Don't beat yourself up. It's really hard right now because so many people are looking for work and the social services sector has been absolutely GUTTED over the past 25 years, and continues to shrink.

I do have a master's and have been to interviews for jobs that pay $8 per hour with no benefits part-time where I was competing with as many as 20 other applicants, many with degrees from private colleges and with direct experience in the field. I'm in MI, so it's really, really bad here, but still, when I was looking in the 90s I had the exact same experience. Both times I ended up working retail as that's what I could find and it paid the same.

I would say, try to make some connections in the field and get a good list of referrals. I think that matters. Also, a lot of places are downsizing and shifting to what they call 'peer support', which means 'low paid jobs for people with problems who support other people with problems who aren't coping so well.' Many states offer certificate programs in peer support for mental health patients, so that might be worth doing.

I'm back in retail again. It's depressing in a way but I try to remind myself lots of people in this state aren't working at all, so I'm not totally taking it on myself. Good luck! Try not to take it personally--I know it's hard not to but seriously, it's not you. It's the times.