According to the article, it sounds like the idea is to increase the number of commissioned social workers (officers). Yet at the same time, there is a huge need for social workers working with military in general, civilian or commissioned. Being a student, most of the opportunities for job placement within mtfs are for INDEPENDENTLY LICENSED social workers. What about LGSWs, who could do much of the same work (while being supervised)? This is where I see a huge disconnect, unless I have misunderstood or have not read about such opportunities….

Congrats to Judy Dekle for excelling to this point in her career! I’m very proud to have worked with Judy in Orlando in the 1980′s and early 1990′s—way to go!!!!

Great article and hope to see more like it.

I agree with Michelle. I am a military spouse, past civilian GS employee and recent MSW that just got licensed. Several of us are feeling the pinch of the new DoD budget. Contract positions are decreasing and I am not eligible for Active Duty service since my husband still has 3 years left on his contract. Where are the civilian positions?

I am a military spouse and I have looked into the US Army MSW program but after talking to several people, I think the program lacks quality and opted for a civilian program. My husband is AD and there wouldn’t have been an issue with me getting in, despite having two young children.

@Andera, did you talk to a AMEDD recruiter about your eligibility? To my knowledge you cannot join unless you have a LCSW. Even as an AD Officer. Dr. Freeman from the MSW program in SA, TX told me that once you started the MSW you cannot join for the ‘internship phase’. There is a group on FB with current students and recruiters if you want to look into it again.

@Michelle, according to a recent Army Times article, there will be an increased need for LCSW only in the BN level (if I remember that correctly) to assist soldiers and family. This is the reason why there is an increased need for SW. MTF also use AD/Civilian LCSW and provide the training for AD/Reserve/Civilian students that currently hold an MSW.

Wouldnt it be safer for the soldiers and better for treatment if the social workers were not enlisted but rather civilian? It feels like a dangerous conflict of interest to me for a soldier to seek counseling services from someone serving as well….more like a barrier to opening up and seeking the help needed.

The current volume and distribution of personnel returning from overseas duty, back into their families, civilian employment and expectations, in rural as well as urban environments, virtually demands that all social workers must be prepared to recognize and professionally respond to emerging needs. This preparation must include baccalaureate as well as master’s, level students: generalists and clinical alike. Complicating this response is the practice of the uniformed services and the VA system to employ, with few exceptions, only clinicians with the MSW or similar advanced “clinical” training. Similarly, student internships through the VA are largely restricted to master’s level students in clinical tracks. All of this is in spite of the established reality that much of the burden of our current “global war” is being leveled on the backs of men and women, reservists and national guard, from largely rural communities. Beyond the VA system, it will often be baccalaureate prepared social workers who are typically employed in the variety of direct service/case management roles in the area of community mental health, homelessness, child protection, domestic violence, foster care, public schools, acute care hospitals, physical rehabilitation/skilled nursing facilities, and nonprofit as well as state social welfare services, that will most often be stepping into the gap to confront this surge.

We cannot afford to avoid this growing populations of men, women, and children whose well being has been, or might reasonably be expected to be, profoundly affected by the consequences of what is officially described as a “global war on terrorism.” Individuals, families, and communities are today facing unfamiliar and often overwhelming challenges only compounded by widespread economic woes. Whereas many of the challenges are remarkably similar to those that social workers have long been successfully helping others confront and overcome through such pursuits as advocacy, crisis intervention, resource finding, case management, brokerage of services, education, and counseling, there are new and confounding challenges that demand a measure of focused preparation and sensitivity. Read more at:
http://www.socialworker.com/home/Feature_Articles/General/Reflections_on_War/
Gary Bachman

I am very curious about who is hiring LCSW’s to work with military families- A friend who is a Psychologist shared with me an opportunity to serve, that also would qualify as a loan repayment site. As a social worker nearing retirement, with 70,000 in outstanding student loans, this is a very attractive option. I can’t imagine I am the only social worker in this predicament. I would love to hear of any such opportunities available. Hopefully something like this is in the works for social workers.

The Army is facing many challenges after a decade of war. Our Soldiers and families are tired. This article only touches on the stress. Watch the news or read a newspaper and it won’t take long to know suicide rates, PTS(D) and depression cases are a major concern to the Army leadership. Social workers have the skills to make the difference for our heroes.

I am an active duty Army social worker. Prior to commissioning (becoming an officer) I was a civilian DoD social worker with prior time working for the Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs. Since commissioning I have had the opportunity to work in a hospital setting, unit settings, and deployed settings. The skills I have developed; the opportunities I have been given; the places I have seen, the relationships I have built; the heroes I have had the honor to treat has continued to encourage me in this career path with excitement.

The Army is not easy. There is no such thing as regular business hours. You will leave your friends and family behind for trainings, deployments, or assignments. There are professional responsibilities beyond being a social worker that are just as important as your clinical skills that must be learned and practiced (as an officer you are a Soldier first). These challenges have made Army Social Work the most personally and professionally rewarding and difficult experiences of my life, not just career.

If you are considering Active Duty Army Social Work know that the Army will require far more of you than your clinical skills and license provide you. But also know you are helping those heroes and their families that have given so much and you will also be a Soldier amongst our ranks. I would not trade that opportunity for any job.

MAJ Terry Matz, LCSW, BCD
ILE student
CGSC- Fort Gordon, GA

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government

MAJ Matz,

Thank you for the information you posted regarding service as an Army Social Worker.

I am personally grateful to you for you service to our country and to our country’s warriors. Words alone cannot express the depth of this gratitude. You are honored and loved.