School-Based Social Work
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Description
In this episode of the Connecting With Care podcast, Lillie interviews Haley Gaskill, a second-year Master of Social Work student at Baylor University. They discuss the critical role of social workers in schools, highlighting Haley's personal journey from experiencing high school depression to advocating for students' mental health. The conversation covers the impact of school-based social work, including techniques like play therapy and mindfulness, and emphasizes the importance of fostering a supportive environment for academic and emotional success. Tune in to learn more about the vital contributions of social workers in education.
Transcript
SPEAKERS: Lillie Walker, Haley Gaskill
Lillie Walker
Welcome to the Connecting with Care Podcast. I'm Lillie Walker. How do social workers support students, families, and educators in the ever-changing world of education? Today, we look at the heart of school-based practice and the impact social workers have within learning communities. Join us as we talk with Haley Gaskill about social work in schools. Hello.
Haley Gaskill
Hey, Lillie.
Lillie Walker
Hi. I am with Ms. Haley Gaskill.
Haley Gaskill
Hello. Hi, guys.
Lillie Walker
Hi. Today, our topic is going to be on school-based social work. All right, so I'd love to get started by just hearing a little bit from you. So, tell me about yourself, where you're from, and your program and how you got here.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, hi, guys. I'm Haley, as Lillie had said, and I am originally from Allen, Texas, which is just north of Dallas. And I am currently in my second year of the MSW program here at Baylor. And so, I actually got my undergrad degree in public health at the University of Arkansas and then took a year off, did a program called the Kannukuk Institute, which is like a mini-seminary. It's not really seminary, but it's like a mini-Bible program, for a year, and then I ended up here. And so, I've done a year of this MSW program since I didn't get my undergrad in social work. And now I'm in the second year, the advanced year right now.
Lillie Walker
So, yeah, it's been a journey, and Haley and I have walked through this program together, and she's been such a, such sweet friend to have. It's been awesome on this journey. All right, so a little bit more fun, little questions to get to know you.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
If you had to use one word to describe where you're living, what would it be?
Haley Gaskill
Oh, that's a good question. I'm trying to think. Probably new. That's kind of vague. Yeah. But yeah, I would say new. I live in, like, a new build area in Waco, which I feel like is kind of rare. And there's like, a lot of college students, but it's not super close to campus. But yeah, so I would say new. It's a new build new area, which is fun.
Lillie Walker
We love a new house. We do.
Haley Gaskill
We do.
Lillie Walker
All right, if you had to say your go to drink order at your favorite local coffee shop or tea house, what would you say it is?
Haley Gaskill
I would say definitely Pinewood would be the local coffee shop for sure. Best coffee in town, in my, in my opinion. In my opinion. And I would say, recently, it's been a decaf Americano. I've been trying to stay away from caffeine recently.
Lillie Walker
Oh, wow. Good for you.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, it's been hard. I get very jittery with caffeine and so I was like, I need to find something else. But, yes, I've been doing a decaf Americano. I love an iced Americano. Let's make that clear.
Lillie Walker
All right. And finally, what is your ‘I can't stop wearing this accessory right now.’
Haley Gaskill
I'm actually not wearing them today. I almost did, but I just recently got some new NewBalance shoes. I don't remember which one. They're like the 580s, 590s. I don’t know – they have all those numbers. Yeah, they have all those numbers for NewBalance, yeah. But those have been my go-to. They're really fun. I feel – I feel really cool when I wear them, so, I wear them a lot.
Lillie Walker
I love that. Alrighty. Well, thanks for sharing that. Love to get to know you and just have a little bit of fun. But now we'll get a little bit more personal and so I would love to hear what brought you to Baylor and social work specifically.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, that's a great question. That has also been a journey, for sure. I would say I've always known that I wanted to do something in the mental health field. So, I struggled with depression myself in high school and that really led to me wanting to do something, whether that was counseling – I had thought about being a nurse practitioner for a while in psychiatry and that's kind of how I ended up with the public health degree was I actually started out nursing, ultimately ended up in public health, and then was like, okay, I want to go become a counselor in some way, shape or form and still want to work in the mental health field which led me to applying to all kinds of different grad schools. I knew that I had to go to grad school to do that. and there's all kinds of options, right? There's the Master of Counseling. There's, you know, the social work degree. You can be a school counselor. You can do all kinds of things. Educational Psychology, you know, you can go get your doctoral degree in psych. You know, there's so many options. And, so, so ultimately what I ended up doing was I just like, applied to a bunch of different grad schools, a couple Masters of Counseling programs, and then a couple social work programs. But I personally was really interested in the integration of faith and practice. And that's kind of what led me to Baylor. And so, yeah, I applied here and got in and out a couple other places. But those were also longer programs. So that was part of it was kind of like looking at the time. And then also the fact that we have the 10th Competency here at Baylor that integrates spirituality and practice was really, really intriguing to me. And so, yeah, so that's what kind of made me end up here, specifically at Baylor, getting my social work degree, was really, I think that uniqueness of that to the competency.
