March 25th, 2022
What Skills Are Needed to Be a Social Worker?
You don’t need to wear a cape or leap tall buildings to come to the rescue of those in need. As a social worker, you could be a superhero in your community. Helping vulnerable individuals work through major life challenges, you could be the saving grace that provides personal and spiritual healing. And just as superheroes rely on their special powers to help others, you need to possess a certain set of skills to be a good social worker. Social work is a rewarding and impactful career, but do you have the traits you need to succeed?
Empathy
Your clients are likely going through some of the most difficult times of their lives. Abuse, addiction, physical and mental health issues—can you imagine? That’s kind of the point. Being able to truly imagine the difficulties your clients face and putting yourself in their shoes will help you be a better social worker. When you think how would I want someone to treat me? you’re thinking with empathy, kindness, and compassion.
Integrity
Your clients need to be able to trust that you will say what you’ll do and do what you say. Your innate integrity will help you act honorably and the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics further provides a set of standards to guide your professional conduct. It spells out broad ethical principles closely connected to the core values of the social work profession. It also identifies what a breach of conduct is and how to spot it in yourself and others. Your behavior needs to be above reproach and you’ll want the same integrity from your coworkers.
Sound Decision Making
Even when you know right from wrong, there are decisions that will be difficult to make. But when you have the best interest of your client as a guiding star, it can be a little easier. And as a social worker, those decision-making skills will be often tested. For example, if you counsel a client with mental health issues and you sense that they may soon turn violent—but they haven’t made a direct threat yet—should you uphold patient confidentiality or speak up? In almost all states now, you are allowed to waive confidentiality; in some states, it is actually required in this scenario. As a mandated reporter, you also have an obligation to report abuse. When there’s a threat that someone might harm themselves or another, your decision should be clear.
Communication
You need to communicate clearly so your clients understand the role you can play on their behalf. You can teach them how the justice, welfare, and healthcare systems work and how they might work for them. You also need to be an excellent listener. Your clients will need to feel heard and you’ll need to listen closely to figure out how best to help them. You also need to look beyond your clients’ words and pay attention to their body language and tone of voice to determine if they’re being truthful or holding back information. If you work in substance abuse, you may find clients who are skills liars. If you work as a school social worker, you might work with children who experience bullying. They may be frightened of their bullies and also scared to share what’s going on.
Flexibility
Social work is not always a nine-to-five job. While some agencies adhere to standard business hours, others offer services on weekends and evenings. Your day-to-day can also vary greatly depending on where you work. If you work for a government agency, you might spend your days in an office, receiving clients and processing paperwork for services. Or you might spend the majority of your time in the field, visiting clients, schools, courthouses, or other locations around the community to advocate for your clients. A willingness to be flexible will help you do your job well and let clients know you’ll do what it takes to get them what they need.
Resilience
The demands of your career can take an emotional and even a physical toll on you. Being able to bounce back after a bad day or an unsettling experience will help you in the long term. To do that, it’s important that you separate from your job and take time for yourself. In fact, self care is now a part of the NASW Code of Ethics, because if you can’t care for yourself, you can’t care for your clients.
These traits, combined with the right education, can help you become a successful social worker. At Limestone University, we offer a Bachelor of Science in Social Work that can prepare you for a dynamic and rewarding career in the field, as well as for entry into a master’s-level program. Click the button for more information.
