Mental Health And Social Work. Mental Health Social Workers

In order to work effectively and appropriately with vulnerable and marginalised groups in society such as individuals with mental illnesses, it is fundamental for a social worker to have a comprehensive knowledge base and proficient skills.

There are many different type of social workers and what they do. Child and Family social workers protect vulnerable children and support families in need of assistance. Assess client’s needs, strengths, and support network to determine their goals. Develop plans to improve their client’s well-being. Help clients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as divorce, illness or unemployment. Research and refer clients to community resource, such child care, heath care and food stamps. Help clients work with government agencies to apply for and receive benefits such as medicare. Respond to crisis situations such as child abuse. Advocate for and help clients get resource that would improve their well-being. Follow up with clients to ensure that their situations have improved.

Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.

I would like to add to your findings concerning your responsibilities as a student and the obligations of supervision. Kiser (2012) explains that effective supervisors are knowledgeable, supportive, and skillful in giving feedback. They must be willing to address difficult issues as they arise, teach their supervises important information and skills, model high standards of professionalism and expertise. I agree that social workers advocate for person or persons with mental illness. Involvement in policy practice is widely regarded as an important means for social workers to contribute to the development of policies that promote social and economic justice, improve the well-being of social services users, and provide opportunities for self-determination (Colby, 2008; Haynes & Mickelson, 2009; Hoefer,

Social workers’ commitment to social justice means they want everyone to have a fair and equal opportunity to an assessment. In line with fairness, social workers should tell carers about their right to refuse an assessment as their permission, and not the person receiving care, is needed before the carer’s assessment can commence. In addition, social workers, bound by legislation regarding confidentiality and information sharing, must reserve the carer’s right to privacy whilst uphold their right to a fair hearing. This is achieved by only disclosing carer’s personal details to 3rd parties with consent, unless a safeguarding concern arises.

Social workers in the mental health wing of the Woodstock General Hospital (WGH) are an integral part of an interdisciplinary mental health team that provide patient-centered care through both inpatient and outpatient services. They offer capacity-building program interventions to individuals, couples and families by providing single session walk-in counselling, groupwork, psychiatric evaluation, crisis intervention and inpatient support as well as long term counselling. There are specialized outpatient supports including early psychosis intervention, programs for eating disorders, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, programs for children and youth as well as programs specific to geriatric mental health. In

Social services within the outpatient and inpatient programs are facilitated by the social workers. The social workers host group therapy sessions, complete treatment plan, facilitates the aftercare planning meetings between the patient and their family members or friend, locate housing centers for homeless patients as well as those that are in unsafe living conditions, determine patient eligibility for program services, conduct biopsychosocial assessments, conduct CDC with patients, evaluate patients support systems, physical and emotional functioning of the patient’s, financial stability, safety, suicidal/homicidal ideation, implement treatment and discharge plans that coincide with the patient’s medical treatment, and offer referrals to residential housing and community resources.

Growing up I witnessed my sister and grandmother deal with serious mental illness. My sister and grandmother both were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It has always been my passion to help them manages their episodes. Growing up witnessing these episodes I always knew that I wanted to help those who are struggling to cope with mental health issues. Social work is not just a passion of mine, but a solution to the struggles many people face every day. I learned my “caring and compassion” for others, from my mother. My early experiences were a driving force for me pursuing my master’s in social work. As a child, my mother took in adults, children, and families within our neighborhood and afar to aid them in difficult times. Whether it was for a meal, a night, or longer, she has spent her life caring for others. The passion my mother possessed for helping others has become my

As social workers, it is important to study the entire aspect of the individual. We must examine the individual past and see if their condition is trauma-related. It is the job of the social worker to identify the issue, in this case it would be a person who suffers from a mental illness and is placed in isolation when in jail or person and find the best solution for that issue. The solution to the issue may not be what’s written in a handbook or what we were thought, but sometimes we must find alternate resolutions. While we may not have the answers to combat the issue; if as social workers we could find the root cause of the issue that may help in the intervention process.

When thinking about social work, there are different avenues that a worker can explore in this vast field. Because a social workers job is multifaceted, workers can not only integrate themselves in an already created avenue, but can also tailor a field, specifically for a need in the community. Looking at the many different fields in the area of social work, the area of Social Workers in Mental Health facilities and outpatient clinics stands out as an area of depth and interest.

People with mental health problems can feel isolated and have problems sustaining and preserving social contacts and social networks, it is a social workers role to coordinate and monitor care plans so that this does not happen. They are often responsible for managing and budgeting the complete care package, this also may include

Social work may not be the most respected profession but it’s a recognizable one. Social workers help people or groups identify their problems, determine their skills and capacities, what they are doing well, and how that was accomplished, and then analyze ways that those strengths might be applied to the identified problems. Social workers are helping professionals.

Mental illness has become one of the most rapidly growing diagnoses to date ranging from clinical depression to Schizophrenia. It has become a worldwide epidemic and has created a shortage of specialized workers. As the shortage of veteran mental health workers declines, the amount of recent college graduates increase. Additionally, as more individuals aim to obtain a Social Work degree many have been reluctant to enter the mental health field due to stigmas and negative attitudes surrounding mental health patients. This has brought up the question of whether or not students within social work department and students not in social work would be comfortable working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. In order to successfully answer this question the University of Tennessee conducted a study which included three types of students: those who were actively in social work classes, those who had other majors but were still in Social Work and those who were not in social work classes. This study not only measured the student’s willingness to work with mentally ill individuals but also measured their attitudes regarding the concept of mental health.

Also when becoming a social worker, the job will require that everyone who is involved in the situation is receiving help. According to the Child Care Careers book this may include giving individual help to every person in the situation. Such as, if the mother is a drug addict, she may require some rehab. Or if the father is very ill, he will need medical attention. Or if the parent(s) and a little insane or have brain trouble, they might need to go to an insane asylum.

On the first page of Keith-Lucas’s, So You Want to be a Social Worker he makes note of how Christianity and social work share a lot of the same values, because of this the practice of social work can be viewed as a form of ministry. For example, most social workers, no matter their religion believe that all people have worth, and see a great importance in the showing of understanding and kindness towards them. Through my studies in APS 101, at Redeemer University College, I have learned that social work was brought up by the Church; I never knew of this relationship. This new knowledge makes me eager to learn more about the field, and the ways in which I can use it to serve not only my neighbors, but God himself, through its missionary characteristics.