Lillie Walker
Wow, that's really awesome.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
And I do not want to underscore the applying to a bunch of grad school programs. Yeah, it is one of the hardest things ever.
00:05:00
Haley Gaskill
It is so hard. And it's so much more complicated than undergrad because, you just cannot – it's so much easier to find information on undergraduate programs than it is on graduate programs. And so, it takes a lot of work.
Lillie Walker
Oh, let me write this essay. Write this other essay for this other school and then also pay the application fees.
Haley Gaskill
Yes, exactly. Exactly. Yep.
Lillie Walker
I will say I'm very thankful that you ended up at the Garland School.
Haley Gaskill
Thanks, Lillie. Me too.
Lillie Walker
Alrighty. How would you say that you have grown personally and professionally during your time at the Garland school?
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, man. Personally, a lot of growth has happened. This has been a very stretching last year and a half for sure. So, I would say personally I've grown a lot just in like open mindedness. And that's been a really, really big one. And as well, personally, just like have grown a lot, even in my personal faith, I think, and just like my beliefs and being open to other people's beliefs has been huge – becoming more accepting of other people's beliefs. And so, a lot of open mindedness and a lot of stretching has happened in that way. I think personally, I've just learned to find a lot of joy in getting to know people's stories, no matter what their background is. And so, I think that's been really cool. And then professionally, that was the other one, right?
Lillie Walker
Yes, professionally.
Haley Gaskill
Oh, man. Also, I've grown a lot. I did not know what social work really, totally was coming into this program. I knew that I wanted to get a clinical license one day but didn't know what all you could do with social work. And so professionally, I've just grown in a lot of, man... Flexibility, I think is a big one because in a profession like social work you, have to be on your toes and you have to be flexible has been really big. And then also, I think, like, in leadership, too, of being able to kind of speak out in that advocacy piece of social work, of being able to speak out when things really matter and speak out for what's right, and to advocate for clients. And so, I think those are a couple of things that I've grown in professionally.
Lillie Walker
Absolutely. So. Wow. That was a really good answer. Thanks. All righty. And then how would you say your time here has shaped the way you see yourself and your career as a future social worker?
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, I, think it has really narrowed down kind of what I want to do in the future. I think it is, in a weird way, it's like, given me more options because I, you know, I came into social work and was like, I want to do counseling. Like, that's it. I want to do private practice counseling, whether that's in a school, whether that's, you know, private practice. Like, I want to be one-on-one at that micro level of care. And I think being here, I have learned a lot more of what I could do with this degree, which is really cool and has really broadened my horizons on what I'd be open to in the future. Even before this year, I was like, I don't really know if I want to be a school-based social worker. But being in the internship that I am now, in a school, has really opened up so many opportunities of how much I love working with kids and how a school is a great opportunity to get to do that. And getting to see, like, so many other areas of a kid's life. Like, it's not just seeing them individually, but also getting to see their community I really love. And so, yeah, I think that, really broadening opportunities and my interests in a lot of ways has kind of shaped who I am, and how I'd be willing to kind of jumping around careers and not necessarily sticking with, like, one career in social work for the rest of my life. I'd be willing to move around and do school, private practice, hospital, whatever that would be.
Lillie Walker
Yeah, absolutely. And I think our education here really prepares us in so many different aspects of social work. We are not, like, confined to one area because that's what we choose as a grad student. We're educated on so many different realms, and so we have the ability to do that, which I think is so awesome.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, for sure. I totally agree.
