Overview
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.
Education
- master's degree
- bachelor's degree
Salary
Annual 10th percentile $37,150
Annual median $55,960
Annual 90th percentile $100,090
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
Personality
Social
People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
- Concern for Others
- Integrity
- Self Control
- Adaptability/Flexibility
- Stress Tolerance
- Dependability
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