Augmenting an MSW

[1fish2fishredfishbluefish]

Background: I have an MSW and I currently work in a hospital setting where I've been for several years.

In January of last year I had a minor stroke which affected my speech and one side of my body but the biggest lingering problem is with my energy levels. I went through therapy for about a year and a half, so I am as improved as I am ever going to be.

Increasingly I find that I do not have the emotional or cognitive stamina for the kind of person-to-person work I do. In particular I cannot speak or communicate for a whole day and stay refreshed. Communication with other people in real time is more difficult than it would seem. Writing is the easiest method for me.

I'm in my 30s so I have 20+ years left to work God willing. I am trying to decide whether I want to go back to school and pursue another degree in an unrelated field, but if I do that I would ideally like it to be a field where an MSW would be an asset and would help me get hired given my obvious disability. (Of course it is illegal to discriminate, but we all know how that goes!)

I am the sole breadwinner in my family, so it is important to me that if I go back to school I am able to continue working and earning money. This will obviously be a huge energy challenge given my current deficits, but since they are getting worse as I get older I realistically need to attempt this now or never.

I have thought about library science, neuropsychology, pharmacy, and various academic disciplines. I am open to pursuing another masters degree or a doctorate or possibly even a bachelors, but it all depends on the field and what it leads to. I want to be as practical as possible and I am open to any realistic ideas. I have heard several times that the MSW is so flexible then I would never need anything in addition to it. I find this line of thought to be suspect. Especially for people who don't want to work (or can't work) as a social worker anymore. In particular, doing therapy has become extremely difficult for me due to how tired I've become when I have to communicate for long periods (verbally or otherwise).

Do you folks have any feedback? If anybody here has ever gone through this sort of thing, that type of feedback would be golden to me. Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WisNeuro]

I'm not sure neuropsychology would be feasible given your limitations on having to work while getting your education. You're looking at 4-5 years of grad school, one year of internship, and a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship. This is mandatory, since most jobs require that you are board certified, or at least board eligible, which requires that sequence of training.

 

[1fish2fishredfishbluefish]

I'm not sure neuropsychology would be feasible given your limitations on having to work while getting your education. You're looking at 4-5 years of grad school, one year of internship, and a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship. This is mandatory, since most jobs require that you are board certified, or at least board eligible, which requires that sequence of training.

Thank you. Is this true even for research work? I am less interested in direct person to person clinical work.

Before my stroke I was interested in the efficacy of different psychological treatments for brain injuries in servicemen, but now I have a much wider interest in how neurology and psychology interact and blend together (not just ABIs). It's a double-edged sword because I have this personal experience which both enriches my own perspective (both personally and professionally) but also limits me (both personally and professionally).

I have also gained a wealth of personal information about service delivery (a social-work-specific aspect) because I have now been both the patient and the service provider, but I am not sure that this is something I could effectively parlay into another career because it would still be under the umbrella of social work. I have explored this option, though (and continue to remain open to it).

 

[WisNeuro]

Thank you. Is this true even for research work? I am less interested in direct person to person clinical work.

Honestly, the path is likely longer for someone who wants an academic job, most likely involving more years in graduate school to beef up a CV. You can get into a fully funded clinical or neuroscience program that remits tuition, but you're still looking at a stipend that ranges from 13-19k on top of that.

 

[smalltownpsych]

How about looking into a DSW program with the goal of researching the social aspects of brain injuries?

 

[1fish2fishredfishbluefish]

Thank you all. I have resistance to continuing explicitly in social work. My Masters program had a thesis and I feel like I've "already done that" in this field so to speak. But I'm not sure if that's the whole picture as to why I'm resistant to continuing in social work with a DSW. I need to do some more self exploring.

 

[Andeve33]

I need to do some more self exploring.

be sure that this is the answer to a lot of your question and be even surer that you've got to it.

 

[1fish2fishredfishbluefish]

be sure that this is the answer to a lot of your question and be even surer that you've got to it.

That's the crux--you're never really sure in life so you have to be "as sure as possible" and then take a leap of faith. It's all about when you decide to leap.

 

[Istilldontknow]

What about doing consultations?

 

[1fish2fishredfishbluefish]

What about doing consultations?

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Care to elaborate?