Social Wor ke r

If you enjoy working with people, have good communication skills, and want to
help improve the lives of others, social work may be the right career for you.

Social workers help people who need skills and advice to solve personal and
family problems. Depending on the type of social work you choose, you may
have clients of all ages, including children, single adults, parents, parents-to-
be, married couples – and all of the people involved in their lives. These
clients may be facing life-threatening diseases, disabilities, social problems,
domestic conflicts, or heath-related issues. Whichever type of social work a
person chooses, unless they decide to work in research and policy, they will
be working closely with people from every walk of life.

Top Ten
License T o Ch oose
Not everyone working in the field of social work is a “social worker.” A person
becomes an official, certified social worker through state-organized testing
and licensing. To give you an idea of the range of work types available to
accredited social workers, here are ten different types of social work jobs.

ADOPTION AGENT:
Adoption agents assist in the process of successful adoption from both the
biological family’s side and the adopting family’s side. They meet with the
birth parents to attempt to ensure the smooth separation and decisive
resolve that will be required to achieve a successful adoption. Likewise, they
work with adoptive parents to prepare them for the potential frustration and
elation involved in the adoption process. They determine whether a particular
adoptive family will make suitable parents, fulfilling any special needs the child
may have. Adoption agents match families according to desired openness of
the adoption, assisting with visitation in some cases. They do any follow-up
required to ensure that new families are working well.

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CHILD WELFARE OFFICER:
Child welfare officers work with families of children with difficulty socializing,
parents with disabled or ill children, parents with daycare challenges, and
parents with disabilities or addictions. They work for government or
community agencies, hospitals and schools, ensuring the safety of children
who are at risk of becoming neglected, critically ill or otherwise endangered.

C RIMINAL JUSTICE WORKE R:

Social workers involved with criminal justice often evaluate criminals and
criminal behavior to determine probable causes, patterns, states of mind, and
appropriate sentencing for criminals facing juries. They also assist police in the
process of catching criminals by interpreting criminal activity and recognizing
possible clues in the creation of criminal profiles.

HEALTHCARE COUNSELOR:
Healthcare social workers offer counseling to families with members who are
experiencing acute or terminal illness. They help develop support systems for
people with recovery and rehabilitation challenges. They may assist in the
organization of support groups for people with similar illnesses, or help to
arrange for in-home care for patients who must continue recovery after
hospital discharge.

HOTLINE ADMINISTRATOR:
Health hotlines are comparatively recent resources that have demonstrated
usefulness in the preservation of social health. Qualified social workers
provide appropriate training and supervision for hotline staff and volunteers,
who offer emergency and crisis counseling to the public and social service
networks. Organizations and specialists in a range of areas, including chemical
abuse, domestic abuse, debilitating illness, and family planning, await calls from
people reaching out in their hour of need. These organizations also assist
government agencies in tracking the social needs of a given geographic and
the success of existing social services.

OCCUPATIONAL SOCIAL WORKE R:

Occupational social workers are employed by companies or corporations to
manage the emotional or physical challenges faced by their employees.
Occupational social workers may track the health of the employees as a

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group or manage the needs of an individual employee. They assist individuals
in finding counseling appropriate to his or her difficulty or represent an
employee’s special issues to his or her manager when personal crises affect a
worker’s performance.

PROTECTIVE SE RVICES WORKE R:

These social workers assist police agencies with investigating reports of
domestic neglect or abuse of children or adults. They often determine and
initiate legal action to remove abused people from dangerous home
environments, placing children in foster care or adults in emergency housing.

REHABILITATION COUNSELOR:
Rehabilitation counselors work with recovering addicts or criminal offenders.
They help clients take different paths from those that brought them to the
point of intervention. Whether providing detoxification or incarceration
counseling, or post-release counseling and follow-up, they track progress and
manage setbacks with their clients, helping to provide the stability that many
in rehabilitation have difficulty developing for themselves.

SCHOOL COUNSELOR:
School counselors diagnose and assist in the treatment of students with
learning disabilities, socially and developmentally challenged students, and
students growing up with domestic conflicts. By attempting to manage and
combat these challenges early, these social workers help students during
their primary years of growth. Effective counseling during a person’s school
years can provide the best chance for that individual to maximize his or her
talents later in life.

SHELTER OPERATOR:
Social workers involved with homeless shelters and emergency shelters are
often the sole advocates for citizens whose special needs would otherwise go
unrecognized. These counselors assist those in crisis by providing shelter,
food and support options that may assist them to achieve safer lives beyond
the shelters. They also provide information to government agencies regarding
the numbers of people in need, types of assistance most often sought, and
what follow-up is necessary to remedy the dangers that threaten their clients’
well-being.

