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School social worker skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Dawnette Cigrand Ph.D.,
Dr. Dianna Cooper
School social worker example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical school social worker skills. We ranked the top skills for school social workers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 26.4% of school social worker resumes contained social work as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a school social worker needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 school social worker skills for your resume and career

1. Social Work

Here's how school social workers use social work:
  • Conduct social work evaluations with students suspected of having emotional/behavioral problems which may qualify them for special education services.
  • Administer social, emotional, and behavioral evaluations for students to determine qualification of social work services.

2. Social Emotional

Here's how school social workers use social emotional:
  • Conducted classroom observations and consulted with teachers and school administrators regarding behavioral issues and social emotional classroom strategies.
  • Conduct weekly Social Emotional Learning Groups* Facilitator of Special Education Assessment and Individual Educational Planning meetings.

3. IEP

Here's how school social workers use iep:
  • Collaborate with the IEP Committees in determining the eligibility for emotionally impaired programs and academic services.
  • Participated in IEP, MDT, and manifestation determination and other agency-related meetings and conferences.

4. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how school social workers use community resources:
  • Participated in activities of professional, civic and community organizations in order to develop and improve family life and community resources.
  • Participated in conferences involving cooperation with other pupil personnel workers, school personnel and family and community resources.

5. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how school social workers use professional development:
  • Provided classroom and professional development presentations on mental health diagnosis/treatment, school-wide positive behavior support plans and implementation.
  • Created a needs assessment for Student Support Services team to organize and facilitate professional development.

6. Behavioral Issues

Behavioral issues are the tendencies of individuals displaying unpleasant behavior as a result of sickness or addiction.

Here's how school social workers use behavioral issues:
  • Provided individual and group therapy to adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues utilizing motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral techniques.
  • Assist administrators and ESS personnel with difficult ESS behavioral issues and facilitate resolutions.

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7. Child Abuse

When a child who is under 18 is mistreated by an adult, it is considered child abuse. There are many forms of intentional harm and mistreatment for example physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, medical abuse, and neglect in providing adequate basic life necessities.

Here's how school social workers use child abuse:
  • Provided crisis intervention, parent education and child abuse prevention training.
  • Assisted supervisor in cases or suspected child abuse and suicidal idealizations

8. Group Therapy

Group psychotherapy or group therapy is the practice of treating a group of clients together in one sitting throughout multiple sessions. This practice allows people to receive encouragement and support from their peers who are taking the same group therapy.

Here's how school social workers use group therapy:
  • Facilitated and developed creative group therapy for aggressive students, as well as individual and family counseling sessions.
  • Provide individual and group therapy to students as well as educational workshops to promote awareness of adolescent development.

9. Community Agencies

Community agencies stand for the organizations operated to provide human service in the community.

Here's how school social workers use community agencies:
  • Provided direct services to identified special education students including, education counseling, liaison with community agencies and mental health professionals.
  • Provided individual and family counseling, classroom presentation, behavioral planning and coordination of services with teaching staff and community agencies.

10. Classroom Observations

Here's how school social workers use classroom observations:
  • Assisted in conducting classroom observations, administered and scored behavioral scales, completing functional behavioral assessments and behavior intervention plans.
  • Provided classroom teacher support: Conducted continuous classroom observations of students; collected and analyzed data for behavior assessments.

11. Autism

Here's how school social workers use autism:
  • Developed and implemented eclectic counseling strategies for child and adolescent students with Autism and Emotional Disorders in push-in and pull-out model.
  • Provided parent training/counseling in group and individual settings for parents of children with developmental delays, including autism.

12. Crisis Intervention

Here's how school social workers use crisis intervention:
  • Provide interventions including crisis intervention, behavior management support, emotional support time-structured activities, and psychological rehabilitative activities.
  • Devised and assisted with implementation of behavioral plans and provided crisis intervention to students with emotional and behavioral problems.

13. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how school social workers use mental health:
  • Provided case management and advocacy: Offered crisis counseling and advocacy to families regarding parenting, health/mental health and educational issues.
  • Provide referrals to local specialty professionals for long term/or intensive mental health interventions and other community-based services, as needed.

14. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is an often necessary skill in business, employed for processes such as contract negotiations, legal matters, and even personal, emotional situations and conflicts. It is the ability to find and create an appropriate and peaceful solution to some sort of dilemma or argument in which two or more parties are involved. The resolution itself must benefit and satisfy all parties and this is what makes it so difficult to reach a peaceful point sometimes.

Here's how school social workers use conflict resolution:
  • Implemented appropriate school intervention and prevention programs including conflict resolution, violence prevention, self-image building, and positive self-image.
  • Facilitate individual and group counseling regarding conflict resolution, anger management, bullying and psycho social skill building.

