| What is Social Work | |
| RelatedMajorSkills | |
| Career Planning Links | |
| Related Career Titles | |
"Social work" means engaging in psychosocial evaluation and intervention, including therapy,
to the extent permitted by the licensure provisions of this chapter, to effect a change in the feelings,
attitudes and behavior of a client, whether an individual, group or community. "Social work" also means
engaging in community organization, social planning, administration and research.
The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the
empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being.
Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where
people interact with their environments.
Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.
| Agency Director | Deputy Director | International Social Worker |
| Aging/Gerontology | Developmental Disabilities | Manager/Administrator |
| Child Welfare/Children's Services | Eligibility Specialist | Mental /Clinical Social Worker |
| Case Worker | Executive Director | Policy & Planning Specialist |
| Community Org. Dir. | Social Worker | Policy Advocate |
| Consultant | Food Stamp Administrator | Policy Analyst |
| School Social Worker | Health Care Specialist | Program Manager |
| Teacher | Supervisor | Research Analyst |
| Criminal Justice/Corrections Specialist | Substance Abuse Counselor | Intake Counselor |
| Employment/ Occupational Social Worker |
| Planning long-term projects | Recruiting/coordinating research subjects |
| Writing grant proposals | Evaluating |
| Maintaining records | Developing project designs |
| Interviewing | Understanding group dynamics |
| Observing human interactions | Recognizing cultural differences/similarities |
| Surveying and sampling | Identifying value systems |
| Gathering and organizing data | Examining data |
| Conducting field studies | Applying non-intrusive methods |
| Reaching new conclusions through comparative study | Utilizing statistical applications |
American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work, http://www.abecsw.org
American Counseling Association, http://www.counseling.org
Association for Community Organization and Social Administration,
http://www.acosa.org
Association of Social Work Boards (licensure), http://www.aswb.org
Clinical Social Work Federation, http://www.cswf.org
Council on Social Work Education (accredited programs),
http://www.cswe.org
CU School of Social Work,
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/careers
Guide to Careers in Child and Family Policy,
http://cfp.igpa.uiuc.edu/brSeek/homesearch.htm
NASW of NC, http://www.naswnc.org