Careers in Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Careers in Social Work!

Updated 8/14

CLINICAL SOCAIL WORK

Clinical Social Workers help people make positive changes in their lives by finding

solutions to problems ranging from coping with day-to-day stresses to dealing with

severe mental illness.

Clinical Social workers works in many practice areas, often as part of a multi-disciplinary

team:

• Alcohol and other substance abuse treatment

• Individual, family, group counseling

• Grief counseling

• Victim services

• Corrections

• Aging

• Child welfare

• Development disabilities

• Health care

Clinical Social Work positions are available in a variety of settings including:

• Community mental health centers

• Psychiatric hospitals

• Residential treatment centers

• Partial (day treatment) hospitals

• Managed mental health programs

• Employee assistance programs (EAP)

• Schools

• Family service agencies

All states and some territories license or certify social workers and specific requirements

vary from state to state:

• The term Clinical Social Worker is understood to mean the person has a Master’s

degree from a graduate school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work

Education

• For further information on state by state licensing and certification go to the

American Social Work Boards (ASWB ) website http://www.aswb.org

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

PUBLIC POLICY

Social workers in public policy can work in local, state, or federal government and in the

non-profit and private sectors, for example:

• Social service agencies

• Public policy “think tanks”

• Advocacy organizations

• Research Organizations

• Foundations

• Legislative bodies such as committees, offices of elected officials

(TIP: “:Hot Spots”: are state capitals and states with progressive social welfare policies)

Social workers in public policy should possess excellent written and verbal

communications skills. In addition, most policy positions require:

• Knowledge of and exposure to the legislative process

• Problem solving and analytical skills

• Political savvy, ability to think on your feet, and tenacity

• Computer skills

• Ability to connect the past (history) with the present

• Research/quantitative skills

Social workers can gain valuable experience in public policy by:

• Volunteering or completing a field assignment in public policy organizations

• Joining and being active in an organization such as NASW or

Bertha Capen Reynolds Society

• Working as a legislative aide

• Reading (newspapers) voraciously and asking the right questions of the right people

• Speaking with clients from all walks of life (they’ve been there and done that)

In addition to utilizing traditional job search techniques to prepare for a career in public

policy, social workers should also:

• Be up-to-date on policy issues

• Have a working knowledge of the legislative process on both the federal and state level

• Network extensively with those already established in the profession

• Complete a post-graduate degree training program such as: Coro Fellows Program in

Public Affairs, Presidential Management Intern Program, or the Social Work

Congressional Fellows Program

• Work first in direct services in your area of interest

(TIP: Nothing like doing it to know how to do it!)

• Study the history of social welfare policy in depth; read the works of social work pioneers

(TIP: never stop learning!)

• Find mentors and absorb all you can

• Search for employment via state agency web pages, legislature web pages,

state, federal government web pages.

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

Community organizing is the process of building consensus around community issues. It can

involve raising the public consciousness about a matter of concern, gathering people together

to work for a common goal or to receive specialized services. Community Organizers gather

information, educate the public, introduce neighbors, train new leaders, and bring people

together.

Where do community organizers work?

Generally they work in grassroots organizations such as community development agencies;

community coalitions; advocacy, minority, and religious representation groups; or small

business collaborations. Often these are community-located for example in senior communities

(NORC: Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities) or empowerment areas.

Social work community organizers should have a strong knowledge base in:

• Psychology of individuals and groups

• Politics, government, law and the legislative process

• Policy analysis, development

• Economics and finance

• Housing and zoning

• Employment laws

Social work community organizers should possess skills or experience in:

• Advocacy

• Negotiation

• Conflict management

• Consensus building

• Fundraising

• Communications

o Media relations

o Group facilitation

o Training or teaching

Social Workers can gain valuable experience relevant to community organizing by:

• Volunteering for grassroots neighborhood groups

• Joining political campaigns

• Interning with for community development groups

What personal qualities a social worker in community organization have?

• Commitment to social justice

• Curiosity about and caring for others

• Passion, enthusiasm, and energy

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

What should you do to develop yourself once you have the job?

• Develop a positive reputation by being visible and useful

• Volunteer for additional committees or projects

• Build your skills by attending workshops on advocacy, training, conflict management,

or lobbying

CORPORATE CAREERS

Social workers in corporate positions should possess:

• The ability to communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing.

