Practicum experience prepares OHIO Chillicothe senior for social work career

As a full-time student, single mom, and someone who has worked in the field of addiction treatment and recovery, Amanda Mitchell knows a thing or two about overcoming challenges in pursuit of a goal. She looks forward to fulfilling the goal of earning her bachelor’s degree in social work at Ohio University Chillicothe this spring. Along with her fellow senior social work majors at OHIO Chillicothe, Mitchell is completing her practicum as one of the final steps toward becoming a social worker.

As an intern in OHIO Chillicothe’s Student Resource Center (SRC), Mitchell practices the skills she’ll need as a social worker. Mitchell helps locate critical food resources, conducts intake assessments, and is building genograms—a visual map of family and environmental relationships for students the SRC serves.

Mitchell also works with OHIO Chillicothe social work faculty Stacey Saunders-Adams and Nikki Priest on community outreach projects, including a proposal for a youth-led coalition and initiatives to make naloxone more accessible on campus. Additionally, she supports OHIO Chillicothe’s Student Social Work Association in its efforts to build engagement on campus and in the community.

“Amanda created helpful materials to share at campus and community events and she was instrumental in planning the Student Social Work Association’s Trunk or Treat event (in collaboration with the student education organization), which was a huge success with over 350 kids in attendance,” Priest said.

Mitchell said her practicum is helping her learn adaptability.

“I don’t want to just focus on one type of practice,” Mitchell said. “I want to be a social worker who can support individual and community needs.”

Mitchell’s passion for social work stems from personal experience. She has been in recovery since 2017 and credits supportive community networks, resources and recovery programs like Ross County Community Action, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous for helping her rebuild her life.

“When I got sober, I knew I wanted to be the counselor I needed when I was in treatment,” she said. “I’m not going to cure the world of addiction, but I can make a difference one person at a time.”

Mitchell first enrolled at OHIO Chillicothe in 2010 after graduating from high school but soon left. She returned more than a decade later and earned her Associate of Applied Science in Human Services Technology last year. She credits the Human Services Technology program for laying a solid foundation for her social work studies.

Balancing school, work, and parenthood hasn’t been easy. Mitchell said there have been moments when she got tired and wanted to quit school, but she is grateful for the faculty who have supported her and cheered her on.

“There have been times I wanted to quit, but my mentors like Dr. Mary Jane Preece, Dr. Stacy Saunders-Adams, and Nikki Priest have kept me going,” Mitchell said.

As she looks ahead to her last semester, Mitchell reflects on the lessons she’s learned at OHIO Chillicothe, particularly the importance of self-care in a helping profession.

“Dr. Preece’s crisis intervention class changed my perspective,” Mitchell said, explaining that she sometimes struggles with taking on the emotions of those she is serving. “She taught me how to not take on my clients' problems and how to look for the symptoms of burnout and what to do when they appear.”

After graduation, Mitchell plans to return to the recovery and prevention field, where her personal journey and professional skills align.

“Addiction work is so much a part of who I am,” she said. “It’s my way of giving back and fulfilling Step 12 of recovery—helping others as I was helped.”

Mitchell advises other students to recognize the growth opportunities within the challenges they might face.

“Breathe,” she said. “Sometimes, when it feels like you’re being buried, you’re actually being planted. Let yourself grow.”