What Do Social Workers Do?

When I first started pursuing a career as a Clinical Social Worker, I often heard people say “Oh. You are the person who rips screaming babies out of the arms of their mother”. Well…not quite.

Yes, there are Social Workers who work in Child Protective Services who, when a child is in a potentially dangerous situation, they are removed in order to protect them since they are not able to protect themselves. Though this is a last resort, it does happen. However, Social Workers do so much more!

Social Work is a long established profession with the primary goal of helping those in need. Social Work is one of the oldest mental health professions and is even older than it’s more well known counterpart, Marriage and Family Therapy.

You will find Social Workers just about anywhere and everywhere from Hospitals, Law Enforcement, Prisons, Schools, Rehabilitation, Hospice, Non-profit Agencies, Homeless Agencies, to Private Practices and much more. Clinical Social Workers are much in need. They work long hours, weekends, evenings and holidays. They don’t do it for the money as the pay is low. They do it because they care.