There are many clinical social worker jobs in the areas of mental health and substance abuse, they provide counseling for patients and help them in the quest for housing and employment. A clinical social worker is a very important individual as he or she provides the resources and the tools that clients need to return to society as production and contributory members despite their condition. Often the LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) facilitates group sessions, arrange for accommodation as well as investigating assistance programs that can provide long term aid to those suffering from chronic disorders. Clinical social worker jobs are available in hospitals, rehab centers, substance abuse treatment facilities as well as both inpatient and outpatient services in mental health hospitals.
Having a mental health problem does not necessarily mean that one cannot function in normal society, what these people need is therapy and opportunities to become successful contributors to the world the y live in. A clinical social worker helps people overcome their mental health problems through effective counseling, registering them in work programs and helping them find the financial resources that are needed to be independent. In many cases the condition of the patient has a direct bearing on the family, the clinical social worker works with the family, explaining to them what contribution they can make to ensure that their loved one has the opportunity to live a meaningful and independent life.
Many clinical social worker jobs rotate around substance abusers; in this role they offer one-on-one therapy as well as group therapy. During these sessions the social worker initiates a recovery program and helps the abuser by identifying the problems and suggesting solutions which will allow the client to rise above them. Once the clinical social worker has had an opportunity to become somewhat familiar with the situation the social worker may enroll the individual in a half way house or refer the person to a psychologist during the recovery phase of the treatment.
There is a crying need for social workers and clinical social worker jobs abound. This is especially true in prisons, hospitals and mental health facilities where the ever increasing population of mentally ill people can be found. As the nation’s prisons are horribly overcrowded, those who have been convicted of a substance abuse crime are often being referred to treatment programs rather than be handed a jail sentence and it is the skilled clinical social worker who provides the care, counseling and education to turn these people’s lives around.
