The Role of Social Work in Mental Health

People who are new to the world of mental health treatment may be unsure about the type of professionals that work in the facility, helping patients.

These professionals range from nurses, therapists, doctors, behavioral health technicians (techs for short), case managers, social workers, etc. There are many different types of medical professionals within the health care system, and knowing their roles and functions will help you become acclimated with the ways in which they can help you during your treatment stay.

The role of social work in mental health treatment is very important. Here at Banyan Mental Health, we employ the most experienced and highly skilled social workers who share a passion for this field and helping patients. The definition of social work is “a process where an individual in a setting is helped to attain freedom from overlapping internal and external problems.” This may include social and economic situations, family and other relationships, hardships, legal problems, psychiatric symptoms, etc. Social work is needed to keep harmony, quality of life, self-actualization and personal adaptation across all internal and external environments (treatment, home, work, school, etc).

Psychiatric social workers are mental health professionals that assist patients and their family members in coping with issues that are caused by mental illness or psychiatric dysfunctions. Some of the issues individuals with mental health disorders deal with may include financial hardship and unemployment, poor hygiene and lack of ability to complete activities of daily living like bathing, feeding, grooming, homemaking, etc. Social workers help these individuals by providing them with education and resources, and showing them how to maintain healthy hygiene, social reintegration, life skill building, smart budgeting, money and self-management skills, working with outside agencies for job opportunities and community-based programs, and even post-discharge follow up and aftercare once the patient has completed their inpatient stay. The goal is for the patient to adapt to a healthy lifestyle where they can be self-sustaining in the best way possible and for them to achieve the best quality of life.