This document discusses the areas of specialization and career opportunities for social workers. It identifies seven main areas of specialization: medical and health social work, psychiatric social work, community social work, child and family social work, hospice and palliative care social work, mental health and substance abuse social work, and military and veterans social work. Each area is described in terms of the typical job duties. The document also discusses other career paths social workers can take and encourages students to role play different specializations to better understand them.

1. O
S
AREAS OF
SPECIALIZATION
AND CAREER
PPORTUNITIES OF
OCIAL WORKERS

2. OBJECTIVES
• Distinguish the areas of
specialization of social work
• Appreciate the areas of
specialization of social work
through a short role play.
• Know the different career
opportunities of social work.

3. SOCIAL
WORKER
ADVOCATE
BROKER RESEARCHE
R
MEDIA
TOR
COUNSELOR
ENABLER
EDUCA
TOR
COMMUNITY
CHANGE
AGENT

4. GUESS THAT
PICTURE GAME

5. MDCL ND HLTH SCL
WRKR
MEDICAL AND HEALTH
SOCIAL WORKER

6. SCHL SCL WRKR
SCHOOL SOCIAL
WORKER

7. CMMNTY SCL WRKR
COMMUNITY
SOCIAL
WORKER

8. HSPC ND PLLTV SCL WRKR
HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE
SOCIAL WORKER

9. MNTL HLTH ND SBSTNC BS
SCL WRKR
MENTAL HEALTH AND
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
SOCIAL WORKER

10. PSYCHTRC SCL WRKR
PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL
WORKER

11. MLTRY ND VTRNS SCL
WRKR
MILITARY AND VETERANS
SOCIAL WORKER

12. AREAS OF
SPECIALIZATION
• Child, Family and School Social Worker
• Community Social Worker
• Hospice and Palliative Care Social
Worker
• Medical and Health Social Worker
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Social Worker
• Military and Veterans Social Worker
• Psychiatric Social Worker

13. MEDICAL AND HEALTH
SOCIAL WORKERS
• Works in hospital settings and helps
navigate the emotional, financial, and
physical struggles that a serious
medical condition can cause an
individual or family.
• Provides counseling and practical
assistance (connecting clients to
resources)

14. PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL
WORKERS
• Works with disturbed children and
adolescents with behavioral problems,
children with learning problems.
• Make an assessment of the factors
contributing to the problems.
• Conduct family therapy and other kinds of
intervention.
• Helping psychiatrist assess new referrals.
• Liasioning with teachers and educational
psychologists.

15. COMMUNITY SOCIAL
WORKER
• Helps plan, coordinate, and organize
efforts related to infrastructure,
volunteering, and fundraising within
specific communities.
• Works with community-based
nonprofit organizations to help heal
neighborhoods in the wake of
tragedies and natural disasters.

16. CHILD, FAMILY AND SCHOOL
SOCIAL WORKERS
• Deals with all sorts of situations such
as helping a child who has
experienced trauma or abuse;
• Counseling students at school who
are experiencing grief over the death
of a friend, family member;
• Helping parents find the right
resources for their child who is
suffering from a severe mental illness.

17. HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE
SOCIAL WORKER
• Help or care for someone who is
seriously or terminally ill.
• They help provide relief from pain;
improve quality of life; assist with
difficult decision-making; help family
and friends of an ill individual

18. MENTAL HEALTH AND
SUBSTANCE ABUSE SOCIAL
WORKERS
• Assists individuals who struggle with
addiction, substance abuse or mental
health problems.
• Provides short- and –long term
solutions for victims and their families.

19. MILITARY AND VETERANS
SOCIAL WORKERS
• Helps both the soldiers and their
families with post-traumatic stress,
role adjustments, the implications and
stressors of returning home, and any
substance abuse that may occur as a
result of combat.

20. OTHER SPECIALIZATIONS:
• GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORKER
– Deal with care of old people in old
people’s home; works in centers handling
cases of AIDS
• CRIMINOLOGY AND CORRECTIONAL
SOCIAL WORKERS- Work in prisons,
remand homes, crime and delinquent
prevention programs.
• RESEARCH SOCIAL WORKERS- carry
on social research.

21. • Social Workers specializing in:
– MEDICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL
WORKERS work in clinics, hospitals, child
guidance clinic, mental hospitals, medical
colleges, community public health centers
– SOCIAL WORKERS IN COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT are involved in field work in
community groups, government and voluntary
agencies, and Non-government agencies
(NGOs)
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

22. • Social Workers specializing in:
– CHILD CARE AND FAMILY SERVICES
SOCIAL WORKERS work in family planning
and AIDS awareness campaign of the
government, Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD), Bantay Bata etc.
– CRIMINOLOGY AND CORRECTIONAL
SOCIAL WORKER work in prisons, and
government welfare departments
– OTHERS: Schools, Industrials and Corporate
sectors.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

23. ACTIVITY

24. • Proceed to your permanent groupings.
• Each group will be given an assigned
areas of specialization.
• Prepare a short skit related to the different
areas of specialization of social work.
• Present your short skit in class.
– RUBRICS:
• Creativity – 10
• Understanding of the topic- 10
• Teamwork – 10
• TOTAL- 30 pts

25. GROUP REPORT
• Responsibilities to clients (Group 1)
• Responsibilities to colleagues (Group 2)
• Responsibilities to practice setting (Group
3)
• Responsibility as professionals (Group 4)
• Responsibility to the social work
profession and Broader Society (Group 5)