weeks, due 1/5/27) so we are most likely going to move after our son is born so I have some time to work on getting the additional licenses. I’m just hoping to hear about the experiences of others who have gone through this process for more info!!

TIA!

Hello all. I, F (22) am a case manager based in the USA for older youth transitioning out of foster care and helping them achieve independence. I have been in this role for 4 months and already feel extreme burnout, depression, and sadness.

I typically go over my 40 hour work limits just so I can complete tasks. My manager knows this is an ongoing issue, but is in no way helping to alleviate it due to pressure from the higher-ups and our contract with Child Welfare Services. I have recently had to take on more work due to sick leave of another case manager.

I initially took this job for extra money as I apply to PhD programs in Sociology. I did not know this job would consume my whole life. My weekends consist of me laying in my bed doing nothing.

Is this type of mental burnout normal? Has anyone been struggling with something similar? FYI — I have a therapist. I see him quite often. I am medicated. I just think my happiness is found in an academic profession rather than client based practical experience.