Do you feel that you are good with people? Do you like to help people with their problems? Have you ever felt the satisfaction of knowing that you had helped people resolve problems they were having? Would you like to help improve society and make the world a better place? If so, a career in clinical social work may be for you. Most clinical social workers help link individuals and small groups with resources they need and help them deal with emotional difficulties through counseling and psychotherapy.

Clinical social workers help people deal with a wide variety of problems such as those related to poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, housing problems, physical or mental illness, school performance, or old age. Clinical social workers function in a great variety of settings to help individuals, families, groups, and communities. Their emphasis, however, is on working with individuals and small groups. In helping these individuals and groups, clinical social workers strive to improve society as a whole. Clinical social workers may use direct counseling, provide information on how and where to obtain resources such as food stamps, arrange for clients to receive services, help clients fill out various forms, check whether clients are eligible for certain programs, visit clients at home or in an institution, or help communities create and organize various programs. Clinical social workers may also become involved in the political process by working to improve governmental policies and services.

Social workers usually specialize in a certain area of social work such as:

• Research and Administration
• Policy Analysis
• Planning
• Program Development
• Consultation
• Community Organization
• Health Care
• Social Work in Schools
• Crime and Delinquency
• Services for the Elderly
• Child Welfare
• Community Mental Health
• Inner-city Neighborhood Services
• Family Functioning
• Direct Practice with Large Groups
• Direct Practice with Individuals & Small Groups

Many clinical social workers specialize in direct practice, working directly with individuals and small groups. They focus on helping individuals, families, and small groups deal with psychological difficulties and their environment. Clinical social workers are the largest group of mental health providers in the United States today. They provide roughly half of the counseling and psychotherapy services to the population of the United States. In addition, they are the largest specialization within social work.