A Day in the Life

What does a day in the life of a social worker look like? Social work is one of the fastest growing professions in the U.S. and it allows for an enormous range of specialties and career paths. SSW alumni serve clients in a multitude of impactful ways throughout the United States and the world. Explore the dayto-day lives of just a handful of distinguished alumni, featuring the work of those in private practice, sex therapy, bibliotherapy, higher education, macro practice and more. Dive into their lives and learn how they balance client care, family life, hobbies and self-care.

Editor’s note: The following stories include composite scenarios of clients and do not represent any real clients. First names are used throughout to encourage connection with these snapshots of people’s intimate lives.

Striking a Balance: Teaching And Mindfulness

As a senior faculty member in the School of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago and director of the doctoral program, Terry Northcut, Ph.D. ’91, is able to enjoy the freedom to control the rhythms of her days. But this has a cost as well. “The best thing about the job is flexibility. And I think that’s true of the profession as well,” she observed. “It’s also the downside, because that means it spills over into evenings and weekends. Trying to come up with some limits is critical and an ongoing struggle.”

In her scholarship, Terry focuses on the integration of psychodynamic theory and cognitive-behavioral techniques, religion and spirituality in social work and teaching methodologies. She teaches in the Human Behavior in the Social Environment and Methods sequences in the master’s program, and a doctoral course on social work pedagogy. In the past, Terry’s work has also included teaching and research at the University of Gondar in Ethiopia. She continues that work virtually, but the country’s current conflict has made traveling there impossible and has limited access for Ethiopian faculty and students to the internet.

In 2022, Terry was named the Lucian and Carol Welch Matusak Endowed Professor. The position provides her with funds to develop two programs that are particularly important to her. The Supervision Training and Education Program (STEP) is a collaboration with Adelphi University and will train social work supervisors in Illinois’ Northern Lake County. The second is a Pathways to Ph.D. program. This will provide support to prospective social work doctoral students from marginalized populations to help them strengthen their applications and then, if accepted into the program, will provide mentorship through the conclusion of their dissertation process.

Since the pandemic, Terry has split her days between working from home and working on campus. However, on or off campus, these days tend to be structured by meetings and classes.

Administrative meetings might include hearing from various stakeholders in the above programs or the Certificate of Advanced Psychotherapy that she helps to coordinate. From there, it may be a doctoral committee meeting, in which the faculty are looking at revisions to policies or the curriculum or addressing ongoing DEI work. As director of the doctoral program, Terry has an advisory role with students and meets with them often to check in. “Some of that is professional in terms of their research, and some is personal in terms of how to balance their personal and professional lives and how to cope with life occurring while they’re in the doctoral program.” A given day may also include meetings with the advisory board of the projects funded by her endowed professorship and meetings with her graduate and research assistants.

In the midst of all this, Terry carves out time for her teaching and hopefully, for her research. “I spend way too much time on Zoom and meetings, which unfortunately doesn’t give me much time for writing or doing my own work,” she said. “I think with this kind of administrative role, that’s a natural consequence.” In addition to her academic roles, Terry maintains a small private practice, seeing clients and providing consultation. She preserves some time on Fridays and some evenings for her clinical work, often weaving appointments among her other meetings.

Although the “mix and match” quality of Terry’s position that blurs the boundaries between home and work can be challenging, she appreciates the freedom it also provides. “I feel like I’m incredibly lucky to have all this flexibility because I get to blend my interests with programs that I believe in and want to contribute to.”

As someone who has written on mindfulness, Terry still prioritizes time to unwind and refresh in the midst of her demanding schedule. She swims three times a week, which she calls her haven: “That’s the most mindful thing I can do.” She loves cooking, is an avid gardener in the warmer months, has adult children, two grandchildren and a pair of high-maintenance dogs. She also reads every night, primarily mysteries. “At the end of the day I am definitely ready for an escape!”