What Is Social Work?
Social work is a helping profession; the main goal of social work is to improve a society’s overall well-being, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
You may be wondering, “Why social work instead of other helping professions?” Social work’s distinguishing characteristics are its emphasis on the person-in-environment model and its emphasis on social justice. In other words, social workers not only consider individuals’ internal struggles, as other counselors might, they also work with people to examine their relationships, family history, work environment, community environment, and the structures and policies that impact them in order to identify ways to help address a problem or challenge. Social workers also do not limit their work to individuals; they work with individuals, couples, families, groups, neighborhoods, communities, and organizations.
Social work practice is also strengths-based. Social workers help people or groups identify their problems, determine their skills and capacities, what they are doing well, and how that was accomplished, and then analyze ways that those strengths might be applied to the identified problems.
What are the Social Work Jobs?
Social work is an incredibly broad and diverse field; it offers an almost limitless range of career options. Social workers work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, non-profit organizations, mental health centers, schools, advocacy agencies, community organizations, and government offices.
Many social workers work directly with clients who are individuals, families or small groups. These social workers help clients cope with problems such as poverty, abuse, addiction, and mental illness by providing counseling, connecting clients with service providers, and empowering clients to meet their own needs.
Other social workers choose to work with communities, organizations or governments. These workers advocate for vulnerable populations, fighting to end the inequalities and injustices they see in their communities. They create policies, break down barriers, and drive reform.
With a degree from an accredited school of social work, you can enter any of the following fields:
- Mental health services
- Military social work
- Adoption and foster care
- Family preservation services
- Child protective services
- Homeless services
- Hospital social work
- Health and wellness services
- Outpatient health services
- School-based social work
- Psychiatric hospital services
- Domestic violence services
- Services to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Services to older adults
- Faith-based services
- Advocacy services
- Grant management
- HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services
- Addictions prevention and treatment services
- Services for justice-involved persons
- Crisis intervention
- Hospice and palliative care
- Nonprofit management and support
- Community organizing and intervention
- Housing services
- Guardian ad litem
- Disaster relief
how can a social worker help?
Our social workers can give you and your family with information, advice and counselling, and put you in touch with other support services. They can also help by:
- Acting as a bridge between you and your medical team and gathering the information you need to make decisions.
- Helping you navigate the healthcare system and making sure you get the right support and care.
- Linking you with other support organisations in the community that can provide things like financial aid or group support.
- Helping you negotiate loan repayments with your bank or to apply for leave from work or study.
- Arranging meetings with your medical team and family to talk about care and treatment.
- Helping you prepare for and manage difficult or important conversations with family and friends. Coordinating everything else that may be going on in your life, such as caring for other children or an elderly family member, study commitments, the demands of your job or the challenges of not having one.
- Supporting you through any changes in close relationships. You can talk with your social worker about emotional and practical challenges, sexuality and intimacy.
- Helping you re-adjust as treatment finishes. Although this is a time to celebrate, it can also be pretty stressful as there’ll be a lot of new decisions and adjustments to be made.
Social Work 