15. MSW

Here's how school social workers use msw:
  • Coordinated placement and supervised MSW students from several universities in the Minneapolis Metro area.
  • Placed at this school for MSW field placement for the 2005/06 academic year, employed by the school from 2006-2008.
top-skills

What skills help School Social Workers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on school social worker resumes?

Dr. Dawnette Cigrand Ph.D.Dr. Dawnette Cigrand Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor and Chair, Winona State University

-Creative problem solving
-Ability to engage students who are overwhelmed or disengaged
-Technology proficiencies
-Resilience and perseverance

What soft skills should all school social workers possess?

Dr. Dianna Cooper

Associate Professor, Campbellsville University

The "change theory" used in social work practice follows several steps, including engaging, assessing, planning, intervening, evaluating, terminating, and following up. Soft skills are most likely to occur in engagement, intervention, and termination. Social workers are trained to "start wherever the client is," understanding that clients can be individuals, families, groups, communities, or organizations. Social workers are trained to respect the client as the expert in their needs, honor self-determination, use a strengths-based approach, and respect difference while using inclusion. The training turns into soft skills such as being empathetic, warm, genuine, and respectful. Social workers also develop skills in knowing when to listen and when to nudge the client toward action. Social workers are trained to intervene and, when change is completed, to terminate. Helping clients know when to end services also requires soft skills of talking about hard topics, seeing a brighter future and setting goals, recognizing when change is happening, and saying goodbye respectfully.

What hard/technical skills are most important for school social workers?

Dr. Dianna Cooper

Associate Professor, Campbellsville University

Hard or technical skills are most likely to occur in the stages of assessing, planning, intervening, and evaluating change theory. Social workers are trained to gather lots of information and then analyze strengths and needs. Social workers present their assessments to clients and work together to create goals and the steps that reach goals when executed. The process involves using the client's vision of what "better" looks like. Social workers then use evidence-based techniques to move the client toward the goal and define measures to know when the goal is met. The technical skills used in this process include analyzing many types of information repeatedly, knowing what resources exist and how to refer, knowing how to design effective goals and steps to achieve goals, researching current evidence-based practices, defining and measuring progress, and setting limits and timeframes.

What school social worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Associate Dean, University of Nevada - Reno

The need for social workers with expertise in mental health care, school-based social work, health and substance misuse are particularly important. Sixty percent of mental health care in the US is provided by social workers and the need is growing.

What type of skills will young school social workers need?

Chris Hennington Ph.D.Chris Hennington Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

School Counseling Program Coordinator, Lubbock Christian University

School counselors will be tasked with the usual school counseling responsibilities while also encountering trauma that students experience outside of school and in school. Being well versed in trauma response is going to be a vital aspect of being a school counselor. Kids are experiencing more trauma, but we are getting better at recognizing and treating trauma as well.

What technical skills for a school social worker stand out to employers?

Dr. Cecy BrooksDr. Cecy Brooks LinkedIn profile

Visiting Assistant Professor, Mississippi University for Women

Due to the pandemic, many graduates had to finish their classes online, meaning that for most, that required more independent learning and virtual team work. Employers will definitely look at how well you function in a virtual environment, especially whether you can conduct and host virtual meetings. Being aware of how multiple systems such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Go-to-Meeting, and Zoom work can help distinguish a potential candidate. Written skills are also important as email communication may be the primary way to communicate with those within and outside of the organization. Understanding how to write in a clear and concise manner can help boost your resume to the top. Additionally, in some work settings, in-person meetings may not be possible, so you may be writing more messages when you are unable to "see" or call someone on the phone.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about school social worker

List of school social worker skills to add to your resume

School social worker skills

The most important skills for a school social worker resume and required skills for a school social worker to have include:

  • Social Work
  • Social Emotional
  • IEP
  • Community Resources
  • Professional Development
  • Behavioral Issues
  • Child Abuse
  • Group Therapy
  • Community Agencies
  • Classroom Observations
  • Autism
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Mental Health
  • Conflict Resolution
  • MSW
  • Support Services
  • Social Services
  • K-12
  • Psychosocial Assessments
  • Public Schools
  • Functional Behavior Assessments
  • Behavior Management
  • Intervention Strategies
  • Substance Abuse
  • Early Intervention
  • Family Therapy
  • Social Histories
  • Truancy
  • Group Sessions
  • PBIS
  • Direct Services
  • General Education
  • Crisis Management
  • School Administration
  • RTI
  • Medicaid
  • Individual Therapy
  • Anger Management
  • Referral Services
  • K-8
  • PPT
  • Kindergarten
  • Classroom Presentations
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Community Services
  • Social Assessments
  • CSE
  • Elementary Schools
  • Crisis Situations
  • Progress Monitoring

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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