Day in the life of
Clinical Social Worker – Don McCasland, LCSW-CCTP
I am a clinical social worker in private practice. I am focused on active duty military, veterans, and their family members. I have also worked in a community health setting, as well as in a nonprofit organization.
A typical day at work is anything but typical. I see a range of clients from individuals dealing with trauma from wartime experiences or military sexual trauma, to people struggling with grief, anxiety, depression, or anger.
Each person, each appointment is distinctly different than the other. For that reason, it’s important for me as a clinical social worker to always remain flexible. Depending on “where the client is”, some appointments go very well because they have had a good week and are feeling good about their progress and the changes they are making. Sometimes, things are difficult for them and what they are contending with is a little more difficult to navigate and put into perspective.
We also discuss their progress toward goals that they have set for themselves, things they can do between appointments to reach those goals, and any other planning we have to do so that they can feel better about what brought them to counseling in the first place.
At the end of my day, I ensure that all of my notes are done and that I’ve updated things like treatment plans, etc. In the past, I was heavily involved with community social work- advocating for veterans and establishing counseling and other services for veterans and their families within the community in places such as the legal/criminal justice system, and the local university.
Pros
The biggest one is that I get to help people figure out what’s going on in their lives that they don’t like and want to change. When people have that lightbulb moment, and their face lights up and they smile and look at you and say “Wow! I never thought of it that way!” You know they have had that breakthrough moment and their lives are getting ready to change for the better. As a trauma survivor myself, I understand how difficult it can be, and how amazing it feels to reach that point.
As a social worker, there are many things that I am able to do. Even though I am a clinical social worker, I have the training and the background to be able to do things like work in the community with organizations that are involved with social justice issues, with the local Red Cross for disaster relief efforts, the list of places where my training and skills can be of use is nearly endless. If there is a particular agency or area of concern that I am interested in or passionate about, I can nearly guarantee that my skills and training could be put to good use.
Cons
The single biggest con is knowing in your head which direction the person that you were speaking with should go in, but not being able to just tell them. As they work through whatever it is they’re dealing with, you see them struggle, and sometimes trip and fall so to speak, but that’s part of the way that they have to move through things to find the best course of action for themselves. Many times I have clients say “Just tell me what I have to do to fix it Don, and I’ll do it!”- but that’s not the way therapy works.
Another possible con is that because of our training and skill set as social workers if we are excited and passionate about what we do sometimes if we aren’t careful we can spread ourselves too thin. We want to do so many things for so many people that if we aren’t careful we can burn ourselves out quickly.
