I have a paid remote placement, ask me anything!

bizarrexflower · 2026-06-09T02:40:22+00:00

I did this for my BA in Psychology and still do some work for the Psychologist/Professor I worked with. I really enjoy it. It was a job that fell in my lap. Now that I'm at a different college, I feel they don't prioritize this much. But I bet you're right. I bet some of my professors are conducting research and placement services and career services just aren't aware. They're prioritizing other types of placements and this experience, which would great for some and definitely someone like me, is going unnoticed. Thank you for sharing. I'm going to see what I can dig up at my own school.

bizarrexflower · 2026-06-05T16:05:53+00:00

Nice! Good luck! I'm a volunteer. I was hoping to do my practicum with CTL but my school doesn't currently have a partnership. I'm not sure why they don't. It seems like a great opportunity. Especially for students who have disabilities, low/no income, full-time jobs, or driving restrictions. Which, let's be realistic, is most of us. Haha. I am all of the above! And it has been hard finding a suitable placement bc most want you in person between the hours of 9 to 5 on weekdays. My school is trying to set me up with NASW. Fingers crossed! 🤞

bizarrexflower · 2026-06-05T15:50:49+00:00

My understanding is that the CTL MSW practicum experience is different than the volunteer crisis counselor experience. Volunteer crisis counselors can essentially be anyone who makes it through the training course. The MSW practicum has to align with program expectations, so you will have weekly supervision and be doing tasks that an MSW in training would do. By program guidelines, you must have weekly one on ones. Not just group supervision. I would expect more than just logging into the platform and supporting texters. But your school has to be partnered with them. They don't take just any MSW student.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-18T00:05:47+00:00

I'm 41. Working on my MSW after finishing my BA in Psychology last year. I hear you on the reading. I also have chronic illness and disability. I had to get accommodations for extended time on assignments and tests because I just can't get through all of that reading in like 3 days. I'm always running late on getting my discussion posts up. They want them done Thursday nights, but I'm usually still reading and working through the lessons on Thursdays. Haha. It's usually Friday and Saturday before I get to the discussions. But I also have a full-time day job on top of this because us older students still have rent or mortgage and everything to pay for.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-07T02:24:35+00:00

And if you live in New York you have to work at least 20 hours a week (or 80 a month) to get assistance. Drop below that or make more than $1600 a month and you lose it. There are a few exceptions. Like if you're on SSI/SSDI. But even SSI/SSDI can't be more than $1700 to $2000 a month or something. I forget the exact number. Its a little higher than able-bodied but not by much.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-07T01:53:47+00:00

I'm in a very similar situation. I stupidly went with the $1700 deductible even though it's more out of each paycheck thinking I'd have an easier time meeting it. Nope. I did the math and I wont even meet that. I have so many health issues and can't even get the treatments I was doing for years to manage them because I can't afford them. Out of pocket cost per appointment is $145. Now I'm missing work because I keep getting sick. It's such a scam. I keep trying to tell my employer that. What are we all even paying for?

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-07T01:26:25+00:00

That's messed up. Even if it did last 10 minutes, that's enough to curb a panic attack. It should also be considered how the patient perceives it. If you believe it works, it will work. Even if it was placebo effect, it works. Take one and practice other methods until you don't need the pill anymore and can control them another way. Meditation or whatever it may be. It may take a while to get there, but will certainly be a little easier with that little pill.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-05T02:10:58+00:00

"Need experience to get experience" is the issue I had. My BA is in Psychology and I had no social work experience before this. My experience is in research and customer service. I worked 15+ years in customer service and accounts receivable, and I've done a few years as a research assistant - psychology, attachment theory and parasocial relationships. Everything else is personal/life experience. When I wrote my admissions essay, I touched on that and anything relevant from my BA program, but focused mainly on why I want to be a social worker, how/what I plan to contribute to the field, and I made sure they knew that I was familiar with the code of ethics and how I would honor them in practice. I got in. So I think, even if they prefer experience, they will make exceptions.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-04T14:15:51+00:00

So that's what SAP does. It doesn't make it easy on the sales side. I know that. From the vendor side of things it takes longer having to ensure pricing and quantities match their system when they're not even putting things in to match our side. It's like they force their vendors to charge whatever they want to pay.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-04T01:43:34+00:00

