Our Mental Health Focus in Social Work

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), professional social workers are the nation’s largest group of mental health services providers. There are more clinically trained social workers than psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses combined. There are more than 200,000 clinical social workers in the US! Federal law and the National Institutes of Health recognize social work as one of five core mental health professions. (source)

Become a Mental Health Professional 

Are you interested in a career as a mental health professional? You've come to the right place. A degree in social work from Baylor University can provide you with the foundation you need to become a licensed mental health provider. We offer two specializations at the GSSW, including clinical. Students who choose this track often move on to careers in healthcare, schools, behavioral health organizations, trauma intervention, advanced case management, work with children and families, and more. Graduates may become therapists or counselors working in direct practice, healthcare administration, and advanced case management. 

The Garland School of Social Work graduates more mental health professionals than any other program at Baylor University. Our program is also the quickest path to becoming a mental health professional.

Clinical Social Work: Mental Health Professional Career Outcomes

• More than 90% of students have jobs within three months of graduation.
• 82.5% first time licensure pass rate.
• Social workers are the largest group of mental health providers in the US.
• Job outlook is strong and is expected to grow by 7% year over year.

Trauma-Informed Practice Concentration

Students can tailor their education to fit their goals for clinical practice by opting for a concentration around trauma-informed care. This concentration provides an opportunity for students to further focus their learning on best practices for trauma-informed interventions. Understanding trauma is a key piece to working in a mental health profession. It is available for both clinical and community practice students.

Garland School of Social Work Mental Health Partnerships

We have currently have 99 clinical interns in agencies and facilities all across the country. Interested in a clinical internship for your MSW placement? Here are just a few of our outstanding clinical placement sites:

• Baylor Athletic Department – Mental Health Services

• Baylor Counseling Center

• Birthmark Doula Collective

• Cedar Crest Hospital 

• Central Texas Veterans Administration 

• Deep Eddy Psychotherapy 

• Hand to Hold

• Harmonium

• Family and Children's Service of Nashville

• Texas Children's Hospital

More and more are added every year. We couldn't do this work without the help of our fantastic internship partners!

Special Mental Health Training Programs at the GSSW

• We are focused on training the social work workforce to provide gold-standard behavioral health in primary care through two programs: a pre-graduate certificate program and a post-masters degree clinical fellowship. These grant-funded programs focus on training almost two dozen students per year to focus on clinical mental health interventions in interdisciplinary work settings that serve Health Professional Shortage Areas across the United States. 
• Our Partnering for H.O.T. Mental Health (and B.E.A.R.) project grant from the Department of Education is focused on enhancing trauma-informed care and mental health in local Waco schools. Students are immersed in WISD campuses providing support and care to our local children and families. 
• Service Marriage Counselor Certification Program: A continuing education offering, this program is designed to train marriage counselors and therapists in how to best serve a special population of client: veteran, active military and first responder couples. 

"I currently work in the Emergency Department at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest. I am one of the two nightshift social workers, and we work a rotating schedule, 7 days on, 7 days off. Our role includes many things, but about 70% of what we do surrounds mental health crisis. We complete mental health assessments, make recommendations for treatment, and coordinate these treatment plans. Other consults we may see include domestic violence, sexual assault, abuse/neglect, homelessness, substance abuse, traumas/deaths, transportation, financial concerns, home health/hospice or end of life/nursing home needs, medication assistance, and medical equipment assistance - just to name a few. My work allows me to see an extremely diverse population of clients - from newborns to 100+ years old, every race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, etc. I really enjoy getting to use my clinical skills daily when working in mental health. I love the fast-paced, always changing environment of crisis work. At my job, we have a well-established, trusting, and respected role with our interdisciplinary team, as well as with community/outside agencies. Emergency social work is a very 'hands-on' job that requires me to be on my toes and critically thinking all of the time, which I believe makes me a better social worker every day."