How a Seattle University MSW Graduate Is Supporting Students Through Clinical Social Work

Allie Ash, MSW ’21, first found social work during a season of personal and professional questioning.

She was drawn to the field because it gave her a way to ask deeper questions about access and support. As she began to explore social work as a career, Allie saw a path that connected her interest in working with young people to her desire to understand why people do not always receive the care they need.

Those questions also align closely with Seattle University College of Arts and Science’s Master of Social Work program, which prepares students for clinical social work grounded in social justice-focused and community-based advanced clinical social work practice.

Today, Allie serves as a school social worker in Seattle Public Schools, where she supports students across two school communities. Her path reflects the heart of clinical social work: building trust with people while understanding the larger systems that shape their lives.

Choosing a Graduate Program That Felt Personal

Allie’s path to Seattle University continued to take shape after she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in social work, Allie spent a year of service with a church food program while reflecting on what she wanted next in her career. This time led her to consider pursuing a graduate degree. “I always want to learn and grow and be challenged,” Allie says. She wanted a program that could build on the social work education that had already shaped her sense of purpose.

Seattle University’s MSW program offered that next step through advanced clinical preparation shaped by social justice-focused and community-based advanced clinical social work practice.

Choosing Seattle University’s MSW Program

When Allie began looking at graduate programs, she knew the structure of the program mattered. Because she had earned a bachelor’s degree in social work, she was eligible for Seattle University’s Advanced Standing MSW path, which is designed for students with a social work or social welfare degree from a CSWE-accredited program.

Timing also influenced her decision. Allie applied just before COVID changed what graduate learning looked like across the country. As she thought about the possibility of starting school online, she considered which programs would give her the kind of connection she wanted.

“Do I want to go to a big school? Do I want to be on Zoom online with like tons of screens?” Allie recalls. “Or do I want to go to a smaller university that I already know in some ways because my undergrad was at a smaller school as well?”

Seattle University’s Master of Social Work program offers two paths:

• Two-Year MSW: 66 credits with 1,000 field practicum hours
• Advanced Standing MSW: 39 credits with 600 field practicum hours

For Allie, that structure offered a focused path into advanced clinical practice, where rigorous learning opportunities and social-justice-minded coursework could support the kind of social worker she wanted to become.

How Clinical Social Work Training Shaped Allie’s Practice

One of Allie’s most meaningful Seattle University experiences came through a family practice class with Dr. Anne Farina, PhD, LICSW. The course helped Allie think more carefully about how social workers build relationships with families, especially during moments of strain or uncertainty.

“Her family practice class — I still use stuff today from that class,” Allie says. “Really having rapport with families and how to have family connections.”

That real-world relevance helped Allie understand clinical social work as relational work. It also helped her see herself as a developing professional before she had officially earned the degree.

Building Confidence as a Social Worker

Allie recalls her instructors telling students that they were already becoming social workers, even before the paperwork made it official. One of these professors was Dr. Farina.

“She would very much say you're a social worker, even though you don't have the degree,” Allie says.

That encouragement matters significantly when students are moving quickly through coursework and practicum experiences. It also helped Allie trust that she could bring something meaningful into the field while still learning.

Applying Clinical Skills in the Field

Field practicum became one of the clearest places where Allie’s learning came to life. In Seattle University’s MSW program, students apply classroom learning through supervised practice and integrative seminars.

“A lot of times when you go to school, it's very much like: here's the book, here's the work, here's all the things,” she says. “But the actual understanding is doing it in the field.”

Coursework gave Allie a place to reflect on what she was learning in the field, while practicum helped her understand how clinical skills shift to meet real people and real needs.

Learning School Social Work Through Real-World Practice

Allie’s work today shows how clinical training continues to grow through practice. As a school social worker, she supports students and families in moments that do not always follow a script.

She has learned that building trust with a young person can happen in quiet, ordinary ways. Sometimes a student is not ready to talk, or the relationship begins through a simple drawing, playing a game, or sitting together in a less formal space.

“Sometimes that's in the lunchroom. Sometimes that's just meeting a kid where they're at, and knowing that they don't want to talk,” Allie says.

That lesson has become central to how she understands school social work. Rapport often begins when students feel seen without being rushed.

Meeting Students Where They Are

Allie’s role asks her to pay attention to what each student needs in the moment. Students may be watching to see whether an adult will show up consistently, or they may need time to understand that a social worker is there to support them.

Allie has learned that the same approach will not work for every student. Some may respond first to an activity, while others may need space before they are ready to engage. Her role is to read those cues while focusing on protecting the relationship.

This is where Seattle University’s clinical social work training connects directly to her school-based practice. The skills Allie developed through coursework and field practicum help her move from observation to connection.

Building a Sustainable Social Work Career

Social justice social work can be deeply fulfilling, but it can also ask a great deal from the people who choose it. Allie learned that during graduate school, especially while balancing coursework and practicum during COVID.

Faculty helped students think about self-care as part of professional formation. Allie remembers classes where students began by pausing for mindful practice and considering what they needed before moving into the work.  

“There would be classes I went to where the first 20 minutes we would think about mindful practice, not just for our clients, but ourselves,” Allie shares. “Where can we take a deep breath? Where can we have class a little bit earlier so we can get to our discussion posts or go get some food or whatever that may be?”

That focus on self-care continued to shape how Allie understood the emotional demands of the field. Over time, she also learned that boundaries help sustain the work. She names therapy as an important support in her own life and career.

“You cannot want it more than the client,” Allie says. “The client has to have the want and the desire to shift, to change.”

That lesson helps Allie stay grounded in her work. It reminds her that social workers can offer support and care, while still respecting each person’s agency. “I have to just support them where they're at,” she says.

A Seattle University MSW Community that Lasts

Allie’s relationship with Seattle University has continued well beyond graduation. In her current role, she now supports a Seattle University intern who is learning what school social work looks like in practice.

That experience has brought Allie’s graduate education full circle. She was once the student learning through fieldwork, and now she is helping others understand how classroom learning becomes daily practice.

“One of the cool things about Seattle U is the relational stuff with professors in some ways,” Allie says. “I'm really grateful because Seattle U gave that opportunity to me to be a part of their program.”

That ongoing connection reflects what stood out to Allie about the program. Seattle University gave her a place to grow as a student, and the relationship did not end when she graduated.

“It says a lot about Seattle U,” Allie shares. “They trust their alumni and know us in a relational way.”

Preparing for a Meaningful Career in Clinical Social Work

Allie encourages prospective MSW students to understand both the weight and the meaning of the profession. “It’s a career that's really fulfilling, really hard, but really fulfilling,” she says.

The need for trained social workers remains strong. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment of social workers to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, with about 74,000 openings projected each year on average.

“We just need social workers,” she says. “We need to be represented because I think there's a piece of our world right now that truly needs that humane support for people.”

Allie sees that need in the daily work of supporting people where they are. “The job is so meaningful, and every day you change in it,” Allie explains. “I think that that can be really hopeful.”

Through Seattle University’s Master of Social Work program, students prepare for advanced clinical practice through rigorous coursework and field practice with an ongoing commitment to social justice. Allie’s story shows how that preparation can shape a career grounded in care for individuals and communities.

Explore Seattle University College of Arts and Sciences Master of Social Work program to learn more.