SOCIAL WORK: What can I do with this Major?

Administration and Planning
Case Management
Program Evaluation
Policy Setting
Research

Public welfare agencies
Private social service agencies

Public welfare is designed to provide services and support for poor, disabled, ill, elderly, or juvenile clients.

Volunteer at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, battered women homes, literacy programs, or other social service agencies to get experience.

Counseling/Therapy
Rehabilitation
Probation
Parole
Youth Services
Victim Assistance

Prisons and correctional facilities
Courts
Police departments
Probation offices
Victim services organizations

Social workers in corrections focus on rehabilitation of clients.

Obtain experience by volunteering at a corrections facility or victims program such as a rape crisis center.

Clinical Social Work
Pupil Personnel Services
Student Advocacy
Instruction

Elementary and secondary schools
School districts
Head start centers
Early intervention programs

School systems may employ social workers to help students cope with and resolve emotional, developmental, or educational difficulties.
Gain experience with children at daycare centers, camps, or Scouts.

Case Management
Advocacy
Intervention

Public and private child welfare agencies
Adoption agencies
Foster care organizations
Child daycare

Child welfare social workers strive to ensure the safety and well-being of children through treatment of the whole family.
Volunteer at daycares, child shelters, camps, YMCA, Scouts, or other agencies that aid youth.

Advocacy/Intervention
Counseling
Case Management
Programming
Public Policy

Hospitals
Nursing homes
Senior centers
Assisted living
Hospice

Gerontology involves working with older adults, healthy or ill, and their families.
Get involved with programs or organizations designed for senior citizens.

Counseling
Therapy

Community mental health centers
Psychiatric hospitals
Residential and day treatment hospitals
Employment assistance programs
Schools
Family service agencies
Private practice

Clinical social workers are found in a variety of settings that provide therapeutic counseling to clients.
Master of Social Work (MSW) is required.

Management
Policy Development
Planning

Family service agencies
Child welfare departments
Social service agencies
State mental health departments
Employee assistance programs
Probation departments
Public welfare agencies
Public interest groups
Local, state, and federal government

Administrators are involved with planning, budgeting, public relations, marketing, supervising, operations management, fund raising, and other crucial responsibilities that keep an organization functioning.
Obtain an MSW and gain management experience.

Research
Teaching

Colleges and universities
Research institutes
Local, state and federal government
Advocacy organizations

Research provides data and statistics important in program implementation and policy development.
Doctor of Social Work (DSW) or Ph.D. usually required.

Counseling
Education
Wellness Promotion
Employee Assistance
Organizational Development
Human Resource

Businesses
Corporations
Employee assistance programs
Labor unions

Occupational social workers help employees to be more productive and satisfied.

Case Management
Program Planning and Evaluation
Research
Policy Development

Community residential homes
State and local agencies
Medical facilities
Schools

Social workers in this area help people with disabilities to adjust and to lead productive lives.
Volunteer at special needs camps, daycares, schools, or hospitals to gain experience.

Case Management
Counseling
Program Development
Administration
Research

Hospitals
Community health centers
Outpatient clinics
Public health programs
Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)
Nursing homes
Group homes
Hospice
Veterans Administration hospitals

Social workers in health care facilitate medical and emotional treatment of patients.
Choose volunteer settings such as hospitals, the American Red Cross, or AIDS agencies to get experience.

Program and Community Development
Advocacy
Politics
Education
Planning

Advocacy organizations
Development corporations
Community centers
Local, state, and federal government
Associations

Social workers in this area work with existing organizations to improve conditions for specific groups, enhance quality of living, and involve community members in the political process. Get involved with grassroots causes and community agencies.