This is inspired by this thread.
I’m particularily interested in american social work, as that field seems particularily low-key, so to say.
Oh dear god it is the last thing from low-key. Social workers are probably the number one job that can expect serious burn-out.
Many social workers are employed by the government. They take people in need- abused children, the mentally ill, drug addicts, the homeless, etc. and connect then to the services that they need. Usually these people come to the attention of the state when they are in some kind of serious trouble.
An individual client probably includes initial evaluation, coordinating any tests or further evaluations needed, contacting the relevant agencies, advising them about forms and procedures, helping them with stuff like finding housing, finding access to the things and programs they need, and following up to make sure they follow any condition they must follow (which may mean drug tests, home visits, etc.) Oftentimes the clients are uncompliant, unable or unwilling to follow instructions, or unlikely to actually do anything positive.
Social workers, especially government employed ones, are likely to have a caseload that numbers in the hundreds- far more than they can realistically provide meaningful support for. You get the full brunt of government bureaucracy on one side and people who rarely appriciate (and sometimes take advantage of) your hardwork on the other. It’s a tough job.
In addition to the above, licensed social workers can see individual patients in a similar capacity to clinical psychologists (only in some states). Other types of social workers work in psychiatric hospitals or substance abuse clinics to do everything from counseling to post-release treatment plans that take care of things to a firm, detailed level.
Social workers get exposed to the worst of the human condition and most types of social work are quite low paying especially since many of them require a Masters degree.
Then, how is that reflected in the general opinion of the profession? Merely an unrewarding effort with unappreciated work?
I don’t think it is unappreciated by anyone. People see the valuable services they provide like saving kids from abusive situations. However, it isn’t high prestige and people are generally aware that it doesn’t pay much.
I think people think about it like they do special education teachers" “Thank God someone is good enough to do that but better them than me.”
Wow. Both of those are high on my “What could I do next with my career?” list. I am currently armed with a BA in psychology, experience in clinical trials research, and a strong desire to “do good things.” I think the first and second are “sufficient” and the third is “necessary.”
From what I understand, you can also do work with nonprofits, which do anything and everything under the sun. A friend of mine is looking into starting a nonprofit and thinks that an MSW would help a great deal. I’m strongly thinking that it’s my next educational step as well. I want to do stuff to help people and like being kept busy–it’s the endless drone of sitting at a computer and lack of facetime with actual people that burns me out.
Here is a post I made when someone asked about working in Family and Child services.
I was a social worker in my previous professional incarnation. Elder abuse casework.
Although not technically social workers, lots of parole and probation officers have degrees in social work. There are also a fair amount of actual social work positions in the criminal justice system. There are the social workers in the jails and prisons, alternatives-to-incarceration programs employ social workers, treatment courts often have social workers on staff and the Legal Aid Society here employs forensic social workers.
A social work degree of some sort may be helpful, but more likely important is specialized education/training in the administration of a nonprofit: finance and budgeting, strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, communications and human resources. I’m not sure if social work schools offer comprehensive education/training in these key areas, but maybe there are dual-degree options.
This is something that makes me interested in the social work as a field overall - you’d know that the people are there for the desire to “do good things” and with a healthy sense of philantropy.
Combined with some jobs that lets you work with psychilogical councelling, like Shagnasty mentioned, it doesn’t seem too bad, low pay or not.
It’s a similar in meaning to “social drinker”. Social workers DO work - just not very often, only when others are around, and never so much that you could tell after the fact.
I keed, I only keed. Some of my best friends are social workers.
Its probably not well known, but social workers are a small but significant part of the military. My father spent a thirty year career in the US Air Force as a social worker. As you say, much of his work was in counseling individual patients (or married couples), much as a clinical psychiatrist. Some of the problems he dealt with were typical social problems, others were the direct result of things unique to the military environment. He finished his career at the Pentagon, in charge of the Department of Defense alcohol rehab programs.
FWIW, if you and your friend would consider relocating while pursuing a Master’s degree, Case Western Reserve University offers a Master of Non-Profit Oranizations.
