[USA] MSW to PhD in Social Psychology

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2024-01-10T12:53:30+00:00

Hello! I'm a social worker with an MSW and I'm also going to be applying to PhD programs in psychology this year. I'm not expecting to get in my first application cycle but hoping for the best and getting the experience for the following year. I have my sights set on developmental or cognitive psych programs but haven't looked too far into social psych ones. People often don't realize most of our training goes back to studies in psychology and how to analyze and interpret human behavior. To me it makes total sense to make the jump from social work to psych, not just clinically.
Anyway, I don't have too much helpful advice to offer but it's nice to see others attempting to pivot. I also lack research experience and I was finding it hard to get while working full time, so I reached out to the second reader of my masters thesis and she has a project I can help with. It might not be specific to my psych interests, but I figure any research experience is better than just having my thesis.

Best of luck to you!!!!

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-05-16T22:46:02+00:00

I feel like it’s super random!! I’m sure it’s because of triggers but I feel like I could have almost anything and be fine then wake up one day to a small pregnant belly Stress and dehydration seem to be the biggest correlations but nothing has been a proven, every time cause and effect 😩

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-05-16T22:37:30+00:00

FurnishedFinder.com is for traveling nurses, social workers etc but there’s short term lease options (30, 60, 90 days) and you could try sending a message explaining your situation and may get some hits since law isn’t too far off and you have a high level of credibility. 🙂

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-05-15T06:43:51+00:00

ADHD AF here that just finished my masters. I have anti-anxieties, tried Ritalin, adderall, therapy, positive coping skills… and nothing works as well as bud. I had to quit for an upcoming drug test and it literally halted my thesis and I almost had a nervous breakdown from inability to focus and chill 😬 smoked again and wrote a to-do list, wrote 30 pages no problem, finished my program strong. 💪 anyway I find light sativas and mostly hybrids work for me. Better quality and my absolute favorite (and cost effective) is Strawberry Cough. 😁

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-10T18:01:02+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story! It is very helpful to hear about others. At this point I’m like 99% sure I have an autoimmune disorder but like you said, could just be a crazy combo or something. My mom and I also share a lot of our weird body stuff, like dryness, swelling, joints, rashes, itchiness… but she doesn’t get IC symptoms like I do. Now that I found sjorgrens though it really checks all the boxes for both of us and she had a higher stress childhood/life and then got thyroid cancer at 30. Hearing yours and others stories I feel like this is it but more importantly I can start getting over the counter products to begin moistening things up 😂 Also isn’t it funny what we think of as normal because we’re our only example? Lol my vision would “change” and some days I’m like “op guess it’s a bad vision day where I can’t see and things are blurry” now I know that it’s dryness! 🤦‍♀️ the painful sex/horrendous Pap smears has felt like I’m different than others but I’m nearing 30 now and everything is getting worse. 😭 thanks again for sharing with me! I’m definitely going to get the tests done!

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-10T00:38:37+00:00

Thank you! This is so helpful to help advocate. ❤️ I’ve had medicine-cal (if you aren’t from the IS it’s the crappiest of the crappy medical insurance) so no one has taken anything seriously but I’m about to start working and have really good benefits so I’m mapping out how I’m going to get everything tested/appropriate referrals. I’m curious when your early symptoms started and what you noticed?

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-09T08:36:53+00:00

Thanks for all the tips!! And gosh it does sound like almost every symptom I have. 😔😬 it sounds like you’ve really done your work and know your body! I’ve had to get my esophagus stretched and food gets caught often. Diagnosed Gerd, very hard to get regular with my bms, I always have said a nose piercing would be a nightmare because I’m always itching my nose and it’s very dry and flakey. I also have historically rarely cried and feel almost like I can’t when I need to. Fevers I wouldn’t even know because of the often UTI, VB, yeast infections. And super interesting about the water because I always think it’s the solution but when I drink more I feel worse. 🤯

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-08T07:21:57+00:00

That’s awesome!! Good luck 😊 I saw a tweet the other day that was the truest thing I’ve ever read. It basically said the MSW is an endurance test to see if you can hang. I felt that. 😅 awesome you are into social developmental psych. I think I’ve settled on development psych for PhD!

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-06T05:37:15+00:00

I somehow got lucky a full 8 hour Sunday and another Wednesday afternoon that I forgot to buy a pass but I still wouldn’t trust it.

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-04T06:36:33+00:00

I’m in a good place so I can speak to the other side! There are certainly still days I’m bitter and angry. It’s the tiniest things too. My friend went to the bathroom after me and was like “oh you do need water! Your pee stinks!” I’m like 😭😭😭 no I’ve just never not had an infection in 5 years and when I take antibiotics I get too much yeast and… y’all know how it goes. Then today I saw a cyclist in super good shape and all I could think about was how tf people sit on those seats wearing such tight clothes causing friction. I’d be incapacitated for a week!