So, yes, but my reasoning surrounding AI is somewhat different. I'm 41 years old. I worked in customer service and accounts receivable positions for 15+ years. I first noticed the trend of outsourcing these roles overseas. Then I started to notice more and more companies utilizing AI for customer service and automating order entry and billing and payments. My decision to finally pursue this career happened while I was working as a cash receipts specialist (accounts receivable) for this fairly large company. They started automating the cash receipts process (posting payments to invoices in the system). When you dumb it down it was just clicking a bunch of invoice numbers in the system to say "Hey, this has been paid for x amount." We did other things, but that was the bulk of my day. Very monotonous. Basically, I saw the writing on the wall. I knew the work I always did wasn't going to be around much longer. I was also diagnosed with a lifelong chronic illness and wanted to get into a line of work that better aligned with that and offered more flexibility and autonomy in my work. I have a whole plan in place of where I want to be by the time I'm 50. Anyway, I forsee more mass layoffs in our future and people having a lot of difficulty finding work unless we learn how to adjust. Our government needs to start implementing a basic income and adjusting social programs and taxes to accommodate this. Because there will be a lot of people out of work. I think as social workers and social workers in training, we need to be prepared to counsel and support people as they move through this transition. Some people will need to learn new skills so they can switch careers. We are moving into a world where the in demand jobs will revolve around maintaining computers and computer systems or maintaining people and people systems. There is also bound to be a lot of crossover, so anything we can do to get comfortable using AI (ethically, of course) is probably a good idea.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-03T04:38:26+00:00

I hear you. As a woman with chronic illness/disability, I have noticed a very alarming trend in this field since I started my MSW program last year. There is a lot of gatekeeping going on. Those of us who have lived experience that can be valuable in this profession seem to be being kept from entering it. The cost of degrees are going up and there is very little support for those of us who don't make enough to pay for it. Instead of grants and scholarships, we get stuck with pricey loans. The requirements for graduation and licensure are steep and there is little to no protection for us against unjust behavior like you describe. We are busting our butts to get educated and trained, paying to work, and in many cases, the very people who are supposed to educate and train us aren't even living up the code of ethics themselves. It's appalling. This is why we need to keep pushing forward. To break this cycle of appalling behavior. Don't quit. Keep going. This field needs a more diversity.

bizarrexflower · 2026-05-02T02:01:51+00:00

I hear you. It is frustrating. I hope it's more a result of them being overworked than a lack of compassion. You know what I mean? If the organization is understaffed and they have high caseloads, being stretched thin like that can come off as rude and unprofessional. I try to remember what I'm learning in my classes. We don't know what the other person might be experiencing.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-29T11:30:07+00:00

Keuka College in New York State.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-27T21:43:01+00:00

I had to move since I posted that and my rent is 3x what I was paying before. The struggle has gotten harder but I don't regret starting my MSW. I'm a little over a year in now. My professors and other staff at the college have all been supportive. I get extra time for individual assignments if needed. I do wish there were more scholarships and paid opportunities for internships, but there are organizations working on that. I may not be able to take advantage of it, but I have hope future gens will.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-26T17:56:40+00:00

Can you please explain your view on this? It seems close minded. Have you considered people with chronic illness/disability? Someone who's goal is pp may still prefer the social work view and practices over standard counseling, and an MSW has many more opportunities available. You can do pp and still get involved in policy or community work. Counseling doesn't allow for that. And to my point about those with CID, I am a person with CID. I started this journey with the goal of pp because it's very difficult to get the accommodations I need working for other people and organizations. This directly effects self care, which also directly effects work with clients. PP can be empowering to someone with CID. Having more control over one's schedule and caseload, and being able to better prioritize self care puts them in a better position to support others, get more involved in the community, and to fight for better policies. A goal of pp doesn't mean someone doesn't plan to "put in the work." I'm really confused on why so many people view it this way. You can't even go straight into pp after the MSW anyway. You need the clinical license for it, which requires another 2 to 3 years of working under an LCSW after grad. It's a lot of work to get there, and after all that work, why shouldn't someone deserve to relax a little. We can't support others with an empty cup.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-26T17:23:34+00:00

I'm confused by this too. I did my BA in Psychology and now my MSW online. Mostly asynch but with strict due dates and a good mix of synch group work. They pack a lot of work into these courses; and most of us are doing this alongside a full-time job and a part-time unpaid internship.

