March is Social Work Month!

Do you know the difference between Social Workers and other types of counselors? It can be confusing because of the wide range of positions that Social Workers fill.  Here is a video that demonstrates the variety.  Social Workers can be found in schools, hospitals, public health, mental health, substance abuse, employment, training and education, administration, and policy-making areas. 

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) defines the profession as….

Professional social workers assist individuals, groups, or communities to restore or enhance their capacity for social functioning, while creating societal conditions favorable to their goals. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior, of social, economic and cultural institutions, and of the interaction of all these factors.  (http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/features/general/profession.asp)

Basically the difference is that social workers assist with alleviating problems with a special concern with social factors such as environmental influences and social justice.  This can be approached on an individual basis or on a large population basis by influencing policy.  Clinical social workers will typically work on an individual basis however when they observe a pattern they can and should speak up or advocate to influence social policies that influence patterns of problems.  It is a challenging but rewarding profession to be in.

Let’s not leave out Military Social Work.

My interest is in veterans however social workers do work on military installations and with the National Guard.  I believe that it is important that all Social Workers keep their eye on Military Social Work because of the resources of that specialty field that can advance social policy and evidence based practices.  Policies that were initially geared towards veterans have developed into national programs that now benefit the general population such as disability assistance and vocational rehabilitation. That sounds like another post. Social worker still fill the same wide range of roles however they are mindful of the unique challenges and culture of the military.  The Social Workers who work in the VA with the VA have their own organization simply called Association of VA Social Workers (AVASW).  Social workers working with the veteran population can expect to assist with homelessness, substance abuse, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  The NASW provides talking points about Military Social Work such as the unique stigma of mental health care in the military.  Some of these talking points I hope to discuss in later posts. For the social work student, the Council on Social Work has published educational guidance in the Advanced Social Work Practices in Military Social Work.

 

So let me know what you think about this post.  If there is a topic that you want to hear about let me know.  Thanks for your time. :)