Any future social workers??/newbie introduction

SocialWorker2B

When did this board start, first of all? Tonight is the first time I have ever seen it. I got married in September and believe me, I could've used this board then! But anyways....

any of you ladies going into psychology/therapy or social work?

I am graduating this December with my Bachelor's in Psychology. Then next January (2011) I will be starting my MSW, doing it online, which will take 3.5 years.

MH has already graduated and has been working for a couple of years, thank god, so we were able to afford to buy a condo a couple of months before we got married. We plan on staying here till 2014 (when I graduate) and then moving into a bigger house and start fostering and adopting children.

Just interested to see if anyone was going into the same career field as I am!

Hinaj

Welcome to the board!! My bachelor is in Psychology, but I decided recently to apply to medical school so I am back in school to finish up Pre-reqs. 

Samwise16

I guess you could consider mine a form of therapy/social work... I'm going into genetic counseling

Welcome!

sammichele

I'm graduating with a Bachelor's in Psychology in December also!  My plan is to go to get a Master's in Counseling but I'm hoping that I fall into a job at the court house where I'm interning right now as a Youth/Family Caseworker but of course the economy is terrible and there is currently a job freeze but a lot of people are retiring...so fingers are crossed!  

kcmusella

Hello!

You are not alone. I am graduating this spring with my MSW and I too have my BA in psych. 

I am super excited! I am getting married one month after graduation and yes, I am crazy! 

Here are some things to think about:

I went full time and got done in two years. The first year we had to complete our classes with a B or above average as well as complete 16 hrs a week at an internship.

My second year was the same, but with 20 hours for internship.

Right now I am interning at Kaiser in Orange county. 

Where are you planning to go to school??

SocialWorker2B

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:91b9ec2d-dd3d-4e76-bc8c-5cf67b41cb9c">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm graduating with a Bachelor's in Psychology in December also!  My plan is to go to get a Master's in Counseling but I'm hoping that I fall into a job at the court house where I'm interning right now as a Youth/Family Caseworker but of course the economy is terrible and there is currently a job freeze but a lot of people are retiring...so fingers are crossed!  
Posted by sammichele[/QUOTE]

Hi and thanks for everyone's welcome! :-)

Sammimichele - I find it hilarious that we have the same tickers. Everytime I come on the boards, I am much more interested in checking the status of my graduation ticker than my marriage one. Haha.

Did you do any concentration within Psychology? Or a minor? I did Sociology as a minor and I took Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency which I imagine would really tie in with the kind of job you're thinking of applying for.

A master's in counseling......that's cool, what are you thinking of doing with it? The reason why I decided to do the MSW versus the Master's in Psychology is that with the MSW you can independently bill insurance companies (in Psych, you need a Ph.D to do that) and obviously see patients (which I plan to make my 'side' career) but you can also work as a social worker (duh!) and a case manager. Depending what your personal plan is, a MSW could be a better route for you as well.

I hear ya on the economy. Due to my disability and future plan of fostering and adopting bunches and bunches of children, I know I will only be able to work P/T and so my dream job is to work for the state at the Department of Children and Families and they currently have a hiring freeze going on. It totally sucks and is a bit discouraging due to the amount of student debt I am accumulating. I am trying to get an internship there to start in May but they are not returning my phone calls.

Have you worked at anywhere else (besides the internship) in the field? I've worked with MR, MH and behavioral disorders. Good times. :-)

Hope to hear back from you! Good luck! :-)

SocialWorker2B

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:bae3bab0-3f1c-41f3-817b-974106776284">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]Hello! You are not alone. I am graduating this spring with my MSW and I too have my BA in psych.  I am super excited! I am getting married one month after graduation and yes, I am crazy!  Here are some things to think about: I went full time and got done in two years. The first year we had to complete our classes with a B or above average as well as complete 16 hrs a week at an internship. My second year was the same, but with 20 hours for internship. Right now I am interning at Kaiser in Orange county.  Where are you planning to go to school??
Posted by kcmusella[/QUOTE]

Hey!

