Mental Health & Substance Abuse Social Workers
Case Manager, Mental Health Therapist, Social Worker, Therapist
What they do:
Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.
On the job, you would:
- Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.
- Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.
Knowledge
Health
- therapy and counseling
- medicine and dentistry
Math and Science
- psychology
- sociology and anthropology
Arts and Humanities
- English language
- philosophy and religion
Business
- customer service
Skills
Basic Skills
- listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
- talking to others
Problem Solving
- noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Social
- understanding people's reactions
- changing what is done based on other people's actions
Abilities
Verbal
- listen and understand what people say
- communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
- notice when problems happen
- make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Concern for Others
- Integrity
- Self Control
- Adaptability/Flexibility
- Stress Tolerance
- Dependability
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Electronic mail software
- Email software
- Microsoft Outlook
Presentation software
- Information presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Medical software
- Client records software
- Medical procedure coding software
Education
Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
bachelor's degree
usually needed
bachelor's degree
usually needed
Job Outlook
Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Explore More
- Healthcare Social Workers
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Mental Health Counselors
- Rehabilitation Counselors
- Substance Abuse & Behavioral Disorder Counselors
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about mental health and substance abuse social workers.