Where a mental health social worker can go next
5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a mental health social worker already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Mental health social workers assist and provide counselling to people with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems. They focus on providing personalised support to cases and monitor the recovery process of their clients by providing therapy, crisis intervention, client advocacy and education. Mental health social workers may contribute to mental health services improvement and mental health outcomes for citizens.
Also known as social worker (mental health), approved mental health professional, mental health social support worker, mental health community social worker, care coordinator (mental health), mental health advocate, care coordinator, mental health gateway worker.
Professionals 81 skills on file 5 career moves 5 above 60% overlap Closest: education welfare officer, 76%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 1 · Within reach
- education welfare officer 76% covered · difficulty 41.9
- mental health support worker 74% covered · difficulty 44.2
- residential home young people care worker 73% covered · difficulty 45.2
- residential home older adult care worker 72% covered · difficulty 45.5
- adult community care worker 72% covered · difficulty 45.8
Table 2 · What the job itself asks for
A mental health social worker needs 76 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- diagnosis of mental health issues health and welfare
- use clinical assessment techniques information skills
- diagnose psychiatric symptoms information skills
- identify mental health issues information skills
- advise on mental health communication, collaboration and creativity
- promote mental health management skills
- evaluate older adults' ability to take care of themselves management skills
- clinical social work health and welfare
- older adults' needs health and welfare
- support traumatised children assisting and caring
Table 3 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a mental health social worker does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- social work supervisor 80% covered · difficulty 39.5
- benefits advice worker 79% covered · difficulty 40.8
- employment support worker 79% covered · difficulty 40.8
- enterprise development worker 79% covered · difficulty 41.3
- social work practice educator 79% covered · difficulty 41.3
- social worker 76% covered · difficulty 42.5
Look up another occupation
Mental health social worker is filed under Professionals, ISCO major group 2. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a mental health social worker’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.