Guest Perspective: My Experience with The Summer Institute
By Taylor Stevens
Editor's Note: CDP has both a Winter and Summer Institute program to explore military behavioral health career options. We are now accepting applications for the virtual Winter Institute on 14-16 January. Learn more about the Winter Institute today.
Considering a career as a military social worker can raise a lot of questions. It can also seem like the more you find out, the more questions you have. The career of a uniformed social worker comes with the expectation that you not only work with service members, but that you are a service member. This is different from someone who would work in private practice or with an organization that has scheduled hours and tasks, and typically stays in one location. It is different from only considering the best interests of your patient and performing social work duties. So how does someone learn what to expect?
The good news is that the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) has a program called the Summer Institute, which now welcomes social workers who are interested in being a uniformed social worker. When I heard of this program I was eager to learn what they had to share. I am a U.S. Army veteran with eight years of active duty service as a combat medic. I knew the next step for me was to pursue a career in social work, but I didn’t want to leave the community I had been a part of for eight years. In fact, I was considering how I would get back to working with service members from the role of a social worker. The Summer Institute was an opportunity for me to learn the different ways I could do that and what to expect.
A former instructor told me about the opportunity during my transition out of the Army. The program offered lodging and was held in the D.C. area which really finalized it for me. I was eager to check it out, make new friends in the field, and learn about pathways into military service for social workers. What I didn’t know is that this was the first time social workers were a part of this program. I found this to be so exciting because I know that psychologists and social workers often work together in providing mental health services in the military. It is critical for social workers to be a part of the conversation and education as it relates to the mental health of service members.
I found it helpful that the staff arranged for the briefings to be relevant for both disciplines. General information about military culture, military assessments, and evidence-based practices applied to psychologists and social workers. They allowed us to participate in these briefings together which was a good experience. The speakers were either veterans or family members of service members, so their experiences added value to the presentations and made them prepared for many questions. I appreciated the way the presenters explained how assessments may be done differently than if you were working with the civilian population. This information was so insightful to students who had not yet served. In addition to questions about practice, students were curious about military life as a behavioral health officer. We had questions about responsibilities outside of our practice, where to live, changing of duty stations, and what it's like for families to relocate. These briefs provided great information and addressed a lot of the concerns we had.
I enjoyed the breakout briefings where we got to learn information and ask questions specifically related to our field. As a social worker, I wanted to know the difference between practicing in uniform, and working with the military as a civilian. There were a lot of questions about the application process, licensure requirements, commissioned officer lifestyle, and financial aid or relief. We got to hear from officers who were new to service and still working toward the LCSW or just obtained it. They shared about the path they took and what their day-to-day is like wearing the uniform. My favorite panel was with the senior Behavioral Health Officers. Some of them worked directly with the admission programs for the Army and Air Force. They clarified the application process, paths to licensure, and what to expect in the different roles one could assume as a social worker. They were honest, knowledgeable, and knew how to lighten the mood. We also got to talk with recruiters and representatives of all branches, to include the Coast Guard, who turned out to be an unexpected favorite for many.
I am so grateful the CDP has allowed social workers to share this experience. I appreciate the efforts made to include the profession in this gem of an opportunity. In addition to learning about being a uniformed social worker, we got to hear about other opportunities, such as working with Veteran Affairs or civilian social work with active duty. One of the best parts about this experience was the professional relationships I made with other students. After classes we had time to network and explore the beautiful area of Bethesda, Maryland. This experience was so incredible and I look forward to sharing it with others who are considering a career as a uniformed social worker.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Taylor Stevens is from New Jersey and she attended the Summer Institute in July 2024. She is a current MSW student at Rutgers University.
By Taylor Stevens
Editor's Note: CDP has both a Winter and Summer Institute program to explore military behavioral health career options. We are now accepting applications for the virtual Winter Institute on 14-16 January. Learn more about the Winter Institute today.
Considering a career as a military social worker can raise a lot of questions. It can also seem like the more you find out, the more questions you have. The career of a uniformed social worker comes with the expectation that you not only work with service members, but that you are a service member. This is different from someone who would work in private practice or with an organization that has scheduled hours and tasks, and typically stays in one location. It is different from only considering the best interests of your patient and performing social work duties. So how does someone learn what to expect?
The good news is that the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) has a program called the Summer Institute, which now welcomes social workers who are interested in being a uniformed social worker. When I heard of this program I was eager to learn what they had to share. I am a U.S. Army veteran with eight years of active duty service as a combat medic. I knew the next step for me was to pursue a career in social work, but I didn’t want to leave the community I had been a part of for eight years. In fact, I was considering how I would get back to working with service members from the role of a social worker. The Summer Institute was an opportunity for me to learn the different ways I could do that and what to expect.
A former instructor told me about the opportunity during my transition out of the Army. The program offered lodging and was held in the D.C. area which really finalized it for me. I was eager to check it out, make new friends in the field, and learn about pathways into military service for social workers. What I didn’t know is that this was the first time social workers were a part of this program. I found this to be so exciting because I know that psychologists and social workers often work together in providing mental health services in the military. It is critical for social workers to be a part of the conversation and education as it relates to the mental health of service members.
I found it helpful that the staff arranged for the briefings to be relevant for both disciplines. General information about military culture, military assessments, and evidence-based practices applied to psychologists and social workers. They allowed us to participate in these briefings together which was a good experience. The speakers were either veterans or family members of service members, so their experiences added value to the presentations and made them prepared for many questions. I appreciated the way the presenters explained how assessments may be done differently than if you were working with the civilian population. This information was so insightful to students who had not yet served. In addition to questions about practice, students were curious about military life as a behavioral health officer. We had questions about responsibilities outside of our practice, where to live, changing of duty stations, and what it's like for families to relocate. These briefs provided great information and addressed a lot of the concerns we had.
I enjoyed the breakout briefings where we got to learn information and ask questions specifically related to our field. As a social worker, I wanted to know the difference between practicing in uniform, and working with the military as a civilian. There were a lot of questions about the application process, licensure requirements, commissioned officer lifestyle, and financial aid or relief. We got to hear from officers who were new to service and still working toward the LCSW or just obtained it. They shared about the path they took and what their day-to-day is like wearing the uniform. My favorite panel was with the senior Behavioral Health Officers. Some of them worked directly with the admission programs for the Army and Air Force. They clarified the application process, paths to licensure, and what to expect in the different roles one could assume as a social worker. They were honest, knowledgeable, and knew how to lighten the mood. We also got to talk with recruiters and representatives of all branches, to include the Coast Guard, who turned out to be an unexpected favorite for many.
I am so grateful the CDP has allowed social workers to share this experience. I appreciate the efforts made to include the profession in this gem of an opportunity. In addition to learning about being a uniformed social worker, we got to hear about other opportunities, such as working with Veteran Affairs or civilian social work with active duty. One of the best parts about this experience was the professional relationships I made with other students. After classes we had time to network and explore the beautiful area of Bethesda, Maryland. This experience was so incredible and I look forward to sharing it with others who are considering a career as a uniformed social worker.
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Taylor Stevens is from New Jersey and she attended the Summer Institute in July 2024. She is a current MSW student at Rutgers University.