In recent years there has been a rising demand for social workers all over the world. This is due to more focus being put on rehabilitation rather than incarceration.
Social workers are required to have a specific set of skills so that they can be truly effective in their field. The following is a list of the 5 most essential skills needed for social work.
Problem-Solving
A social worker is a creative individual with good critical thinking skills. There are many ethical dilemmas in social work that need to be solved calmly.
Each client’s situation and circumstances are unique, meaning there’s generally no easy-fix, clear-cut solution.
Social workers need to be able to think on their feet in emergencies. They also need to have a vast knowledge of ethics, laws, psychodynamics, person-environment relationships, family systems, and interpersonal dynamics.
A social worker’s role is to problem-solve with innovation and agility. But this does not entail taking the power out of your clients’ hands. Involve them in solutions, decisions, and goal setting, leading to their empowerment.
A primary goal of a social worker is the strengths-based advocation of a client’s success.
Active Listening
Any mental healthcare professional can attest to the fact that active listening is essential if one wants to truly help.
A social worker needs to engage with clients with empathy and patience. These clients will likely have come from difficult, traumatic backgrounds, so validating their experience is important.
Active listening involves reading both verbal and non-verbal cues (e.g. body language). One needs to be able to read between the lines with discernment. And then respond with a true understanding of the client’s thoughts and emotions.
Active listening involves gathering information. A social worker must be able to screen for issues such as substance abuse, verbal/physical/emotional abuse, and other mental health obstacles.
Effective Communication
Active listening feeds into effective communication. Social workers need to be skilled in building rapport to foster a healthy, trusting relationship with mutual respect. Your client will not be open to you if they don’t trust you.
A great social worker uses various methods to communicate to clients that they’re interested in their specific problems. Using techniques such as clarifying questions, summarizing, and paraphrasing usually does the trick.
Ask open-ended questions rather than utilizing closed questioning. Yes/no questions stunt the conversation, while open-ended questions encourage further detail and elaboration from the client.
Engage with your clients in a nonjudgmental manner, especially if you differ from them in culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.
Communicating with children is a different story. A social worker must be aware that children will respond better to a more relaxed environment. One can use techniques such as playing with a child during questioning or asking everyday questions.
Openness To Learning And Growing
All of these skills not only make you a better social worker but can make you a better person as well.
Good social workers are adaptable and open to expanding their knowledge and updating their skill set. Human beings are dynamic, unique, and complex, so you’ll be learning constantly.
Mistakes are inevitable. But a social worker needs to be able to take these in their stride and learn from critique.
A social worker can learn and grow through self-awareness and emotional intelligence, which many of them have inherent.
Time Management And Organization
Paperwork is an aspect of social work that cannot be overlooked. Case documentation is essential for evidence and investigations.
For example, a probation or police officer may need to read through your notes and understand them clearly and easily. This means you must be able to summarize succinctly, without skipping any crucial details.
A social worker works with multiple clients and professionals. This means tons of appointments and follow-ups, for which one must always be prepared. And this requires organization and time management skills, and the maintenance of a referral list.
Personal Mental Health Management
There will be setbacks, failures, and obstacles in social work. So, one needs to be able to manage their own mental health and stress levels to deal with these.
This includes setting firm boundaries – emotionally, physically, and professionally – to protect yourself. Your clients will be people from all walks of life with all personality traits, so you need to make sure you’re not taken advantage of.
A social worker also needs to be able to manage their stress levels and practice self-care. This profession can lead to compassion fatigue (burnout for mental healthcare professionals).
You can’t expect to help others if you’re not filling your own cup! This can be something as simple as maintaining a good sleeping and eating schedule.
