Did you know that nearly three-quarters of Americans are so dissatisfied at work that they are thinking about or actively looking for a new job?1 If this includes you, or if you simply want a job that feels more meaningful, you have options. Starting a career in social work can put you in position to create social change and give you a heightened sense of purpose. And, thanks to online learning, you can get started sooner than you think.
What Social Workers Do
Social work is all about helping others. Social workers come in when people hit a difficult time and provide the support and guidance those people need to move past their troubles and get on with their lives. Of course, not all social work is the same. There are different types of social workers for different types of problems. Social workers are found in various fields, such as:
Healthcare
Healthcare social workers assess the needs of patients from a holistic point of view, looking at social and emotional situations, living environments, financial concerns, and familial support structures. Using this information, social workers work with patients on healthcare decisions, lead support groups, and help patients develop plans for their care.
Mental Health
Social workers in the mental health field work with clinics and in community settings, helping clients manage their mental illness. Social workers provide education and help connect clients with resources that meet their health and financial needs.
Family
Social workers help families cope with death, recover from or address abuse, and deal with a wide variety of conflicts that can create an unstable home. Sometimes a social worker’s help is as straightforward as providing conflict management. But social workers can also help in crisis situations, connecting families with immediate healthcare or mental health resources, or recommending a child be removed from a dangerous environment.
Addiction
Social workers specifically focused on addiction provide services similar to healthcare social workers, working closely with their client and their client’s family to get the patient into recovery and set up necessary support structures.
Education
School social workers help students and their families through such issues as behavioral problems, learning difficulties, bullying, and mental health concerns. Many educational social workers also help families experiencing economic crisis by ensuring these families are aware of assistance programs available through the school and in the community.
How to Become a Social Worker
If you want to start a social work career and help create meaningful social change, you should consider earning a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree. One of the best ways to earn your BSW degree is through an online university that offers a BSW program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Online Bachelor of Social Work programs won’t require you to miss time from work or other commitments to attend class at a specific place and time. Instead, when you enroll in a Bachelor of Social Work online program, you can complete your coursework from home and on a flexible schedule that allows you to work around your other responsibilities.
Through an online BSW degree program at a top school of social work, you can gain the knowledge and qualifications you need to start a successful social work career. And earning your degree from a CSWE-accredited BSW degree program can help you better prepare for ethical, competent, and evidence-based social work practice. You will also learn how to provide culturally and contextually relevant social services, including mentoring, supervision, advocacy, and collaboration.
When you engage in social work, you’re helping create the kind of social change that improves the lives of individuals and society as a whole. Plus, helping others can also help you—in fact, it’s one of the keys to personal fulfillment.2 Through an online Bachelor of Social Work degree program accredited by CSWE, you’ll put yourself in position to enter a profession where the work can truly be meaningful.
Walden University is an accredited institution that offers a CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1 Source: www.mentalhealthamerica.net/sites/default/files/Mind%20the%20Workplace%20-%20MHA%20Workplace%20Health%20Survey%202017%20FINAL.PDF
2 Source: http://time.com/collection-post/4070299/secret-to-happiness
Walden University's Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation is responsible for developing standards that define competent preparation for professional social workers and ensuring that social work programs meet these standards.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.