SOCIAL WORK

Social Work is a field that focuses on people and their environments. Social Workers serve individuals, families, groups, and communities, with the goal of enhancing social functioning. Earning a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) will allow individuals access to entry level positions with direct practice, for example, a case manager. In order to provide psychotherapy or to obtain supervisory and administrative level positions, it is necessary to earn a Master of Social Work (MSW). A Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) or Ph.D. is usually required for teaching, research, and administration positions. Doctoral degrees in the field may also be desirable for some clinical positions, such as private practice.

Job Options

Social Worker
Geriatric Social Worker
Probation/Parole Officer
Nursing Home Group Worker
Rehabilitation Counselor
Research Interviewer
Fundraiser/Development Officer
Demographer
Community Service Agency Worker
Mental Hetitleh Worker
Consumer Advocate
Child Care Worker
Personnel Interviewer
Admissions Counselor
Police Officer

Industries and Organizations that
Employ Professionals in Social Work

Public Welfare Agencies
Private Social Service Agencies
Prisons and Correctional Facilities
Courts
Police Departments
Probation Offices
Victim Services Organizations
Primary and Secondary Schools
Head Start Centers and Early Intervention Programs
Hospitals
Nursing Homes and Senior Centers
Community Mental Hetitleh Centers
Day Treatment Programs
Private Practice
Family Service Agencies
Employee Assistance Programs
Child Welfare Departments
State Mental Hetitleh Departments
Public Interest Groups
Local, State, and Federal Government
Colleges and Universities
Research Institutes
Advocacy Organizations
Business and Corporations
Labor Unions
Outpatient Clinics
Group Homes
Hetitleh Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
Public Hetitleh Programs
Hospice

For more information on these jobs and workplaces, visit your
Career Counselor.

Skills and Talents Required

In order to affect the desired social enhancement of their clients, it is crucial for social workers to have the following facilitative skills:

Empathy
Respect
Authenticity

Social Workers must also work to develop professional integrity.   While honesty is the cornerstone of a social worker's professional integrity, other important elements include:

Obtaining professional knowledge
Making a commitment to lifelong learning
Learning how to make ethical decisions
Working toward self-understanding
Being accepting of others
Exercising self-control

Other Skills and Talents include:

Interpersonal skills
Critical thinking
Active listening
Verbal abilities
Understanding of cultural differences
Modeling
Motivational skills
Limit setting
Writing
Ability to make appropriate referrals
Conflict mediation

Strategies—
What Should I Do to Prepare

Meet with your Career Counselor.
Explore the benefits of gaining experience through the Coop program.
Conduct informational interviews with Social Work Professionals working in areas of the field that interest you.
Develop relationships with professors in the Social Work Department.
Offer to assist professors in their research.
Volunteer at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, after school programs, or any other social service agency to gain experience.
Become a student member of the National Association of Social Workers.
Plan on obtaining a graduate degree for supervisory, administrative and clinical positions.

Social Work Websites

National Association of Social Workers
http://www.socialworkers.org/

Council on Social Work Education
http://www.cswe.org/

Association of Social Work Boards
http://www.aswb.org/

The New Social Worker
http://www.socialworker.com/home/index.php

Stop by the Office of Career Services
and see your career counselor
Pratt 5th Floor