u/Radiant_Stress_5637

I [30f] have been working a few case management jobs since earning my Bachelors in Psychology in 2022.

For three years I worked in a county jail (which housed prison inmates as well) as a part of their reentry program. I facilitated in-custody groups on reentry curriculum and held one-on-ones with my clients to assist them through the program. I was trained and certified to administer certain assessments related to criminogenic needs, and was responsible for assisting with resources for up to one year post release. After 3 years I transferred to the county probation department doing the same job.

I absolutely loved it. Loved working with that population, loved facilitating groups, and loved administering assessments. When it came to navigating resources however…. I won’t sugar coat it, I f-ing hated it. The lack of available resources and the hopelessness that I felt when I was not able to fulfill a requirement of my position (providing said resources) was incredibly demoralizing and stressful.

I now work in a resource-brokering case management position under cal-aim community supports. I HATE IT. For all the reasons I stated above, and more. I’ve read enough now to know that these jobs under cal aim do not have great reputations. But it’s raising questions in me about what kind of degree I want to pursue moving forward.

My ultimate goal is to work with justice involved populations and conduct psychological assessments. Translation: I would love to get a PhD in clinical psychology at some point, however I do not believe I have the ability or research oriented drive to get into a clinical psych PhD program at the moment. I am also interested in providing therapy, teaching, and facilitating treatment groups, which is something I know I can do with an LCSW in California.

After doing a lot of research and receiving personal input from lots of different mental health professionals (LCSW’s and multiple MFT’s I’ve worked with) I’ve been told an LCSW is the best and most practical route considering my interest in working with substance abusing and justice involved populations, and for the ability to go into private practice.

However as I stated before, I HATE case management and resource navigation.

If I move forward with pursuing an LCSW, how much of my career will be oriented towards resource navigation and case management? Because if it’s always going to be a major component of the career, I don’t think I can do it.

I appreciate any and all feedback and thanks for taking the time to read.

*Note: I apologize if my post isn’t formatted or posted correctly, I always struggle with posting on reddit.

I [30f] have been working a few case management jobs since earning my Bachelors in Psychology in 2022.

For three years I worked in a county jail (which housed prison inmates as well) as a part of their reentry program. I facilitated in-custody groups on reentry curriculum and held one-on-ones with my clients. I was trained and certified to administer certain assessments, and was responsible for assisting with resources up to year post release. After 3 years I transferred to the county probation department doing the same job.

I absolutely loved it. Loved working with that population, loved facilitating groups, and loved administering assessments. When it came to navigating resources however…. I won’t sugar coat it, I f-ing hated it. The lack of available resources and the hopelessness that I felt when I was not able to fulfill a requirement of my position (providing said resources) was incredibly demoralizing and stressful.

I now work in a resource-brokering case management position under cal-aim community supports. I HATE IT. For all the reasons I stated above. I’ve read enough now to know that these jobs under cal aim do not have great reputations. But it’s raising questions in me about what kind of degree I want to pursue moving forward.

My ultimate goal is to work with justice involved populations and conduct psychological assessments. Translation: I want to get a PhD in clinical psychology. I am also interested in providing therapy, teaching, and facilitating treatment groups, which is something I know I can do with an LCSW.
However as I stated before, I HATE case management and resource navigation.

I do not believe I have the ability to get into a clinical psych PhD program at the moment, and after doing a lot of research and receiving personal input from lots of different mental health professionals (LCSW’s and multiple MFT’s I’ve worked with) I’ve been told an LCSW is the best and most practical route considering my interest in substance abusing and justice involved populations.

If I move forward with pursuing an LCSW, how much of my career will be oriented towards resource navigation and case management? Because if it’s always going to be a major component of the career, I don’t think I can do it.

I appreciate any and all feedback and thanks for taking the time to read.