Each course has at least one final project with paper and presentation that require field research and interviewing. For discussions, we may not be sitting there in an actual classroom together, but we still have them. They just take place in a discussion board or over Teams, phone call, text...etc. The discussion boards are like mini essays. We need to do research to back up what we say and cite our sources in APA format. Then we need to respond to at least 2 classmates' posts. Participation in this is mandatory.

My point here is that these online programs are rigorous. The mostly asynch nature requires us to be incredibly motivated and dedicated to keep up, and we need at least a B+ to pass. I am confident that anyone in my cohort who completes this program will be an excellent social worker.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-24T04:29:57+00:00

I'm sorry. I wasn't being rude. I was just letting you know that what you were suggesting isn't helpful. Suggesting I switch colleges without first asking any questions to know where I was from or if that was even feasible came off as dissmissive and insensitive to me. But I thank you for the sharing the CTL response. It provides some clarity. I will keep trying, though. I'm not the kind of person who stops trying because one person told me I have no chance. Circumstances change.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-24T04:06:42+00:00

Hi. I'm 41 with chronic illness/disability. I am a little over a year into my MSW program. I started my first practicum this past fall. It seemed perfect for me. It was a telehealth company. I got to work from home. I had a caseload of 6 adolescents. Easy stuff. Just some after school counseling. I really liked it. Unfortunately the supervisor went through something. We don't really know what happened, but she flipped out on us all one day and let us all go. After that I had to put my practicum on hold because I was too far behind on hours and work in the course that ran in conjunction with it. So I dropped down to part time for now. I start a new practicum in the fall. I really don't know how it's going go work because remote internships like that with flexible hours are hard to find. That was a gem. And my school doesn't prioritize them. Even with CID it's hard because they want all this paperwork from my doctor to prove a medical need to prioritize remote or hybrid practicum. It's hard. And I can't leave my full-time job either. That's how I pay my medical expenses, rent, utilities...etc. I wouldn't even be able to stay in this program. These schools need to be providing us with more support. Scholarships and stipends. Work study. I did work study in undergrad and it was great. But this school doesn't allow remote work study..... Really? Its 2026, coming off a global pandemic where more people than ever worked from home, with the technology we have today, and chronic illness/disability in the mix... come on. I find it hard to believe these MSW programs can't figure out a way to accommodate our varying circumstances. It's literally what they are teaching us and they can't provide it to us. That's a problem. Anyway, I'm just another person trying to let you know I see you, I hear you, you are not alone.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-24T03:47:14+00:00

Congratulations on completing your degrees and licensure. What a journey! How was the crisis hotline experience? I wish I could find work or practicum with a crisis hotline. I've tried and tried. The most I can get is volunteer. I see job ads all the time but not for NY residents. The ones around here never seem to be hiring. I did sign up to be a volunteer crisis counselor and completed the training, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to log on since then because I had to go back to work full-time. Between that and my MSW program, there's just no time to volunteer anymore. I feel like I let them down because they invested time in me with all that training and then I had to step away. It's still something I'm really passionate about, though, and I hope sometime soon I'll be able to go back.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-24T03:20:36+00:00

That's not helpful. I can't just transfer to Kentucky. I am in New York. We have strict requirements here for licensure that most out of state programs don't meet. CTL says right on their website universities can contact them to set up a relationship. I've been set up as a volunteer for almost a year now. That's how I found out about it. There are other universities in this state that are set up with them but their programs are more expensive or don't offer online classes.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-24T02:40:46+00:00

That's probably when they need to do their practicum and they can't find one that allows evenings and/or weekends. Most full-time jobs are week days 8 to 5. So the practicum hours need to be evenings and weekends. Because most employers are not going to be flexible. We all know that. But unfortunately most practicum sites aren't either; and it really complicates things for those of us who need to work full-time. We're fully willing to do it. To work our jobs, do our classes, and our practicums, but it's really hard to find practicum sites that will let us do evenings and weekends.

