CareerGPS

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Summary Occupational Forecast Data for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Employment Employment Change Average Annual Job Openings Wage & Training Levels
2020 2025 Numerical Percent New Jobs Replacement Jobs Total Median Hourly Median Annual Training Levels
1,329 1,532 203 15.27% 41 119 160 $31.98 $66,508 Master's degree
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.
Forecast Data Source: EMSI (4th Quarter 2023)

Occupation Details

The information in this section represents occupational characteristics included in O*NET which defines key features of an occupation as a standardized, measurable set of variables called "descriptors". These distinguishing characteristics of an occupation are described in greater detail in the O*NET Content Model. All items are listed in descending order of importance.

  • Counsel clients in individual and group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental and physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.
  • Collaborate with counselors, physicians, and nurses to plan and coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.
  • Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.
  • Refer patient, client, or family to community resources for housing or treatment to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness, following through to ensure service efficacy.
  • Counsel and aid family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.
  • Modify treatment plans according to changes in client status.
  • Plan and conduct programs to prevent substance abuse, to combat social problems, or to improve health and counseling services in community.
  • Interview clients, review records, conduct assessments, and confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of client or patient.
  • Educate clients and community members about mental and physical illness, abuse, medication, and available community resources.
  • Assist clients in adhering to treatment plans, such as setting up appointments, arranging for transportation to appointments, and providing support.
  • Increase social work knowledge by reviewing current literature, conducting social research, and attending seminars, training workshops, or classes.

Knowledge

98%
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
95%
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
89%
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
85%
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
75%
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
61%
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
55%
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
54%
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills

85%
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
78%
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
78%
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
75%
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
69%
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
69%
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
65%
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
65%
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
62%
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
62%
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
60%
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
60%
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
60%
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
60%
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
60%
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
56%
Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
56%
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
56%
Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
56%
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
53%
Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
50%
Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
50%
Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Abilities

81%
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
81%
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
75%
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
72%
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
72%
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
72%
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
72%
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
69%
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
65%
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
65%
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
62%
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
62%
Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
60%
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
56%
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
56%
Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
56%
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
53%
Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
50%
Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes compa
50%
Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).

Work Activities

97%
Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
94%
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
87%
Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
87%
Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
87%
Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
83%
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
82%
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
80%
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
79%
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
77%
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
75%
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
74%
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
74%
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
70%
Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
69%
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
68%
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
68%
Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
66%
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
61%
Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
60%
Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
60%
Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
58%
Interacting With Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
54%
Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
52%
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Title Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Overall Experience Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Job Zone Examples These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, wildlife biologists, school psychologists, surgeons, treasurers, and controllers.
Education Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Interests

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Work Styles

Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Work Values

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.