How to become a social worker guide

One of the most important things for social work students to be aware of is the power that comes with being a social worker. As a student sitting behind the desk or screen and struggling to juggle homework, fieldwork, and other responsibilities, it can be hard to feel empowered. Especially for MSW students who plan to become licensed, however, it is essential to be aware of the impact that social work has on people’s lives and to engage in ongoing assessment of our individual and collective practices to help ensure they are, in fact, in the best interests of others. To be effective change agents, I encourage social work students to reflect upon two important questions: “How will I use my voice?” and “How will I amplify the voices of others, especially those that have been marginalized and oppressed?”

Most social worker students I know entered this field because they want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. To accomplish this, social workers must learn how to effect change at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. One of the most useful, challenging, and rewarding ways that social work students learn to become change agents is through the field education experience. Field education not only teaches about change processes but also functions as a change process itself to help students develop a professional identity as a social worker.

As a field, social work is going through its own change processes. One of the major changes we are undertaking is becoming more aware of the widespread prevalence and impact of individual, collective, and cultural trauma in our world and the disproportionate impact of systemic and structural violence and victimization on marginalized individuals and groups. We are working to identify and redress ways in which the profession inadvertently perpetuates the forms of oppression it seeks to eradicate. We are striving to not only teach about diversity, inclusion, and equity but also to become more diverse, inclusive, and equitable as a profession.
Another way the social work field is changing is through digital technology. Internet and digital communication technologies are now a fundamental part of our world. Since social work is a profession that assesses and assists people in the context of their environments, today’s social work trainees must develop digital literacy skills to practice in physical and virtual environments both competently and ethically.

The need for holistic preparation that involves knowledge and skills, but also examination of one’s own places of strength and weakness, wounding and healing.

BSW/MSW programs that include the holistic preparation that I briefly describe above.

I think it will continue to change with the demographic changes domestically. People versed in work with older adults as well as those bilingual in Spanish must grow among our ranks.

Awareness of self is the most important aspect for preparing for a career in social work. Everything about you as a unique individual person with lived experiences has an impact on how you serve others in a professional helping relationship. Be willing to dig deep and do the work to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, bias and prejudices, and never stop striving to be the best version of yourself.

Social work is holistic, integrating evidence-based knowledge, values and ethics, competency-based skills, and cognitive and effective processes. Training that considers all aspects of social work generalist practice is the most useful to keep professionals grounded in the basics. Too many times we as professionals get so focused on our specialized areas of practice, we make the work more complex and complicated than it has to be….keep it simple and return to the basics of holistic practice.

There are new fields of practice beginning in areas people often do not think about social work. For example, social work in sports and veterinarian social work are two that come to mind. Social work is also moving toward more advanced, higher education by seeking accreditation of doctoral level social work education as a terminal degree. Currently a master’s degree is considered a terminal degree in the field, but that is changing. Another area of potential change is nationally recognized licensure. Currently each state in America has their own licensing practices. Some states have multiple levels of licensure including baccalaureate, masters, special recognition, and clinical social work licensing. Other states only recognize one license as an LSW or LCSW. This inconsistency from state to state is problematic for the profession, and something that professional Social Work Associations such as ASWB, CSWE, and NASW are looking at.

Relationships matter! This profession is all about how we engage with others. Our professional interactions include clients, colleagues, communities, and the various systems we need to navigate. As with all successful relationships, we must come to the work from a place of empathy, compassion, and respect. Equally important is our commitment to social justice and advancement of equality for all people.

We have this saying in social work education, “Practicum as signature pedagogy.” Social work educators understand the significance of a student’s internship experience and the importance of effectively connecting classroom and field. Students gain academic knowledge in class and have the ability for the practical application of these skills during the practicum. The field experience also provides an opportunity to better assess the student’s readiness for practice.

The profession is becoming more global which I think is amazing! Our international collaborations are growing, and more and more students have the opportunity for international study and employment.
I have observed a shift throughout the course of my career from a micro perspective to a more macro focus. When I was in graduate school most students pursued the clinical track hoping to become a therapist and work with individuals, groups, and families. Now I have an increasing number of students choosing careers in policy development, government, and community activism. It is quite interesting and, in my opinion, exactly what the world needs right now, more social workers in large-scale decision-making roles.

