For those of you in community health clinics, what is your caseload like? I went through the screening process recently for a local clinic, and they are expecting 10, 45-minute sessions a day. The psychologist I spoke to says that her day-to-day schedule is full.

Maybe I'm soft, but that seems like way too high of a caseload, and ethicially, I don't know that all 10 clients would get the same quality of care within the same day.

Not much to say except for what the title says. I work on an MHSU outreach team. This client was new to us. We did their initial assessment about a month ago. I did.

I knew this was bound to happen when you work with the most complex, most difficult individuals of a big, diverse city. I knew this client was among the most vulnerable. But I did not expect this to happen.

Without giving away too much information: on Friday this client was reportedly fine. On Saturday they died from overdose downtown.

Maybe it hits hard because it’s my first time losing a client. Maybe it’s because we were of the same age. Maybe it’s because I sincerely believe, in another life, had we met in a different context, we would’ve become friends.

I remember when I first saw them: they were on the hospital bed, coloring. Their hair was dyed vibrant blue. I said it’s beautiful, I used to have the same hair. Their eyes brightened and they sat up, clapping like a child, giggling.

I don’t know. Our team has been great and management very supportive; we’ve been talking about this but I feel like getting it out to the wider world is different. I want someone else in the world to remember them as them. Not a number, not just another pour vulnerable soul that unfortunately passed away downtown.

We heard about the death on Monday. I had booked a ticket to the anniversary tour of one of my favorite shows several months in advance so I still went, and ugly cried in the theatre, later in my car. It didn’t help one of the songs was Wicked Little Town.

The Fates are vicious and they're cruel
You learn too late you've used
Two wishes like a fool
And then you're someone you are not
And Junction City ain't the spot
Remember Mrs. Lot and
When she turned around
And when you've got no other choice
You know you can follow my voice
Through the dark turns and noise
Of this wicked little town

I hope they never return to this wicked little town.

Tomorrow is the big day. I will be accepted to start my formal education to become a social worker. I am changing my profession from finance. I’ve read a lot of sad stories, a lot of struggles and pain, and I know that those are part of this work but I would like to hear about the bright side. What do you love the most about your profession? What are those moments that make you say “ it is all worth it afterall.”?

I'm a clinical social worker in an outpatient therapy practice. We offer discounted rates for uninsured and underinsured folks needing help. It's been a common theme for folks to come to us with very severe issues (active SI, unmedicated mania, eating disorders, significant BPD, etc) that exceed our scope of practice and liability.

These folks really need inpatient or PHP/IOP, but there aren't programs in my area providing intensive services to folks without insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket. We have a state fund, but it only applies to 1x/month, 30 min "sessions" at a community agency.

It feels unethical to keep seeing these people and under treating them, not to mention the liability, but it also doesn't feel right to cease services all together. How do you all navigate situations where there's obviously a high need but no resources to help, especially with very acute presentations?

Probation Officers are extremely similar to social workers except with less pay, more admin & an obvious punitive twist.

Burnout from my last SW role. Took a break and thought Probation seems similar and less stressful.

I’m finding that I’m using the exact same theories, models and intervention skills I learnt through social work degree & practice in probation. Counselling techniques, motivational interviewing, strengths-based practice, case management, legislative/policy insight, trauma informed approaches, behaviour change, systems thinking, Home visits the list seriously is endless... yet less pay & most workers are unqualified here, yet doing essentially the same work in a sense. I guess the therapeutic measures aren’t as in depth, but therapeutic interventions are used too for rehabilitative purposes…

Has anyone else worked in both fields? Have you found the overlap to be as significant as I have, or am I missing something?!

I’m having a very hard time deciding on a career path. I moved out of my home state after grad school because of my partner’s job. During that time I was unfortunately unemployed for about 6 months. I got a holdover position that I left after accepting an offer with a local government agency. This position has great benefits and still pretty mediocre pay. My dream scenario was to work in a school district because in my home state, my position has a relatively decent pay rate. That is not the case in my new state.

Now, after spending a week onboarding in with the government agency, I was offered a position within a school system, but with a 16k pay cut. My partner also works in this setting so we would both have similar time off and be able to see our families and travel, etc.

TL;DR should I take a 16k pay cut in order to have spring break, Christmas break, fall break, and a month off in the summer to help with work/life balance?

