WHAT DO SOCIAL WORKERS ACTUALLY DO?

WHAT DO SOCIAL WORKERS ACTUALLY DO?

I’d like to take the opportunity to clarify what social workers do as a profession:

*Social workers seldom work alongside counselors as social workers are highly and intensively trained in counseling and clinical social workers are trained in psychotherapy. They work short term and long term with their clients.

*Social workers, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists are colleagues and we refer clients to each other when appropriate and needed.

*Not all social workers deal with child protection and the poor and destitute of communities. Social workers who are employed by NGO and the government, may work with statutory matters, poverty abuse etc, while clinical social workers will work in private practice and psychiatric hospitals. Medical social workers will work in hospitals while others will work in government as advisors, university lecturers, managers and in corporate businesses.

*It can be very difficult finding work as a social worker and the salaries are as low as ZAR6000 per month, the hours are long and it can be dangerous, especially when it comes to removing children from abusive homes.

*Social workers specialise, for example, in the fields of adoption, removal of children from abusive homes, fertility, play therapy, emigration and absorption, gender based violence, LGBTQ+, gender identify issues, probation (prisons), hospitals and clinics (medical), schools, government, child protection, geriatrics, psychiatric hospitals and institutions, forensics, substance abuse, clinical work and in corporate settings. They work in and may be affiliated to wellness companies. Social workers do psychotherapeutic work with individuals, couples, relationships, families, communities, groups, teens and young children.

*Clinical social workers study personality and psychiatric disorders.

*Social Workers do not work for free! They need to get paid as they have lives, families and responsibilities of their own.

*When a clinical social worker identified a client may require psychiatric intervention, they refer to a psychiatrist for further assessment, diagnosis and medication to be prescribed. Clinical Social workers in private practice may apply for Minimum Prescribed Benefit on behalf of their client in conjunction with a psychiatric evaluation from a psychiatrist.

*They do not ONLY operate in resource scarce settings. Many social workers work in affluent settings too.

*Social workers may choose to work independently (private practice), and therefore, they may register with medical insurance companies and submit invoices to the medical aid for payment directly to them or for reimbursement to their clients.

*Social workers may work up to 2 hours (like psychologists) with their clients, unlike HPCSA registered counselors who may work for a maximum of 1.5 hours and may not apply for Prescribed Minimum Benefits for their clients nor do court reports.

*Social workers aren’t “Mother Theresa”. They don’t work for free, neither are they on call 24/7. They are members of the medical fraternity and are professionals in their field.

*Social workers work short term (counseling) and offer support as well as long term offering talk therapy as well as use psychotherapeutic techniques to help the client.

*Social workers may work independently, as part of a multi disciplinary team and as consultants.

*Social workers are trainers, educators, professors, government policy advisors, authors and trainers who train professionals in the mental health industry, as well as students, pastors, registered and lay counselors and the public.

*Many social workers qualify as social workers because they feel it’s a calling. This doesn’t mean that because “it’s a calling”, they must get paid poorly or not get paid at all, because they are doing it for ‘the love of helping others.’

*Social workers are humans with basic and complicated needs, with families of their own, who need to pay for necessities just like everybody else. They don’t live on hope, faith, prayer and oxygen alone.

*Social workers are part of the medical fraternity. They become registered with their own council called SACSSP (South African Council for Social Service professions) and not HPCSA (Health Professionals Council of South Africa.)

*Social workers who are registered with SACSSP and only registered counselors, psychologists and other medical doctors may register with HPCSA. Only those professionals registered with the above councils may register with BHF (Board of Health Funders) for independent private practices and register with medical insurance companies.

Ingrid is a Psychotherapist and Social Worker in private practice with special interest in clinical work & Somatic Therapies. She is an EMDR, Brainspotting, TIR practitioner, Hypnotherapist, & is registered with SACSSP. To find out more how she can assist & book an appointment, email Ingrid@inneressence.co.za. Sessions are claimable from medical insurance. Please visit her website on http://www.inneressence.co.za.