Jamie Lynn Langley, LCSW

04/02/2026

For those local to Murfreesboro, mark your calendars for May 1! A day for kids of all ages to play in the sand!

04/01/2026

Yesterday we had a “play break” with our students as a fun way to celebrate the end of Social Work Month. I was also advocating for us to “Go Play Outside” too!

We had so many fun things to do from playing cards, bowling, basketball, darts, checkers, Rubik’s Cube, electronic soccer, mini co****le, golf putting, and more!

A play break is a great way to help destress, connect, and enjoy life. It is something we can all benefit from! (And that’s no April Fool’s!) 💙

03/31/2026

On this last day of Social Work Month, I just read this article about a report that found advanced degrees in social work, teaching, and psychology (master’s level) generally do not pay off financially, while medicine, law and pharmacy degrees show the highest return.

It did not address what other rewards we may receive.

Years ago my oldest was in high school, and he had learned something similar to the stats in this article. He asked me why I chose a Master’s in Social Work, when I was “smart enough” to have been a medical doctor or pharmacist or some other degree/profession where I could have made more money.

My first response was to show him an article about the best careers for working mothers. The top one was LCSW (what I have), primarily due to its flexibility. I explained how involved I had been able to be with his and his brother’s school and extracurriclar activitues etc.

Then I shared about the importance of the work we as social workers do for people, for families, and for communities. That I loved being a clinical social worker and the changes I help comtribute to.

While money is an important consideration regarding the work we choose to do, it is not the only consideration.

Of course I wish those of us who have pursued careers in social work, counseling, and teaching made more money and were better appreciated.

But as Steve Gross, MSW (a social worker with Life is Good) has said, and what I share with my students, is that we have to decide what being rich really means.

I am not rich in terms of money. I never will be.

However, as a social worker for nearly thirty-seven years, I am rich in impacts made for the hundreds of children and families I have worked with.

As social workers, therapists, and teachers, our careers are best measured, not in financial return, but in that people and communities are improved because of the work we do.

This is where our investment pays off. And we all are better for it.

Happy Social Work Month. 💗

The report found advanced degrees in social work and psychology may have a zero to negative return, while medicine, law and pharmacy degrees show the highest return.

03/29/2026

These are the published pictures from the Child Abuse Panel at MTSU that I was part of this past Thursday. This panel was the first of three as part of the Family Violence Professional Panel series organized by Dr. Rebecca Oldham. She always does such a great job of putting these panels together and then moderating each one.

This was the fourth year this panel series has been offered, and I have appreciated being invited to be part of the Child Abuse panel each year. Our panel included a forensic interviewer, former police detective, DCS attorney, CASA representative, pediatrician, and myself as a child and family therapist.

We had a full house and the students present asked some great questions. We were able to provide important information regarding the prevention, detection, and treatment of child abuse and improving awareness and assistance for children and families in our community.

03/28/2026

My favorite colors is aqua/turquoise. The closest to aqua is the Robins Egg Blue. It gets 2 out of 3 correct- as fall is my favorite season instead of spring. It definiteky boosts my mood!🩵

Now you can find yours! 🖍️

03/28/2026

Take the time to take care of yourself. 💜

03/27/2026

This is my second panel to be part of this week! 💙

The 2026 Family Violence Professional Panel Series begins this afternoon regarding Child Abuse. This will be my fourth year to be part of this panel presentation. (The picture on the bottom left is of our Child Abuse Panel last year.)

03/25/2026

I was invited to be on two panels this week. Tonight was the first one, a Social Work Panel about Boundaries, Burnout and Self-Care offered by Phi Alpha as part of Social Work Month.

It was really great to be part of this panel with four other social workers representing diverse specialty areas (one was over Zoom and not in photos), share some of my take-aways, and to see and interact with several of my former students.🩵

03/23/2026

Nature is a natural anti-depressant! We not only feel better when we spend time outdoors, but research supports that we actually are better!

Get outside and enjoy your dose of nature today! I know I will! ☺️

“What you’ve got there is a massive boost of serotonin!” says Alison Greenwood of Dose of Nature.

The London, U.K.-based nonprofit Dose of Nature — which offers an outdoor therapy course — is seeing better mental health outcomes than popular forms of talk therapy, with a recovery rate of 64% compared to talk therapy’s 50%.

The Dose of Nature course is prescribed by GPs and begins with an assessment and discussion with a psychologist. Clients are then paired with a trained volunteer guide for weekly sessions outside, where they benefit from serotonin-boosting sunshine and the phytochemicals emitted by trees and plants that can decrease stress hormones.

An independent assessment by the London School of Economics found that the program works and is cost effective, with clinically meaningful benefits that are worth eight times the cost of the nature prescription.

Read more in our latest Finding Nature News Round Up. https://bit.ly/3QvAGA1



🌞 Join the movement for children and nature. Support us at bit.ly/forchildrenandnature. 🌞

03/22/2026

Happy First Sunday of Spring! I hope most are enjoying this beautiful spring weather. 🌼

03/22/2026

Play is a great therapeutic outlet for all kinds of feelings and situations including grief.