“I Need a Social Worker!”
Where to Find Social Work Services
How to Get a Social Worker for Help with Emotional, Physical, or Mental Needs
Many situations in life come up where you may find yourself in need of a social work agency or private social workers. Social workers have a mission to help people overcome problems and crises, and they do this in multiple ways.
Over 60% of mental health treatment in the U.S. is provided by clinically trained social workers. So, many people that need to find an independent social worker are looking for therapy or counseling for a problem.
Social Work Agencies Near Me
Another one of the social work strengths is helping people navigate complex government systems, like healthcare, Medicaid, Medicare, and other social services. So many of those looking for “government social workers near me” need help understanding how these government agencies can assist them.
But where do you look for a social work consultant or therapist? What types of social worker questions should you ask before working with a social work professional?
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Table of Contents
We’ll help guide you to the right place with the information in this article on the best social work agencies near you. Topics that we cover include:
- Why would you need to find a social worker or social work agency?
- What are common social work services
- What are social worker strengths?
- What are the weaknesses of social workers?
- What are questions for social workers you should ask?
- How to get a social worker or find social work agencies near me?
- Where can I find government social workers near me?
- Social worker companies (agencies) vs private social workers?
- What makes a good social worker?
- What are the skills required to be a social worker?
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Why Would You Need to Find a Social Worker or Social Work Agency?
Most people might not ever envision that social worker hiring or working with a social work agency would be anything that would even come up in their lives.
But, because of the strengths of a social worker to help people in many different types of situations, you may be saying, “I need a social worker” at some point when going through a personal crisis or difficult family situation.
There are many different types of social workers and there are both independent social workers and social workers at social work agencies. We’ll go through some of the common social work services they provide to give you an idea of why generalist social work might be something you’re seeking.
Common Social Work Services
- Providing therapy and counseling to people of all ages
- Providing advanced psychotherapy for those with severe mental conditions
- Locating resources to fill immediate needs (food, shelter, substance abuse rehab, etc.)
- Protecting children that may be in an unsafe environment
- Advocating for communities that are marginalized or impoverished
- Helping families with short-term and long-term care transitions for elderly family members
- Assisting with in-home mental health care
- Counseling students and helping diagnose and treat behavioral issues
- Supporting hospital patients and their families through resources for continued care and financial assistance
- Supporting those in palliative care and their families
These are just a few of the services that may cause someone to search, “how to get a social worker?” There are many other services that social workers and social work agencies provide for individuals, families, and communities.
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What Are the Strengths of a Social Worker?
There are certain social work strengths that accompany social work experience that make social workers uniquely qualified to help when people are in need or facing a crisis of some type
In addition to social work experience, social worker strengths include:
- Patience
- Empathy
- Organization
- Excellent verbal & written communication skills
- Objectivity
- Flexibility
- Critical thinking skills
- Problem-solving skills
In many cases, a social work consultant will be seeing a person when that person may be at their worst. Social worker strengths, such as empathy and the ability to treat everyone equally without judgment, help people feel comfortable talking to them about their problems.
Many social worker positions will require a social worker to make life-impacting decisions to improve a client’s life, such as whether or not to remove a neglected child from a home. This makes critical-thinking skills and problem-solving vital social work strengths.
The skills required to be a social worker are varied and revolve around what are known as “soft skills,” which are people-oriented.
When doing any social worker hiring for social work positions, you’ll want to think about the skills above when creating your questions for social workers.
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What Are the Weaknesses of Social Workers?
In addition to social worker strengths, there are also weaknesses of social workers. These may be issues that social work work experience over the years can change.
Certain social worker weaknesses can also disqualify someone from social worker positions in certain fields. Such as if someone was uncomfortable visiting people in their homes, then they would most likely not be well-suited for social work positions as a caseworker for child and family services or in-home eldercare.
Some common weaknesses of social workers that you may want to address when creating questions to ask a social worker are:
- Being overly friendly or getting too attached to clients
- Being impatient with clients
- Lacking empathy for certain clients
- Talking more than listening during a session
- Being indecisive when it comes to client care plans
- Not having good social worker engagement skills
- Not keeping detailed and accurate records
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Do you have any questions or feedback about social worker questions or this article on “what do they expect of the social worker when finding one?” If so, click here to contact the Social Work Portal Team.
Question to Ask Social Workers
When reviewing social worker companies and private social workers in your quest to find a social worker, there are certain social work open ended questions that you’ll want to ask.
What are open ended questions for social workers as compared to close ended questions? Social work open ended questions are those that cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no” answer.
Open ended questions for social workers invite a more robust answer that helps you when doing social worker hiring. They give you more insight into things like social work experience and social worker strengths.
For example, if you ask an independent social worker, “Do you have a degree in social work?”, this can be answered with a yes or no answer. It’s close ended.
If you ask an independent social worker at a social work agency, “Can you tell me about your educational background in social work?” This is one of the open ended social worker questions and invites more feedback.
Questions to Ask a Social Worker
When social work agencies hire social workers, what do they expect of the social worker for minimum educational requirements?
For all social worker positions, the minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree in social work or a related subject, such as psychology. This type of degree is fine for generalist social work and more entry-level jobs at social worker companies.
However, when asking “what do they expect of the social worker” when it comes to therapy, counseling, or more client one-on-one positions, the answer would be more education and social work work experience. At a minimum, a social worker would need a master’s degree in social work.
