Is Social Services The Same As Social Work

Overview

You have recently graduated from loftier school, or you are thinking about enrolling in college subsequently being off for a couple of years, and you are interested in ii main fields of study – social work and human services. Which one should yous pursue? The start thing you volition want to exercise is research both degree programs and career fields. Why? You demand to know if you take the skills and patience to be successful in one or both career fields, before enrolling in a degree program.

What Does the Social Work Field Entail?

A social worker provides a diverseness of resources and services to people, who need extra assist managing their lives.

In other words, a social worker offers financial, personal, mental health and concrete aid to disadvantaged and disabled individuals (i.e. addiction, domestic corruption, unhealthy relationships, doctor's appointments, transportation, kid and elderberry abuse, hospice decisions, cocky-esteem issues, jobs, educational activity, managing money, regime assistance, healthcare, housing, cooking, daycare, problem-solving and advice issues, etc.). These professionals assist people regain some control over their lives. To obtain a caste in social work, also known every bit folklore, you volition (at minimum) need to enroll in an undergraduate degree social work programme at an accredited college or university.

What Does the Human Services Field Involve?

Those, who pursue a human being services caste, typically work as: child and family case managers at social service agencies (i.e. Section of Children's Services (DCS) or Kid and Family unit Services) or clinics/hospitals. Depending on the level of the degree (i.east. bachelor's, principal's or doctorate), they may too work equally: psychologists, psychotherapists, spousal relationship and family therapists, licensed social workers, residential directors at social service agencies, human service technicians or administration. To earn a degree in man services, you will need to (at the very least) enroll in an undergraduate man services program at a recognized higher or university.

What are the Major Differences?

Truth-be-told, there aren't many differences between social piece of work degree programs and human services programs. Most colleges and universities include the aforementioned psychology, social work, and liberal arts courses in their social work and human services degree programs. In addition, the amount of time spent earning both degrees (i.e. bachelor'southward, master's and doctorate) is the aforementioned for both degree programs. According to the U.Due south. Agency of Labor Statistics (2015), social workers typically make $45,000, per year, depending on pedagogy, experience, and location, which is more than the majority of human services specialists (approximately $28,000, per yr, depending on educational activity, feel, and location) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015).

Moreover, social workers typically have to be licensed to provide services, while homo service specialists do non have to be licensed in sure career fields. Social work caste programs place more emphasis on education, while human services degree programs place more emphasis on field piece of work and experience. Social workers and human services specialists provide resources for people (i.eastward. helping these individuals consummate paperwork for assist). A social work degree prepares you lot to become your license and possibly teach and/or comport research studies on sociology-based issues, while a human services degree prepares y'all to work equally: an advocate, adjutant or assistant in health fields.

What is a Social Work Degree?

A degree in social piece of work involves dedication and persistence. In addition, a career in social work can be stressful, demanding, and emotionally draining. As a social worker, you volition exist required to work with various populations, so it is important that yous decide, earlier enrolling in a social piece of work caste program, whether y'all take the patience and social skills (i.e. empathy, problem-solving and communication skills) needed to exist successful in this field. It is extremely important that you also be sensitive towards other people's problems. Your clients and patients demand to experience that they can talk to y'all, and you will be agreement and not-judgmental.

Admittance into a social work program involves several steps. The beginning pace you will want to accept is to fully complete the plan'due south application. The questions on this certificate will help higher representatives decide if you are the "right" candidate for the program (i.e. emotional stability, idea process, power to communicate effectively, goals, etc.). More likely, you may also exist required to complete several interviews with social work faculty members. You may as well be asked to complete a college essay on a pre-selected topic and submit your loftier school or previous college transcripts. If yous are admitted to the program, you lot will be required to attend orientation where yous volition sign a document stating that you volition attach to the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics.

Once you have successfully enrolled in a reputable social worker program, you will exist required to complete two types of social work courses. The first type consists of liberal arts courses like: English communication (i.e. oral communication and composition), fine arts and literature, humanities, natural sciences, foreign languages, mathematical and quantitative reasoning, social sciences, and writing. The 2d type consists of more social work courses similar: sociology, enquiry, human behavior, social welfare programs, policies and issues, introduction to psychology, social work do and practicum (an internship at a social services agency, dispensary or hospital).

You will need to earn at least a 3.0 in the first type of courses before you will exist allowed to move on to more specific social piece of work courses (the 2nd type of courses). Yous should be able to graduate with a bachelor of social work degree (BSW) within 4 years. A principal of social work (MSW) volition probably take you another two .5 years to complete, and a doctorate (Ph.D.) in this field tin take you between three and 7 years to complete (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Once you graduate from your social work program, you will be able to seek employment (depending on your degree) as a: social work college instructor/professor, sociologist (individual practice), kid social worker, family unit social worker, sales representative, researcher, social services case manager/director or human resources executive.

What is a Human Services Caste?

A man services degree teaches you how to help people ameliorate their lives. As a human services specialist, your principal function will be to help individuals meliorate manage the challenges, trials, and difficulties in their lives. A human services degree program teaches you how to accurately find and interview clients and patients, develop handling plans, and finer manage individual in the midst of a crisis. This degree prepares you for a career in the mental health field (i.east. advisor), social work (i.e. clinical social worker, case managers/workers, aides, advocates, etc.), and police force enforcement (i.e. law officer or probation officer).

Related Reading: Online Principal's Degrees in Man Services Without GRE

During your homo services programme, y'all may exist required to complete the following coursework: English composition, introduction to human services, developmental psychology, crisis intervention with diverse populations, and aberrant psychology. Like a social piece of work degree, it will accept you 4 years to earn a bachelor's caste in human being services, 2 years for a master's degree in the field, and upwards to 7 years for a doctorate in human services (National Organization of Human Services, 2015). You volition be required to consummate a supervised practicum (internship at a social services agency, hospital, or clinic) before graduation. One time you take graduated, you volition provide direct intendance services (i.e. therapeutic, residential, vocational, etc.) to various populations at residential handling facilities, mental institutions, skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes), social service agencies, hospitals or clinics.

References and Further Reading

National Organization of Human Services. (2015). What is human services?
U.Southward. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). Social and human service assistants. Occupational Outlook Handbook.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). Social workers. Occupational Outlook Handbook.