Social work is a multifaceted field that includes many specializations and roles. Discover four different areas of social work to pursue.

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Social workers can be found in nearly every facet of society, including schools, hospitals, care centers, prisons, mental health clinics, corporations, and more. While the specific services that social workers perform may vary by field, they share a common goal of providing care and support to the individuals and communities that need it most.
At Saybrook University, we offer a Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work with two specializations: Integrative Community Studies or Legal Studies. At Saybrook, we believe in merging the evidence-informed and the holistic aspects of social work practice. Our Integrative Social Work programs prepare students to pursue a career in social work and use their learnings to address the complex and evolving social issues of the next generation.

Specializations in Social Work

As a Licensed Social Worker (LSW), you can pursue many different fields of social work. Depending on your preferences or qualifications, you may choose to work with a specific group of people or in a particular sector. Here are four core areas of social work:

1. Health Care Social Worker

As a health care social worker, you can work in hospitals, clinics, or other health care facilities and serve as a patient liaison.
In this role, you stand to help vulnerable clients and their families with planning and preparation for their needs, coordinating with doctors and other medical facilities, such as rehab or an inpatient/outpatient program. Health care social workers may also provide mental health resources to patients and families.

2. Child Welfare Social Worker

A child welfare social worker supports children, parents, and related government agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of the child under their care. They will also work to provide a comfortable and safe environment for children's growth and development.
Social workers work closely with individuals, families, and other stakeholders to protect children from situations of neglect, abuse, violence, and trauma. Child welfare social workers may be hired in schools, government organizations, foster systems, and more.

3. Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

After graduating with a Ph.D. Social Work, you have the opportunity to pursue a career as a clinical social worker. This role involves working with patients struggling with emotional and mental health problems, as well as providing therapy sessions and other forms of treatment to clients. To become a clinical social worker, you are required to be licensed/certified at the clinical level. Review your state licensure requirements for more information on licensure requirements for becoming an LCSW.

4. Social and Community Service Manager

A social and community service manager manages and implements several social assistance programs and community services within a given area. In this role, you have the opportunity to enact positive change in a community and change in a community while tackling larger societal issues

Community social workers are also often organizers, working with government, grassroots organizations, and community leaders to determine the unique needs and best solutions for a given population. They will often use individual and government interventions to ensure social progress and support. To study community-focused social work, the Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work: Integrative Community Studies Specialization prepares students with advanced community-based approaches to social work and health care.

What’s the Career Outlook for Social Work?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of social work positions is projected to grow by 7% by 2033, which is faster than the average job. Social workers earn an average salary of $61,330 annually, which can vary depending on the state you’re licensed in and your experience level.

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What Skills Should You Have To Become A Social Worker?

While social workers will need the proper education and licensure to practice, building the right skill set is just as important. Social workers will interact with a diverse range of clients, each with their individual needs, making the job highly sensitive and requiring social workers to develop the right competencies to succeed.

7 Essential Skills for  Social Work

Possessing these seven core skills can help every social worker succeed in the field.

  1. Empathy: This refers to the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and treat them as you would expect to if you were in their position. This skill enables social workers to better understand a client’s issues and how best to solve them.
  2. Research-minded: A social worker must be equipped with the skills to conduct investigations and research in the field. Doctoral-level social workers in particular will build on the existing theory and practice throughout their careers.
  3. Communication: Social workers are in constant dialogue with a variety of stakeholders, including clients, families, organizations, and more. Therefore, communication channels and tactics must be clear, precise, and transparent. As a social worker, you must also be a good listener to understand your clients’ challenges and prevent misunderstandings. Proper communication is also necessary to help clients understand the next steps and achieve their personal goals.
  4. Cultural competency: This involves the ability to provide services through a lens that respects the values, culture, dignity, and worth of a diverse range of clients. This ensures that the individuals, families, and communities you’re working with are taken into account and protected throughout the course of your career.
  5. Problem-solving: Possessing and refining this skill helps social workers provide the best solutions and services that clients need and deserve.
  6. Organization: Attending to different clients daily while tackling various issues may be stressful. It takes a social worker with strong organizational skills to  manage clients, paperwork, call logs, and more while remaining professional on the job.
  7. Tolerance: As a social worker, it’s inevitable that some clients or stakeholders will be more difficult than others. You need to constantly remember that you are working with people who span diverse orientations, religions, beliefs, and more. Each client you serve holds a different set of life experiences. To succeed professionally in social work, you will need to be highly tolerant of others.

Pursuing a Degree in Social Work

Saybrook University’s social work doctoral programs prepare students for an advanced career in social work. Our Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work, as well as the Community Studies and the Legal Studies specializations can all be taken 100% online.
If you’re interested in the field of social work, there are many different career paths you can pursue post-graduation and post-licensure. We highlighted some of the four most popular areas of social work that people pursue, but there are many different options to explore in the world of social work.
Our social work doctoral programs are ideal for those with a master’s degree in social sciences who want to pursue an advanced degree in social work. Our programs focus on the whole person as well as community well-being, while preparing students to pursue licensure. Apply today.