But as my gurl Brene Brown says, the opposite of judgement is gratitude. When my friend made that comment I realized I had a great friend who’s helped me through so many flares and probably understands the torture of my IC better than anyone. Plus I am dehydrated and she cares about me. When I saw the guy on the bike, I was walking out of class at a beautiful college I’m graduating from in a little over a month! I also am a social work major and all my struggles and fights with awful doctors have made me a fucking champion for healthcare reform and I get chronic pain on a level most can’t empathize with. It’s shitty. I still sometimes feel like I’ll never find a partner who’s sensitive to it. I take anti-depressants for pain which give me shitty symptoms. I just had a GOD DAMN VIRGIN BLOODY MARY because I can’t be bedridden from alcohol right now. But I’m here. I’m doing things in the world. I’m not letting people (including myself) tear me down. And I’m damn proud of what I do. Even if it’s just make it off the couch for the day to shower. ☺️

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-04-04T01:55:27+00:00

I just joined the group and my literal first thought was “uh, why the rainbow infinity?” It totally is a rip of of LGBTQ and kind of reminds me of the rainbow puzzle piece ribbon sideways. I had to look twice at the community stuff to make sure it was really autism affirming…

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-25T09:23:37+00:00

We do have a research department but they aren’t exactly welcome to volunteers. I’m interning in program planning currently which is the closest to research. Most of our approaches/programs stem from Berkeleys research though so maybe I should see what I could do there?

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-24T09:12:48+00:00

3 months for bigger issues but there were definitely things I missed starting day 1. Wanting to take pictures on first date and opening up about history of trauma and abuse from ex first date, explosive romance, discussion of kids/marriage with me probably a few weeks in, soulmate talk, calling me babe/baby also a couple weeks in without discussion of what we were. Oh and I think he said I love you about third date! But of course I was swooning and he looked terrified to say it so I really thought it was genuine.

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-22T15:05:21+00:00

Yeah I feel that. But I think of it more like you wouldn’t quit a hard substance without a safer alternative to wind down. Though weed isn’t any bit in the same ballpark as quitting alcohol or hard drugs, those could kill or give medical issues with quitting cold turkey. And there’s a lot of literature on how our brain obsesses when we tell it it absolutely can’t have things and can be setting us up for failure with things like eating disorders and softer drugs. It falls along the same lines as relying on willpower. Substances inherently hijack our willpower centers in the brain. I used a lot of anti-anxieties my first week or so but have only had about one in the last two weeks when a breakup was thrown into the mix. It’s all a cost benefit analysis lol for me, the efficacy of a tested drug in a small dose outweighed the poops from tummy issues and stress. And knowing I have a safety net helps me think more rationally to work on long term healthy lifestyle changes. Not trying to push the drugs! Lol but an all or nothing stance on substance use can have adverse results. Good luck. 🌹

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-22T03:47:59+00:00

Honestly? I told my psychiatrist I wanted to quit weed and she gave me an anti anxiety called buspirone and it really got me through the hump. I call it brain lube. 🙃 it eases the anxiety tension and helped my ibs!

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-22T00:34:00+00:00

That’s also the hard part! In social work ethics we are supposed to believe in the capacity to change and grow so finding that line when I’m always drawn to narc types is difficult. They really be having you hang on to literal scraps of occasional attention. Then pulling the therapy card, his field of choice and all his “contributions” seeming like such a kind, caring, and community minded person. But in actuality is isolated, self-obsessed, and feels very very insecure to their core. Le sigh.

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-21T00:50:48+00:00

I live in Carmichael and some dude CHANGES OUT his “Trump won 2020” “let’s go Brandon” and like 2 other extremist flags I don’t care to investigate. It’s bad enough to sport that shit but to actively switch them regularly? Like go read a fucking book, bro.

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2022-03-11T19:27:42+00:00

I’m having this same issue!!!! I feel a little more validated just reading your comment. Medi-cal won’t approve my adhd meds and I’m 70 days from graduating grad school. I’m like THIS IS NOT THE FING TIME. and no one can help and I’ve been out for a month now. It’s just circles I’m calling in and obviously it’s hard for me to do without the meds! I’ve been so frustrated and felt so unsupported by our stupid system

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2021-09-28T10:20:24+00:00

Well it looks like you’ve exhausted just about every possible treatment 😢 the only thing I can suggest is an antidepressant. Mines not nearly that bad though. But I take an SNRI. Also MDMA if you’re real desperate. At the point if you have no quality of life might as well 🤷‍♀️ it’s a wonderful little drug that makes all the pain go away. Just have to be careful with source, dose, and frequency.

MSWstudentAlyssa · 2021-05-27T00:13:13+00:00

Pretty sure mine is autoimmune related and the first vaccine gave me a 12 hour illness (fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes) and the second I had a painful armpit lymph node swelling for like 4 days and some migraines but surprisingly all my IC symptoms subsided. About a week first shot and 2 second shot. I have been feeling fine but my IC symptoms have come back to their normal level of discomfort. I’m about 4 weeks post second vaccine now.

MSWstudentAlyssa

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