Mental health and substance abuse social workers work with clients who have mental conditions and/or addictions. Often it is an “and” – in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, rates of substance abuse are well above the norm. Trauma disordered individuals also turn frequently to alcohol and other drugs of abuse. Social workers, with their knowledge of humans systems, can be especially effective at addressing co-occurring disorders.
Master’s trained clinical social workers provide psychotherapy. They also act as case managers for individuals with complex needs. In hospital settings, they act as discharge planners: navigating systems so that people have the resources and support when they leave the hospital. In an age of ever more effective pharmacological interventions – and ever increasing medical costs – people are often stabilized quickly. There can be incentive to push them right on out the door. But without long-term intervention, relapse is unavoidable. Even with it, setbacks happen.
Social workers uncover hidden problems and implement solutions. Some provide outreach to aging parents who have spent a good portion of their lives caring for grown children with mental illnesses. Some implement – and advocate for – Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment. Integrated treatment models are important because services have often been denied to people who needed them because they had a concurrent diagnosis that the facility did not feel equipped to handle.
Sometimes concurrent conditions have gone completely unrecognized. This is likely to happen when one of the conditions is mental disability. According to Social Work Today, mental illness often goes unrecognized in intellectually disabled populations. Again, social work can be part of the solution.
Mental health and substance abuse social workers can be found in hospitals, residential treatment centers, social service organizations, and health clinics. Some go into private practice providing psychotherapy and counseling. They must draw from a wide knowledge background.
How do you become a mental health social worker? Mental health social work, sometimes termed clinical social work, is a master’s level profession. A master’s is also necessary for many facets of substance abuse social work. Most social workers will find themselves working with individuals with substance problems at some point, at least peripherally. If a social worker wants to specialize in treating this population, they will do so at the master’s level (or afterward). A student sometimes has the opportunity pursue a certificate in substance abuse as part of a MSW program. The student may seek out work in substance abuse treatment to fulfill the practicum requirement. All accredited master’s programs require at least 900 hours in the field.
Fordham University’s top-ranked School of Social work offers an online MSW program that prepares students for relevant, integrated practice with all populations. GRE scores not required.
Capella University is now offering an online Master of Social Work that is in CSWE candidacy status. The MSW program helps prepare students to enter the general or clinical practice role (in most states). Capella also offers an online Doctor of Social Work.
Capella University is now offering an online Master of Social Work that is in CSWE candidacy status. The MSW program helps prepare students to enter the general or clinical practice role (in most states). Capella also offers an online Doctor of Social Work.