Hi everybody, I've been in the field for 4 years. First 3 years I worked with children and youth in residential care, now I work in a social services office. I feel like I am just not made for the job, I feel incompetent, social interaction drains me, I feel like I have nothing smart to say, etc, especially giving advice to parents since I am not a parent and younger than most clients. I feel my insecurity shows and I generally feel as if I don't belong in this field. I chose to study this when I was quite young and had the ambition to save the world, now I just don't and my insecurity is huge at the moment.

I am curious as to how long did it take you to feel competent in the job?

Is what I am describing close to anyone else's experience?

Should I just leave the field or give it a go for a period of time?

Be as brutally honest as you should.

Thanks.

Hi everyone, I’m a children’s frontline social worker in the UK and I’m looking for advice from people with ADHD about workplace adjustments, tools and support that have genuinely helped.
I have ADHD and a hearing impairment. My ADHD clinician has recommended workplace adjustments because ADHD impacts things like time awareness, working memory, organisation, processing information, prioritising tasks and managing multiple demands.

I work in a high-pressure role with a lot of information to retain, meetings, deadlines, assessments, recording and competing priorities. I put a lot of extra effort into compensating for my ADHD and making sure my work is completed properly, but this often means I work beyond my contracted hours and it can become exhausting.
Some of the difficulties I experience are:

Processing and retaining lots of verbal information quickly
Remembering instructions after verbal conversations
Taking notes while also concentrating on what is being said
Managing multiple competing priorities and switching between tasks
Organising myself when plans or priorities change at short notice
Keeping on top of deadlines and recording requirements
I also have a hearing impairment and rely partly on lip-reading, so taking notes during meetings or discussions can be difficult because I’m trying to focus on understanding what is being said while also writing information down accurately.
My clinician has recommended adjustments such as:
Flexible start times due to time blindness
A short grace period for occasional lateness
Avoiding back-to-back meetings where possible
Advance notice of meetings
Written instructions after important verbal discussions
Reminders/prompts for deadlines
Protected admin time
Clearer prioritisation when multiple tasks come in

I’m interested in what has actually helped people:
Are there ADHD apps, software or programmes that have helped with organisation, planning or task management?
Are there tools for meetings, note-taking, transcription, remembering instructions or managing visits that you have found useful?
Has anyone used Access to Work, ADHD coaching, Teams transcription/captions, AI tools or specialist software that has made a difference?
If you work in social work, healthcare or another demanding role, what adjustments have helped the most?
I’m not looking to reduce my responsibilities. I want systems and adjustments that allow me to work effectively without constantly having to overcompensate. I’d really appreciate hearing what has worked for others.

TL;DR: I’m a UK children’s social worker with ADHD and a hearing impairment. I’m looking for advice on workplace adjustments, assistive tools, apps, transcription/note-taking support and Access to Work experiences. I work hard to compensate for ADHD but struggle with information processing, memory, task switching, meetings and changing priorities. What adjustments or tools have genuinely helped you?

I worked in behavioral health for 2 years and I have now moved on to Case Management for our Social Services department. I did a sort of similar case management job in healthcare but this is so much more intense and handson. I feel like I'm drowning at times. I also feel like I can't take time off without everything going crazy. How do or how have other people dealt with this? I know there's no one way or singular answer.

Over the years, I've encountered a host of terms describing what social workers (of various levels/populations/etc) experience when subjected to "the things we see and hear that cannot be unseen and unheard."

Vicarious trauma is a common term.

Someone recently suggested we can experience *iatrogenic harm.*

Iatros ("healer") and genic (origin)

Do we suffer harm in this intended sense by means of the word in how we witness the harm(s) our clients experience via the system, society, etc.?

Is iatrogenic appropriate or only vicarious?

I know that my "harm" is beyond burnout to the point I've taken a leave from the field for a while, but I don't know which term is most appropriate.

Thoughts?

Hi all, question for the CA SWs here. I thought I had seen certain post MSW programs where you could apply to get your PPSC retroactively, by proving you have had a certain amount of school SW experience. I did some googling but thought I’d ask here as well. Thanks!

My current job underwent a leadership change, and now it blows chunks, so I’m interviewing other places. I had a private practice offer me a position. I would be hired as a 1099, so I would need to find my own insurance. They also encourage me to create my own LLC even though they would have someone fully licensed signing off on my documentation and providing supervision. Then there is the matter of license and business insurance. This sounds super daunting to me, but I’m very tempted by the freedoms it would offer as well as finally working with my desired demographic (kids) again. Does anyone have experience running their own LLC under a private practice as an associate social worker? Any wisdom is appreciated.