• Social workers help others.help image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
  
  Social workers are professionals who work in the social services industry helping individuals and families better their lives. Social workers can specialize in work with various populations such as children, the elderly, people with disabilities and those with chronic illnesses. They offer assistance to those with mental illnesses or those whose situations are negatively influencing their mental health.
  
  

Child and School Social Workers

• Mental health social workers who work with children and schools emphasize the development of healthy social bonds and improving mental health. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers advise teachers and other school personnel on the most effective way to cope with and assist students who are truant, have emotional or psychological problems, or are dealing with a pregnancy or other home issue.
  
  

Medical Social Workers

• Mental health social workers in the medical profession focus on helping people cope with the psychological strains of chronic illnesses, disabilities or other medical conditions. For example, social workers who work with those suffering from a chronic illness such as AIDS or a type of cancer will assist in getting them the financial, housing, educational, medical and psychological care or help they need, while also attending to the psychological difficulties inherent to coping with those conditions. Medical social workers in the mental health field also assist those who are friends or family members of someone suffering from a chronic condition, giving them the social and psychological support they need.
  
  

Mental Health Social Workers

• Social workers work as liaisons between clients utilizing outpatient facilities and additional services, or as primary contacts for clients of in-patient institutions or facilities. Social workers in general must consider the mental health of their clients, as many deal with situations that negatively influence their mental health. Social workers in the mental health profession assist individuals with mental illnesses locate treatment centers and ensure they are receiving proper care, including medication if necessary.