Meet Hannah Bales, LCSW

A strong advocate for mentorship and workforce development in social work education, Hannah Bales is dedicated to preparing the next generation of social workers for the realities of practice. 

Hannah Bales, LCSW, serves as the Field Director for the clinical Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Palo Alto University (PAU), where she guides students through immersive field education placements in community agencies, helping them bridge real-world practice with academic theory. Her work builds on extensive experience supervising and mentoring students across professional disciplines, including MSW,   MFT, PsyD, and PhD programs, and from diverse backgrounds, including immigrant communities and first-generation college students. In her role at PAU, she works closely with students and community partners across California to ensure aspiring social workers gain meaningful clinical and community-based training as they begin their professional journeys.

“What drives my passion for this work is mentoring students throughout their graduate school journey,” said Bales. “Preparing the next generation of social workers to enter the field with confidence is what inspires me.”

The instinct to support others took shape long before Bales entered the profession. Growing up, she spent much of her time playing water polo, basketball, and softball from second grade through college. Sports eventually placed her in leadership roles, including serving as a team captain, an experience that helped shape her thinking about collaboration and guidance.

“Being part of a team taught me that leadership is less about directing people and more about creating an environment where everyone feels supported and able to contribute,” she said.

  Bales went on to study psychology at San Diego State University before earning her Master of Social Work from California State University, East Bay. While many social work programs at the time emphasized traditional pathways into community work, Bales was particularly interested in pursuing clinical licensure. During graduate school, she sought out experiences to develop those skills, including an internship at Kaiser Permanente’s Child and Family Psychiatry unit.

That early clinical work confirmed the direction she wanted to pursue.

After graduate school, Bales built her career working in schools and community-based mental health settings, supporting children, youth, and families navigating complex systems of care. Much of her work involved helping families access behavioral health services and navigate special education programs, roles that required both clinical understanding and persistent advocacy.

Along the way, she also developed expertise as a behaviorist, studying patterns of behavior and intervention strategies. The combination of behavioral training and clinical social work would later shape how she understands both clients and students.

“As a behaviorist, you analyze patterns and data,” she said. “As a clinician, you’re looking at the person within their environment.” Over time, she found that effective practice requires bringing those perspectives together. “Behavioral data is important,” she explained, “but a humanistic approach is what truly allows us to understand people and support lasting change.”

Before joining Palo Alto University, Bales worked at the Solano County Office of Education, where she oversaw a clinical intern program funded through a federal Department of Education grant. The initiative focused on expanding opportunities for graduate-level trainees while preparing mental health providers to work in trauma-informed and culturally responsive ways. The work placed Bales in a position she increasingly valued, helping students bridge the gap between academic training and professional practice.

When she later learned that Palo Alto University was developing a new Master of Social Work program, she first joined the program’s advisory council. Not long afterward, she applied for the position of Field Director. Her arrival came at a pivotal moment. The program’s first cohort of students was preparing to begin, and the network of field placements was still taking shape.

Over the course of the summer, Bales met with students to understand their interests and began reaching out to agencies across California to build partnerships. By the time the first quarter began, students were  
placed in organizations across the Bay Area and beyond.

At PAU, Bales continues to focus on the role that matters most to her: guiding students as they take their first steps into the profession. “True mentorship combines authentic guidance with inspiration,” she said. “It’s about modeling the kind of professional excellence you hope others will carry forward.”

Outside of the university, Bales spends much of her time with her husband and their two children, ages eight and twelve. The family lives in Solano County and often heads outdoors together, as they especially enjoy camping and spending time along the California coast.

“The ocean is my happy place,” she said.

To learn more about the MSW program, click here.