From a decade in foster care, I can say that social workers have extremely heavy case loads on average and are responsible for seeing that wards of the state and other children that fall under their umbrella are properly cared for. This involves showing up in court, mediating family meetings, finding group/foster/respite homes, bailing me out of detention, coordinating counseling/therapy/psychotherapy, ensuring success in public school and keeping kids off of drugs. Every single thing that occurs in a childs life, they can be responsible for. Depending on their licensing, they can also act as counselors themselves. They make 30-45k a year and quite often have thankless jobs.
As “Social Work” is a degree you can get, this is obviously just one type. Probably the most difficult type…social workers could also be found at a local elementary school and other places.
Hmmm…I must be the only doper that has bad memories of ‘Social Workers’. I had great parents, awesome friends, A+ grades and just remember that the social workers that I’d ever met weren’t qualified for the job that they held.
I’m not saying that it isn’t a job that’s needed, I’m saying that before anyone should have enough power to wreck a family…and tear children from them, they might want to have a relationship first…maybe even a child.
I had a friend, not me, ripped from his family because his sister called a social worker because she was spanked (this was the 80’s). The Social worker was 22 years old.
My father gave me a flute of champagne on New Years of 1985 ( I was 16 )…and somehow that got ratted on…hell, I was called to Juvenile court because of it. Anyways, sorry…this just touched a spark in me.
To me, this comes down to…a degree can’t make you empathetic…it can’t make you feel what folks might be going through…and…anyone who’s thinking of such endeavors for their life’s work might want to live the ‘other side’ first. It’s not all cut and dried. With the power that they yield, they should have some experience to go with it.
Just my 2 cents…my own story is much longer…and much wronger. (if that’s a word).
Something I just read on the subject:
“…I have known a number of people who, after years of establishing themselves in solid careers… suddenly come to a clear realization that their true calling in life was social work. They arm themselves with college catalogues and begin to reroute, to right, the courses of their lives… To a man these recent converts stress the word satisfying so that it bowls over the word work. I always do my best to point out that the common drudgery of every day work seems no less part of social work than it is part of any other field, that any sense of making a difference is fairly quickly crushed by the daily scamper to stuff county funds into the thousands of small leaks buckling the welfare system…”
Scott Cole, “Reckless Revivals”
Wonderful quote, but social workers are not alone in efforts to improve the macro (society) and micro (the plight of the down and out). Add to the list: teachers, nurses, doctors, police officers, physical therapists, public interest attorneys, NPO employees and countless volunteers. Ultimately, a person can contribute to society in many ways and on many levels; social work is but one of them. I will also note that many companies, mine perhaps near the lead, contribute huge sums of money to charitable causes.
At least some of them do - an ex of mine was a graduate of this master’s program. It’s perhaps a bit more clinical/theoretical, depending on your concentration, than you had in mind, but I imagine there are other programs out there as well with a slightly different focus. When I first met him, he was doing a lot of the statistics compilation for grant applications, etc. for the agency where we worked; our particular program did job placement/short-term vocational training and referral for East Bloc refugees (and a few random other refugees, as long as we had a staff member who could communicate with them; we did have a few Iraqi Jews who spoke Hebrew, and a Hebrew-speaking staff member).
I should also add from my experience there that a desire to do good may not be enough in itself to make for a long social work career, and I would highly recommend an internship and/or volunteer position before committing to a grad degree in social work. (Can you say burnout?) I certainly had a desire to do good, but the stress of trying to serve 200+ non-English-speaking new immigrants who had no experience with a capitalist economy, during a recession, with practically zero resources, did me in. I lasted a little over a year before I was a burned-out wreck. I have huge respect for people who can last over the long haul, but in the end it wasn’t for me. And job placement is a lot less traumatic than, say, dealing with victims of abuse, or people with substance abuse issues, to name but two client populations.
That’s the beauty of it, they don’t *do * anything.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. They do all of what has been listed above and much more.
They are grossly overworked and underpaid, I can tell you that much.