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I had the unique pleasure to interview Dr. Irena Glover, a Detroit native, about the process of becoming an established social worker and licensed therapist. She is currently an adjunct professor in the school of social work at Wayne State University as well as an assistant professor of social work at Madonna University. She also has started her own private practice Serenity Counseling Services and a non-profit organization It Takes A Village Inc. As an active advocate for the importance of social work and psychology as it relates to the advancement of her community, it greatly inspired me to pursue a similar career path.  

Throughout our discussion it was important to establish and understand the flexibility of social work regarding job opportunity and continuing higher education. Social work and psychology are an opportunity that is provided at a plethora of universities for students with graduate school aspirations. When discussing her reasoning behind choosing the social work program as a graduate student at Wayne State Dr. Glover stated, “one thing that intrigued me about the program was that it was a pretty solid program overall and it was close to home. It was a two-year program which is common if you do not have your B.S.W, but if you do have your B.A it will be a one-year program.” This was a key piece of information for students who are interested in this field because it is important to understanding the graduate school process as it pertains to social work.  

When considering social work as a career path it was important to consider possible job opportunities prior to graduation. When asking Dr. Glover about the possible career opportunities she referred to specific locations in which not only she has had experience working in, but are constantly looking for graduate students that are experienced, or inexperienced in the field. “Opportunities in the social work field are not as hard to come by because of the flexibility social work offers such as foster care, school social work, family counseling just to name a few.” Dr. Glover referenced jobs offering career opportunities such as Judson Center and Children’s Hospital of Michigan, both based in the city of Detroit with Judson center having campuses located on the outskirts of Detroit. When inquiring about the interview process Dr. Glover explained it by saying, “the interview process varies on your place of employment. For example, in order to be employed at most hospital social work positions you have to be a licensed social worker. Experience also varies because some jobs would prefer to accept graduate students that have no experience, but are educated in social work, to mold them into the type of employee they need to be for the job. On the other hand, other employers want people with experience in the field before applying.” 

When considering this career path, it was also important for me to be aware of potential struggles I may encounter in this field. One particular struggle that Dr. Glover mentioned was the emotional toll the daily tasks a career such as social work can have. Dr. Glover briefly describes her experiences working at Children’s Hospital of Michigan by stating, “when dealing with people going through trauma and loss specifically regarding children, you are watching people go through the human experience from birth to death…” When discussing how to deal with the struggle of this emotional toll Dr. glover states, “I express the importance of self-care and work life balance to my students because it improves your ability to handle these situations.” 

As we discussed the flexibility of social work and the struggles that you may encounter when choosing this career path, I decided to transition towards the final segments within this interview.  One thing that is notable about Dr. Glover’s career that I have similar interest in pertaining to my own career, is the start of her own private practice. Serenity Counseling Services is a private practice that Dr. Glover has established that is based in the city of Detroit. The services include group and individual therapy for members within the community who have experienced different forms of trauma and distress within their lives. When asking Dr. Glover about the process of establishing a private practice she gave some important tips for students who are looking to pursue this. “The process for starting your own private practice is very tedious regarding name, website, insurance, billing companies and a plethora of other steps. It is a process that in order to achieve you must complete every step. Although this is true, the most important step to starting your own private practice is getting over the “imposter syndrome.” Worrying about things such as “will I have clients”, “will I actually make money”, “can I actually do this” etc. you will count yourself out before you try. It’s important to be confident in your endeavor because although you may have doubts it’s important to understand that you will never know the possibility until you try.” This piece of information was very important to me because it provides a perspective that although is brief, is relevant to the importance of having faith in the process of starting a business as well as completing the tasks that are required to successfully continue your business.  

To conclude the interview, I asked Dr. Glover about any advice she would give college students pursuing this career path on the undergrad and graduate level. Dr. Glover responded by saying, “make connections with the faculty and staff at your school and stay involved in social justice activities in and outside of school because social work is about community involvement and being aware of your surrounding community. This is important because it gives you opportunity to apply your classroom knowledge to things outside of the classroom.” I appreciate this advice because it embodies the importance of networking and community engagement which is a big part of social work. This is advice that Dr. Glover has adhered to and as a result has had a high-quality career in social work. This interview has provided helpful hints and other insight regarding how to navigate the career path of social work. I hope all that read this blog have gained a higher understanding as well.  

Written by Let’s Detroit Campus Ambassador, Daryl Beatty. Daryl is a psychology major at Eastern Michigan University. Click here to connect with him!