Clinical: Social Work, Chaplain and Counselor - Career Choices

Job Description:

This category of healthcare practitioners works with the general mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of individuals. They may be distinct in education and licensing, but overlap in what they do:

Counselor

• Assist individuals with their personal problems to help them become more self-sufficient. Counselors provide support, consultation, and therapeutic approaches, but are not necessarily trained mental health therapists.

Chaplain (Pastoral Counselor)

• A professional trained in both theology, and counseling or psychology. Provide spiritual as well as psychological guidance to patients and families.

Social Worker

• Bring guidance and counseling to people in crisis. Assist those with life-threatening diseases, family, or social problems. Guide clients to obtain community support, government funds, education, or treatment.

Medical Social Worker

• Help patients and their families with problems that accompany illness or inhibit recovery and rehabilitation.

• Collect patient information to help other health professionals understand social, emotional, and environmental factors underlying a patient's illness.

• Discharge planning is an important part of the job.