When I started my MSW program, I thought most of my growth would come from learning theories, interventions, and clinical skills. I was wrong. Some of my greatest growth happened outside the classroom. Somewhere along the way, I realized that becoming the clinical social worker I wish to be starts with becoming the most authentic version of myself. You don’t learn that from a textbook. Life has a way of teaching you those lessons. Over the past two years, life didn’t pause so

There are seasons when life doesn’t necessarily feel hard. It just feels like there isn’t an off switch. There are emails to answer, appointments to remember, meals to make, deadlines to meet, people depending on you, and a hundred little decisions that quietly fill every corner of the day. Even the things we love can begin to feel like another item on the to-do list. Eventually, many of us stop asking ourselves, “How am I doing?” Instead, we ask, “What still needs to get don

There are times when offering an explanation is thoughtful and appropriate. But have you ever noticed how quickly we begin explaining ourselves, even when no one has asked? “I can’t make it because…” “I’m leaving early because…” “I said no because…” Sometimes, before anyone responds, we’ve already started building a case for why our decision was reasonable. Many of us learned, often without realizing it, that our choices were more likely to be accepted if they made sens