Social workers face unique challenges throughout their professional careers. They work to improve the well-being of people at the community and individual levels. To become a social worker, you need to earn relevant qualifications and also develop different skills. Social work allows you to overcome professional challenges and also to get good career opportunities.
You must know that social work is not an ordinary career field. To enter this profession, you must be prepared to deal with challenging situations. Also, you have to work with different communities in different environments, so you must be able to cope with said challenges.
Social workers work on different cases, which include substance abuse, domestic violence against women, child abuse, and many more. You must be mentally strong to handle such cases, or else it can take a toll on your mental health.
Being a social worker, you can positively contribute to society by helping people who struggle due to poor emotional health. You have to provide the right guidance and moral support to such individuals according to the issues they face.
Let’s find out what you can do as a social worker, along with the benefits and opportunities in social work career.
1. Qualifications and Nature of Work
Social workers need to earn at least an honors degree. Most undergraduate degrees are full-time for three years, and postgraduate courses are for two years. You need to get some experience in social work to get a postgraduate degree.
Earning a relevant and high-level degree is a must if you want to succeed in a social work career. You can also consider leveraging distance learning programs to save time and effort. It will help you to do a part-time job as well and to pursue a degree.
In that case, an MSW degree program online will be the perfect fit for you. Online degrees are also cheaper than traditional on-campus programs, so it will help you save costs. More importantly, earning this high-level degree will increase your professional worth.
Social workers work with third parties to offer their services. They take a person-centered approach to understanding the issues of their clients and what they need. It helps them know that they either need financial assistance or have any other problem. Social workers address different social issues, from working in family support programs to raising voices for women’s rights to violence in society.
Compared to family therapists, the nature of the job of social workers is not one-dimensional. Also, they work at different levels of society to raise voices for people belonging to different colors, creeds, and ethnicity.
They do this, so the government and relevant authorities can prevent different issues in society. Social workers aim to help individuals achieve their independence in a stable and safe environment. From young individuals to children to older people, they work with people belonging to different age groups. They mostly meet with people at any safe place or their homes, and then by collaborating with third parties, they create care plans to achieve their identified objectives.
On the other hand, family therapists directly work with families to address their mental or personal issues. The primary job of family therapists is to tackle family-related problems. They directly ask family members what type of issues they are facing and the root causes of those issues. By directly interacting with families, therapists can conduct impactful sessions that help them to address family issues effectively.
Therapists work closely with family members to help them figure out issues in their behavior patterns. It allows families to bring positivity to their behavior and achieve mental wellness.
2. Job Opportunities
Professional roles for family therapists and social workers vary. Job opportunities for social workers are available according to the size of the local population and the area of work you choose. Most social workers work in independent agencies, social service departments, children’s homes, private nursing sectors, and health service trusts.
Family therapists mostly fulfill advisory duties in education settings, youth agencies, faith-based organizations, and voluntary care agencies. When it comes to salary for both roles, it depends on your area of specialty, experience, and skills.
One of the important things to consider is that experience is a key factor that sets you apart from others, whether you are a social worker or a family therapist. With more experience, you can deal with the complex nature of problems and resolve them efficiently.
Organizations also prefer such individuals who have hands-on experience working in their respective fields. You should understand that doing social work or becoming a family therapist is not an ordinary job. You have to go through many difficulties, so having experience is necessary to find good job opportunities.
3. Working Methods
Social workers schedule their time according to their daily visits and meetings with clients. They manage and plan their work accordingly, as they often have to visit social service departments and other places.
On the other hand, family therapist work is mostly office-based. Families or couples mostly visit the therapist’s office for consultation during business hours. Therapists can even assist families via video calls or phone. As a therapist, you may also have outbound visits to charitable organizations, rehab centers, and other workplaces. But you do not have to visit these places regularly as you have to do as a social worker.
4. Career Advancement
When you are a well-educated and highly-trained social worker, you can opt for different roles in different areas. You can choose to become mental health social worker, homelessness officer, healthcare social worker, and day-care social worker. It entirely depends on how you learn new skills to make progress in your professional career by taking senior positions.
Career advancement for family therapists requires specialization in particular areas. You can also choose to take cases related to bereavement and mental health, as it will increase your worth in the eyes of employers.
Conclusion
Social work is one of the most demanding professions in which you always have to stay on edge. Some people confuse this field with family therapists and healthcare providers, but actually, it is a very different field. You must have a relevant and high-level degree to offer your services in different organizations. It will help you learn the dos and don’ts of the field and to enhance your professional competence.