• Excellent analytical, problem solving, strategic planning skills.

• Strong administrative management knowledge, including a well-developed financial

foundation.

• Strong presentation skills, an ability to project confidence, and the ability to think on

your feet.

• Well developed computer skills in Internet use, word processing, and data base,

spreadsheet, scheduling, and fundraising programs.

• A thick skin. The supervision may be more direct and critical in nature than in typical

social work settings. You are expected to contribute to the bottom line; you may have to

sell.

• Tremendous endurance (the hours can be long).

Social Workers can gain valuable experience relevant to consulting by:

• Identifying and accessing internship opportunities in corporate settings.

• Accessing field placements working in or with private for-profit companies.

• Volunteering to secure training, build special skills, and broaden background.

Search for work suggestions:

• Networking and reputation are key to your job search.

• Concentrate on using the web for information. Do not expect a tremendous response

to e-mail or web applications alone. Follow up with personal contacts.

• Become involved in professional organizations and activities that expose you to the

corporate community or non profit consulting. (TIP: Go to special interest events and

business card exchanges at the Chamber of Commerce and other member

organizations.)

• Develop a thorough rationale why a social worker with a Master's degree is a good

choice for a consulting position. Emphasize the transferability of social work skills,

for example:

o interpersonal skills --> relationship-/team-building

o individual/group/system assessment --> strategic planning

o problem solving --> negotiating/mediation

o social administration --> budgeting/development

• Plan to describe concisely the breadth of the social work field, you concentration,

and to dispel common myths.

• Explain why you would be a good match for the position available by utilizing examples

of your relevant accomplishments. Understand and practice communicating why you

should be hired.

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Social workers in community development roles often engage in economic development

activities.

Where might a social worker work who is interested in economic development?

• Economic development councils, departments, corporations

• Government or politics

• Extension services

• Banking, financial institutions

• Foundations

• Micro-enterprise development programs

• Redevelopment corporations

• Housing organizations

What might the job title be?

• Director of economic development

• Project manager/officer/Project associate

• Project administrator

• Executive officer

• Community development specialist

• Director of special projects

What are some of the job functions of a social worker in economic development?

• Prepare economic development plans for and market underinvested neighborhoods

• Recruit business and industry, address tourism, and work on retention of business and

industry

• Oversee preparation of abandoned sites: clear titles, deal with environmental issues

• Promote and provide technical assistance on micro enterprise

• Advocate and facilitate home ownership and insurance coverage

• Teaching economic and business skills including money management

• Staff public/private partnerships, facilitate groups

• Write grants

• Manage public relations

Social workers in economic development should possess skills in:

• Evaluation of community assets and barriers to improvement including formal and

informal systems

• Management and finance relative to land use, home ownership, small business

development, banking, and loans

• Consensus-building with community coalitions, grassroots groups, public/private

collaborations

• Counseling, consultation, and technical assistance

• Group facilitation and training/Leadership development

• Policy development that integrates social and economic development efforts

• Communication, information, and referral/Media relations.

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK

International Federation of Social Workers

Social workers can work internationally, abroad or in one’s country of origin.

Look for entities that have international concerns. For example, there are international

opportunities in:

• United Nations and other international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs),

including social service agencies, foundations, and educational institutions

• Government and governmental agencies

• Corporations

• Banks

• the Media

Strong social work experience/education grounded in an understanding of human

behavior in the social environment are first steps in launching a career in international

social work. You must develop an area of expertise and also acquire knowledge and

understanding of:

• World history

• World geography

• Economics

• Politics

• Culture [Language (your own and at least one other);

Literature; The arts; Social behavior/customs]

• Social welfare policy

• Program development and evaluation

It is important to have lived and/or worked abroad even if you seek an international job in

your country of origin. You can gain international experience abroad through:

• Internship

• Volunteerism

• Travel

• Language or other study

Living and working abroad is exciting and challenging.

