[acb-hsp] Additional training and opportunities post grad school.

[Donna Rose]

Hi Laura,

I am an LMSW in Michigan working at my local Community Mental health office.

If you want to work in a medical social work environment you usually have to 
be licensed in order to bill insurance.  Interrnship hours usually don't 
count toward supervised hours to get your license since these have to be 
paid hours.  You have a limited amount of time in Michigan to get your 
license once you graduate, but I don't know how it is in IL.  Here in 
Michigan you need the equivalent of two years of paid work to get your LMSW. 
In the meantime you are given a limited license.  Before we had the 
licensing requirement here we had a registration and getting a CSW 
credential was the best thing a person with an MSW could get.  You should 
check with your State to find out all of  the rules there and what you are 
allowed to do without a license.  I know if you move to a different state 
which requires a license, it would be in your best interest to have it

Once you are licensed you will have to get so many hours of continuing 
education. Depending on which training you select, you will get extra 
training then for a variety of modalities and what not.  I don't think an 
internship will help you earn hours toward a license.  It doesn't in 
Michigan.  My advice at this point would be to concentrate on working toward 
an ACSW credential or a license if IL offers it.  I think if I am 
remembering it right the national organization which offers the licensing 
test is the ACSWB.  But a person can't take the exam until they have earned 
the number of paid hours which is two years of full time work (40 hours per 
week).

As to working in medical social work, a lot of companies use electronic 
files now, but unfortunately at this point so many of them are documents 
which have handwriting on them and are then scanned into the system.  This 
problem hasn't been solved by screen readers as of yet.  You would probably 
want to make sure to get with a company which is not using handwritten 
documents as much.  If they scan them and there is no handwriting on them 
you can read them with Open Book or Kurzweil.

The most difficult problem I have at my work is the numerous inaccessible 
software packages used to record progress notes, track datat and track 
billing.  This issue has kept me from moving up the ladder at my job and my 
employer isn't going to rewrite these programs to make them accessible and I 
don't find much hope from the software companies either.

It is very possible to find jobs in social work in mental health, though.  I 
think it might be better to work for a smaller agency.  Until five years 
ago, that's what I did.  Now I am getting prepared to be self employed and 
keep my part time job while I get started.  Once it gets off of the ground I 
will leave my other job.  I am hoping to do only groups.  My biggest 
struggle with this has been figuring out how to charge people so it isn't 
too much, but so it can cover my expenses.  I suppose I will have to learn 
how to take insurance too.

I don't know if any of this will help.  "But good luck to you.




Go Bravely,
Donna Rose, LMSW

"computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they 
make it easier to do don't need to be done."
-Andy Rooney 1919-2011
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Laura Glowacki" <orangebutterfly87 at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion list for ACB human service professionals" <acb-hsp at acb.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 2:26 PM
Subject: [acb-hsp] Additional training and opportunities post grad school.


> Hello list,
>
> I apologize in advance for the myriad of thoughts and questions.  Any 
> feedback on anything related is much appreciated, either on or offlist.
>
> I'm a recent graduate of Jane Addams with my MSW with a mental health 
> concentration.  I currently work as a supervisor of volunteers on an 
> online suicide hotline.  Incidentally, if anyone is interested in persuing 
> a volunteer opportunity, you can contact me offlist for more information 
> at IMAlivesupervisor2 at gmail.com or see the faq section on imalive.org. 
> The training course is accredited by the board of Licensed Professional 
> Counselors (my apologies for getting the name wrong if I have) for CEU's. 
> It is rather time demanding though, just a warning.  :)
>
> Anyways, this position is, for the time-being, part-time.  Do to recent 
> events in my own life, seeking additional employment isn't in my best 
> interest.  I am receiving supervision towards LCSW hours.  I haven't 
> gotten my LSW yet, but am strongly considering doing that soon.  In 
> Illinois, it's not required in order to acrue LCSW hours luckily.
>
> However, I'd like to persue additional training or some kind of 
> internship.  I've been discouraged from the internship idea mostly because 
> of liability issues, etc.  Anyone have any additional thoughts on that?
>
> Additionally, I realize that most training for entry-level clinicians 
> comes from supervision and experience.  I know that there are ways to get 
> training in specific therapeutic modalities.  Would you recommend persuing 
> such opportunities?  Why or why not?  What are those opportunities and how 
> might I go about finding them?  I'm curious as to whether such training 
> would be useful or advantageous without more experience?
>
> I'm interested in seeking additional training in substance abuse or 
> dual-diagnosis; do most people do that through additional schooling?  I 
> don't know much about the requirements for substance abuse counseling etc 
> and also realize that this should be part of my own research.
>
> As I hope to be seeking additional employment sometime in the near future, 
> do any of you have suggestions on finding part-time clinical work?  I love 
> my job with IMAlive and have been with the project basically since the 
> beginning.  I know it's not ideal to use two different part-time jobs for 
> clinical hours, especially since getting clinical supervision at a 
> part-time job is unusual.
>
> I am frustrated that many of the entry-level positions I come across 
> require a driver's license and traveling.  This is obviously a challenge. 
> I also wouldn't be comfortable making home visits by myself for safety 
> reasons, even if I was allowed to via public transit.  Being in Chicago, I 
> have access to a lot more opportunities than I would otherwise have in 
> that realm, at least.
>
> While I'd prefer to work in mental health, there are medical social work 
> positions open for which I could apply.  Does anyone who's worked in such 
> an environment have any tips on dealing with paperwork?  There are still 
> many things that are not electronic at many places such as applications 
> for services, and that is one of my main concerns about applying for such 
> a job.  However, I have only what I saw the other interns at my MSW 
> placement cope with to go off of.  It was at Cook County Hospital.  I 
> loved the environment and would take a job there gladly, but they've only 
> recently switched over to electronic filing using citrix etc.  Also, my 
> current clinical supervisor for IMAlive works there but has been providing 
> supervision for free (bless her amazing heart) and so could be a conflict 
> of itnerest etc.  Anyways, sorry for the digression.
>
> Finally, I just want to thank those of you who post articles of interest 
> and questions to the list.  Though I reply rarely, I feel like I learn 
> from these exchanges.
>
> Sincerely,
> Laura Glowacki
>
>
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