Angela Levingston, MSW, LCSW
Angela Levingston, MSW, LCSW

For the past 30 years, IU School of Social Work alumna Angela Levingston, MSW, LCSW, has worked to help people with severe mental illness regain stability. In addition to mental health, Levingston, who earned both a BSW and MSW from IU, has worked in school social work, medical social work, probation, intensive home-based services, and as a college adjunct instructor. She is passionate about mental health and addictions treatment and increasing access to services. A member of the IUSSW Alumni Association Board of Directors, Levingston is currently an LCSW in crisis intervention at Community Health Network. She recently answered some questions for “Network” magazine about her career and her experiences at IUSSW.

How did you first become interested in social work?

As a freshman on the IU Bloomington campus, I had planned to major in business and eventually go into real estate administration. I took a psychology class, which changed my mind. I loved the business school and the courses, but I just couldn’t get away from the idea that something related to psychology was more for me. My advisor suggested social work. I took a couple of elective courses in social work, and that sealed it for me.

What experiences stand out from your time in the IU School of Social Work?

Dr. Gary Lowe [Dr. Gary R. Lowe, former IUSSW associate dean] was one of my angels. After completing my BSW, I didn’t want to go directly into the MSW program; I wanted to get out in the field and gain experience. He kept telling me, “If you don’t do it [the MSW program] now, I don’t think you’ll ever go back.” He even started the application process for me. I’m so grateful to him for that. It only took me a year to get my master’s degree.

I also really enjoyed my practicums. In Bloomington, I worked in the probation department writing profiles for the judge. In Indianapolis, my first practicum was at Christamore House; I loved that one too and really got to know the needs of the community. In the master’s program, I did a medical social work practicum at Methodist Hospital. It was eye-opening to see all the needs and work with an integrated group of physicians, nurses and discharge planners. I use those skills to this day in what I’m doing now. I also did an internship at IU on the transplant floor—the same experience there, being part of a team and seeing how everyone serves in a vital role to meet the needs of patients.

What was your first job, and how has your career in social work progressed?

After graduating from the master’s program, I worked as a foster care and recruitment coordinator at Homes for Black Children, which was part of the Children’s Bureau. I worked through Black churches and the media to educate the community about the need for foster parents and the support that’s provided when they get involved.

I was there for about six months when I was contacted by Midtown Community Mental Health to work as an outpatient provider for SMI (Serious Mental Illness) patients. It was a challenging time—all of the state institutions were closing, and there was a movement to community-based mental healthcare. Our goal was to keep our patients safe and to keep them out of the hospital. We did a good job of getting to know our patients and their families and making sure we could get them the services they needed.

I was there for five years and have been in the mental health field ever since. We moved to North Carolina, and I stayed home with our children, but when we moved back to Indianapolis, I returned to Midtown and then went to Community Health Network where I’ve worked off and on for the past 20 years.

What’s a typical day like for you?

Working in crisis intervention in the ER is exhilarating. In a typical day, which for me starts at 7 a.m., I am busy doing face-to-face evaluations, connecting with family members and working with the psychiatrists to make recommendations about treatment, whether it be inpatient or outpatient. It can be challenging…some people come in and it’s difficult for them to accept that they need treatment. But I love it—probably because I see so much of the human spirit. For people to come in, meet a total stranger and tell their story—it really takes courage to be that open and to start the process of healing.

What’s surprised you the most about your career in social work?

I remember my social work professors saying, “We know that our job is done when there’s no longer a need for us to be there.” I think what’s most surprising is that with the mental health crisis, the need just keeps growing without enough providers and treatment facilities available to meet the needs. I wish there was an easy answer, but right now it’s not clear what that is.

Looking back, what stands out about the IU School of Social Work?

I really believe the IU social work program prepared me to have confidence in my ability to do a wide range of things and to work with people from all different backgrounds. I’m grateful for what the school did for me. While I ended up working primarily in mental health, the experience I received in the medical social work field prepared me for the crisis intervention work I’m doing now in the ER.

After nearly 30 years in the field, any social work “life lessons” to share?

The biggest thing is to really listen to your patients and clients. Be engaged and be willing to listen and ask questions so you can help meet their needs. I see it happen a lot where social workers become so focused on what should happen clinically that they forget to include the patient in the solution.