When people think of Social Workers, the only thing that comes to their head is CPS and children being ripped away from their parents. Not only is that wrong in terms of what CPS workers do, but it is only a small aspect of where Social Workers actually work and can be found! There is a Social Worker in every field you go into! From schools and social service organizations to the military and politics. There really is no end to the possibilities when it comes to working with your Social Work degree, whether it be a BSW or MSW. The difficulty is in choosing what field YOU want to go into.
In school, you will likely be asked to choose between Micro (Clinical & Interpersonal) and Macro (Community, Leadership, Policy, etc.). It is important to remember that just because you picked one during our studies, it des not mean you cannot work in the other fields! For example, I specialized in Community, Leadership and Policy with a focus on Nonprofits during my MSW. Yet I am now working as a SW/Support Coordinator with individuals who have Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities! So you are not stuck with one job/career route once you graduate, there is a lot of flexibility to move around within the field of Social Work.
Let’s take a look at some of the different jobs/positions you can hold within specific Micro & Macro categories!
Micro Social Work
Child and family workers
Case Manager Family Therapist Clinician Foster Care Specialist
Counselor Family Intervention Specialist Crisis Counselor
Children’s Service Specialist Support Coordinator Housing Specialist
Healthcare Workers
Medical SW Outpatient SW Patient Advocacy Bereavement SW Home Healthcare SW
Military
Veterans Clinical SW Military Base Counselor
School social workers
Academic Advisors (College & University) K - 12 Social Workers
Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Addictions Counselor Outpatient Manager
Macro Social Work
Community Organizers
Grant Writer Urban/Social Planner Nonprofit & Grassroots Organizations
Social Justice Advocate Community Education
Public Policy/Advocate
Policy Analyst Working w/ local gov. officials
Social and Community Service Managers
Team Leader Social Services Director Program Supervisor/Manager
Program Director Outreach Coordinator Volunteer Coordinator
Public Official
Running for Public Office (Congress, City Council, etc.) Community Advocate
Research & Quality
Quality Control Manager Program Evaluator
These are only a few of the specialties and jobs that can be held by social workers in the Micro & Macro fields! What position do you hold as a Social Worker! Leave a comment and let us know!