Social Work
If you are choosing to take up social work and play the role of a social worker then you would be expected to fight against injustice and inequality on a daily basis and ensure betterment of society. You may also have to take up field work as is often the case with a large number of individual projects. Use of well-accepted notions, ideas of psychological and social research as well as the right application of acquired information gathered through personal experience can help a social worker to make the world a better place for everyone. It will be wrong to consider social workers as someone who would take up projects simply for charity. The International Federation of Social Workers believes that they are group of people who are paid to stand up for the cause of human rights, social development and social justice.
Career Avenues
The field of social work opens up more career avenues than any other form of liberal arts major may have to offer. The work of social worker is not restricted to taking applications for food stamps or making arrangements for shelter for the underprivileged children but it goes beyond the conventional norms. Academic research organizations and government bodies take on people with bachelor’s degree to promote social causes and thus social workers with strong educational background and good credentials in graduate program can do well in any stream of social work.
Whether it is gathering financial help for conducting medicinal practices or managing support for large number of people having similar problem and seeking appropriate educational resources, social workers can do a host of things for benefiting the society. Those working in the health care sector, ensure that proper care is administered to patients in hospitals and nursing homes. In industry, social workers can carve out a career as public relation executives or as employee counselors.
Challenges
Social work is about providing proper assistance to people facing some of the most complex problems and tough challenges. Individuals, groups, private firms, businesses and communities also get help from social workers to operate successfully in the social arena. Social workers provide extensive support to those faced with major issues such as poverty, domestic abuse, disability and mental illness. However, not everyone can achieve success in social work. One needs to be kind, committed to help people in need and also be sensitive to people’s problems. Having proper education in diverse fields that come under the social work umbrella can help people get success in this field. Although social work can be demanding and highly taxing but it is an enriching and a fulfilling career path.
Those taking a plunge in social work are unlikely to have a smooth sailing all the way. Social work has its own set of challenges. One has to be prepared to help individuals, groups, business and organizations to face the difficult issues and damaging problems occurring in their everyday lives. Situations of poverty, abuse, physical and mental illness, loss, unemployment, disability issues, discrimination are some common cases which the social workers have to deal with. Having good knowledge of human behavior and of the social, economic, religious and cultural institutions and the interaction between all these factors can work well for a social worker.
Requirements
Research activities and work related to seeking improved services, planning, policy development and social advancement are the key tasks of social workers. There is a need for social workers to have a clear understanding of the human condition and be compassionate towards other fellow beings.
Types of Social Work Careers:
- Carving a career path in social work for children and school would require a person to deal with issues such as children’s abuse, safety, health, violence and academic problems. Those involved in this field usually work in association with some educational institution for bridging the gap between children and their parents and for helping children to correct their mental, psychological, behavioral and academic problems.
- Social workers working areas related to child and family are often recruited by state government entities or local bodies or by individual and family service organizations. Issues such as child and family welfare, family support services and child protective services are bets handles by such social workers.
- People engaging in careers related to the field of mental health are required to pay attention to psychological issues. Social workers making a career in this field have to render assistance to people in initiating welfare programs for issues such as substance abuse or depression. Career in mental health require social workers to play the role of a counselor and provide help to the patients.
- Social workers involved in the field of fighting against substance abuse are required to take the responsibility of building up patient detoxification programs to carry out research. They need to focus on the inter-relation of substance abuse with mental and physical illness.
- Responsibility of social workers engaged in medical field encompasses playing the role of counselor, managing social, cultural, medical and psychological issues that spring from the illness. They are entrusted with the responsibility to see to it that proper medical care and services, including hospitalization, medical treatment, in-home nurse condition and post-hospital care are administered effectively to patients.
- Carving out a career in public health social work need a person to examine and carry put research on policies and personnel with the aim to promote better health care and prevent diseases. One has to be equipped with knowledge about subjects such as child and elder maltreatment prevention, disabilities, HIV/AIDS prevention and substance abuse prevention
Related Occupations
- Career as a clergyman would require a person to render moral and religious support to suffering individuals and perform religious rituals and other spiritual functions.
- Social workers engaged as clinical psychologists can develop behavior modification programs and offer their expertise in areas like neuropsychology, geropsychology, health psychology, or child psychology. Such people can indulge in consultations with other medical experts to devise the most effective psychology treatment plan for a patient.
- Careers as correctional treatment specialists require counseling offenders and working out rehabilitation plans for law-brokers to follow post their release from prison. Work of such nature is conducted in prisons, jail or probation agencies.
- Counseling psychologist social worker’s responsibility encompasses looking after patient problems in home, community and working in settings like hospitals, universities and rehabilitation centers.
- Health educators have to work to prevent illnesses by disseminating information and guiding people about nutrition, healthy lifestyles, sexually transmitted diseases, exercise, and illnesses. They mostly work in colleges, universities, medical care centers, state and local public health departments.
- Probation officers are entrusted with the task of supervising those on probation as well as people working for the courts. These officers’ advice offenders to take help form community organizations and religious institutions.
- School psychologists aim to improve learning, teaching and bring on socialization methods for the benefit of young students, parents, teachers and schools staff. Work of such social workers involves providing assistance to students with disabilities and extending support to talented students.
- Social and human service assistants work under the expert supervision of other social workers, nurses, psychologists and so on and given out names like mental health aides, community support workers and client advocates.