There are a couple of things that social work students should be aware of while they are preparing for career, which include:

Developing relationships that can be used for collaboration, networking, resource building based on your professional interest and surveying peers who have strengths in leadership areas or fields of service.

Attend professional conferences and gain at least five professional contacts entering the field.
Join professional organizations prior to graduation to get the student rate for a year and find ways to join the membership team or join committees.

Locate a person in the field (i.e. professor, presenter at a conference, director of an agency etc.) and consider a mentor request, so you can develop your skill-set and reach professional goals.

Make a career plan and profile to ensure you are staying “true” to your goals.

During your internships experience, determine the specialty or expertise of your supervisor and ask them to train you specifically on that skill.

Have at least 3-5 theories that relate to social work and diverse groups and know them for practice, application, and assessment purposes.

The most useful training for social workers is cultural competence, how to complete a biopsychosocial, trauma-informed care practices, and communication skills.

The field is changing in terms of technology, as you need to be versed in your digital platforms. There is limited tolerance for racism and sexism and understanding one’s privilege and positionality is important. This is a generation of action and activism, maintaining the status quo is not acceptable and you will be “called out.”

Interdisciplinary acuteness

Transformational leadership, advocacy, and social justice.

I think the most important thing for social work students to be aware of is our profession’s commitment to social justice. We can take pride in this value that uniquely defines our profession and calls us to continuously uplift the voices of those in our communities who are oppressed or marginalized. The SW profession has never been more relevant or necessary in addressing the complex problems that are facing our world

I believe that technology has changed every profession in dramatic ways. However, the importance of human relationships must never be replaced by technology. I have read that the social work profession is the least likely to be automated for this reason – human beings are necessary to do this work. While technology has undoubtedly changed the ways we do our work, it is imperative that we continue to ground our practice in relationship-based interventions. It is only in the context of supportive relationships that human problems can be effectively addressed.

The most important thing for students to be aware of as they prepare for their career is to be aware of themselves. Meaning, their ethics, self-awareness, CSWE competencies, and awareness of their skills. It’s important that social workers know themselves before they go into the workforce.

In the current environment, I believe the best training social workers can receive is one that includes diversity, case management (because all levels of social work includes this), health, social and economic justice, and training on real-world experiences.

The field of social work is changing where more awareness is being brought to new issues. New field options that were not available to social workers 20 years ago, are now options for those entering the field. Areas such as, environmentalism, criminal justice/working with police, and new technologies and intelligence.

Social work is a diverse profession. Social workers do many things and can be found in many settings. There is no typical social work role. Social work is about partnerships, they don’t fix “broken” people, they help people along a path of self-determination in resolving issues that impact their lives. Social environments must be considered in providing assessment and assistance. Social workers need to understand their values and ensure that they don’t interfere with helping others. Social workers must be good at developing relationships with clients and others. Resources are a key tool and social workers must be good at cultivating resources. Social work is a profession, many others can do the various things that social workers do, but social workers have the skills and training to put it all together.

The versatile nature of social work provides social workers with more and more opportunities. The roles of counseling and case management in the traditional micro roles have morphed in more problem-solving roles. School systems now see the need for social workers to help with student and family situations. The nature of mental illness and policing have defined roles for social workers to best respond to certain situations. Social workers are becoming more involved with policy by a range of activities from advocating on policy issues and providing professional input to activism and to be more vocal about necessary policy changes. With people more and more divided on a number of issues social workers need to be more aware of policy and the policy process. No longer can social workers avoid policy or they open themselves up to be victims of the policies that come down.

