10 Reasons to Be Proud You're a Social Worker

Social Work Month, observed each March, is a time to celebrate the professionals who dedicate their lives to helping others.

Chamberlain University is happy to be home to numerous Master of Social Work students and alumni who are dedicating their life to helping others. Social workers positively touch the lives of millions of Americans, helping them to overcome issues so they can reach their full potential.

If you’re a social worker, please take a bow and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back, too. You have much to be proud of. And, in honor of our Chamberlain social work community and all professionals who work in the field, we would like to share some of the many reasons to be proud you’re a social worker. Social workers:

1. Advocate for Children

School social workers help children strive to achieve their potential, from kindergarten to graduation. Child welfare social workers help protect children from harm through prevention and intervention.

2. Work to End Racism

As policymakers, educators, community organizers, and practitioners, social work professionals are advocates for racial equity and social justice. “Our members understand cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice,” the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) says.¹  

3. Help People in Distress

Crisis social workers help vulnerable populations with crisis de-escalation, emotion management, and therapeutic techniques. In clinical social work, practitioners assess, diagnose, and treat mental health, emotional, and behavioral conditions, and work with clients on prevention strategies.²

4. Stand for Inclusion

Social workers are the voice for communities that have been ignored, excluded, and ostracized. They are advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and support the needs of individuals and families across the spectrum of social work services.³

5. Partner With Patients

Medical social workers help patients understand diagnoses and make adjustments to their lifestyle, housing, or healthcare. They work in settings that include public health, primary and acute care, specialty care, home health, long-term care, and hospice. ⁴

6. Aid Recovery Efforts

Social work professionals counsel, screen, and assess people recovering from substance abuse disorders, and contribute to prevention efforts through research, education, and advocacy. ⁵

7. Address Trauma

Trauma social workers help clients process and heal from traumatic events through a combination of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing.

8. Strengthen Families

“Every child has the right to a permanent, continuous, and nurturing relationship with a parenting person or people who convey to the child an enduring sense of love and care,” the NASW says in a policy statement.⁶ Foster care and adoption social workers help children find safe and loving homes.

9. Support Older Adults

Social workers provide a wide range of services to meet the needs of older adults. They offer counseling, work with clients on health and mental health issues, handle case and care management, safeguard clients from abuse, and work in advocacy.⁷

10. Invest in Education

Most entry-level social work jobs require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in social work. And depending on your career goals, you may opt to earn a master’s degree in social work. A master’s is a required credential for clinical social workers.⁸

Belong to Something Greater. Become a Chamberlin Social Worker.

You can prepare for a social work career you’ll be proud of by enrolling in Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program.

Using Chamberlain’s online learning platform, you can create the work-school balance that fits your schedule. You’ll have coursework available 24/7, dedicated student support, and learn from recognized social justice leaders and experienced faculty members with real-life social work experience.

Chamberlain’s online MSW degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CWSE) Commission on Accreditation. CWSE accreditation of a master’s social work program indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process.

If you’re a problem-solver committed to helping individuals and families navigate life’s challenges, social work may be just the right career choice. The timing may be right, too: Jobs for all types of social workers are expected to increase 7% through 2033.⁸

With a master’s in social work, you can add your talents and expertise to a life-changing career field that transforms lives and communities.

Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 130 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.

¹Source: www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Ethnicity-Race/Racial-Justice

²Source: www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Clinical-Social-Work

³Source: www.socialworkers.org/Practice/LGBTQIA/Sexual-Orientation-and-Gender-Diversity

⁴Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm - tab-2

⁵Source: www.socialworkers.org/careers/specialty-practice-sections/Alcohol-tobacco-and-other-drugs

⁶Source: www.socialworkers.org/assets/secured/documents/da/da2010/referred/Foster%20Care.pdf 

⁷Source: www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Aging

⁸Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm#tab-4

⁹Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm#tab-1

By Chamberlain University