MSSW, CCSW
If you have a passion for curing the ills of the world, a career in the field of social work may be just for you.
"I want to help other people." "I've always wanted to work with children." "Someone has to do something about the mess this world is in ..."
The world needs more social workers. With the AIDS epidemic, an aging population, the increase in juvenile crime, more chronic mentally ill, more people rendered homeless and more children abandoned - the world needs you.
According to a recent report by the Department of Labor, employment of social workers is expected to increase faster than average for all populations through the year 2006.
Social workers care about people. They like to talk and listen. They figure out "what makes people tick." Social workers enjoy solving problems. They assess situations, define problems, and plan solutions.
Social workers do not take welfare or Aid to Families applications. Many people mistake the civil servants that determine eligibility for welfare, food stamps, or Medicaid as social workers. Eligibility workers or caseworkers perform these jobs. A position as an eligibility worker is an excellent first job for an aspiring social worker.
Many people who assume that they want to be child psychologists actually want to do social work. Master social workers practice therapy with adults, children, families and groups. Social workers in residential settings often have long-term, caring relationships with children and are advocates for abused and neglected children.
MORE THAN 9-5
"When the pager went off at 3 a.m., Christmas morning, I had no idea what to expect. The police were gathered around the apartment of a man who had refused to take medication since his release from the state hospital. The patient wasn't threatening other people. He was dangerous to himself. It was my job to talk to him.
Another time, I was called to a small rural jail, not to see a hardened criminal, but to meet with an intellectually limited man that the police had picked up for his own protection. The man had been beaten and exploited. He had no idea how to return to his home thousands of miles away. He needed a social worker.
On one occasion, I was called into a domestic violence situation. Weeks after their wedding, the shy bride was shocked by her husband's violent side. When her brother tried to protect her, her husband killed him. She was left alone and frightened, as both families rejected her. Who will help her?
A social worker is a person she can trust. As a social worker, I have worked with battered women, abused children, drug addicts, alcoholics and ordinary people in crisis. I have worked in a shelter for battered women, hospitals, mental health clinics and a maternity home.
I have visited people in their homes, jails and on street corners. Social work skills are applicable to an enormous number of jobs. You need the right education to get those skills.
HELP YOURSELF HELP OTHERS
In high school, you can join your school's service club and work on community projects. You can volunteer through your local United Way or other charitable organizations in a variety of settings. Many agencies have volunteer opportunities for teens. Get comfortable talking to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Earning an associates degree in human services takes two years at most community colleges. With this degree, you work with social workers as part of a team. You are employed as an aide, a house-parent, residential worker, or technician. You do not provide counseling or therapy.
You do a good deal of listening. Para-professionals with associates degrees do not make independent decisions. They enforce rules or carry out the directives of other staff. With this degree, one usually earns about $13,000 - $19,000 per year, depending on where one lives.
Social Workers don't take on this career for the money, they do it for their love of helping people. A bachelor of science in social work is a four-year degree that prepares you to provide problem-solving services in a wide range of settings.
You help individuals and families solve problems having to do with poverty, learning difficulties, employment or illness. Graduates with this degree work with new mothers, elderly people, drug addicts and abused children. Many of them are employed as child abuse caseworkers. You will not practice therapy. Pay averages around $25,000 annually. This depends on where you live. Job advancement often requires a master of science in social work.
An MSW is the degree you need to practice therapy. Expect an average salary of around $35,000 with an MSW. Most supervisors and administrators in social service and mental health agencies have this degree.
In the course of your studies, you learn to assess problems, diagnose mental illness, plan the therapeutic treatment of clients and develop programs to help people. You learn how to be an advocate for services to help individuals and the community.
There are licensing requirements for social workers. If you are licensed, you can practice therapy privately. To obtain a license, you need to practice therapy under the supervision of an experienced therapist for two years and take a test. Many licensed social workers see private patients in a for-profit setting.
A bachelor's degree in psychology does not qualify you for any specific job. You can not call yourself a psychologist with a bachelor's degree. With a bachelor's of arts in psychology you might be eligible for some type of aide jobs or work in marketing.
You must have at least a master's degree to pursue a career in psychology. Graduates with a master's degree in psychology must work under the supervision of a psychologist with a doctoral degree in psychology.
A doctoral degree is usually needed before you can practice therapy as a psychologist. Many psychologists do not practice therapy or counsel people; many of them have jobs restricted to testing. Some of them work on organizational problems in school or industrial settings.
A career as a social worker is one which requires your mind and your heart. It's not for everyone. However, if you feel that you've got an intense passion to save the world, social work may be for you.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
National Association of Social Workers, Career Information,
750 First Street NE, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036
Council on Social Work Education,
1600 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314-3421
National Board for Certified Counselors,
3 Terrace Way, Suite D, Greensboro, NC 27403
American Psychological Association,
750 1st St. NE, Washington, DC 20002
