Clinical Social Work and Substance Abuse

Clinical Social Work and Substance Abuse

Literature Review

Substance abuse has caught nations worldwide, according to the statistics presented by National Institute on Drug Abuse, USA; about 193 billion people are involved in illicit drug use. The statistics for alcohol and tobacco are however dreadfully high. In a situation such as this, where substance abuse is increasing tremendously on daily basis, the need of clinical social workers is increasing exponentially. The realization of importance of clinical social work is not new. Scholars suppose this dates back to as early as 1900s. The first program offered for this purpose was offered in 1911 (Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Scholars also hold the view that the most important components for supervision are recognized to be administrative, educational and encouraging.

In the present paper, the role clinical social work plays in substance abuse is discussed. In order to successfully treat people and cater to the problems of masses, there are some standards set by the National Association of Social Workers. These guidelines focus on what the social workers are capable of doing for their clients. The chief offerings that could be made by the clinical social workers are discussed as follows:

Social, personal, health and environmental information could be gathered.

Treatment of problem in the provided scope of practice, after establishing it.

Advocating for cliental services.

Collaboration with other professionals or social workers if needed or when appropriate.

Establishing goals with clients that are achievable.

Identification of suitable resources when needed and instruments for assessment.

Facilitating effective behavioral changes that are in line with the goals set for treatment.

Evaluating the treatment services provided to the client and its effectiveness.

Before the clinical social workers can start practicing on their own, they are supervised to enhance their skill set and knowledge. This is necessary to provide quality patient care to substance abusers and other mentally ill patients. The supervision provided to the professionals is thought to be vital in aiding both personal and professional development which helps get better outcomes of treatments (Coleman, 2003). Clinical social work holds immense importance as it aids better living conditions and standards for masses.

Substance abusers vary in age, gender and other aspects so the clinical workers need to be well trained to handle the variety of clients they get. For this reason the board has set the eligibility requirement for practicing clinical social work. A master's degree is required to work in this field. The state has also imposed some licensing requirements. These requirements vary but some amount of administrated work experience is required for private practice. Professionals with Licensed Master Social Worker can be both clinical and non clinical practitioners. But these are allowed to practice only under their higher officials, which are the certified LMCWs. Also licensed master social workers can't practice privately. Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) is the highest certification of this type (National Association of Social Workers, n.d).

Professionals who acquire this advanced certification need to have a masters or doctorate level ...