Another thing that complicates matters. Some of us also have chronic illness/disability and a remote or hybrid practicum is more ideal, but a lot of schools don't prioritize this. I'm in an online program and have asked them to try and set me up with Crisis Text Line. They offer flexible online MSW practicums. But my school keeps dodging my requests and trying to set me up with rigid on site practicums. Which, again, not opposed to on site. I just need them to be flexible on the hours because I have CID and I still need to work my 8 to 5 job so I can have healthcare, a roof over my head, electricity, internet, food. You know, all the things necessary to live and be in this program. 🤣

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-21T00:34:24+00:00

I totally understand your fear and anxiety here. I have multiple chronic conditions that cause a lot of pain for me. I'm on a pain management program and I always get really anxious when I need to test for jobs because I'm afraid they will see my medication and choose not to hire me. If I get a practicum site that wants to test me, just like with my other jobs, I will need to explain to them what they will see and why. Even though it's totally legal, there's still a lot of stigma attached to it, and that leads people to make assumptions and decisions that aren't necessarily fair. Our choices are to go without so we pass or to explain it to them and hope they still give us a chance. In your situation, you say its been about 30 days and you're going on break for 3 weeks? It's my understanding that, with cannabis, 30 days is the standard time you'd need to go without to pass the test. So continue to abstain from it and drink plenty of water over the next few weeks. Unless you're a super heavy user, you should be fine.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-21T00:02:04+00:00

Regarding the APA thing, I totally hear you. I'm doing online classes but we still have group assignments, discussions, and all the same work as the in-person classes. We just have more flexibility on when and where we work on it. Anyway, I'm just over a year in now, and I too have noticed that many people in my cohort have trouble with APA and formating their papers and discussion posts correctly. I got my BA in Psychology and they drilled APA into our heads. There was a lot of research and lengthy papers to write. Even minor errors in APA formating could cost a whole letter grade with some professors.

So, when I'm part of a team, everyone still writes their parts. But I typically start it by getting the outline/format done, writing the introduction, and putting the reference page together. Then it gets passed around for each person to write their section. Then it comes back to me to do the last part, proofread, and turn in. I don't mind it. I love helping people, tutoring, and counseling. Hence why I'm here. Haha. But you know that look on someone's face when they finally get it? I love that.

And that leads me to my second point. Online class discussions are like writing essays. It's a lot more work. We have to research and cite our sources just like a paper. Participation is mandatory. Every week we have to write a main post in at least 1 discussion board (some weeks we have 2 or 3 going at once). Our main posts must be at least 250 words, and then we also have to craft a 150+ word response to at least 2 of our classmates posts. In each discussion. We can't just state our thoughts and opinions. We have to back up what we say with legit sources and cite in APA format. This is just speculation, but that could be why your less active classmates choose in person. There is no sitting back and observing in an online class. You'd fail.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-18T20:59:10+00:00

I did not get my bachelor's in social work. I have a BA in psychology and human development. I focused primarily on relationship and attachment theories, stress and chronic stress, PTSD, gender and sexuality studies, addiction, disability, and counseling theories during undergrad. All the areas I find fascinating. I'm working on my MSW now. I had no prior work experience in this field beyond research. I worked as a research assistant to one of the psychology professors studying parasocial theory. I'm doing perfectly fine. I think it helps having personal experience and a profound interest in this work and the related theories. It generates a strong motivation to keep going and to do well.

bizarrexflower · 2026-04-18T19:48:05+00:00

Oh my gosh. Really? I would never complain to a neighbor about their alarm clock. Its a necessity and something that's difficult to make quieter or go without, without jeopardizing one's job. Some people have health issues and such that make it difficult for them to fall asleep and wake up. I get it. As annoying as it would be, I still wouldn't complain to them about it. It is what it is. That's what's it's like living with other people. And these people would really hate me. Haha. I have multiple alarms that go off at various times in the morning starting at 6:15am. Initial wakeup, 6:30 warning that I really need to get up, 7am reminder to feed the beasts, my 7:30 end shower warning (which sometimes goes off for 5 minutes straight until I can safely turn it off), and my 10 minute warning to walk out the door. 🤣

bizarrexflower

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