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Social Worker Duties, Skills & Responsibilities: a Guide for Employers

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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When hiring Social Workers, it’s important to properly describe the job opening with the duties, skills and responsibilities of the role. We’ve compiled a guide to Social Worker Duties, Skills & Responsibilities using data from actual job postings on Indeed.

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Popular Social Worker Duties and Skills

Here are some commonly found skills and other specifications in job postings for Social Workers.

Social work

  • Definition : Experience in social work.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 35.4% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LSW

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Social Worker. Licensing requirements vary by state.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 23.2% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LMSW

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Master Social Worker. Licensing requirements vary by state.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 19.6% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

Social Work License

  • Definition : License that allows one to work as a social worker. Licenses are awarded at the state level.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 15.9% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

Case management

  • Definition : Experience assessing, planning, and coordinating healthcare services.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2-3
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 11.2% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LISW

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Independent Social Worker. Licensing requirements vary by state.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2-3
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 5.3% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LPC

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Professional Counselor awarded upon passing a state-recognized counselor exam, such as the NCE (National Counselor Examination), and completing a certain number of hours of supervised clinical experience. Requires a master’s degree.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 5.2% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LMHC

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, awarded upon passing a state-recognized counselor examination, such as the NCE (National Counselor Examination) or NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam), and completing a certain number of hours of supervised clinical experience. Requires a master’s degree.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 2.7% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

Behavioral health

  • Definition : Experience in or knowledge of behavioral health care. This may include administering assessments, providing counseling services, or knowledge of behavioral health theories.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2-3
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 1.7% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

Intake

  • Definition : Experience with intake assessments, including obtaining and reviewing prior medical records, performing patient intake interviews, and managing new patient forms.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 1.2% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

Managed care

  • Definition : Knowledge of or experience with managed care.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.8% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

Medical terminology

  • Definition : Knowledge of or experience with medical terminology.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.7% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

ACSW

  • Definition : A license to work as an Associate Clinical Social Worker. Licensing requirements vary by state.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2-3
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.7% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LMHP

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner, awarded upon passing a state-recognized counselor examination, such as the NCE (National Counselor Examination) or NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam), and completing a certain number of hours of supervised clinical experience. Requires a master’s degree.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 0-1
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.5% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

HIPAA

  • Definition : Knowledge of the laws related to the privacy and security of medical information as established in the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.1% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LGPC

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor in the state of Maryland awarded upon passing the NCE (National Counseling Examination) or NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam). Requires a master’s degree.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 0
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.1% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.

LSCSW

  • Definition : A license to work as a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker. Licensing requirements vary by state.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.1% of Social Worker job postings on Indeed.
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Duties and Skills Examples

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    Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.