Recent chats about licensing standards and title protection and scope of practice made me wonder,why social work?
Why do people choose to enter such a broad, almost amorphous career path, and then fight so hard to define it, instead of embracing the profession for its wide-spread appeal and wide-spread ability to help enact positive change?
For many of us it is part of who we are. We’d be doing “social work” regardless of our career path.
For some of us, it seems to be perhaps the pursuit of a shorter duration and somewhat less educationally demanding yet more interrelated-systems focused route to a clinical counseling career, or a desire to practice professional macro social work without having to sit for an exam and apply for licensed status.
What do most people think of when they think of social workers? Child welfare workers seem to top that list in some societies, yet social work associations want to make a clear distinction between a child welfare agent and a social worker. Activists and community planners also come to mind, but then so do throngs of undergrads and migrant workers, and right-to-lifers. Counseling specialists bring to mind Clinical Social Workers, but also Substance Abuse specialists, Youth Group Workers, and School Social workers.
As a profession, we offer diverse services. As a profession, we seem to feel largely misunderstood, undervalued, and disrespected.
As for me, I feel free to pursue my broad interests and talents in professional practice, and know the world is wide open to me because of my social work education and because of my skill-set and personal talents. Yes, we are bound legally and ethically by certain constraints, such as having to be supervised while working toward clinical licensing, but that is only one small part of what social work is and what social workers can do.
Perhaps instead of arguing so much about title protection, we’d be better served to more clearly define scopes of practice and working to organize an encompassing and supportive nationalized association. And along those lines, perhaps we’d be better served asking why social work, and what will help to unify our profession?
By: Michelle Scagliano, LMSW
Staff writer
Our authors want to hear from you! Click to leave a comment
Related Posts
Michelle, A great question! Personally, I chose social work because I CAN do so much with a MSW degree. I do not feel limited by my degree and do embrace that I have so much choice.
For those that are limiting themselves professionally in their focus, this is where certification and licensure comes in.
Living in Canada, I am not required to be licensed or certifed and save quite a bit of $ because of this which I can put towards trainings or workshops to update my skills and I plan to do so.
I know many who have BSW and MSW degrees who work in fundraising, marketing, are case or care managers, have private practices with a focus on coaching, are directors and executive directors of agencies…….
I have never looked back after obtaining my MSW degree.
In US, social work degree is the quickest, most cost effective ticket into becoming a clinical therapist, with best prospects of landing a steady, decent paying job. It’s what initially attracted myself to the degree, sitting next to folks with Masters in Psych makning the same 8 bucks an hour I was at the crisis hotline. It has changed the nature and focus of the profession from community activism to clinical treatment, with the corresponding need to ensure credentials and educational qualifications are protected, and practioners are held accountable to standards, same as any other profession, esp. in the medical field. Having an MSW doesn’t make one a social worker- I have a friend with an MSW who does pharmeceutical sales, another who runs deportations for Homeland Security. So degree alone doesn’t make one a social worker. One can go for the vague definition- doing good in the world, helping the less fortunate in any way, is social work. But if that is the case, then social work is not a profession– it is simply another label for charity work. If social work is to continue as Social Work, it needs to be licensed, regulated, have clear practice standards and accountablity, or it will cease to be profession. In my opinion, I fully agree with the Maryland Boardl of Social Work Examiners- regardless of degree and occupation, the only true Social Worker is one that is licensed. You can run a homeless shelter, administer psych testing, organize community groups–but unless you are a licensed MSW or BSW, you are not a social worker. Doesn’t mean your job and role is not valuable- Social Work is just one of many helping professions- but without licensure and title protection, Social Work will simply be absorbed into other professions and become an interesting course to take along the way to your degree as a therapist, community organizer, etc. Maybe that would be for the best…but for now, clincal Social Work- the work that defines itself as mental health treatment that incorporates the role of the community in healthy lives, the only mental health profession to view mental health holistically, is a valuable profession in and of itself, and have evolved naturally into this role. If we do not fight to have it regulated as such, it will cease to exist all together.