To succeed in international work abroad you must:

• Be flexible, adaptable to change and difference

• Love to travel, despite discomfort

• Enjoy meeting people, making strong ties even though they may be short-term

• Like being alone, for at times you will be or simply will feel so

In seeking international work, employ traditional job-search techniques. Expect to fill out

complicated application forms. Be sure to check with the embassy of any country where

you intend to work to find out about legal and medical requirements/restrictions for

doing so. Once you are on-the-job:

• Scope out the formal and informal ways of getting things done

• Find a mentor

• Create learning opportunities for yourself (join local organizations)

• Document your experiences

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

MACRO SOCIAL WORK

Macro Social Work is significantly expanding in three areas. These are:

Community Organization

A return to the need for community-driven processes in a time of has enhanced the field of

rebirth and rediscovery of "community" has fed the demand for social workers skilled in Macro

Social Work practice. There are probably more jobs for community organizers today than there

were in the 1960s.

Community Development

Social workers can find rewarding work in developing community in the literal sense through

building houses, renovating abandoned buildings, and finding affordable housing in

communities and by developing community capacity through social infrastructure as organizers,

planners, managers, and program developers.

Public Health

Health promotion and disease prevention activities can be effectively promoted by

social workers.

Macro practice social workers should possess knowledge in:

• Community Organizing - Community organizing has a value base of participation in

community-driven processes. The focus of community organizing is on involving the

community by taking a strengths assessment, doing strategic planning, developing skills

for implementing and evaluating efforts.

• Planning and Program Development - Social planning draws on both analytical and

political skills in attempting to remedy the multiple social problems affecting the

community. Such a focus utilizes a generic set of planning theories and principles and

concentrates on developing a problem-solving framework out of which one can work with

communities, agencies.

• Human Services Management - All social workers need to have basic administrative and

management knowledge and skills regardless of their primary work. Macro practitioners

should have basic competencies in proposal writing, budgeting, supervision, evaluation

research, program development, and financial management and planning.

What experience is needed for macro practice and how does one get it?

There is a growing trend for students to enter graduate social work degree programs with

shorter and shorter intervals between their undergraduate and graduate studies. New Master's-

prepared social workers are entering the workforce with little volunteer or prior work experience.

Training in macro practice social work training and jobs in this area allow one to get broad

hands-on experience.

What personal qualities should a macro practice social worker?

• Commitment to working with the community driven process and basic respect for people

• High energy, strong motivation

• Flexibility and patience, ability to live with ambivalence

• Analytical thinking

• Sense of humor, perspective and vision

• Persistence, focus, and follow through

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

What should you do to develop yourself once you have the job?

• Find good supervision and mentorship

• Develop and maintain good support systems off the job with colleagues, former

supervisors/field advisors and faculty members

• Keep reading in the field/Attend conferences and in-service trainings

PRIVATE PRACTICE

The primary focus of private practice is the direct delivery of clinical social work

services. Barker named ten criteria to identify a social worker in a private practice.*

The private practitioner...

1. has the client as the primary obligation

2. determines who the client will be

3. determines the techniques to be used in services to this client

4. determines practice professionally, not bureaucratically

5. receives a fee for services directly from or on behalf of the client

6. is educated as a social worker

7. is a sufficiently experienced social worker

8. adheres to social work values, standards, and ethics

9. is licensed, certified, and registered, where applicable, to engage in private practice

10. is professional responsible

Specific Knowledge Base

• Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology

• Crisis Intervention/Suicide Assessment

• Psychotropic medications

• Referral sources for psychopharmacological intervention/hospitalization

Qualifications & Standards

NASW established minimum standards in 1962, including a master's degree from an accepted

school of social work and five years of acceptable, full-time supervised agency employment.

Also, some post-master's programs for additional training and enhanced personal insight are

highly desirable.

Licensing

All 50 states as well as Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands have licensing

laws and regulations relative to private practice.

Marketing

You can promote your practice and secure clients through distribution of business cards and

flyers, ads in professional and community publications, outreach by giving lectures or

conducting workshops.

Office Space and Setup

You may choose to establish a solo practice or join a group. Overhead expenses may include

but not be limited to supplies, furniture, rent/mortgage, taxes, utilities, administration, personnel,

and health, malpractice and liability insurance.

Columbia School of Social Work

OFFICE OF CAREER & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

!Careers in Social Work!!

Fees and Billing

You and/or the payor will set flat or sliding, global or fee-for-service charges according to

market rates. You will have to set up a system for billing, payment, and recovery of unpaid bills.

Personal Considerations

You may choose to secure individual or peer supervision. Some advantages of a private

practice are independence and additional income. Disadvantages include professional and

social isolation, fiscal insecurity.

For information about obtaining your LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker in NY State go to:

http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/sw