In this episode of the Goddesses of Social Work Podcast, host Renita Ray Davis sits down with Tenessa Shepherd, LICSW, a newly licensed independent clinical social worker with 10 years of experience across child welfare, adult and child mental health, inpatient psychiatric care, and her current work in substance use disorder treatment.

A proud mom of two girls and an Alabama native with family roots in North Carolina, Tenessa shares openly about the twists, turns, and triumphs that shaped her path to licensure, including what it really took to pass the clinical exam and the communities that supported her along the way.

We talk about: 🌿 Moving from foster care and adoption work to inpatient psych and substance use treatment 🌿 The journey toward passing the clinical exam, and what shifted this time 🌿 The power of community and connection for social workers 🌿 The belief about social work that has changed most over her first decade 🌿 The advice she’d give her younger self just starting out

Tenessa’s story is a reminder that growth is rarely linear; it’s intentional, courageous, and unfolds step by step …along your social work journey.

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