A family that needs emergency housing. A teenager whose attitude turns dark. Parents overwhelmed by care of their autistic child. A father confused about immigration pathways. All of these cases are examples of when a social worker can deliver crucial assistance both in a crisis and on an ongoing basis.
Unfortunately, most adults hold stereotyped opinions of these highly trained professionals, falsely labeling them only as “those people who remove children from neglectful or abusive parents.” In reality, social workers comprise the state’s and nation’s largest group of behavior and mental health providers, working in many diverse settings and specialties. These range from in schools, hospitals, corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, prisons and jails, the courts, addiction centers, facilities for older adults, police departments, private practices, and even libraries.
In Virginia, a “social worker” is a legally protected title with stringent education requirements from accredited university or college social work programs, thousands of hours of supervised training in the field, ongoing professional development training, and a commitment to the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.
Mythbusting about Social Workers
Donilee Alexander-Goldsmith is a school social worker who works at a Virginia middle school, helping students “better access academic curriculum so they can learn [while also reducing] barriers based on social and emotional needs, family needs, things happening in the community, and peer interactions.”
She regularly runs up against misperceptions about her profession. “A lot of families are fearful of sharing their needs or circumstances out of fear that maybe I will report that or something … when in reality, my whole job is to connect people to resources and support, so kids can be successful,” says Goldsmith, adding that school social workers only report specific issues “required of us in terms of if the student is going to harm themselves or somebody else or if someone’s harming them… but everybody in the building is mandated to report it, not just a social worker.”
Such myths can make building trust and channeling assistance to families more challenging, acknowledges Goldsmith, but “we have a good team, so even if it’s not me who’s going to do the actual interaction with a parent, because they don’t want to talk to a social worker, I still share my information with the counselor or whoever might have that relationship,” because that connection is most critical.
Goldsmith works with both children who are and are not disabled. Most of her social emotional groups contain students with a mixture of abilities, so she works on skills such as problem-solving, healthy relationship-building, and emotional management. She also assesses and meets regularly with youngsters individually “who are in a higher level of need” such as those unable to function well in class due to anxiety or depression.
Training with the wider mental health team is another important aspect of her role. For instance, Goldsmith teaches families and staff how to identify and address suicide warning signs via the Source of Strength program. She also supports teachers with classroom management through tactics such as “behavior circles” that reduce disruption and informs instructors of ways traumatic historical experiences may impact general student behavior.
Confusion often exists about the difference between social workers and school counselors. As education team members, school counselors focus on boosting students’ academic success, and they usually design programs for student groups, provide individual consultations on classroom and life management skills, and give guidance on post-graduation options.
Social workers work in close tandem with counselors and other school leaders if “there’s a higher need,” says Goldsmith. Their work centers on assessing and assisting students with personal aspects of their private lives such as economic or psychological challenges that may interfere with academic progress. They also are conduits between the school and social service agencies that can help with issues such as housing, hunger relief, transportation, and healthcare.
Goldsmith recalls one case in which she made 20 calls to find agencies who together could provide one mother with funds needed to move from a homeless shelter. The mother could pay only one-third of the $3,000 downpayment for secure housing provided by housing services, so Goldsmith tapped other community resources to find which could help provide the rest of that short-term need.
She also helps families navigate Medicaid applications. “Healthcare is huge,” Goldsmith says. “We have a lot of uninsured families in our region, so connecting them with agencies that provide services even if they don’t have healthcare insurance” for needs such as glasses, dental care, or vaccinations is important. “… Our whole role is to connect family, school, and community, and to ensure students are able to learn and reach their best potential.”
Respectful Connectors for Individuals with Autism, Developmental Delays
Rebecca Ledingham, LCSW, agrees. As a Madison Heights clinical social worker, she addresses mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders of autistic and developmentally disabled Richmond clients. “Families shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, because a social worker should be empathetic and respectful,” says Ledingham. An LCSW–a behavioral health provider who uses therapy–“should listen to what the client wants–what the end goal is for a family–and if somebody doesn’t know, then a social worker’s role is to help determine that and figure out how to get from here to there.
“When you have someone to tell your story to who will listen, often you work things out yourself,” she continues. “The social worker’s job is to ask the right questions to help a person see things from a different perspective or to figure out … what’s worked, what’s not worked, and what are you willing to try. But it should be very respectful and based on what the person needs and wants. Everybody should be on the same team.”
She describes the social worker-client relationship in any setting as being in “a helping role,” one that can vary over time from intensive assistance down to mental health maintenance role, depending on the situation.
Families can find a social worker by specialty such as substance use by contacting their insurance companies for in-network providers or referrals.