Lillie Walker
All right, well, that kind of leads us in to talk about more of the school-based stuff because we want to give our listeners some really good information on that for sure. So, if you wouldn't mind describing your practicum site and what your role is there and just kind of how that looks.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, so right now I'm actually with a federal grant called the Bear Project, and that is through the Department of Education. And so, it puts social workers in schools in Waco ISD to work on social emotional well-being and social emotional skills as well. So, really working with kids on, you know, we do a lot of, we use a lot of like play therapy techniques, a lot of times, to really get kids to learn how to – you know, instead of fighting, can we do…Instead of fighting, you know, we can do box breathing, we can take a few deep breaths, you know, mindfulness, things like that. Or, also a lot of kids come from just really hard homes, and so, kind of coming up with like, okay, what does that attachment look like? You know, like leaning into attachment theory and kind of giving them that safe space to have in our office. So, that way they can have someone they can come to because a lot of them don't have that at home and don't have that in their friendships and so working a lot on those social and emotional skills so that way kids can thrive, we like to say, not only in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom. Because those are so important, I mean, if a kid isn't able to emotionally regulate, then they can't focus in class. And so, our goal is to help them get there so that way they can focus in class and then get the good grades that they need rather than focusing first on the academics and then the way around, how can we make the kid feel safe and seen so that way they can thrive in their environment?
00:10:00
Lillie Walker
Yes, absolutely. And I was in a school last year. We were in the same school actually.
Haley Gaskill
Yes. So interesting.
Lillie Walker
But I will say that you, you come in contact with a lot of students that don't have those basic needs met.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
And so how can we expect them to function on such a high level of like, learning and engaging with teachers and students, functioning on that really high level when they don't have those, those basic needs met.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
And so, I think you're doing such amazing work of being in there and being there to meet their basic needs. Like help them feel seen and known and cared for.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, for sure.
Lillie Walker
Important work.
Haley Gaskill
Definitely.
Lillie Walker
How would you say classroom learning has connected to what you're doing in practice?
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, I would say this year it's probably connected more than it did last year for sure. And just like so many ways being in school, like I had mentioned before, theories, you know, with like attachment theory, with family systems theory, just like looking at the whole kid as who they are and taking all of that into account and personal environment. So, I feel like theories a lot have really influenced my, the way that I work with kids, which is really interesting. And then also even just learning, like, I think even last year we learned a little bit about TBRI, trust based relational intervention. And so, like, getting to actually use those principles of like, okay, how do we – let's get a kid a snack before, you know, we tell them to calm down. You know, if they're in a crisis, like, let's get them a snack and a water, help them regulate their bodies so that way they can actually think clearly. So, that's been a big one. And as well, I think in terms of like, we're in a diagnosis class right now, and of course we are not eligible to diagnose right now as students. but even being able to read the DSM-5 and look at the student in front of me and be like, okay, you know, this kid already has a diagnosis of ADHD or, you know, is showing signs and symptoms of ADHD, and we're actually able to make that connection, you know, now we can't – we do have regulations, right? So I can't just go to the kid and be like, I think you have ADHD, but I can refer them to the right resources, you know, and even for my own learning of connecting the dots there, of, yeah, like, I can see how we got to this diagnosis, this, and how this impacts this kid in real life, especially with those neurodevelopmental disorders, I think for sure, such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, all of those. And so that's been really interesting to see face to face, I think, especially in a school setting because it impacts those kids so much in the school. And so, yeah, I think there's been a lot of things theory and then also with diagnosis, and really getting to apply true assessment strategies as well has been really cool, to actually get to use a biopsychosocial spiritual assessment, you know, and sit down with a kid and how do I get creative with this for their developmental stage, you know, like, we learned about developmental stages of, you know, let's play Uno while we do it or Connect4 while we do it, so that way the kid is really engaged in the assessment process and the intervention process as well.
Lillie Walker
Yeah, absolutely. And I think kind of just for our listeners, our first year is really kind of those basic principles of, like, how do I approach walking into a room with someone that's vulnerable and how do I build rapport with them and how do I use our Shulman Skills.
Haley Gaskill
Yes.
Lillie Walker
But how do I use those effectively? And then kind of in our second year, we're actually looking at the DSM-5 and we're looking at these diagnosis and all these criteria. But we do have to hone in on the skills of, like, I need to build rapport with my, especially students that are sometimes not super trusting.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
Of, what they encounter. So how can we build those skills? And then now we're getting the education of like, okay, what, what are kind of red flags? How can I have some, some clinical insight, into what may be going on for this student so that I can care for them?
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And I think that's been really cool too, of even, like, like seeing what Shulman Skills I've used, you know, and like, how even, I mean, that is integrated in every day of just like, you know, tell me more about that, like, reaching in the silences if there's a kid that's quiet, you know, or questioning if you need more information on something like that. That's – it's really been cool how it all has come together in the school setting.
