Students join Leslie Moorman and Dr. Rios via Teams

Leslie Moorman presented as a guest speaker for Seton Hall Master of Social Work Program, sharing her journey from clinician to CEO, inspiring and providing indispensable knowledge to students. Moorman has achieved outstanding success in the field of social work. Cooperative Counseling Services, which she founded in 2005, is a multimillion-dollar company that provides mental health care for children and families.

Professor Moorman holds a Bachelor of Science from George Washington University and completed her Master of Social Work at New York University. She has been a licensed clinical social worker since 2000 and it certified in clinical supervision and as a nurtured heart approach trainer. She is currently in the process of completing her PhD in Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University.

Professor Moorman discussed how each role in her evolving career has provided valuable skills that contribute to where she is today. Prior to her current position functioned as director of a full and half day child and adolescent partial hospital program, director of union county children, and was part of a mobile response stabilization system.

Despite her current success in the field, there were times that she had doubts. Moorman made the difficult decision to resign from her position at Trinitas Hospital to care for her children and spend time with her family. At the time, it felt as if she was giving up her career. However, it was just the beginning for Leslie Moorman.

After a year spent out of the workforce, Leslie decided to get back to doing what she loved. Unsure of what she wanted to pursue, she thought back to her experience with in home programs, and how much she hated the way they were run. She went to her former employer with the idea of running and implementing in home programs in a way she felt would be more beneficial. Soon enough, the referrals were pouring in. Former colleagues came to work with her. Suddenly, she had a business. Paired with the corporate expertise of her husband, Leslie's passion and love of the field led her to creating an impactful social service program and multibillion dollar company.

Key Takeaways from Professor Moorman:

• Be nice to everyone
  • Life often comes full circle. Social work is a small field and connections are significant. Stay in touch with colleagues and create lasting relationships, they may benefit you down the line.
• Colleagues and Company Culture
  • The culture of a company will impact your experience. She notes the strong friendships she formed during her time working at Elizabeth General, despite doing what she claims to be the hardest work in her life, her colleagues made it enjoyable. A hard job can be made better when you’re surrounded with good people.
• Roll things out, fix it later
  • If we waited for things to be perfect, not much would ever come to action. Sometimes it is better to start and fix things as we go. This is especially true in the field of Social Work. Many times, a program needs to get off the ground before it can be regulated and fixed.
• Value Yourself
  • Social work is regarded as an undervalued field, don't undervalue yourself. Advocate for what you deserve. Professor Moorman encourages students to advocate for themselves as students and in their future career.

Students were impressed by Leslie's story and lecture. First year MSW student Skiyetta Torres joined the live discussion, found value in Moorman's words stating, "It was really inspirational to hear Professor Moorman's story and see her success as a woman in the field."

The brown bag series was started by MSW program Director Dr. Juan Rios. The seminars are intended to act as supplemental education to students, bringing invaluable information that one cannot learn from a textbook. Dr Rio’s states "The conversations are meant to answer questions about what I wish I knew when I was in grad school. It gives students a chance to hear from leaders in the Social Work Profession and the unique wisdom they share."

Categories: Arts and Culture