Emily Egidio, B.S.
Practicum Trainee (2021-2022)
What image comes to mind when you envision a social worker? Do you imagine a school social worker providing support to children and their families? Or perhaps, do you imagine a caseworker at CPS tirelessly working to protect children in harm’s path? Chances are that most people believe these to be the traditional roles of social workers. While these are indisputably important jobs to keep our society functioning, social workers can be found in a variety of different settings and are responsible for influencing historically significant social welfare policies, such as social security, child welfare laws, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Social workers comprise a large part of our mental health work force, but may not receive the same recognition to our other mental health counterparts. Why is that the case? And what value does social work have in our society?
To answer these questions, we must look back nearly 200 years ago. The roots of social work began in the 19th century to help advance the rights of populations who faced societal barriers, such as emancipated slaves, impoverished communities, and immigrants. Despite living in an oppressive time period, social workers were not discouraged from advocating for others and advancing human rights. As time went on, social workers fought in favor of programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, Food Stamps, and The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which required mental health disorders and substance abuse to be covered under insurance (The evolution of Social Work: Historical Milestones: Simmons online,2021). Had social workers not advocated on behalf of underprivileged groups, there would likely be far fewer social welfare programs in place today, as well as discussions surrounding social justice. Therefore, many of social work’s formative years revolved around policy and fighting against societal barriers. However, as the world changed and society began facing different problems, social work adapted to the changing social climate.
The rising awareness of the importance mental health treatment led to a massive reform within the social work field. Suddenly, masters-level social work students had the option to either continue as macro-level social workers who focused on policy and management, or micro-level social workers that worked with individuals and families and could provide clinical work with appropriate licensure. Currently, of the 700,000 social workers in practice in the United States today, nearly a fifth of these social workers are licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), meaning they are qualified to provide psychotherapy. Licensed clinical social workers can provide a variety of mental health services, including psychiatric diagnosis, assessment for treatment planning, and mental health treatment using evidence-based therapy modalities. This means you can find clinical social workers at psychiatric hospitals, rehabs, prisons, schools, military bases, community mental health agencies, and operating their own private practices. Social workers who do not have their clinical licensure are equally of value and can be found in a myriad of different disciplines. Some of these settings include the healthcare field, criminal justice system, psychological and psychiatric practices, substance abuse treatment centers, school districts, geriatric care facilities, corporate environments, creating public policy, holding political office, and even conducting research!
Among the many championed values of social work, advocacy is an integral part of the field. In fact, it is such an important part of the field, social workers are bound to advocate for social justice via their Code of Ethics (NASW). Without the desire to uplift those who face adversity, whether personal or societal, social work would not be the robust profession it is today. Even with the remarkable strides humanity has made in the previous fifty years, there are still goals that have yet to be reached. The United States has recently seen an increase in multiculturalism, diversity of thought, and the challenging of social norms. Social workers must continue to be ahead of the curve and be the voice for social justice, just as they have done before. This includes listening to the experiences of traditionally marginalized groups in America and advocating on their behalf. Globally, social workers of all countries should strive to help the citizens of their country whether it is through conducting individual therapy or writing social policy that could change political frameworks. Social work is important in all forms, but social work without advocacy would be a profession without a purpose.
There is an abundance of value in social workers. Their worth goes beyond their service at schools, private practices, or hospitals. Social workers are valuable because their reservoir of empathy is so great. They are responsible for supporting society through whatever obstacle is most pressing at the time and ensuring the future is meaningful for everyone. Whether it be through contributing research to the mental health field or through providing wraparound services to a family in need, communities should celebrate each social worker and give them the recognition they deserve.
References
National Association of Social Workers (NASW). NASW - National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English.
The evolution of Social Work: Historical Milestones: Simmons online. SC-UMT. (2021, May 13). Retrieved November 15, 2021, from https://online.simmons.edu/blog/evolution-social-work-historical-milestones/.