00:15:00
Lillie Walker
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. my next question is, what is one thing you wish people understood about the field of social work as it relates to education?
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, this one I've thought about a lot. I think it's really interesting to walk into the school setting. There's so many different types of professionals that work on mental health services, especially in a place like Waco ISD. And so, it can get really murky on what our role is within the school system. And I, think my biggest thing is I would love for people to know that even in the school, social work is more than CPS and referrals, and connecting you to resources, that we can actually be the ones on the ground doing that work one-on-one with a student. I think is really interesting to point out, not that, I mean, those things are all great – social work does, right, like, social workers are in CPS, social workers are in community resources. But I think sometimes – we've even had situations, right, where if a parent hears social worker in the school, they're scared. They're less inclined to share with us or to have their student work with us because they automatically think, oh, cps, like I'm – what if somehow they're after me and
Lillie Walker
Want to get me on board?
Haley Gaskill
Right, right. Yeah. They think I'm a bad parent. You know, they're not on my side. And so, I think the biggest thing that I would love for people to know is. Yeah. That school-based social workers do more than just that. And in a school, actually our role is not CPS. Our role is not the disciplinarian. Our role is to support the kids with their social and emotional well-being – very similar to a school counselor, except a school counselor does scheduling and has the school district of course, that they have to listen to, or follow the guidelines of. And as a Bear intern, I follow the guidelines of the school district, yes, but I also have a little bit more freedom of getting to work with the kids on a different level, which is really neat and with a smaller caseload as well because school counselors have so much on their plate. And so, I think that's a really neat thing that we're more than just when we're in the school, we're really working with those students one-on-one and we are more of that social, emotional sort.
Lillie Walker
Yeah, that's great. Okay, next question is how do you see the education system impacting your work as a social worker?
Haley Gaskill
That is a great question. A lot. And this year I've seen it more than anything. It's really, like I grew up in public school and I, you know, did not – I don't think I ever understood the impact of education system and policy on public schools and you know, child education until I was a social worker in a school, even going to public school myself in Texas. And yeah, I mean we're even seeing like right now, like There's Senate Bill 12, right? There's all these things happening in Texas, that are highly impacting us. I was just on a phone with a parent this morning trying to get a consent form because consent forms can be really difficult to get – the balance I think in the education system of trying to protect the family's rights and the parents’ rights, but also protecting the well-being of the child is a really hard balance that I've seen happen. And how that impacts social work in the schools. We want to protect parents, and we want to be able to protect their rights of what their kid can and cannot do in the school. And its what they're learning in the school but also seeing how it's impacting me having a hard time getting consent forms when I know that the student is in high need of support services. And these parents just don't have the time or the money or the resources to get us a consent form the day of or the next day. And kids are forgetful, too. Kids forget signed consent forms all the time. And so, I think. Yeah, I don't know. I think the education system – it's really interesting how I'm seeing just the way that policy around education really impacts social workers in the schools. Also, it's been interesting to see, how just different it is district by district as well, of who has social workers and how I mentioned earlier there are so many different mental health professionals in the school system – even seeing who decides to have social workers, who decides to have school psychologists, who decides to have other professionals. And so, Yeah, I don't know if that totally answers your question, but that kind of. Yeah. Just made me think about that how policy around education really impacts, the social.
Lillie Walker
Yeah. And it's like the policy is making these rules, and then it's kind of disseminated down into the school district.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
And they have to follow those rules. But then you as a social worker are like, okay, how do I balance this and what's best for my client, the student.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
Versus, how they're operating within the system can be like, a really. A really tough balance. For sure. Even like the new, I guess, law that was passed, about no phones in schools.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah. That's a big one as well.
Lillie Walker
And obviously that creates a whole other level of responsibility on the school system. And then you're also dealing with this kid that needs to talk to their mom for some particular reason. And so just finding that balance. And then you're really kind of seeing the impacts of it because you're working with, with the students.
00:20:00
Haley Gaskill
Oh, for sure. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's been very interesting to even see. Like, you know how, yeah, just how, like, it's so – It changes year by year. You know, it's so up in the air all the time. And because I know, like, last year, Bear interns were able to get verbal consent. And like, this year, you know, we had to get written consent. And it's been a lot of, I think you're right in terms of, like, it builds a lot more on the school system, because I've seen how it puts off a lot, lot more on me and my colleague of, like, you know, us, constantly in contact with parents to get consent, you know, or having to get really creative, in order to get these kids the support they need. So.