Michael, I disagree with you-here in Quebec I have to take a very difficult French written and verbal exam to be called a social worker (for title protection only)-now whether Quebec likes it or not it is part of CANADA which is a bilingual country! Quebec politically considers itself unilingual as in French only-this is not the case and the recent results of the 2011 census prove it. Quebec has many languages not just English and French-you name it and it exists here… This is why we have such excellent ethnic food by the way….. 🙂
I work in the Jewish anglophone (English) community much to the dismay of the Quebec government I am sure….I can speak some French, understand some French, read some French, but without years of either tutors or French intensive language courses I would not be able to pass the language exam.
I was trained and educated in English and this is my mother tongue. I could never have the conversations and sessions I have in English in French unless I was fully bilingual.
Why should I shell out $900/year just so I can call myself a social worker? and get little in return-no conferences, no CEU opportunities, no journals…..
I have my MSW and 15 1/2 years experience which no one can take away from me.
If I choose the private practice route-I still have my MSW, 15+years experience as a therapist, case manager, group facilitator, editior of a newsletter, etc. any additional trainings in a similar field, save $900/year and can call myself whatever I want except for the title of social worker.
It’s because of those that pay the fee and take the test that make your MSW meaningful. Without that, MSW would carry no respect. In Maryland, you could not practice therapy without committing a felony without a license, either medical, social work, counselor, or psychologist. You can work any field you want to and not call yourself a social worker- that I am perfectly OK with! But if you want your degree to mean something marketable, social workers need to be licensed. And in Maryland it does pay off- we have some of the highest salaries for social workers in the nation, as well as multiple job oppurtunities. And no employer will touch you without the license in a social work job, except for State child welfare jobs- and even then, you must be supervised by a licensed MSW. If you want the title of Social Worker, I fully support mandatory licensing. If you wish to practice unlicensed calling youself something different- heck, go for it! – because that won’t reflect on the profession.
Michael, I am all for certification or registration as a social worker-I chose this profession for a reason and proudly call myself a social worker, but technically here in Quebec I am not. I do the best I can and as my employer does not require my being licensed nor legally can I be forced to be certified or registered by the province……. When I lived in NY I was a certified social worker, but then I moved.
I will still continue to promote social work issues and the issues that are near and dear to my heart.
Perhaps in another few years my French will improve dramatically, but again for $526 a year for registration plus the application fee plus the ‘handling-look at my application fee’ the amount soars to over $900. That is alot of money out of my pocket for a title.
Again, I worked hard for my MSW and am still paying for that degree and no one can take away my work experience. I do not believe it is an empty endeavor.
l also do not practice therapy and instead do group facilitation, which I love, case management, which I also very much enjoy, and write-again I enjoy this. Your work should bring you joy and contentment to some degree-one should look forward to getting up in the morning and going to work!
$900.00 is steep, esp. in Canadian dollars! We pay 250 every two years, and had to pay about 300 for initial test. (My wife is also social worker, so we get double billed!) If you’re happy doing what you are doing, that’s what matters most. As long as you do not advertise as a social worker, I have no problem with it. Just keep in mind- without licensure laws, anyone of any background could call themselves Social Worker- and our degrees would become worthless in market place.
Michael $250 every 2 years! I wish…..Quebec is not like that at all-Montreal is a beautiful city, great culture and ethnic food, but taxes and fees are high!
As I have a MSW-social work is near and dear to me, but technically I am a ‘MSW level professional’ or Social Service worker or staff. The first one sounds better-MSW level professional.
Verbally I say social worker, but written is a different story-all because of the language laws in Quebec. In Ontario, fees for the order are: Initial application $345, renewal $270, Nova Scotia- $100 application fee and registration fee of $405. British Columbia- $288. so the amount changes from province to province.
Yes, I enjoy what I do or I would not still be in the same job for 12 years……