Responding to the Psychosocial Experiences of First-Generation Master of Social Work (MSW) Students

ABSTRACT

In this Notes From the Field essay, we bring together clinical practice and administrative experiences to explore and anticipate the psychosocial experiences of first-generation MSW students. Our goal is to offer programmatic suggestions that reflect the strengths and challenges of first-generation graduate students in social work programs and beyond. We begin by highlighting the unique psychosocial experiences of students with a mix of brief case vignettes illustrating themes shared in clinical practice. We then outline responsive programmatic approaches including entry, first-year, and ongoing student support services within a graduate school of social work.

KEYWORDS:

• First-generation graduate students
• social work
• psychosocial experiences

Acknowledgments

We thank our two anonymous reviewers for providing thorough and constructive feedback. We sincerely appreciate their insightful comments and suggestions, which have significantly improved our work. We are also grateful for the support of Dr. David Byers who encouraged us to move forward with thinking through and sharing our work, though the views expressed within are our own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).