A recurrent theme you’ll hear from social workers in the University of Pittsburgh’s Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs is that a major benefit of an in-person education is getting to develop relationships with your peers, teachers and staff who become your “social work family.”
Amy Lewis (Pitt MSW ’98), and her sister Erin Hathaway (Pitt MSW ’10), along with their mother, Kathleen McAllister (Pitt MSW ’84) are both kinds of social work family – family of origin plus family of professional choice. In the early 1980s, Kathleen found herself newly divorced and transplanted from the suburbs to the city with two young daughters to support.
Kathleen quickly realized she would need to expand her education and find a career that provided a decent living. She knew she wanted a profession that made a positive contribution to people and the broader community. Completing her degree was a struggle at times, but Kathleen credits her social work advisor Beth Prince who provided: “Constant encouragement and guidance: to apply for fieldwork placements that offered stipends, making it possible for me to graduate with an MSW in 1984.”
Growing up with Kathleen while she struggled as a single mom putting herself through school and fieldwork meant that Erin and Amy understood firsthand the value of hard work, education, and training. The whole family shared in Kathleen’s sacrifice and success as she progressed in her career from student social worker to Director of Inpatient Services at Gateway Rehabilitation.
While Amy initially dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, she ended up majoring in psychology and hoped to become a forensic psychologist, but her mother and her academic advisor both suggested an MSW, because “It’s so versatile!” This refrain has become almost a cliché, but it’s true. Social workers can and do work in any number of fields, and the trend continues. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2021, the median annual salary for social workers is $50,390.00 and the field is projected to grow at a rate 9% faster than average through 2031.
Amy earned her MSW plus a Home and School Visitor certificate, which led to her position at Baldwin-Whitehall school. She says “I absolutely love my job! I have never regretted my choice to become a social worker.” The Baldwin-Whitehall school is at the forefront of dealing with complex social issues that their students face. The school implements Positive Interventions and Supports (PBIS), an evidence-based framework for supporting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, evidence suggests that PBIS improves social-emotional competence, academic success, school climate and improves teacher health and wellbeing.
Amy is proud that Baldwin-Whitehall school is recognized by the state as “having fidelity” to the framework, a huge achievement for the entire school staff and leadership, and a huge benefit to students and the entire community. Asked what she would change about public policy related to schools, Amy speaks from 24 years of experience “We have to shift from reaction to prevention no matter how difficult it is. I've learned over my years in social work and education that simply reacting to everything is exhausting. The work that goes into prevention is exhausting as well but it is so much more rewarding.”
Amy’s sister Erin Hathaway entered Pitt’s MSW program with a degree in psychology and did her fieldwork at Mercy Hospital. Upon graduation she was hired at Mercy Behavioral Health as an Intervention Specialist. The entire time she was getting her degree she was raising 3 sons, juggling fieldwork, school and family, which at times became overwhelming. She says “I got a lot of support from the school of social work; my professors helped me and encouraged me to continue.” Erin considers graduating from Pitt with an MSW to be her greatest personal accomplishment.
While working in intervention therapy with clients, Erin drew on her innate creativity to help children deal with their difficult emotions like anger. In “the angry birds” project, children made their own “angry birds” with paint and other materials. Another project examined how we all wear social masks to protect ourselves: “I had them decorate and make their own masks. I did a lot of projects that tied into whatever emotion I was teaching them about. They really liked it.”
There’s no doubt that an MSW provides career versatility. It’s an evidence-based practice that rests solidly on a growing body of peer-reviewed research, overseen by the Society for Social Work Research. With a written code of ethics and requirements for continuing education, a degree in social work provides lifelong intellectual stimulation and can open doors to multiple career paths while improving lives and communities.