It’s surprising how little people know about the field of social work. This vitally important profession provides countless benefits to society while offering great personal satisfaction to those who choose social work as a career. But there are a number of myths about social work, and if you’re considering entering this much-misunderstood field, it pays to know the truth:
1. All social service volunteers, employees, caseworkers and managers are social workers. Not true – a social worker is a trained professional who’s gone through extensive training to receive a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or a doctorate in social work. Social workers are licensed by the state after receiving their degree – a social service employee or volunteer may, indeed, be a social worker, but only if they have a degree and a license.
2. For the best professional counseling, you have to see either a psychologist or psychiatrist. Actually, the vast majority of mental health services in the United States are provided by social workers. In economically disadvantaged or heavily rural areas, social workers are often the only mental health professionals available.
3. Most social workers deal with welfare recipients or child protective services. This is one of the bigger myths – in truth, social workers serve in a number of areas, including mental health centers, schools, hospitals, the court system, police departments, child advocacy centers, foster care and adoption agencies, private practices, shelters and family counseling centers. Most state and federal employees who administer welfare and other social service aren’t professional social workers. Licensed social workers even hold public office – over 200, in fact, including member of the House of Representatives.
4. Most social workers hold government jobs. Actually, less than 3 percent of social workers are employed by federal agencies, with only about a third of all social workers getting paychecks from state, local or federal government.
5. Social workers don’t specialize. In fact, most social workers choose a specialty and work within that field. Child, family, and school social workers provide assistance to improve the lives of children and their families, and to help them do better in school and society at large. Some work with adoption agencies, or help find foster homes for neglected or abused children. Social workers are often employed by school districts, where they schools, they take on problems like teen pregnancy, truancy and behavioral issues, and advise teachers on how best to work with troubled students. Some social workers specialize in gerontology and work with the elderly. Medical and public health social workers assist people with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses like cancer, AIDS or Alzheimer's disease. They work with families, caregivers and patients, and help arrange for patients need for at-home services, or act as liaisons between patients and governmental agencies. Mental health and substance abuse social workers work with people dealing with alcohol, tobacco, or drug abuse, through individual and group therapy, outreach, crisis intervention, and social rehabilitation.
6. Anyone who is kind hearted can be a social worker. Social work is a difficult, stressful profession, and unless you have the skills to be a part of it, you need to stay away from it. It's not just about loving people and being nice. It's about leadership in the field, and an educational background that makes you qualified to help those who need it.
7. Social workers simply meddle in the lives of others. Social workers don't have time to wander the streets looking for people to bother. Social workers are highly trained professionals who help people fix a variety of problems that affect the quality of their lives. They try to help those referred to them function within the bounds of society.
8. Working with a social worker means you'll have your children taken away. A social worker's primary function is not to change your family structure. A social worker employed by a child services agency will try everything before children are removed from the home. Only in cases where the child is in serious danger will the child be removed from the home.
9. Social workers only deal with those who have had no luck in life. This is simply not true. Social workers deal with people from all backgrounds and at all levels of society. It doesn't matter what your educational status, financial status, or employment status is, you could find yourself in need of a social worker at some point.
10. Social workers are undertrained individuals, and that's why they're not paid well. Most social workers have several years of higher education under their belts, and the pay scale for social workers varies depending on who employs them.
Once you get past the myths, you can see that social workers provide a vast number of diverse services in many different areas. And they’re trained professionals who have studied to learn what they need o deal with many potential difficult, and stressful situations. It takes a very special kind of a person to do social work, but there are countless opportunities in the field.
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