In today’s world, social work is more important than ever. However, there is one area where this profession has gained special prominence: mental health. And it is no wonder since almost one billion people currently suffer from some mental disorder, according to the World Health Organization, so that it has become the main cause of disability.
Many of these patients need close and methodical support that complements the work of the psychologist or psychiatrist in the consultation. In these cases, the social worker comes into action, a professional who listens, understands and guides people and their families to help them find the best solution and improve their quality of life.
From poverty to emotional suffering, nothing is impossible to social work
At the end of the 19th century, the economies of Europe and North America were increasingly productive and prosperous, but at the same time poverty was increasing in various strata of society. That paradox was the breeding ground in which the social work profession was born.
As a result, by 1900 activities focused on improving the social conditions of disadvantaged people and groups had become a full-fledged occupation, such that social work achieved its professional status in 1930.
By the 1920s, social workers were already found in public hospitals and schools, as well as in child and family welfare organizations, where they attempted to mitigate the effects of child neglect and abandonment, as well as chronic disability.
However, the Great Depression and World War II marked a milestone in this profession, forcing it to expand its efforts to also serve adults experiencing unemployment and extreme poverty, as well as those returning from war with emotional problems such as post-traumatic stress.
Since then, the number of social workers has not stopped growing, becoming a shadow army whose help is invaluable so that many people with mental disorders can get ahead. In fact, more than a third of social workers specialize in mental health, according to a survey by The Council on Social Work Education. And it is no coincidence since it is the second most common “problem” they have to deal with in their practice.
The importance of specialized training in Mental Health
Social workers have to deal with different types of mental disorders: on the one hand, they must care for patients with a chronic problem, and, on the other hand, psychiatric patients in crisis. These people not only have special characteristics and needs, but there are also action protocols, so to provide adequate assistance and support, it is necessary to specialize in Mental Health.
The bachelor’s degree in social work provides general training, often aimed more at the field of social services or the tertiary sector. In order to work in the area of mental health, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the different mental disorders and understand how they affect the person’s social sphere and vice versa, in addition to being aware of the available treatments.
To intervene in a more professional and effective way, both in primary and specialized care, an extensive training path must be followed. However, advanced standing MSW programs offer an accelerated pathway for experienced professionals, demonstrating that online education can adapt to the specific needs of its audience.
In fact, for therapists, counselors and social workers whose work requires a delicate balance between their professional and personal lives, online programs represent an ideal solution. They allow professionals to continue to grow academically without sacrificing their professional practice or personal commitments.
This program is particularly interesting because it “Focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral disturbances”, making it perfect for developing the clinical mental health treatment skills of social workers. In addition, it provides the benefit from experiential learning and field placement services, so that its students will be able to work in a variety of fields, including mental health, addiction, and substance abuse, and family and youth services.
What does a mental health social worker do?
Mental health care requires multidisciplinary action that incorporates the social dimension. Ignoring social needs in psychological or psychiatric treatment, for example, would generate a biased image in which one of the patient’s vital dimensions is left aside, so that it would be impossible to fully understand the patient and encourage a more functional and adaptive response.
Social work in mental health addresses everything related to intervention external to the health service itself in the social, family and community sphere. It integrates the spheres of physical health, emotional well-being, coexistence, economic-labor situation and social condition with the aim of enhancing the capabilities of patients, promoting their support networks and promoting social and labor inclusion.
In fact, we cannot forget that when a person develops a mental disorder, especially if it is serious, the social consequences that arise from it must be monitored. It is possible that many of these patients suffer some functional limitation or disability, fall into a situation of dependency or become an added burden for their family unit.
In other cases, the absence of family or a support network can worsen the symptoms of the disorder and facilitate the appearance of other pathologies. These consequences are attempted to be mitigated with psychotherapy, which is fundamentally aimed at psychological “rehabilitation”, but in many cases it is not enough and it is also necessary to reinforce social integration, at which point the social worker intervenes.
On a day-to-day basis, the mental health social worker performs different functions:
1. Direct attention to individuals, families and groups to help them develop their coping resources. The social worker plays a care role since he identifies situations of risk and need, makes a social diagnosis and plans the intervention together with the rest of the health personnel involved in the treatment. Basically, he seeks alternatives and solutions to the difficulties and social problems that arise from the appearance and development of a mental disorder.
2. Prevention, promotion and social insertion to ensure that the person successfully adapts to his or her family and community environment, achieving the highest level of independence and autonomy possible. In practice, the social worker tries to avoid the imbalances that usually occur as a result of a mental disorder. To do this, he can turn to standardized resources, self-help groups and associations.
3. Coordination between the interdisciplinary team, medical institutions and administrations with people and families who need help, with the aim of providing resources for the integration and reintegration of the patient. He acts as a link and mediator between the patient, his family, health personnel and help centers, being the carrier of the necessary economic and community resources. He also plays an essential role in guiding families, who often do not have the training or resources to deal with the consequences of mental illness.
Therefore, social work in mental health is a facilitating tool for personal change that promotes the construction of support networks to mitigate the effects of mental disorders.
Fortunately, in recent decades social work and mental health have made a qualitative leap, both in terms of training professionals and in their visibility inside and outside institutions, but there is still a long way to go and these “Unsung Heroes” deserve greater recognition for all the work they do in our society helping the most disadvantaged and sometimes stigmatized to improve their quality of life.
References:
(2022) WHO highlights urgent need to transform mental health and mental health care. In: OMS.
Guillén, J. C. (2022) El Trabajo Social y la Psicología: un binomio cooperativo en las relaciones humanas. PSIDIAL: Psicología y Diálogo de Saberes; 1(1): 60-81.
Salsberg, E. et. Al. (2020) The social work profession findings from three years of surveys of new social workers. In: The Council on Social Work Education; 1-78.
Stuart, P. H. (2019) Social Work Profession: History. In: Encyclopedia of Social Work.
Saavedra, M. (2016) Trabajo social sanitario: una aproximación al perfil del trabajador social en el ámbito de la salud. Humanismo y trabajo social; 16: 169-185.
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