Contents
- 1 What percentage of mental health workers are social workers?
- 2 How many social workers are there in the US 2018?
- 3 How many social workers were there in 2019?
- 4 Where are social workers needed the most?
- 5 Are social workers mental health professionals?
- 6 What percentage of social workers are Latino?
- 7 What race are most social workers?
- 8 Whats the difference between a social worker and therapist?
- 9 What can social workers do for mental health?
- 10 How do social workers treat depression?
- 11 How can social workers help mental health?
- 12 Do social workers get paid well?
- 13 What is the unemployment rate of social workers?
- 14 Why is there a shortage of social workers?
Some analysts have estimated that up to 65 percent of all mental health services are provided by clinical social workers.
Social work is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were more than 700,000 social work jobs in 2018. The profession is expected to grow by 11 percent by 2028.
The number of people employed as Child, family, and school social workers has been growing at a rate of 15.5%, from 60,893 people in 2018 to 70,310 people in 2019.
Our research found that Oregon is the best state for social workers, while Alaska and Nevada are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Oregon has a median salary of $64,696 and Alaska has the highest median salary among all 50 states for social workers.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), professional social workers are the nation’s largest group of mental health services providers. There are more clinically trained social workers—over 200,000—than psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses combined.
More than 22% of new social workers are Black/African American and 14% are Hispanic/Latino.
58.4% of Social workers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 20.6% of Social workers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation.
Patient Care. Counselors typically focus on helping families and individuals with a specific set of problems, particularly patients with mental health disorders. Social workers, on the other hand, focus on providing a wider range of services in social service systems.
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’ 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.
Clinical social workers diagnose and treat mental health conditions as well. They provide individual, family, and couples therapy, and they assist with depression, anxiety, family problems, and other mental health or behavioral issues. They may work in private practice or at a mental health or therapeutic facility.
Median annual wages for social workers reach $50,470, and range from $31,750 for the lowest-paid 10% to $82,540 for the top 10% in the field. Social workers practicing individually and in family services settings average $43,030 a year. At the upper end of the pay scale, hospitals pay a median wage of $55,500.
Given the job environment today, Social Workers can consider themselves quite lucky, as only 2.3% are currently unemployed.
Here are some factors explaining the shortage: Relatively high educational requirements required for the job. Lack of funding and incentives for workers in rural areas. Incredible professional demands.