Hey, everyone and welcome to our webinar.
My name is Lauren McGowan,
and I am the Director of Recruitment and Admissions
for the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.
And today we're going to be talking about
the broad field of the social work profession,
and what social workers actually do.
So, my hope is that by the end of the presentation today,
you'll have a basic feel for what the profession values,
what different kinds of social workers do,
what populations social workers work with,
and hopefully, whether or not, it seems like a good fit for
whatever your personal career goals are.
So, let's get started!
So, social work is fairly difficult to define because it's a very broad-based field.
Every social worker works with a different population on a different issue, or at a different level,
and it would really be impossible to list all of the different types of social work jobs
or social workers in one place, because they're just so varied.
And many individuals who are trained in social work actually, have job titles
that don't even have the words social worker in their job title.
So, then, how do we start to describe the profession? Where do we really start?
So, I would argue, we should start with values
and this is a sentiment that I often hear from social workers about what the turning point
was for when they really decided to go into the profession.
They say something along the lines of,
"I knew I wanted to be a social worker when I realized that the values of the profession matched my own."
So, what values are they really talking about?
Well, here are some examples.
The first value is service.
So, at its most basic level, social work is really about helping people
and solving problems and really striving to create positive change
in individuals' lives and society as a whole.
It's really about using your helping skills to serve others and society.
Another core social work value is--a big one--is social justice.
Social justice is really all about reducing inequalities in our society,
including things like discrimination and oppression,
as well as addressing systems that privilege certain groups of people over others.
Social justice really leads us to strive toward equal social and economic opportunities for all,
regardless of who they are, or where they come from and,
at its core, it's really all about equality.
And the final value I want to highlight is
the belief in the worth and dignity of every person,
and this includes being mindful of and open to diversity,
advocating for marginalized populations,
which are those individuals who are often overlooked or underrepresented,
and also holding what we call unconditional positive regard for people.
It's the opposite of judgment.
And the social work profession does have other values than these three,
but these are the ones that, I think really get to the core of
the kinds of people that identify with the social work profession.
So then, my first question for you is, what do you value?
Do these principles feel like they resonate with you?
And if this does sound in line with how you feel and what you believe,
then you're certainly in the right place.
So, let's move on to talking about something else that is at the core of social work, which is people.
So I mentioned before that social work is really focused on people at its core,
especially marginalized populations,
which are those individuals who are underrepresented, overlooked, or ignored by society.
So, some examples of the kinds of populations that social workers help include
children and adolescents,
couples and families,
individuals with mental health concerns,
and individuals suffering from addiction.
Medical patients,
LGBTQ individuals,
those who were experiencing poverty or homelessness,
individuals with disabilities,
aging and elderly individuals,
veterans,
refugees and immigrants.
Individuals who are incarcerated, or who are in the criminal justice system.
Victims of violence or trauma and many, many, many others.
This is by no means an exhaustive list.
It's really just meant to give you some ideas of the types of populations social workers work with.
So then, my second question for you is, who are you passionate about helping or advocating for?
This is a really great place to start when it comes to exploring specific social work jobs or roles
since many social workers and social work agencies work with a specific population.
So, how are these social workers helping and advocating for these different populations?
What do they actually do?
Social workers draw upon a lot of different skills to create change.
And so some of these ones I want to highlight include: active listening and communication,
this includes listening empathetically to identify and understand a client's needs,
asking appropriate questions, and interacting with people in a way that really establishes trust.
Education is another big one.
This would include things like explaining concepts
and providing helpful information and resources to individuals or groups to empower them with knowledge.
Counseling is another really big one, which includes providing therapy and clinical interventions
to individuals and groups to help them deal with things like emotional, physical or mental challenges they may be facing.
Advocacy includes acting on behalf of others to get information or to spur action,
but it also includes empowering individuals to advocate for themselves as well.
Critical thinking and analysis is another really big one and when it comes to solving problems,
thinking critically and creatively about issues and possible solutions is really a must, so,
being able to analyze current practices and relevant data can lead to new ideas and solutions.
And then here's one that the people don't like to hear, but is very true--writing.
