What does a social worker do?
Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.
Social worker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real social worker resumes:
- Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
- Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
- Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
- Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
- Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
- Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.
- Develop and create a hospital performance measure to focus on assisting patients diagnose with homeless veterans.
- Provide community base group and individual therapy and case management services to behavioral health patients at risk for inpatient hospitalization.
- Complete timely post-transplant assessments and coordinate discharge plans for inpatient renal transplant patients requiring acute or sub-acute rehabilitation post hospital stay.
- Coordinate school-wide character education program as well as peer mediation groups.
- Make appropriate APS referrals regarding poor living conditions, abuse, and neglect.
- Provide weekend support to the full time LSW and complete the tasks she request.
- Provide mediation for families through couples counseling, supervise visits, parent aide services, etc.
- Provide clinical counseling to and psycho-social assessments of patients on both the medicine/surgical unit and the medical ICU unit.
- Conduct screening and risk assessment intervention per program guidelines during admission, discharge planning and arrange for SNF, medical equipment.
Social worker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Social Workers are proficient in Social Work, Patients, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Social Workers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 30%
Collaborated with treatment team of clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and rehabilitation counselors to Developed individualized treatment plans.
- Patients, 15%
Provided community based group and individual therapy and case management services to behavioral health patients at risk for inpatient hospitalization.
- Patient Care, 5%
Provided patient care including conducting assessments to determine eligibility for programs, determining preliminary diagnosis, developing and implementing treatment plans.
- MSW, 4%
Provided supervision for MSW candidate interns as official field instructor and task supervisor Social Work Internship Experience
- Discharge Planning, 4%
Managed referrals to appropriate community resources based on identified needs, assisted with application for services, and coordinated discharge planning.
- Home Health, 4%
Organized, budgeted and coordinated community health fairs promoting awareness of home health services
Common skills that a social worker uses to do their job include "social work," "patients," and "patient care." You can find details on the most important social worker responsibilities below.
Communication skills. Many social worker duties rely on communication skills. "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives," so a social worker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways social worker responsibilities rely on communication skills: "supervised msw students and provided ongoing communication between students, graduate schools and hospital. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for social workers to perform their duties. For an example of how social worker responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a social worker: "position requires excellent interpersonal communication and multidisciplinary team participation. ".
Organizational skills. A big part of what social workers do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to social worker responsibilities because "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical social worker tasks: "organized and conducted joint investigations with law enforcement in strict accordance with government regulations and organizational procedures and policies. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for social worker responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of social workers all the time, as "social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions." An excerpt from a real social worker resume shows how this skill is central to what a social worker does: "provided budgeting, problem-solving, and financial assistance to clients. "
Compassion. Lastly, "compassion" is an important element of what a social worker does. Social worker responsibilities require this skill because "social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." This resume example highlights how social worker duties rely on this skill: "provided medical, spiritual/emotional care, encompassing quality, dignity, compassion and confidentiality. "
The three companies that hire the most social workers are:
- Mercy Corps1,059 social workers jobs
- Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership146 social workers jobs
- Kaiser Group Inc123 social workers jobs
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Compare different social workers
Social worker vs. Mental health specialist
A mental health specialist is responsible for evaluating a patient's mental health condition and develop appropriate treatment plans to help the patients cope up with their mental difficulties. Mental health specialists provide counseling to the patients, listening to their situation, and responding with the utmost consideration. They also create regular progress reports and medical charts to monitor ongoing medication, updating treatment plans as needed. A mental health specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills, helping the patients deal with their mental stress and return to a healthy lifestyle.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a social worker are more likely to require skills like "patient care," "msw," "home health," and "social services." On the other hand, a job as a mental health specialist requires skills like "cpr," "vital signs," "therapeutic milieu," and "therapeutic relationships." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Mental health specialists really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $47,531. Comparatively, social workers tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $56,132.On average, mental health specialists reach lower levels of education than social workers. Mental health specialists are 12.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Social worker vs. Family counselor
A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real social worker resumes. While social worker responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "patient care," "msw," and "home health," family counselors use skills like "poc," "family support," "dod," and "group supervision."
Family counselors may earn a lower salary than social workers, but family counselors earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $40,967. On the other hand, social workers receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,132.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Family counselors tend to reach similar levels of education than social workers. In fact, they're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for social workers in the next 3-5 years?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Social worker vs. Crisis counselor
A crisis counselor is responsible for providing assistance and emotional support to clients under crises or mental health emergencies caused by stress, trauma, grief, and other factors. Most crisis counselors work at clinics or counseling centers, and there are instances where they can be at schools and organizations. Aside from diagnosing and providing specific treatments, a crisis counselor must also build rapport with clients, helping them feel comfortable every step of the way, and serving as a positive influence in their journey to recovery.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from social worker resumes include skills like "patient care," "msw," "home health," and "rehabilitation," whereas a crisis counselor is more likely to list skills in "mental health crisis," "crisis management," "suicide prevention," and "emergency room. "
Most crisis counselors achieve a lower degree level compared to social workers. For example, they're 10.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Social worker vs. Service counselor
Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between social workers and service counselors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a social worker might have more use for skills like "patient care," "msw," "home health," and "psychosocial assessments." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of service counselors require skills like "customer service," "aaa," "emergency situations," and "inbound calls. "
In general, service counselors earn the most working in the education industry, with an average salary of $43,030. The highest-paying industry for a social worker is the government industry.service counselors reach lower levels of education compared to social workers, in general. The difference is that they're 18.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of social worker
Updated January 8, 2025
