Written by Vargas Consulting and Wellness on January 14, 2024

According to Coursera staff (2023), a social worker is a trained professional who works with all types of vulnerable people, groups and communities to help them learn to live better lives. Social workers do many things including help people cope and solve life problems, respond to crisis situations, provide therapy and advocate for community services. Social workers work with all differnt types of people from different backgrounds, ages and cultures.

Social workers work in various fields including hospitals, mental health facilities, private practices, adoption agencies, government, child welfare, adult protective services, schools, community organizations, clinics and other agencies.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual salary for social workers in the United States was $55,350 in 2022.

To become a social worker, you will need a Bachelor’s in Social Work or a relatedfield. If you find that you would like to further your education, you can earn your Master’s Degree in Social Work. If you choose to become a therapist, you will need a Master’s degree, supervised clinical experience, and a license from the state in which you practice.

Social workers are more likely to thrive with specific qualities such as good communication skills, empathy, patience, compassion, interpersonal skills, organizational skills, problem-solving skills, flexibility and advocacy. As a social worker, using empathy to understand someone else perspective is important and much needed. Utilizing good communication skills such as active listening and providing reflective responses is helpful. Due to high caseloads and excessive paperwork, being organized is a good skill to have. Providing resources and referrals to clients is a part of the job. Therefore, developing and maintaining relationships with others is helpful to the social woker and their clients.

Although being a social worker is rewarding, it can be a stressful career. Work hours can be irregular, workloads can be heavy and the the work is emotionally challenging. Also, social workers may also find themselves in high risk situations. According to Alexander Eser (2023), a study in Zipdo reports that 75% of social workers have reported burnout at some point in their careers. To reduce burnout as a social worker, consider self-care and utilizing coping skills each day. 

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