How does social work differ from other professions or areas of work that also function in the human services arena?
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Social work degree programs place more emphasis on education, while human services degree programs place more emphasis on field work and experience. Social workers and human services specialists provide resources for people (i.e. helping these individuals complete paperwork for assistance).
Social Workers are the Heart and Soul of the Helping Profession. Professional social work practice is distinctive from other helping professions in its approach of assisting clients to function optimally within their environments. The person-in-environment approach is central to social work practice.
What is the difference between social science and social work?
Social Science, broadly speaking, provides an understanding of how the world works using social and behavioural explanations. Social work has been called a helping profession, a problem solving profession or an enabling profession.
Why did you choose social work as your profession?
There are other reasons, as well, based on our skills, abilities and interests. Some chose the profession because of strong problem solving abilities. Others chose the profession because of exceptional analytical skills. Still others chose social work because of their proficiencies in verbal and written communication.
Social workers contribute to the human services field by providing holistic solutions to the social, behavioral, economic or health problems faced by their clients. Whereas, psychologists focus their efforts specifically on helping their patients address potentially damaging mental health issues.
Counseling places more of an emphasis on diagnosing and treating mental health disorders or specific sets of problems. Social work, on the other hand, can involve counseling but also has a focus on helping patients or others in need to navigate the system to get the help that they need.
How did social work become a profession?
The social work profession originated in volunteer efforts to address the social question, the paradox of increasing poverty in an increasingly productive and prosperous economy, in Europe and North America during the late 19th century. In the 1960s, social workers again confronted the problem of poverty.