What can a social worker do for mental health?
John Johnson
Updated on March 19, 2026
Through talking therapy, support, and advocacy, they enable people to manage the social factors in their lives—like relationships, housing, and employment—that allow them to get well and stay well. Social workers can work in a variety of mental health settings.
How do you get advice from a social worker?
Referrals to social services can happen in a number of ways. You can request help yourself by calling your local social services – you can find your local social services here. Referrals can be made by other professionals who are working with your family or children, including schools, GPs, health visitors, and more.
How do social workers assist people with mental health difficulties?
Many of the roles performed by social workers are common to all mental health disciplines. Social workers provide direct services to individuals, couples, families, and groups in the form of counselling, crisis intervention, and therapy, as well as advocacy, coordination of resources, and case management.
How do social workers help people with depression?
Social workers’ counseling regarding depression often focuses on problem solving. Depending on training level, social workers can provide assessment, diagnosis, therapy and a range of other services, but cannot prescribe medications.
What is the highest salary of a social worker?
Washington, D.C., offers some of highest-paying social work jobs, with healthcare social workers earning an annual mean wage of $74,160; child, family, and school social workers earning $71,590; and mental health and substance abuse workers bringing home $66,080, according to the BLS.
Can social workers have mental illness?
Unfortunately, social workers often struggle with mental illness, addiction, and coping in general. In recent years, studies have demonstrated some significant implications associated with social work as a career field. The most common psychiatric diagnoses associated with social work include depression and anxiety.
Can social workers help with anxiety?
Clinical social workers are one of the nation’s largest groups of providers of mental health services, helping people overcome depression, anxiety and other disorders. Social workers also work within the health care profession, helping people deal with personal and social factors that affect health and wellness.
What is the first step to getting appropriate treatment for depression?
The first step in treating clinical depression is recognizing that you are depressed. The second step is seeking help. These two steps may in fact be the hardest part of the entire treatment process.
Does anyone care about the mental health of social workers?
I threw my heart and soul into the work and kept trying to need less. I could do more, be more. I was tough, I was strong. The problem was, I was very good at my work. So good that colleagues were sending me more difficult cases on what was becoming my specialty because they thought it would be a good match for me.
What do social workers have to do in Australia?
They must meet certain professional standards and are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Some social workers have additional training in mental health issues. These are called Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSW). What does a social worker do?
When do you need to see a social worker?
Social workers usually see people when they are facing some sort of crisis, such as family violence, homelessness or mental health issues. Social workers are trained at university in human behaviour, families, social justice and human rights.
What do social workers do to help people?
Social workers help people to face life’s challenges, improve their wellbeing, and do their best to ensure they are treated fairly. Social workers usually see people when they are facing some sort of crisis, such as family violence, homelessness or mental health issues.