Wow, congrats on your impending graduation! And, marriage - yes, you are a bit crazy but I am sure it will be the most exciting time in your life. :-) And, if you make it through it, you will be able to make it through anything!! Haha. And, your honeymoon will double as your graduation trip. We are planning to take a big three week trip to Europe for my master's graduation as well as our five year wedding anniversary.

I am graduating with my Bachelor's from Simmons College, it's in Boston, MA and it's a private, women's college. It is very well known for its social work program so I always, obviously, wanted to go there for the Master's as well. However, I commute into the city and I have severe motion sickness as well as physical disabilities. I have finally accepted the fact that I can't do it. Ugh. So, I am planning on doing the program online (fully accredited and accepted, thank god) through the University of North Dakota. We have to make two campus visits (hopefully not in the dead of winter, lol) but other than that, everything is by computer/webcam/etc.

Where are you going to school/where'd you go for your bachelor's?

What are you planning/want to do after graduation?

Ahhhhh, the joy of interning. I have to start my bachelor's intern in May and do it through graduation in December. I am hoping to do it at the state agency of  Department of Children and Families (formerly DSS) where I also hope to work after graduation. Hopefully, I will be able to do my master's level internships in different departments of DCF too since it's so convenient.

What is Kaiser/what are you doing there? Hopefully, you are enjoying it! My friend hates her bachelor level internship and she is miserable all the time.

Is your FI in school?

Good luck with everything you're doing!

SocialWorker2B

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:fd704b61-6e4d-4de4-838f-4fcd002db3e9">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]Ooo I actually have another question for you - did you get married labor day weekend?  And did you have classes right before and right after?  My FI and I are considering moving up our date to labor day weekend and I was wondering how it worked out for you being right in the beginning of a semester.  I figure that it really wouldn't be too stressful as there would be nothing homework related going on...or at least I hope because I'd love to get married that weekend, FI and I met labor day weekend a few years ago!
Posted by sammichele[/QUOTE]

Yes, we did get married Labor Day weekend - we got married on the Saturday of it. We chose not to do the Sunday because we didn't want to 'take up' everyone's holiday weekends. Classes started the Wednesday before the weekend for me and resumed, obviously, the Tuesday after.

You're right about the no homework thing, it really wasn't stressful. I think any further into the semester, even the next weekend after Labor Day, would definitely have been stressful though. What we did was take a mini honeymoon and went into the city (where my school is) and stay there Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights. We got up on Tuesday and he actually came with me to school and we took the commuter rail home. Then we went on our 'real' honeymoon in January, during the school break. It worked out really well.

I think that, since you guys met on that weekend, it would be so romantic for you guys to get married then. And, from an academic standpoint, I do recommend it. The only thing, again, that I would say is not to do it on Sunday. Some of the guests actually thanked us for not doing it on Sunday because they wanted that time with their families and to go to BBQs etc.

sammichele

Awesome, thanks for the advice!  FI and I are going to have dinner with his parents tomorrow night to discuss the possibility of moving it up (they are contributing to the majority of the budget) so I'll have to let them know that it definitely could work out fine.  That's a good idea about taking the little mini moon too!

JessNG&BrianG

Hi Simmons social worker and any others out there. 

I am just a few months away from getting my MSW from wheelock right next door to you. I can't wait to be done with all of this week, I have been going full time and its so worth it to be finished in the 2 years, I can't imagine having any more after this year.

I'm also getting married on labor day but this year, how was the weather in Mass then, I got engaged on columbas day and i'm freaking out that labor day will be chilly, do you remember the temp that day?

Karebear852k3

I graduated with a BA in Psychology and a BS in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)....right now I work as a residential counselor at a group home for adolescent boys with behavioral issues...I want to go back to school for my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)....kind of funny when I used to think about doing that unmarried, and now doing that married lol

SocialWorker2B

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:d7d5e38c-c47b-4c2e-afab-7b2f7ab29ea0">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]Hello, Thanks for starting this post! It's nice to see there are other crazy people out there entering the social work profession lol.. My Bachelors is in Psychology (concentration in counseling) and i'm employed full time and currently working on an MSW taking evening classes. I will be graduating end of 2011 and planning on getting Married Feb. 2012.
Posted by LisaFapple[/QUOTE]

Haha, yes, definitely crazy. :-)

Are you already working in the field?

