Project: Life After High School

 Clinical Social Worker: A clinical social worker helps people with mental health and substance
abuse issues and a variety of other individual or family problems overcome obstacles.

After selecting a position, think about what kinds of responsibilities your position will have. What are the
pros and cons of working in the position that you've selected?

 List of the Pros of Being a Social Worker

1. There’s a lot of variety available to you for employment.
2. Your job allows you to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
3. The diversity of the work makes every day different.
4. The diversity of the work makes every day different.
5. Social workers often work in environments which are comfortable and safe.
6. There are plenty of opportunities for growth within this career field.
7. Social workers do have access to benefits and a salary which exceed the national
average.
8. Social workers have one of the highest job satisfaction ratings in the United States.

 List of the Cons of Being a Social Worker

1. You often get to see the worst of humanity.
2. Social workers often suffer from compassion fatigue.
3. Many social workers carry a high caseload.
4. Social workers face the same risks as police officers in specific situations.
5. Most social workers feel powerless in what they do every day.
6. There is a high level of bureaucracy to navigate as a social worker.
7. The schedule for a social worker is often irregular.

Step 1: The following is a situational exercise. Read and use the information that you've learned
in this lesson to follow the instructions.
You are a counselor at a homeless shelter, and you are meeting with a client for the first time.
You introduce yourself and begin to try to establish trust between the two of you. You explain a
little bit about your experience as a counselor and success stories of people that you know who
have recovered from homelessness. In an attempt to help the client, you begin to ask questions
to discover this person's needs.
Step 2: Make a list of the questions that you would ask this person.
  “How are you doing?
 “Do you want to change your situation?”
 “Do you have anywhere to go?”
 “Are you interested in going to shelter?”
 “Have you been in shelter recently?”
 “Do you feel safe?”
 “How long have they been homeless?”
 “Does anyone know you’re out here?” (family, friend, outreach worker, case worker?)
 “What did they do before they were homeless?”
 “Are you in need of mental help or help with an addiction?”
 “What services are you in need of?”
 “What are your immediate needs beside a place to live?”
 “What are some of your goals?”

Step 3: List other problems that you think may go along with homelessness.

 Mental Health Issues

 Mixed substance use disorder
 Health Issues
 Food and Shelter Insecurity
 Income Insecurity/ Eroding Work Opportunities
 Basic Need Insecurity
 Decline in Public Assistance.

Step 4: Think about any services and/or resources that may be available to help your client.

 Grant Programs and Services

 Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH)
 Mental and Substance Use Programs
 Project Roomkey/Homelessness
 Housing and Disability Advocacy Program
 WORKs Housing Support Program
 WORKs Homeless Assistance
 Bringing Families Home Program

Step 5: Write ideas for solutions to the problems you listed in Step 3.
  Try to convince the homeless person to seek mental health treatment whether it is
inpatient or outpatient services. Give them names and numbers to local resources that
offer free or low-cost care.
 Try to convince the homeless person to seek help through a drug treatment program.
Give them names and numbers to local resources that offer free or low-cost treatment
programs.
 If the homeless person is suffering from health issues, give them information on local
community health clinics that offer free or low-cost health care. Also, help them apply
for Medicare or Medicaid.
 Try to convince the homeless person to seek shelter at a local homeless shelter. Also,
help them apply for Section 8 and food stamps.
 If the homeless person has adequate job experience assist them by giving them job
leads or location of employment office where they can receive job leads. If they lack the
skills to get a job, help them with entering a job training program.
 If they need basic supplies, giving them a list of local pantries where they can get access
to basic essentials and food.
 If there is a decline in public assistance, give them information on how to possibly apply
for grants that could help their situation. If there is better opportunities for public
assistance in other states, you might recommend them relocating to have better options
for help.

What is a Clinical Social Worker?

Clinical social work is defined as a specialized area of social work practice External link that
involves diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental illness, and helping individuals address
psychological, emotional, behavioral, and/or social challenges that affect their quality of life.
Such challenges include trauma, family conflict, physical illness, and difficult life situations such
as unemployment or substance addiction.

Clinical social workers work in a wide variety of settings, including hospital departments
(ranging from pediatric acute care to oncology, cardiac, ER, and geriatrics), community health
centers, child welfare agencies, employee assistance programs, schools, primary health care
clinics, substance abuse, and addictions clinics, eating disorder treatment programs,
correctional facilities and hospice and palliative care settings. Licensed clinical social workers
(LCSWs) also have the option of entering private practice.

Job Description at a Glance

Clinical social workers typically use a combination of individual therapy, group therapy, and/or
various case management responsibilities to support their clients; their precise responsibilities
depend on their work environment and the populations they serve.

This field of social work is characterized by a holistic, person-in-environment approach; clinical

social workers not only assess and help to address their clients’ mental and emotional
challenges but also work to understand how clients’ challenges interact with their family,
financial and social lives. Clinical social workers then use this understanding to help people
function better in these familial, social, and socioeconomic contexts.

Education Requirements and Licensing

Clinical social work is regulated at the state level. In general, clinical social workers are required
to hold a master’s in social work degree (MSW) from a program accredited by the Council on
Social Work Education (CSWE) External link. While not required for LCSW licensing, there are
MSW programs with a clinical social work concentration available. To become licensed as a
clinical social worker in their state of residence, individuals must complete state-specific
requirements that include:

A certain number of hours of post-graduate work experience in a supervised clinical

environment.
Passing licensing examinations as outlined by their state’s board of social work licensure. Social
work licensure examinations are typically administered by the Association of Social Work
Boards (ASWB) External link.
Completing specific coursework as required by their state.
Social work licensing requirements vary by state, so students should check with their state’s
board of social work licensure for the most up-to-date requirements.

Salaries
How much clinical social workers make on average can depend on their job setting and
function. The median salary for a clinical social worker External link can range between $44,840
- $63,140 depending on where they work, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS)
as of September 2019. The highest 10 percent have the potential to earn over $81,400.
Clinical social workers work in many different settings and are often some of the first
professionals to help people manage and address difficult life situations. While their core
mission is typically to identify and address people’s emotional and mental health challenges,
they can complete many types of tasks on top of assessment, diagnosis, and therapy,
depending on their work environment.

Types of clinical social workers include:

Child and family social workers.

Child welfare social workers.
Criminal justice social workers.
Geriatric social workers.
Hospice, palliative care, home care social workers.
International social workers.
Medical and health care social workers.
Pediatric social workers.
Psychiatric social workers.
Military social workers.
School social workers.
Substance abuse social workers.