Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Army clinical counseling, substance abuse intervention, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention directly support civilian behavioral health social work.
How to prepare: Ask the intended state's social work licensing board to review your degree and supervised clinical experience against its licensing requirements. Clinical practice requires an accredited master's degree in social work, post-graduation supervised clinical experience, passage of a clinical exam, and state licensure.
What the civilian work involves
- Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.
- Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel