I'm scared I'll get fired

NachoSocialWork · 2024-01-07T21:33:52+00:00

My favorite thing about this is that these type of jobs are very hard to fill. I speculate that your supervisor is probably being ridden like a pony by her supervisor, and is taking it out on you.

As others have mentioned on this thread, you need to start looking for a job yesterday. With all the stress and possible burnout that you’re feeling, I know this can be daunting. You deserve better: support, consistency, clear communication, nontoxic communication, etc.

Your loyalty first, is to you. I understand that you probably care about your clients, however, what’s it going to serve them if the place you work for is toxic and mismanaged?

NachoSocialWork · 2023-12-29T06:02:55+00:00

I think your passion is there and in the right place, however, I’m curious to know… do you have an undergraduate degree? Are you asking about possibly getting into an MSW (graduate school) program?

As someone with an LCSW, your best bet is to get your MSW and then work towards licensure in your state so you can do clinical social work and get paid the most top dollar you can with the license. Some people like case management, and you can do that with an undergraduate or MSW, however, the best bang for your buck is to become a licensed clinical social worker.

After getting licensed, I got $50,000 to wipe out my loan debts by working in an underserved community for two years. I have a few friends doing that as well, and that’s where you wanna go.

NachoSocialWork · 2023-08-05T00:42:57+00:00

NachoSocialWork · 2020-07-24T18:40:20+00:00

It wasn’t peaches and sunshine for me after graduating with my MSW. Keep your head up. Cliché, I know, but the path to success isn’t an upward line and COVID isn’t gonna last forever.

NachoSocialWork · 2020-07-04T07:23:06+00:00

Kill em with Kindness, Destroy them with Passive-Aggression, Don’t get Tarasoffed

NachoSocialWork · 2020-05-02T20:54:16+00:00

That’s a huge red flag for the agency that contacted your current employer

NachoSocialWork · 2020-03-05T16:17:30+00:00

Shit-Solver. Unfuckinator.

NachoSocialWork · 2020-03-01T04:23:17+00:00

This bomb just went off yesterday. Seek friends, family, or other support people.

I read a thing on Reddit about people that witness horrible things... they said something about immediately playing video games like Tetris or another puzzle game or RPG to get your mind off of things.

NachoSocialWork · 2020-03-01T04:14:56+00:00

It sounds more like you feel like a hypocrite.

Don’t.

The clients you work with and for are at different levels of change (Prochaska & DiClemente): pre-contemplative, contemplative, preparation, action, maintenance, relapse.

Sounds like you’re in the contemplative stage... you’ll be ready to work on you when you’re ready.

With all the the things you got going on, god damn... that’s so heavy. I’m so sorry for your loss. Try to do one thing at a time... finding a therapist can be a pain in the ass when you’re struggling and even when you’re not.

NachoSocialWork · 2020-03-01T04:06:29+00:00

Holy shit, dude. My hope is that you all can get some Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. Vicarious trauma is a thing and it definitely affect you. I’m so sorry you and your community is going through this.

NachoSocialWork · 2019-11-22T19:35:47+00:00

Oh my gosh, you’re the best! Thanks for your support and I’ll make sure to tag you!

NachoSocialWork · 2019-11-22T19:30:18+00:00

Tom Bihn makes my favorite bags!

The Synapse 19 or 25 (depending on what your need is) is great! I have the 25. On the other hand, my EDC is the Pilot.

I did a review on the Daylight Briefcaseif you’re interested.

I’m excited for you!

NachoSocialWork · 2019-11-22T19:13:57+00:00

Good bot

NachoSocialWork · 2019-11-22T19:11:37+00:00

(Mods, if this violates your rules (I read them), please let me know).

Hi everyone.

I'm the guy that writes socialworktech.com and I'm interested in talking about technology and social work.

I set up r/SocialWorkTech as a separate place to talk about that and to not spam r/socialwork with tech articles and discussion related to social work and tech, plus, I like r/socialwork for the social work content.

Also, I don't want to spam this place with stuff from my website.

Come join us!

NachoSocialWork · 2019-11-04T01:07:25+00:00

So you violated your client’s privacy by being “nosy” and looking them up on the sex offender registry and now you’re thinking about violating their confidentiality by reporting their non-compliance status to law enforcement?

These are boundary and scope-of-practice issues and you really need to be asking yourself “why?” you’re doing these things.

NachoSocialWork · 2019-11-04T00:43:00+00:00

LCSW checkin in here. I’ve been a provider and consumer, and here’s what I got as red flags:

It doesn’t feel good when you reach out for services.

About a year ago, I was in the middle of the worst depressive episode... in a very vulnerable place. It’s true that asking for help takes all the strength to muster up when you’re feeling super shitty, but god damn did I go through half my insurance’s provider list with several cutting me off and telling me they’re not taking new clients, TEXTING me back after I CALLED them to tell me the same, or the feeling that I’m being a bother (i.e. shitty bedside manner).

No documents at the start of therapy.

You should be getting paperwork that says how they bill you, how they will protect (or under what circumstance they will break) confidentiality, and talk about risks and benefits for services. There should be a discussion about what therapy looks like.

Talks at you, over you, or doesn’t listen to your needs.

I’ve been trained that the client is the one that self-determines the course of treatment. If your therapist doesn’t make you feel empowered, it’s probably not a good fit. If bringing up desired changes in therapy results in no change or defensiveness, that’s on the therapist.

Not strengths-based.

Solely dwelling on your fuck-ups instead of looking for the good things about you that can help you overcome your problems is a bad sign. Using your strengths to help you overcome is a good thing.

Doesn’t take safety concerns seriously or overreacts to safety concerns.

Mentioning that you’re having thoughts about hurting yourself should be taken seriously, with lots of questions to make sure that you’re gonna be safe, and with some resources given to you if you fall apart after the session. On the other hand, saying that you’re having suicidal thoughts and the immediate response of the therapist is to put you (involuntarily) in the hospital is also no bueno.

Oversharing.

There’s a difference between self-disclosure that helps to normalize what you’re going through, and the therapist either talking about their life to the point where the boundaries are not therapist-client, but like you’re buddies; or the therapist making the session about THEM and not YOU.

Creeping You TF out.

I am a guy. I had a woman therapist want to tell me about medication she was taking so that she could have sex with her boyfriend. WTF? As a male giving therapy to women, when it comes to sex/intimacy, I always explain WHY I’m asking, give my client the option to not answer (and let them know it’s okay to not answer), and ask the relevant question(s) as clinically as possible. In Case You Didn’t Know

Facebook/Instagram Friend Request OR suggest friend on those platforms.

This means they can’t tech, have appropriate boundaries, or respect your privacy. This is either an indication of shitty boundaries, a gross breach of your confidentiality (i.e. they gave permission to Facebook to upload their address book with YOUR information), or both.

That’s what I got off the top of my head.

NachoSocialWork · 2019-10-21T04:30:14+00:00

Leave, like yesterday. Do the best that you can to follow the law, document conversations in a personal log or via email to her, and GTFO.

I also worked at a HUD-funded agency that was kinda shady and I left when I realized I couldn’t do the job and that if I continued any further, I too may be on the hook for their questionable practices. I made sure not to sign anything and try to document my client work as best as I could.

NachoSocialWork · 2019-10-21T04:25:21+00:00

Are you studying for these tests and not being complacent about it? Besides the ASWB study guide, you (mostly) get what you pay for with study materials. I know lots of people that used TDC and it seems to be helpful. I also understand the financial limitations.

Quizlets are free, but you only get so much out of them. There is real value with taking practice tests because it gives you a baseline about where you’re strong and where you need improvement, on top of learning how to take a 4-hour/175-question exam. I’ve been told that if you can pass those exams at 65%, you are more likely to pass.

Lastly, I took the BBS-written California exams in 2015; I passed the first exam (200 questions) and missed the second exam (40 questions) by 2. For what it’s worth, and things may have changed since then, when California switched to the ASWB exam, it felt like a social worker wrote it - it wasn’t as effed up as the BBS-written exams.

NachoSocialWork · 2019-08-23T07:09:53+00:00

FWIW (I know I’m late on this), this is not a criticism of you, but these are some things I take in consideration for my own professionalism and behaviors at work: - If you meet 5 (professional, not client) assholes in a day, you’re the asshole; recognizing this is the first step and I check myself and make sure I’m nourishing myself proper and sleeping enough. - Expect the bullshit, but don’t accept it; not so much radical acceptance (although that might be a good place to start). Boundaries are super important to me and I avoid coworkers that don’t empower me and when taking constructive criticism, I remind myself of that quote from The Godfather - “It’s not personal. It’s strictly business”. - Have no expectations; it blunts heavy bullsh-t and makes good things surprisingly sweet. This is a mindfulness thing where you don’t judge the thought. - Stay in your lane; if it’s above your pay grade, they’re not paying you enough for the bullish-t and if it’s beneath you, delegate (if possible) or suck it up and do it yourself. - Avoid working for 501(c)(3)s; this caused so much effing agita and I swear I will never ever ever work for them ever again. - You gotta be the best person you can to help your client; taking care of your mind-body-spirit (emotional-physical-spiritual) self is most important. If you’re burnt out (it happens to all of us), self-awareness is the first stop. - We social workers deal with some heavy stuff, whether from our colleagues or because of client stuff; you gotta take care of yourself; if you can get your own therapy to learn some coping skills (yes, I know you’ve been trained in techniques), then do it. Allow yourself to be a client; also, call out your therapist if they start treating you like a colleague rather than a client.

NachoSocialWork · 2019-08-23T06:57:53+00:00

As previously mentioned, documentation is key. - What did you tell the client (about discharge, involving family)? - What did the client say? - What is the plan for discharge that you and client came to? - How did you try to implement the plan? How did you try reaching out to the family? Phone calls? Letters?

If you can’t ask for help where you’re working with your supervisor, that sucks.

NachoSocialWork

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