Social work is a profession for those with
a strong desire to help people, to make things better, and to make a difference.
Social workers help people function the best way they can in their environment,
deal with their relationships with others, and solve personal and family
problems.
Social workers often see clients who face a
life-threatening disease or a social problem. These problems may include
inadequate housing, unemployment, lack of job skills, financial distress,
serious illness or disability, substance abuse, unwanted pregnancy, or
antisocial behavior. Social workers also assist families that have serious
domestic conflicts, including those involving child or spousal abuse.
Through direct counseling, social workers help clients
identify their concerns, consider effective solutions, and find reliable
resources. Social workers typically consult and counsel clients and arrange for
services that can help them. Often, they refer clients to specialists in
services such as debt counseling, childcare or elder care, public assistance, or
alcohol or drug rehabilitation. Social workers then follow through with the
client to assure that services are helpful and that clients make proper use of
the services offered. Social workers may review eligibility requirements, help
fill out forms and applications, visit clients on a regular basis, and provide
support during crises.
Social workers practice in a variety of settings. In
hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, they provide or arrange for a range of
support services. In mental health and community centers, social workers provide
counseling services on marriage, family, and adoption matters, and they help
people through personal or community emergencies, such as dealing with loss or
grief or arranging for disaster assistance. In schools, they help children,
parents, and teachers cope with problems. In social service agencies, they help people locate basic
benefits, such as income assistance, housing, and job training.
Social workers also offer counseling to those receiving
therapy for addictive or physical disorders in rehabilitation facilities, and to
people in nursing homes in need of routine living care. In employment settings,
they counsel people with personal, family, professional, or financial problems
affecting their work performance.
Social workers who work in courts and correction
facilities evaluate and counsel individuals in the criminal justice system to
cope better in society. In private practice, they provide clinical or diagnostic
testing services covering a wide range of personal disorders.
Social workers often provide social services in
health-related settings that now are governed by managed care organizations. To
contain costs, these organizations are emphasizing short-term intervention,
ambulatory and community-based care, and greater decentralization of services.
Most social workers specialize in an area of practice.
Although some conduct research or are involved in planning or policy
development, most social workers prefer an area of practice in which they
interact with clients.
Clinical social workers
offer psychotherapy
or counseling and a range of diagnostic services in public agencies, clinics,
and private practice.
Child welfare or family services social workers
may counsel children and youths who have difficulty adjusting socially, advise
parents on how to care for disabled children, or arrange for homemaker services
during a parent’s illness. If children have serious problems in school, child
welfare workers may consult with parents, teachers, and counselors to identify
underlying causes and develop plans for treatment. Some social workers assist
single parents, arrange adoptions, and help find foster homes for neglected,
abandoned, or abused children. Child welfare workers also work in residential
institutions for children and adolescents.
Child or adult protective services social workers
investigate reports of abuse and neglect and intervene if necessary. They may
initiate legal action to remove children from homes and place them temporarily
in an emergency shelter or with a foster family.
Mental health social workers
provide
services for persons with mental or emotional problems. Such services include
individual and group therapy, outreach, crisis intervention, social
rehabilitation, and training in skills of everyday living. They may also help
plan for supportive services to ease patients’ return to the community.
Health care social workers
help patients and
their families cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses and handle
problems that may stand in the way of recovery or rehabilitation. They may
organize support groups for families of patients suffering from cancer, AIDS,
Alzheimer’s disease, or other illnesses. They also advise family caregivers,
counsel patients, and help plan for their needs after discharge by arranging for
at-home services—from meals-on-wheels to oxygen equipment. Some work on
interdisciplinary teams that evaluate certain kinds of patients—geriatric or
organ transplant patients, for example.
School social workers
diagnose students’
problems and arrange needed services, counsel children in trouble, and help
integrate disabled students into the general school population. School social
workers deal with problems such as student pregnancy, misbehavior in class, and
excessive absences. They also advise teachers on how to cope with problem
students.
Criminal justice social workers
make
recommendations to courts, prepare pre-sentencing assessments, and provide
services to prison inmates and their families. Probation and parole officers
provide similar services to individuals sentenced by a court to parole or
probation.
Occupational social workers
usually
work in a corporation’s personnel department or health unit. Through employee
assistance programs, they help workers cope with job-related pressures or
personal problems that affect the quality of their work. They often offer direct
counseling to employees whose performance is hindered by emotional or family
problems or substance abuse. They also develop education programs and refer
workers to specialized community programs.
Gerontology social workers
specialize in
services to the aged. They run support groups for family caregivers or for the
adult children of aging parents. Also, they advise elderly people or family
members about the choices in such areas as housing, transportation, and
long-term care; they also coordinate and monitor services.
Social work administrators
perform overall
management tasks in a hospital, clinic, or other setting that offers social
worker services.
Social work planners and policy-makers develop
programs to address such issues as child abuse, homelessness, substance abuse,
poverty, and violence. These workers research and analyze policies, programs,
and regulations. They identify social problems and suggest legislative and other
solutions. They may help raise funds or write grants to support these programs.
Source: "Occupational
Outlook Handbook"
Resources for Social Workers
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