Social Work 101

Social work supports a large number of professional jobs.  Social work is dedicated to improving lives of patients through their social functioning.  Social work can involve an individual, a family, a group of people and/or a community.  Social workers often work alongside a team of other health professionals to best support a person’s overall needs.  Social workers job duties can include a wide array of things depending on their job setting and population they are working with.  Many social workers help people identify their areas of need and come up with a plan to work on those areas.  They often help connect people with additional services to aide them with their goals.  Certain social workers may provide counseling services and/or respond to individuals in crisis.
Social workers can work in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, substance abuse and/or behavioral health agencies, human services departments, long term care facilities and more.  Some types of social workers include child and family social work, school social work, healthcare social work, and mental health/substance abuse social work.  There are also additional careers that are similar to social workers which can include therapists, probation officers, psychologists, and community service managers.
Social work is a very important role in caring for patients and ensuring they are connected with resources that will help improve their lives.  As you have read, social work is a large field and there are many specialties and areas of interest that one can work in.  Next, we’ll take a look at the role of a social service designee who works under the supervision of a social worker as well as education requirements and job outlooks of social workers.
For more information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on social workers, click here: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/mobile/social-workers.htm