Why do so many social workers undercharge, avoid negotiations, and feel guilty saving money? It starts with the money beliefs social workers develop long before entering the field.
Financial Stress Social Workers Face: Why Low Pay Isn’t the Whole Story
You chose social work to help people. You knew the salary wouldn’t be impressive. But somewhere along the way, the financial stress became unbearable, and it’s not just about the paycheck. Here’s what most people get wrong about financial stress in social work: it’s not just about the salary. It’s about your relationship with money, formed long before you became a social worker.
HIPAA Compliance: Private Practice Security Tips
HIPAA compliance private practice guide: Roy Huggins explains HIPAA security for therapists including secure email/texting (Hushmail, Signal), payment processing (Square, Stripe), online therapy best practices, electronic record-keeping with encryption (FileVault 2, BitLocker), website requirements, and secure intake forms. Includes training recommendations and free resources.
25 Social Workers Share Why They Love Social Work!
25 Social Worker Quotes Why do social workers love social work? It’s a question worth asking, especially for those considering the profession, or those in it who need a reminder of why they chose this path. To find out, SocialWork.Career asked 25 licensed social workers what they love most about their work. Their answers were […]
Real World Clinical Social Work: 7 Career Tips
Essential clinical social work career tips from Dr. Danna Bodenheimer’s book “Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way.” Dr. Bodenheimer, educator, psychotherapist, and head of Walnut Psychotherapy Center (trauma-informed outpatient setting specializing in LGBTQ treatment), wrote this book specifically to help new social workers feel more prepared as they leave graduate school and take on their first post-graduate position. The book’s five sections cover thinking clinically, getting your theoretical groove on, practical considerations, practice matters, and thinking ahead—nearly every clinical social work topic of concern before taking your first position including salary, setting choice, supervision use, key theories, case conceptualization, social work lens, and post-graduate options. Seven key takeaways include: (1) Meet clients where they are—they’re experts about their lives; cultural competence, strengths perspective, trauma sensitivity are key, (2) Relationship heals—honor your role as attachment figure, (3) Employ countertransference—make its presence known transparently for emotionally corrective experiences, (4) Use supervision—ask questions, admit mistakes, acknowledge struggles to grow, (5) Brand yourself—decide how you want to be known and where to spend continuing education money, (6) Money matters—don’t take salary below what you can live on; first job sets bar for subsequent salaries, (7) Self-care—spend time with other social workers, do low-cost recharging activities. Includes author interview discussing abundance/scarcity themes, financial freedom realities, geographic variations in career advancement, and agency culture challenges.
