Social Work

• Identify people and communities in need of help
• Assess clients’ needs, situations, strengths, and support networks to determine their goals
• Help clients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as illness, divorce, or unemployment
• Research, refer, and advocate for community resources, such as food stamps, childcare, and healthcare to assist and improve a client’s well-being
• Respond to crisis situations such as child abuse and mental health emergencies
• Follow up with clients to ensure that their situations have improved
• Maintain case files and records
• Develop and evaluate programs and services to ensure that basic client needs are met
• Provide psychotherapy services

Some social workers—referred to as bachelor’s social workers (BSW) work with groups, community organizations, and policymakers to develop or improve programs, services, policies, and social conditions. This focus of work is referred to as macro social work.

Social workers who are licensed to diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders are called clinical social workers (CSW) or licensed clinical social workers (LCSW). They provide individual, group, family, and couples therapy; they work with clients to develop strategies to change behavior or cope with difficult situations; and they refer clients to other resources or services, such as support groups or other mental health professionals. Clinical social workers can develop treatment plans with the client, doctors, and other healthcare professionals and may adjust the treatment plan if necessary based on their client’s progress. They may work in a variety of specialties. Clinical social workers who have not completed two years of supervised work are often called master’s social workers (MSW).

Social workers held about 682,100 jobs in 2016. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up social workers was distributed as follows:

The largest employers of social workers were as follows:

Although most social workers work in an office, they may spend time visiting clients. School social workers may be assigned to multiple schools and travel around the school district to see students. Understaffing and large caseloads may cause the work to be stressful.

Social workers may work remotely through distance counseling, using videoconferencing or mobile technology to meet with clients and organize support and advocacy groups.

Work Schedule: The majority of social workers worked full time in 2016. They sometimes work evenings, weekends, and holidays to see clients or attend meetings, and they may be on call.

The median annual wage for social workers was $47,980 in May 2017. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,560, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $79,740.

Median annual wages for social workers in May 2017 were as follows:

In May 2017, the median annual wages for social workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social Workers,
on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm (visited March 01, 2019).