Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

Overview

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers has a national median salary of $60,280 per year, with +10.3% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Achievement
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.
• Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.
• Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.
• Interview clients, review records, conduct assessments, or confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of clients or patients.
• Supervise or direct other workers who provide services to clients or patients.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Getting Information
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
• Providing Consultation and Advice to Others
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a doctoral or professional degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Doctoral or professional degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a master's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:

Video Resources