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The
following information is taken directly from the web
site of NASW (National Association of Social Workers)
http://www.socialworkers.org
People looking for a career with
meaning, action, diversity, satisfaction, and an abundance
of options are often drawn to social work. Social workers
are highly trained professionals who care about people,
who want to make things better, and who want to relieve
suffering. There are over a half million professional
social workers in the United States who have all committed
their lives to making a difference.
Who are Social Workers?
Social workers help people overcome
social and health problems, such as poverty, mental
illness, child abuse and neglect, emotional instability,
illness, economic uncertainty, domestic violence, homelessness,
and drug abuse. They work directly with individuals,
couples, families, and groups to identify and overcome
these problems. Some social workers also work with communities,
organizations, and/or systems to improve services and/or
administrate social and health programs.
Social workers are found in many settings, including
private practice, mental health, health, schools, community
agencies, public welfare, agency administration, and
policy and planning. Social work’s approach is unique
among the helping professions because it focuses on
people’s problems in the context of their social environment.
Social workers believe that people are influenced by
the strengths and weaknesses of those around them –
in their families, communities, workplaces, and organizations.
Social workers apply their professional knowledge and
skills to help people make the most effective use of
their own abilities. When adequate services do not exist
in a community, social workers promote the development
of new services and programs.
Common Work
Activities
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Determining people’s social, emotional,
and economic problems and needs
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Providing services to address
the needs of people, or referring clients for appropriate
professional or community services
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Developing resources, programs
and social policies to address unmet community needs
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Assessing, diagnosing and/or treating
mental health and emotional problems (Clinical Social
Work: psychotherapy and counseling)
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Working to improve social programs
and health services through research and by encouraging
communities and organizations to be responsive to
identified needs
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Helping people improve personal
and/or social functioning by providing or referring
for education, training, employment and personal
growth services
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Coordinating and working with
governmental, private, civic, religious, business
and/or trade organizations to combat social problems
through community awareness and response programs
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Researching, planning and developing
social and health policies and programs
Examples of Social Work Jobs
Career Specialties
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For sheer variety, few occupations
can match social work, which offers the broadest
range of opportunities and settings. Social work
is a broad professional field that encompasses several
major areas of work and/or specialization:
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Social Casework (case management)
is basic social work: Assessing needs and applying
agency services and resources to address social,
health or economic problems, such as in health,
community agency and public welfare programs.
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Medical Social Workers work with
the special needs of patients and families in hospitals,
long term care facilities, hospice programs, outpatient
offices, rehabilitation programs and other health
settings.
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School Social Workers help with
emotional, social and economic problems so students
can focus on getting an education.
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Clinical Social Workers are found
in private practice or in psychiatric & mental
health care settings, where they provide psychotherapy
and counseling. They might also work in employee
assistance programs within larger companies that
have numerous employees.
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In Administration and Management,
social workers oversee the programs and systems
that provide social, health and public welfare services
Community Organization social workers work in cooperation
with the community to identify needs and to develop
or improve services and systems to meet those needs;
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In Social Policy and Research,
Social Workers analyze social problems, design and
conduct in depth research studies and develop ways
for social programs and systems to overcome those
problems.
Social Workers may also specialize in
treating specific problems, such as mental health disorders,
marriage problems, domestic violence, substance abuse,
or living with long term illnesses such as cancer and
HIV/AIDS. You will find social workers working with
special populations of people, such as in aging or gerontology,
developmental disabilities, juvenile services and probation,
child welfare, or public welfare, to name a few. A social
worker may also develop specialized skills in conflict
resolution and mediation, violence and victim services,
emergency preparedness and disaster relief.
Order the Encyclopedia
of Social Work
Client Profiles
Bob is experiencing stress as a single
parent. He is referred by a social worker to a good
child care agency. The social worker also helps Bob
explore flextime with his employer and works with a
coalition of local employers to make flextime and child
care more available to others in the same situation.
In addition, the social worker provides therapy to help
this young father handle the immediate stress of raising
children on his own.
Tara, a new mother, is 16 years
old. She lives with her grandparents and hasn’t finished
high school. Her social worker helped her child get
health insurance and regular check ups, and helped Tara
apply for public assistance. With her social worker’s
support, Tara enrolled in evening classes to finish
high school, and found a support group to help young
mothers with parenting skills.
Scott is 8 years old and loves to
learn. He began skipping school after bigger kids started
teasing him. His school’s social worker alerted Scott’s
teachers who helped control the bullying. He met with
Scott’s parents to suggest ways to help the situation.
Now, he and Scott talk a lot--not only about bullies,
but also all the things Scott is excited to be learning
about.
Bulk order Choices: Careers
in Social Work
Or view Choices: Careers
in Social Work online
More About Social Work Jobs:
In Social Casework (case
management), social workers help clients who become
eligible for a variety of services designed to improve
their economic, social and/or health functioning. They
administer established social, health and/or public
welfare services through public, private, community
or sectarian agencies and organizations.
Medical Social Workers help
patients and their families cope with the many problems
that accompany illness or inhibit recovery and rehabilitation,
such as economic need, disability, and lack of resources
after discharge to home. They also collect and analyze
patient information to help other health professionals
understand the social, emotional, and environmental
factors underlying a patient’s condition, or affecting
their optimal recovery. In hospitals, medical social
workers often coordinate services for home care and
equipment following discharge, or for referral to rehabilitation
and long-term care facilities. In hospice, long-term
care, and rehabilitation facilities, they assess patient
and family functioning on an ongoing basis, providing
or recommending services as conditions change. In outpatient
settings, medical social workers provide referral services
and supportive counseling, and coordinate after care
and follow up services.