Lillie Walker
Yeah, and like, I don't want to, like, get too much in the weeds of it, but for our listeners, like, we're going into classes and learning about how policies historically have impacted the populations that we serve.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
And then we see it firsthand because we, you can see on the news new bills that are passed, and then we see how it trickles down into the populations that we serve. And so, I think learning about that history is so important and then being well-informed, for sure, in today's society to kind of see how that may impact our jobs and the funding for our jobs and ultimately our populations that we want to care for.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah, for sure.
Lillie Walker
All righty. Well, just to close it up, I'd like to ask just a few more questions. So, if you had to give one piece of advice to someone who's considering Baylor, the Garland School and the field of social work, what would your advice be?
Haley Gaskill
Oh, that's. Yeah, that's a toughie. man, I – there's so much advice. Probably one piece of advice would probably be to come in open minded, I think, and I think that goes for any program that you enter into, but yeah, I think just like, come in open minded and be willing to learn and be willing to be a sponge, because we learn a lot here at the School of Social Work. And, there's such a unique set of things that we get to learn here at the School of Social Work. And so, I think just coming in ready and coming in to be a sponge, because I think a lot of times, especially in a master's program, like, you know, I've seen too, it's like, okay, well, it's just more school. It's just more school, you know, and I just want to get through it, and I just want to be done and I'm tired of school. You know, I want to graduate. And I get it because I've I felt that. But I think too, especially being a program where, like some people come in with their social work degree, you know, just like learning that the master's level is a whole new level and really being able to come in and be like, no, I'm here to learn, you know, and it is a professional degree. And so, everything that you will learn here will apply to, you know, your career, no matter what sector of social work you decide to go into afterwards. And so, yeah, just like being a sponge, come in open minded and be ready to learn, I think, yeah, because I think at times I probably walked in last year especially be closed off, and pretty much like, okay, I'm here to get my masters and I'm here to go get my, you know, my license one day, and then I don't want to think about school ever again. But there's a lot, there's a lot of good that comes from being here. And my biggest piece of advice would really just to, to come in humbly and be willing to learn.
Lillie Walker
Yeah. So that's great advice. Okay, well, after talking with you and just hearing about your experience, thank you so much for sharing.
Haley Gaskill
Of course.
Lillie Walker
I would love to know, and I'm sure we'll stay in contact and actually know in real life, but where do you see your social work profession taking you ultimately?
Haley Gaskill
Oh, that's a wonderful question. Well, I know where geographically it's taking me. I'll be in Jacksonville, Florida after this. As you know, I’m getting married. I'll be getting married and I'll be moving to Jacksonville, Florida. I'm so excited. Which has been a whole other set of, like, things to learn of the way licensing works in different states and all of that jazz. It's a lot to learn and find your connections, people, because connections are the way that you'll know how this stuff works. But yeah, so geographically I know that I'll be in Florida, which is exciting new and exciting. Scary at times, but also exciting. And hopefully – I’ve been looking into schools a little bit. I've been mainly looking at schools and then a couple hospitals as well to kind of see where I want to end up. But I think whatever also can get me – I do still want to get my clinical license, so I still want to get my LCSW and, more. So, I think whatever can get me my LCSW as well. So, I'm leaning towards school. I don't know. My fiancé apparently has some connections, so hopefully those work out. but yeah, so hopefully school. And then I've always thought, like, later down the line, depending on what family life looks like, you know, I think that's one thing that's really cool about social work is the flexibility of it. And so, you know, like, if I have kids one day, I've thought about, like, you know, maybe I'll go into private practice for a little while to have more flexibility or go into a hospital, or whatever that looks like. And so, yeah, but right now, I'm definitely looking at school-based connections and a few hospital connections as well.
00:25:00
Lillie Walker
Absolutely.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
Well, exciting. Whoever takes her will be just absolutely blessed to get here as a worker. well, thanks so much for, taking time to sh. Me. I know your schedule is busy, so I appreciate it.
Haley Gaskill
Yeah.
Lillie Walker
Thank you. And thank you, listener, for listening. I hope this gave you some good insight into school based social work. And Sic ‘Em Bears.
Haley Gaskill
Sic ‘Em Bears.
Lillie Walker
Haley's experience shows us how school-based social work helps students thrive academically and emotionally. Join us next time as we continue highlighting the many dimensions of social work practice.
00:25:55