So, from documenting client sessions, to sending emails to your team members,
to maybe submitting a million-dollar grant proposal, or a peer-reviewed article for publication,
in all of these instances, social workers really need to be able to communicate effectively in writing.
So it is an important skill.
And last, but not least, lifelong learning.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of social work is that the field is always changing
and there's always more to learn.
Social workers really need to keep up on their skills
and constantly advance their training and address gaps in their knowledge.
So, when it comes to actually implementing these skills in practice, social workers actually work at many different levels,
so their job descriptions can be completely different, depending on how they're approaching their issue or population.
Some social workers have jobs that are focused on helping individuals, or working with people one on one.
This is often called micro social work.
And some examples of this type of role would include a clinical social worker,
who is counseling someone with anxiety and depression
or perhaps a medical social worker coordinating care for a patient after they leave the hospital.
Other social work jobs focus not only on individuals,
but on larger groups or communities,
and this middle or mezzo level leads to a little bit of a different role.
It could look like an administrative job, overseeing a community agency or program,
or maybe someone who supervises other social workers who provide direct interventions with their clients.
And some work to also create change within communities.
So, for example, assessing factors that perpetuate poverty in a certain area,
and working with community members to mitigate those factors would be an example.
And finally, some social workers are working on really large-scale issues.
These are the macro social workers,
and they may be addressing social issues through things
like generating new research,
or writing and revising social policy,
or perhaps advocating,
or lobbying for various groups within our political system,
or even holding elected office.
The bottom line is that through their training and education, social workers are prepared to work at all of these levels.
So, it is one degree that they get, but it leads to a ton of different kinds of opportunities and gives them a lot of different options.
So, speaking of opportunities and degrees,
this brings us to the difference between an MSW degree, which is a Master of Social Work,
versus some other types of graduate degrees that you may be considering.
So one of the unique aspects of getting an MSW degree is that it trains people to look both at the large scale,
societal context in which we function, as well as issues that are happening in the lives of individuals.
Other types of graduate programs tend to focus on one or the other of these things,
so they either have the bird's eye view of large-scale issues,
and they train students only to work at that higher level, or they focus really specifically on one population,
and only train students to perform narrow responsibilities with individuals.
Mental health counseling is actually a good example of this more focused type of degree.
So, mental health counselors and clinical social workers can perform a lot of the same job functions.
But the mental health counselor is only qualified to counsel individuals, whereas the social worker is trained in counseling,
plus all of the other broader issues we talked about, so again, they can work at all of those levels.
And in my opinion, the single greatest thing about getting a social work degree, and about social work, as a profession,
is that it gives people a lot of flexibility in their careers,
and the ability to try new things and work with different populations, all with a single graduate degree and a single license.
So, you may be thinking, this is all really great and everything,
but can I really make a living as a social worker? And the answer, of course, is yes.
While social workers aren't in it to get rich, obviously, they can make a good living.
So, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook,
which is put together by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the current average, median salary for social workers across the US is slightly under $50,000 a year,
and it does go up, depending on the type of social work position or the region where you live.
And the social work profession is also expected to grow sixteen percent by 2026,
which is a lot faster than average when compared to other career fields.
So, the bottom line is that we need more social workers.
It is a growing profession that will provide you a way to make money while also being able to make an impact.
So, to wrap everything up, you should consider getting your degree in social work if:
your values match the values of the social work profession,
you have a specific population that you care about and want to help,
you have a particular issue that you want to contribute to solving,
or you want career options, and a lot of flexibility in different job opportunities.
As you consider entering this profession, I want to say that today was just an overview, so feel free to continue your research.
We did just launch an Explore the Social Work Profession section of our website
that has a lot more information and resources for you to learn about the social work profession.
And also the best way to get information about any career is to talk with people who are actually doing that job.
So, look for social workers in your community and ask to talk with them about their job.
Most people are really happy to talk with individuals who are exploring different career paths, especially if they like what they do.
A lot of them will be happy to tell you about it.
So don't be afraid to ask and chat with people in your community who are doing it.
And certainly, if you have any questions about social work in general or our programs here at UB,
feel free to contact me via email or phone, I'm happy to answer any questions you have.
Thanks for joining me today and have a great night.