Do you have the desire to impact lives personally and inspire a specific population of people? Then it would be best if you considered a career where you can positively influence others, help people overcome various life challenges, and achieve their dreams and goals. The only career path with such opportunities and services is a social work career. Learn more about psychology careers in Canada.
If you pursue a career as a social worker, you will be able to focus on specific populations and job objectives. Your services can go a long way in improving the lives of many and making society a better place.
However, before starting a career as a social worker, it is vital to learn important facts about the discipline, and this guide will help you with that. Continue reading to learn about the types of social workers, what social work entails, how much they earn, and much more.
What is Social Work?
Social work is a dynamic field that was established as a means to reduce inequality and poverty. In Canada, social work was started by a group of home visitors who volunteered to help vulnerable people, advocate for social justice, and spread hope among the citizens.
In other words, social work is a practice-based profession that aims to promote social development, change, cohesion, and empowerment for the people and local communities. These practices entail understanding human behavior and development and socio-cultural and economic interactions and institutions.
Social workers are like every other health professional; a professional body regulates them, and they work with families, groups, individuals, and communities to improve individual and collective well-being. They help reduce social issues like unemployment, racism, and poverty; they also advocate for human rights, social justice, and fair access to health care and social services.
What kind of job can you get with a psychology degree? Find out!
Social workers in Canada share the following values
- Service to humanity
- Respect for people's dignity and worth
- Competence in professional practice
- Integrity in professional practice
- Pursuit of social justice
- Confidentiality in professional practice
What are the Types of Social Working Jobs in Canada
Military Social Worker
Military service members and their loved ones face varying types of challenges before, during, and after milliary service, which is why there are military social workers who understand their problems and are readily available to help them through them.
Military social workers assess service members' well-being, identify mental disorders and post-traumatic stress, and come up with treatments that can help them. These social workers also help families cope with the deployment and injuries of their relatives.
Criminal Justice Social Worker
If learning about the law and justice intrigues you, you might be interested in criminal justice social work. In this area, social workers serve clients within the criminal justice system; they work with offenders, families, and victims to serve justice while ensuring their well-being.
Child and Family Social Worker
This group of social workers helps families and children to improve their psychological and social functioning within the family unit and as separate individuals.
They assist parents in learning about their children, work with foster homes for abandoned or abused children, and they may also counsel teenagers on teenage pregnancy, truancy, behavioral issues, and so many other crises in school settings.
Disability Social Worker
If you have a strong desire to make the world a better place for people with various types of disabilities, then becoming a disability social worker may just be what you need.
Here social workers work with people who are mentally and physically challenged, help them understand their diagnosis, and help them through various lifestyle adjustments to cope with their conditions.
Environmental Social Worker
Environmental social work can be described as the intersection of the environment and humanity; social workers in this specialty use theory of social and ecological justice, human rights, spirituality, and biological sustainability to create and implement plans to support the lives of specific populations.
Medical and Public Health Social Workers
Many individuals hardly know what to do or how to cope when dealing with health challenges or chronic illnesses, so they can simply work with a social worker in this field to navigate their medical issues. The social workers assist people here by providing counseling, coping mechanisms, and medical referrals to the patient and their families.
International Social Worker
If you become an international social worker, you can provide counseling, education, and other assistance to global issues. International social workers often focus on gender equality, natural disasters, child labor, poverty, and war. They advocate for those in need by communicating their specific need to the private and governmental organizations that can help them.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker
These social workers coordinate and provide therapy, counseling, and rehabilitation to people with addictions or other mental health challenges. Social workers can help such people find affordable rehabilitation centers and counseling programs that suit their challenges.
In addition, these social workers are also involved in outreach and programs that can help prevent mental health issues and substance abuse.
What Does a Social Worker do?
Social workers dedicate their time and expertise in various settings; they help individuals care for their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being and address broad issues like discrimination, oppression, unemployment, domestic violence, and so much more. Most behavioral psychologists find work as social workers. These professionals perform their duties in many different ways, which include:
- Research
- Community capacity building
- Health promotion
- Therapy and counseling
- Collaboration with other professions
- Social policy analysis
Through these techniques, social workers have been able to help families and institutions to provide growth and advancement in the following areas:
- Unemployment insurance
- Civil rights
- Disability pay
- Reduced mental health stigma
- Workers compensation
- Child abuse and neglect prevention
- Medicaid and Medicare
Where do Social Workers Work?
With the recent advancement in technology, social work can be done physically and online. So, here are the various settings where your services can be helpful as a social worker.
- Community health centers
- Advocacy organizations
- Family services agencies
- Correctional facilities
- Child welfare settings
- Hospitals
- Government departments
- Libraries.
- Consultation agencies
- Family courts
- Hospices
- Employee assistance and private counseling programs
- Youth drop-in centers
- Social services agencies
- Private practice
- Universities
- Human rights organizations
- School boards
- Mental health clinics
- Social housing organizations
- Schools
How to Become a Social Worker
Education
You will easily find universities and colleges in Canada that offer degree programs in social work from th bachelor's level to the master's and then to the Ph.D. level. In these programs, you will learn with a combination of knowledge-based coursework and practicals through practicum to complement the theories learned.
So everything you need to get educated as a social worker in Canada is readily available. All you have to do is go through the prerequisites required to get into a college or university; then, you can start from there on your journey to become a social worker in Canada.
Start Your Career
You will need a bachelor's degree or a diploma in social work or related fields to start a career as a social worker in Canada, also depending on your goals and where you live in Canada, you may also need provincial/territorial written and oral examinations, supervised practical experience (practicum) and membership in a provincial/territorial association of social workers.
Get Certification
After getting the necessary degrees for social work, you still need to be registered by a governmental or regulatory authority to practice legally as a social worker in Canada. However, this registration varies from province to province, so you must confirm the requirements and procedures for certification in your province. Not just that, with a degree in psychology, you could be on your way to becoming a psychology professor in Canada.
The Salary Expectation of Social Workers in Canada
How much does a social worker earn in Canada? This can vary from one province or city to another. Since there are many types of social workers in the country, their salary also varies according to the job specifications.
However, the national average salary of a social worker in Canada is 97,653 CAD annually. This amount can be lower or higher depending on certain factors like location, gender, qualifications, additional skills, and more.
It is also essential to know that social work is more voluntary, so you should enjoy helping people and worry less about earnings. However, you will earn enough to live comfortably in Canada.
What Skills do I Need to be a Competent Social Worker?
It is not enough to get the necessary degrees to be a social worker; some skills are vital to your profession and can help you stand out in the vast population of social workers. So, if you want to be unique and outstanding in your profession, here are some skills you should acquire.
- Empathy
- Active listening
- Self-care
- Communication skills
- Patience
- Organization
- Critical thinking
- Advocacy
- Professional commitment
- Cultural competence
Learning Psychology in Canada
Of course, we cannot discuss social work without talking about psychology because psychology is the bedrock of the profession, and most of the duties of a social worker are related to psychology. So if you desire to become a social worker, you should also have a good psychology background. Learn more about forensic psychology jobs.
Hence, if you are wondering how to become good in psychology as you prepare for an amazing career in social work, you should trust Superprof to provide you with the best psychology tutors in Canada and give you all the help and resources you need to study and become a great social worker whose impact will be felt across many nations of the world.
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