No matter what area of social work that you choose, people skills are the most important. The first work in social work is social. A social worker must be able to engage people and groups at all levels. Developing partnerships with clients and others is the key to getting results. Listening skills are important, not just listening but active listening to get clarity and cooperation. Advocacy skills are important as well. Social workers are often the voice of the voiceless, there is a need to engage in policy work to change unfair systems and achieve social justice. Self-assessment and self-evaluation skills round out the basics. Social workers must be able to constantly evaluate our practice and make adjustments, learning is an ongoing process. As a professional we can never be complacent in the skill set that we have developed.

The future of social work is evolving. The unique skill set in the social work profession make social workers useful in a number of situations. Traditional social work roles will still be there. However, social workers can play key roles in emerging situations. Social workers provide vital services during the pandemic. Social workers can play a vital role in revising policing responses. Social workers need to be involved in the changing policy that impacts the clients and systems that we deal with. The social work profession has the skills that will make it a valuable asset to the issues that impact and will impact, in the future, people and society.

The most important thing for social work students to be aware of as they prepare for a career in social work is they are entering a profession that will require lifelong learning and professional growth. The concept meta-competency best reflects the importance of a strong commitment to continuing education beyond licensure requirements. Meta competency is having the insight and knowledge about your professional limitations to identify what you don’t know. This insight usually drives social workers to seek additional training and education in areas they come to understand they have limited competency.

The professional context and auspices where social workers are employed is very diverse, so I don’t know that there is a most useful training. I believe an effective training method for social workers to learn or hone practice skills is live supervision or simulations. Training that places the social worker in a live situation where they can receive real time feedback, corrections or insights. At the University of Texas Permian Basin Department of Social Work we are integrating simulations in dedicated labs beginning in the Fall of 2021 that will prepare students for direct practice. We will also be testing the use of real time data to enhance students’ skills in assessment and rapport building.

Social work is changing in the use of distance technologies, where the client and the social worker are in different physical spaces. I also believe social work is changing in the fundamental values that define our profession by allowing personal biases to guide who will become a client. For example, Texas tried to change the rules that govern professional social workers to allow them to deny services to LGBTQ and people with disabilities. This rule change was abruptly reversed but does suggest concerning trends in the profession. The social work profession is rooted in social justice and a professional value that all people have worth and should be treated with dignity, without judgment.

In my opinion, the most important thing for social work students to be aware of is that they should consider both their short- and long-term career plans. In my experience, many social work students prepare for careers in clinical social work practice without recognizing that within the first five to ten years of their career many of them will transition into supervisory or administrative roles. I would encourage students to pursue knowledge in clinical practice alongside building their capacity to provide supervision and manage and develop programs.

The most useful training for social workers is the field practicum experience. As the signature pedagogy of social work, the ability to integrate coursework alongside day-to-day practice is an invaluable starting place for a social work career.

Probably not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the integration of technology within social work practice although this had been occurring on a smaller scale pre-pandemic. Technology not only includes flourishing telehealth services, but social work is also integrating apps more frequently, especially in clinical social work practice. Additionally, the field of social work appears to be in the midst of a new cycle of the integration between its social science and ethical orientations that is spurring a larger number of social workers towards socio-political action alongside clinical practice.

It is helpful for social workers to have training in nonprofit management, graphic design (example: producing an infographic for dissemination to underserved communities about understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy), and knowledge of trauma informed therapies.

The field is changing as it is critical for social workers to be “politically savvy” and intentional engagement in legislative processes at the federal and state levels of government. The social work profession is incorporating public health concepts into curricula and media campaigns. Direct social work practice with individuals, groups, and families is recognizing the need to understand social determinants of health, the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and strategies to address compassion fatigue/burnout among social work professionals.

Given the growing recognition of dual degrees such as MSW-MPA (public administration), MSW-MPH (public health), MSW-M.Div. (divinity) and MSW-JD (law), it is almost certain that there will be an increased presence of social workers in health care, the courts, religious institutions, small business and large corporations. Social workers will be working in non-traditional social work settings and add tremendous value due to an exceptional understanding of human behavior in the social environment coupled with strong training in research methods.

I Recommend “Unapologetically Unashamed” TEDxWillowCreek Talk by Ronne Brown. It’s about the journey of a teen mother who transformed her life and is now a successful entrepreneur.