School Social Workers help
students and families overcome the social, behavioral,
emotional, or economic problems that prevent learning.
They interview students to determine problems, use professional
judgment to assess conditions, refer for appropriate
professional or community services, and follow up to
assure that services are provided and that conditions
improve.
Community Organization Social
Workers work to improve systems and develop
new resources so that more people in the community will
have access to the services they need to function at
their best. They work for or with governmental, private,
or community groups and organizations to determine community
needs, and to recommend and develop new resources.
Clinical Social Workers
provide a full range of mental health services, including
assessment, diagnosis and treatment. They draw on a
variety of psychotherapeutic theories and tools to help
individuals, couples, families and groups deal with
emotional problems, mental disorders, and substance
abuse/chemical dependency.
In Administration and Management,
social workers oversee the provision of public and private
social and health service programs. They understand
the mission of the organization and administer the resources
and money necessary to make the program operate effectively
to help people. They evaluate the program’s effectiveness
to continually improve services. They employ social
workers and other professionals to provide direct services
to individuals, families and groups of people.
In Social Policy social
workers may conduct research projects to determine how
to address pressing social concerns, such as substance
abuse and child welfare services. Through the collection
and analysis of research data, social workers plan and
implement interventions with an emphasis on changing
policies and advocating to reform social conditions.
Social workers in social policy practice also guide
the implementation of social policy projects.
Social Work Researchers engage
in research to measure the effectiveness of agency or
program operations as well as studying the causes of
larger social problems such as poverty, homelessness,
and substance abuse. They analyze results and use their
findings to recommend ways to improve social policies
and conditions.
Social Work
Standards
The social work profession has its own
body of knowledge, code of ethics, practice standards,
credentials, state licensing, and a nationwide system
of accredited education programs. These equip the professional
social worker to combine the desire to help others with
the knowledge, skill, and ethics needed to provide that
help.
Social Work Practice with Clients with Substance Use
Disorders
(and
ASWB Standards for) Technology and Social Work
Practice
Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings
Clinical Social Work in Social Work Practice
Social Work Practice in Child Welfare
Social Work Practice in Palliative and End of Life
Care
Social Work Services in Long-Term Care Facilities
Continuing Education and the Social Work Profession
the Practice of Social Work with Adolescents
Integrating Genetics into Social Work Practice
Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice
Continuing Professional Education
School Social Work Services
Education, Licensing, and Credentials
Education
To be a NASW member, you must have a
degree in social work from a college or university program
accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
The undergraduate degree is the Bachelor of Social Work
(BSW). Graduate degrees include the Master of Social
Work (MSW) and the Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) or
PhD. An MSW is required to provide therapy. For information
about accredited schools of social work, contact the
Council on Social Work Education at 1600 Duke Street,
Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-683-8080,
www.cswe.org.
Degree programs involve classroom study
as well as practical field experience. The bachelor’s
degree prepares graduates for generalist entry-level
work, whereas the master’s degree is for more advanced
clinical practice. A DSW or PhD is useful for doing
research or teaching at the university level.
Licensing
Most states require practicing social
workers to be licensed, certified, or registered, although
standards vary. Contact the state regulatory board directly
or the American Association of Social Work Boards,
www.aswb.org,
400 South Ridge Parkway, Suite B. Culpepper, VA 22701,
703-829-6880, for a list of regulatory agencies or for
a comparison of state regulations.
Credentials
NASW establishes and promotes additional
standards and credentials required for excellence in
the practice of social work. A credential certifies
that a social worker has achieved competence and professionalism
beyond a college degree or state license. Credentials
generally require a degree, supervised experience, and
a standard examination. NASW members may obtain one
or more of the following certifications:
Social Work Salaries
It is difficult to assign a definitive range to social
work salaries given the variety of positions and employers
within the field. But one thing is certain: demand for
social workers is on the rise.
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You’ll
Need a Social Worker. . .
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When you come into the world too soon
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When you can’t find anyone to play with
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When you are left home alone
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When you hate the new baby
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When you don’t think your teacher likes you
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When you are bullied
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When you don’t want mommy and daddy to divorce
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When you miss your big brother
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When you don’t like how the neighbor touches you
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When you get into fights at school
When you don’t make the team
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When your best friend moves away
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When you get poor grades
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When you always fight with your siblings
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When your friends pressure you to get high
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When you can’t adjust to the move
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When you can’t talk to your parents
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When you want to quit school
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When your friends don’t like you anymore
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When you didn’t want this baby
When you feel like running away
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When your friend swallows an overdose
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When you are the only one that thinks you’re fat
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When you can’t find someone who speaks your language
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When you can’t forget the assault
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When you can’t decide on a career
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When your family pressures you to marry
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When your boss is hitting on you
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When you can’t stick to a budget
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When you want to adopt
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When you wonder if you are drinking too much
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When you can’t find good day care
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When you think you are neglecting your kids
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When you are hated because of who you are
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When you lose your baby
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When your community has gang problems
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When your kids want to live with your ex
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When your partner is unfaithful
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When you want to meet your birthparent
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When your disabled child needs friends
When your step-kids hate you
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When your mother won’t speak to you
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When you just can’t face moving again
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When your spouse wants a divorce
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When you want to be a foster parent
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When your city officials don’t respond
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When your best friend has panic attacks
Life’s
Challenges – Social Workers Are There For You!
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