Description
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
- • Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- • Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
- • Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
- • Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
- • Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.
- • Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- • Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- • Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- • Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
- • Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
- • Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.
- • Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development.
- • Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals.
- • Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field.
- • Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services.
- • Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
- • Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Related Pathways
Healthcare & Human Services
View
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