Counseling is definitely an interest of mine. That is pretty much the reason I am getting the MSW versus the Master's of Psych. Love that independent billing!

How long has your MSW taken you? I know it's rough doing it at night while working F/T.

Early congrats on the graduation AND wedding! :-)

SocialWorker2B

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:a1180cbd-480e-4d46-bc94-81cfcbf17c3e">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi Simmons social worker and any others out there.  I am just a few months away from getting my MSW from wheelock right next door to you. I can't wait to be done with all of this week, I have been going full time and its so worth it to be finished in the 2 years, I can't imagine having any more after this year. I'm also getting married on labor day but this year, how was the weather in Mass then, I got engaged on columbas day and i'm freaking out that labor day will be chilly, do you remember the temp that day?
Posted by JessNG&BrianG[/QUOTE]

Oh, wow, what a coincidence. :-)

I am going to be doing the MSW 3/4 time due to my physical disability but if I could, I would definitely do it F/T. My degree is going to take 3.5 years and it seems endless at this point. Congratulations on your impending graduation!

I don't remember the exact temperature on Labor Day but trust me, it was ANYTHING but chilly. I had an outdoor wedding and between that, the pics outside and the dancing at the reception - I was sweating like a pig. So not attractive.

Make sure you crank the A/C at your reception, if this year is anything like last year!!! Have fun!

SocialWorker2B

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:ba044788-c18d-4fa0-9ecb-5fc63969ee80">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]I graduated with a BA in Psychology and a BS in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)....right now I work as a residential counselor at a group home for adolescent boys with behavioral issues...I want to go back to school for my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)....kind of funny when I used to think about doing that unmarried, and now doing that married lol
Posted by Karebear852k3[/QUOTE]

That's an interesting job! I've worked with teens with a wide variety of issues - behavioral to autism/mild MR. It is certainly a challenge. I've also worked with adults with mr/autism - a challenge as well but a different kind.

I was thinking of the MFT too. But, then I thought that I should get the MSW because it allows me to do counseling (primary goal) but I can also work as a social worker which I have since gotten more interested in.

Is counseling your main goal? Yup, I know the feeling - you picture it one way and now it's it the other. How exciting! :-)

Karebear852k3

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_students_future-social-workersnewbie-introduction?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:684Discussion:c9041444-5ba3-49ab-b49d-3427f304de00Post:a692e221-9ece-4e0a-8852-d8016e30fcce">Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Any future social workers??/newbie introduction : That's an interesting job! I've worked with teens with a wide variety of issues - behavioral to autism/mild MR. It is certainly a challenge. I've also worked with adults with mr/autism - a challenge as well but a different kind. I was thinking of the MFT too. But, then I thought that I should get the MSW because it allows me to do counseling (primary goal) but I can also work as a social worker which I have since gotten more interested in. Is counseling your main goal? Yup, I know the feeling - you picture it one way and now it's it the other. How exciting! :-)
Posted by SocialWorker2B[/QUOTE]

Counseling is definitely my main goal....I want to work mainly with families (that's where my interests lie....my concentration with HDFS was Family Relationships: Services and Counseling and my favorite subjects were always Family Dynamics and Intimate Relationships etc.), doing like couples therapy or family therapy.  I've thought of doing the MSW because there is so much you can do with it, but my heart tells me to stick with MFT lol  I loved working for DCF when I was interning there which is why I thought of the MSW, but now after working in my job for a while I want to get back to the basics lol

myfm2mmfm

Hey everyone.

This bulletin is so cool! I'm going for my BSW then I can finish a MSW in one year. Also, I'm minoring in French. My FI is finishing his Bachelors in Psych.

What a happy, sane, family-in-the-making.  

aahoover

I am so glad I found this board!!  Hi Everyone!  I got my Master's in Counseling and Human Development and just like with the MSW, you can bill as a licensed counselor.  I am now in a doctoral program for Counseling Psychology and I would be happy to answer any questions for those of you considering grad school.  I am getting married in August and find that wedding planning is much more fun than reading articles and writing my dissertation proposal!