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This could mean drug rehabilitation programs, battered women’s services or
foster care.

How to Get Ther e

Passion F or C ompas sion

• Lend a hand. Social workers like to assist people. Being around people,
offering comfort, providing options, and inspiring hope are all part of the
job. Help out around the house and in the classroom. Be patient with
others and try to find solutions for any disputes. Try your hand at caring
for kids at home or babysitting for neighbors. Be helpful to and
respectful of senior citizens whenever you have the chance.
• Volunteer! There are so many ways that you can contribute, starting
today. Search under keywords KIDS VOLUNTEER on the Internet for
social agencies that take student volunteers. For instance, you could
serve food at a homeless shelter, help make Christmas ornaments for
families without the resources to buy them, and create Valentines and
chocolate treats with nursing home residents. You might also discover
social work agencies or hotlines where you can volunteer and learn
about social work from the inside.
• Be cooperative. Social workers have incredible patience and work well
with all kinds of personalities. This is a skill you can work on your entire
life, so it’s never too soon to start. Catch yourself as frustration sets in,
and attempt to calm tensions rather than escalating aggression. Avoid
projecting a bad attitude when communicating your concerns and
desires, and take responsibility for your feelings instead of blaming or
crediting them to others.
• Surf and turf. Search on the Internet by keywords SOCIAL WORK and
SOCIAL SERVICES to learn about how to become a social worker and to
read testimonials from social workers providing services in a variety of
areas.
• Watch the news. Check your local TV news and newspapers to find
social work efforts going on around you every day. Updates on social
programs, services and workers often make their way to the headlines
in your community.

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Activity
In S omeone Else’s Sh oes
The best social workers are problem solvers. They recognize an individual or
group with special needs and attempt to find solutions for their
disadvantages. Can you imagine what it would be like to suddenly lose your
ability to walk? How would you need to adjust your everyday life? Would you
be able to get around your school in a wheelchair? Would your chair fit in your
family’s car? What changes would have to be made in your lifestyle and
surroundings? Would you be able to continue with your favorite hobbies, or
would you have to pick up new ones?

For this activity, imagine that one of your parents is suddenly dealing with
narcolepsy – an illness characterized by the sudden and uncontrollable attack
of deep sleep. What immediate changes would your family need to make and
how would each family member need to adapt?

First, make a list of three immediate challenges that would accompany such a
diagnosis for your parent. Some examples are driving, work and childcare. On
three pieces of paper, write one challenge at the top of each piece.

Next, use the Internet to research ways in which social workers and social
services could help your family to acclimate to a new way of life. Are there
courses and support groups available for families with a narcoleptic parent?
Are there organizations that help advocate for clients whose illnesses
threaten their work performance or ability to safely watch over young kids?
Find three resources available to your family to attempt to combat each of
the three challenges you’ve listed and write them on the related piece of
paper.

Next, list any new or “second tier” difficulties associated with the three helpful
resources on each problem sheet. For example, a course being offered for
families dealing with narcolepsy may only meet a long distance away from
your home during the evening. This may mean that a reliable babysitter and
driver will be needed during class and commuting time, meals will have to be
planned in advance, and funds will need to be secured to pay for the course,
babysitter and extra gas.

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Lastly, attempt to search for resources that may help your family resolve
these second tier difficulties. Are there agencies that assist people with low-
cost driving solutions? Record your findings.

As you can see, one challenge often leads to many. Though you’ve only
scratched the surface, from this exercise you should be able to see how social
services assist those in need, and which resources are available to the public.
You can do this exercise as many times as you like, substituting a different
challenge each time. It’s a great way to learn about the social services
available in your area and to find volunteer opportunities for young people
with interests in social work.

Q&A
Q. In what type o f s o cial w o rk a re y ou involved, and what ab out it
is not what y ou expected?

Marian L., a Licensed Independent Social Worker in Cincinnati, OH, says:

I am involved in clinical social work. That means I see children, adolescents,

and adults who have a variety of problems around learning, working, playing,
and in relating to other people. We meet in my office and talk about the
problems. What we talk about is very private. Some people come only a few
times and some people come to meetings for many years to learn about
themselves.

When I became a clinical social worker, I expected people in my profession to

get along easily because I thought they worked on their own problems. Boy,
was I wrong! It is very important for professional counselors to work out their
own problems before trying to help others, and to exemplify the idea that
health is about continuing to better ourselves throughout our lives.

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