Lilyana is an Advanced Standing Master of Social Work (MSW) student at the University of Washington. As she continues her graduate education, she is completing her practicum with Aging Wisdom.

Lilyana’s academic and professional experiences have primarily been in educational settings, where she has worked closely with children, adolescents, and their families facing a range of social, behavioral, and mental health challenges. In these roles, she facilitated social-emotional learning groups, provided individual support to students experiencing grief, challenges with self-regulation, and self-esteem concerns, and collaborated with families, educators, and multidisciplinary teams to connect students with appropriate resources. These experiences have strengthened her ability to build trusting relationships, navigate complex systems, communicate across disciplines, and approach every individual with empathy.

While she found school social work incredibly meaningful, she intentionally sought a practicum that would expand her perspective and expose her to a different stage of life. She is eager to learn from older adults and their families as they navigate changes related to health, independence, care giving, and aging. Lilyana is particularly interested in understanding how social workers provide support through difficult transitions and help individuals navigate systems that can often feel overwhelming. She believes these experiences will strengthen her clinical judgment and help her become a more versatile and effective social worker.

What stood out to Lilyana as she prepared to join Aging Wisdom is our emphasis on building lasting relationships with clients and approaching each situation with compassion, creativity, and collaboration. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute her curiosity, strong interpersonal skills, and commitment to learning while continuing to grow as a clinician.