Questions to ask social workers that you’re hiring for social worker positions or individual therapy or counseling needs include:
- What interests you about working for this social work agency?
- How long have you been a social work consultant or therapist?
- Tell me about your social work experience and education.
- What special social worker engagement skills are you particularly proud of?
- What makes a good social worker?
- In your experience, what types of clients are the most difficult to work with?
- What is something valuable you’ve learned in your social work experience?
- What are some of the social work strengths you have that will allow you to help me/my family?
- How do you handle the client engagement process?
- Tell me about a particularly difficult care planning decision that you had to make?
- How do you deal with pressure or changes in expectations?
- Describe the social worker engagement skills you use during an exit/termination of care process?
- What are your biggest social work strengths and weaknesses?
Looking for more questions to ask a social worker? You can find several that are categorized for generalist social work, as well as by social work specialties at the National Association of Social Workers. Visit: NASW Questions to Ask Social Workers
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Do you have any questions or feedback about the skills required to be a social worker or the strengths of a social worker? If so, click here to contact the Social Work Portal Team.
Where Can I Find Social Work Agencies Near Me?
Now that you know what to look for in social workers and social work agencies, let’s discuss how to get a social worker when you need one.
Before you begin searching “government social workers near me” or “private social work agencies near me,” you’ll want to understand the difference between private social workers and government social work agencies.
Public Social Work Agencies vs Private Social Workers
Public social work agencies are those run by the government and that provide social services as a public service. A social work agency like the Children’s Bureau delivers child welfare services for children in need. The Veterans Administration, with over 9,000 social workers, provides services to military veterans.
Private social workers will work for either private or non-profit social work agencies. Examples of this would be substance abuse rehabilitation centers and residential care facilities. Independent social workers will also provide counseling and therapy services.
Where Can I Find Government Social Workers Near Me?
- Social Security Administration
- Veteran’s Administration
- Department of Defense
- Department of Justice
- Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Administration for Children & Families (part of HHS)
- Administration on Aging (part of HHS)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (part of HHS)
- S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
- S. Department of Education
- Your local school district
- Similar social work agencies at the state or county level
Where Can I Find Private & Non-Profit Social Work Agencies Near Me:
- Local chapters of larger organizations, such as Meals on Wheels, United Way, American Red Cross, and Ronald McDonald House
- Residential care facilities & nursing homes
- Homeless shelters
- Substance abuse rehabilitation clinics
- Teen-rescue organizations
- Domestic abuse shelters
- Religious organizations
- Food banks
- Disease-related support organizations
- Crisis hotlines
- Disability and shut-in assistance organizations
- Mentoring & counseling organizations (e.g., Big Brothers Big Sisters of America)
Where Can I Find Other Types of Social Workers?
- Hospitals and outpatient clinics
- Businesses offering mental health and therapeutic social work services
- Business offering assistance with eldercare
- Health insurance companies
- Corporations with social workers assisting with employee health & well-being
- Hospice and palliative care facilities
- Telehealth counseling social work services
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Conclusion | “I Need a Social Worker” – How to Get a Social Worker When You Need One
As you can see from the extensive lists above of social worker positions in government, non-profit, and private organizations, there are social workers that work in just about every type of service organization you can imagine.
Whether you want to know how to get a social worker for yourself or a loved one, we hope the information above makes your search easier and gives you valuable resources to help you secure the social work services you need.
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Social Work Agencies Near Me FAQ
Why would you need to find a social worker?
Common Social Work Services
• Providing therapy and counseling to people of all ages
• Providing advanced psychotherapy for those with severe mental conductions
• Locating resources to fill immediate needs (food, shelter, substance abuse rehab, etc.)
• Protecting children that may be in an unsafe environment
• Advocating for communities that are marginalized or impoverished
• Helping families with short-term and long-term care transitions for elderly family members
• Assisting with in-home mental health care
• Counseling students and helping diagnose and treat behavioral issues
• Supporting hospital patients and their families through resources for continued care and financial assistance
• Supporting those in palliative care and their families
What government agencies do social workers work with?
Social worker positions are included in many different government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
• Social Security Administration
• Veteran’s Administration
• Department of Defense
• Department of Justice
• Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Administration for Children & Families (part of HHS)
• Administration on Aging (part of HHS)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (part of HHS)
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
• U.S. Department of Education
• Your local school district
• Similar social work agencies at the state or county level
What are the strengths of a social worker?
Social worker strengths include:
• Patience
• Empathy
• Organization
• Excellent verbal & written communication skills
• Objectivity
• Flexibility
• Critical thinking skills
• Problem-solving skills
What are the weaknesses of social workers?
Some common weaknesses of social workers that you may want to address when creating questions to ask a social worker are:
• Being overly friendly or getting too attached to clients
• Being impatient with clients
• Lacking empathy for certain clients
• Talking more than listening during a session
• Being indecisive when it comes to client care plans
• Not having good social worker engagement skills
• Not keeping detailed and accurate records
How can I find social work agencies near me?
You can find social work agencies near you by contacting government agencies, non-profit organizations, or looking for private residential care services. Many independent social workers also offer counseling and mental health therapy services.
After you’ve referenced the social work organizations in this article, doing an online search for “social work agencies near me” is a good place to go next.
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