Educational Advocacy & Structural Support

Integrity-Centered Academic & Disability Advocacy

You deserve to be supported, not swallowed by the system.

Systemic Barriers in Social Work Education

Every year, students get pushed out of programs they worked hard to enter, not because they lack ability or do not care.

But because institutions and their practicum sites move too fast, communicate poorly, contradict themselves, or refuse to support students in ways that actually work. It is that much more difficult for disabled and neurodivergent students.

Most people never get a fair chance to tell their story, and walk into meetings alone, overwhelmed, and already blamed.

My work exists so you do not have to go through that alone, because I have been there and I see the need.

The Problem: Systemic Destruction in Social Work Education

Social work programs aren't just failing students, they're deliberately creating systems that prevent student success. Practicum directors weaponize administrative power, transforming educational pathways into deliberate obstacle courses. Students, particularly those with disabilities, students of color, and those navigating complex life circumstances, are systematically pushed out of programs that preach social justice while practicing institutional violence.

The brutal reality: These programs design failure into the system. Internship requirements become psychological warfare, where a single administrative decision can obliterate years of academic pursuit and professional dreams.

What I Offer

  • I go through your:

    • emails

    • evaluations

    • performance plans

    • accommodation letters

    • daily logs

    • faculty communication

    • placement/practicum communication

    and help you understand the timeline, the contradictions, and the issues that are yours, and the issues that are theirs.

  • I attend meetings with you as your support person & Independent Advocate.

    I hold the emotional center of the room.

    I track what people say, what they avoid, what they contradict, and how the power is being used to hold space for you so you don’t lose yourself in the academic gaslighting.

    I step in when clarity is needed, and I make sure you never sit alone with institutional pressure.

  • Together, we build a clean, precise timeline that communicates the truth of what happened, without emotional distortion or institutional erasure.

  • I help you understand:

    • what your program owes you

    • what disability accommodations actually cover

    • how CSWE and CSU (or your university system) protect you

    • what language to use when requesting placement

    • how to advocate for immediate continuation without penalty

    This is especially critical for MSW, counseling, nursing, teaching credential, and medical students facing fieldwork issues.

  • I help you write the letters that need to be written:

    • placement requests

    • ADA/504 grievance letters

    • follow-up communication

    • professional responses

    • clarification emails

    • boundary-setting with faculty

    Tone matters. Clarity matters. Timing matters.

    I help you get all three right.

Work With Me

Client Experiences

  • My practicum experience was harmful and everything Social Work stands against, and the program director was actively trying to hold me back and delay my progress. Loren stepped in and made sure that didn’t happen. She advocated for me relentlessly, showed up to meetings, wrote precise and strategic emails, and made sure the school could not ignore what they were doing. Because of her, I was able to stay in my program and avoid a full year delay. Loren understands these systems because she’s survived them herself, and she knows exactly how to intervene when institutions misuse their power.

    —Carly Romero, CSULB MSW Student Fall 2025)

  • I was in one of the most destabilizing moments of my academic career. I had lost my field placement, my mental health was suffering, and I felt like decisions were being made about me without me. Having Loren with me changed everything. She understood the system immediately and helped me communicate clearly without speaking over me or taking control. I felt supported without being infantilized. For the first time, the conversation shifted. I was listened to. Hard questions were asked without shame, and my experience was taken seriously. What stood out most is that Loren wasn’t just advocating for an outcome. She was advocating for fairness, transparency, and proportionality. She helped create space for accountability without punishment and learning without destruction. I truly believe that without her, I would have been shut down and delayed even further. Instead, I left feeling grounded, seen, and able to keep going. This kind of advocacy makes a real difference.

    Kimberly S., MSW Student CSULA (Fall 2025)

Who This Is For

This work is for people who feel like their program is:

  • moving too fast

  • holding them back for placement issues

  • contradicting itself

  • dismissing disability needs

  • mishandling communication

  • weaponizing “professionalism”

  • avoiding accountability

  • punishing them for asking for help

  • punishing them for being a student learner

  • acting like their disability is a character flaw

  • is not holding their clinical supervisors accountable for why your site is not working

It is for students who feel overwhelmed by power dynamics:

  • neurodivergent students

  • disabled students

  • students of color

  • first-generation students

  • students in clinical or field-based programs

  • students who were told they “misunderstood” when they actually didn’t

  • students being blamed for poor site placements and bad supervisors misusing their power

You don’t need to be failing, in crisis, or behind to be supported. You just need support that your institution has not provided.

My Approach.

I come sit with you, remind you of your power, I read the room, I interpret the emotional, relational, and structural dynamics happening underneath the formal language. I translate what is being said and what is being avoided. I speak with your permission when necessary.

I protect the integrity of your story.

I bring the attunement and the clarity that these systems rarely offer, especially to Black, disabled, neurodivergent, or otherwise marginalized students.

This is institutional emotional intelligence applied in real time, not legal advice.

It is relational advocacy grounded in integrity and accountability.

Pricing

  • Standard Rate

    $75 per hour

    For students with stable access to resources.

  • Disability Justice Rate

    $45 per hour

    For disabled, neurodivergent, or system-impacted students who are navigating barriers created by institutions, not by their own lack of effort.

Schedule a consultation

Pricing

I keep this work accessible while respecting the time, energy, (lived) experience and emotional labor required.

Documentation Review + Timeline Building

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Starting at

$75

*Per Letter/Email (Sliding scale available)

Letter Writing and Placement Request Support

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Starting at

$75

*Per Letter/Email (Sliding scale available)

Live Meeting Support (Zoom or in-person if accessible):

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Starting at

$100-150

*Per meeting (Sliding scale available)

Payment plans and reduced rates are available upon request.

This work belongs to the community, not just those who can afford it.

Why This Matters

Because nobody teaches you how to advocate inside the systems you are supposed to trust, but can’t.

Nobody prepares you for the emotional and structural harm these programs can cause, even when they claim to be teaching you trauma-informed care and critical race theory.

Because all students, including students who are thoughtful, sensitive, disabled, or moving at a different pace often get mislabeled and spoken down to instead of supported.

Because you deserve to continue your education without being crushed by miscommunication, discrimination, or institutional power, and being held back because your practicum directors, supervisors, and professors are disconnected from your experience and upholding the very system they’re teaching you to dismantle.

This work is about making sure the system doesn’t swallow you, and getting more people into the field that need to be here beyond the academic gatekeeping that exists without accountability.

I am here to help.

If you need support, clarity, or someone who can sit with you and translate what is happening, reach out. This form is not just logistics.

It’s an intervention.

You don’t have to walk into those rooms alone.

You don’t have to make sense of mixed messages, contradictions, or sudden changes without someone who actually understands the emotional undercurrent.

Contact me for customized support

Don't have time for the full form? You can email me directly at hello@beautifulsoulsaligned.com and share whatever you’re able. Your name, your program, and a brief description of what’s happening is enough to start. We can take it step by step from there.