Social Workers and Case Management: The Key to Crisis Intervention

Every day around the world, people are in crisis. They face problems and situations that they cannot deal with alone and the caring advocacy of the social workers that help them may be the difference between their ability to deal with the crisis or to “drown” under the weight of it.

A Day in the Life of a Social Worker

The Social Worker’s day is typically filled with crisis intervention. The diversity of the needs of the patients assigned to them requires research, strategic planning and provision of individualized support to each client. In addition, the nature of their work requires confidentiality and emotional separation to enable them to carry out their case management in a professional manner.

Team Work as Intervention Strategy

Working closely with a client and his or her family, the social worker must also work as a member of a team to provide the best outcomes for the client. Depending on the type of work engaged in, and the type and extent of support required, the types of teams the worker is part of may change considerably from client to client.

Communication is the Key to Successful Intervention

Case management requires the development of excellent communication skills to enable all members of the team, and the client to feel that progress is being made and that the client’s most pressing needs are being successfully addressed. Social work can be a difficult and sometimes stressful profession, but ongoing education can provide skills in areas that would otherwise be potentially draining. Courses in communication, technology, team work and strategic planning are among the many options that can help provide all health care workers with advanced skills to assist them in their work.

Best Practice Interventions

When an individual is faced with a crisis, they may in certain circumstances need someone to make decisions for them. This is particularly true of children requiring protective services intervention. Their age and vulnerability mean that often they are incapable of making important life decisions.

But older individuals must be empowered to make their own decisions and this is the role of social workers working with adult clients. They offer an essential service in the provision of advocacy and information, ensuring that their client is in a position to be able to make informed life choices.

If you feel that the field of social workers might be a career for you, why not check into one of the online training courses that are offered. You won’t just learn a new skill, but will become a part of a movement that is all about helping others.