I am grateful for the clinical experience during my graduate internship and wouldn’t trade the years I spent working directly with therapists for the world but I entered “Social Work School” with the mindset that I never wanted to be a therapist or do any clinical work. I still feel the same way today. Since earning my MSW I have worked with various interdisciplinary teams but early in 2013 I had a longing to return to my social work roots. I have always put my degree to work but I began to make a concerted effort to spend more time talking with social workers, rejoined my local NASW chapter, and even attended the NASW conference. It was amazing. I didn’t realize how much I had missed my tribe.
Last week I reconnected with my clinical internship supervisor and he asked (with hesitation) if I was doing clinical work. After I stopped laughing I told him that I was not. After he stopped laughing he said someone had told him I was doing clinical work and he likened that to a natural disaster. He remembered how adamant I was about pursuing macro social work only. We set up a time to meet in person. This man’s everyday language is hilariously clinical. I can’t even describe it in a way that you can truly understand – you just have to know him. He is absolutely brilliant and should have been teaching at the college level years ago. We talked for two hours about the happenings in our lives over the last 6 years. I kept asking myself when the last time was that my brain had been stimulated to this degree and my clinical instincts validated and challenged. I should have earned CEUs for that conversation. Although I felt like I was attending a lecture or taking part in individual supervision it was a fantastic discussion. We both laughed as we parted ways because I had to admit aloud that I never thought I would miss our discussions so much. Those two hours felt like returning home.
Just in case you’re wondering, I’m still not going to take the social work licensing exam nor am I ever going into clinical practice. My real takeaway is not to let 6 years pass between our next chat – my brain will thank me for it.
Nicki Sanders, Chief Visionary Officer of Packaged For Success, helps both youth and adults discover their personal power, dream big, and achieve success on their own terms. Ms. Sanders is an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and program manager who holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. Ms. Sanders has over fifteen years of direct experience with diverse populations in residential, school-based, and community based agencies.
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