|
Careers in Social Work
Private Practice
The primary focus of private practice is the direct delivery of
clinical social work services. Barker named ten criteria to identify a
social worker in a private practice.*
The private
practitioner...
- has the client as the primary obligation
- determines who the client will be
- determines the techniques to be used in services to this client
- determines practice professionally, not bureaucratically
- receives a fee for services directly from or on behalf of the
client
- is educated as a social worker
- is a sufficiently experienced social worker
- adheres to social work values, standards, and ethics
- is licensed, certified, and registered, where applicable, to engage in
private practice
- is professional responsible
Specific Knowledge Base
- Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology
- Crisis Intervention/Suicide Assessment
- Psychotropic medications
- Referral sources for psychopharmacological
intervention/hospitalization
Qualifications & Standards
NASW established minimum standards in 1962, including a master's degree
from an accepted school of social work and five years of acceptable,
full-time supervised agency employment. Also, some post-master's programs
for additional training and enhanced personal insight are highly
desirable.
Licensing
All 50 states as well as Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin
Islands have licensing laws and regulations relative to private practice.
Marketing
You can promote your practice and secure clients through distribution of
business cards and flyers, ads in professional and community publications,
outreach by giving lectures or conducting workshops.
Office Space and Setup
You may choose to establish a solo practice or join a group. Overhead
expenses may include but not be limited to supplies, furniture,
rent/mortgage, taxes, utilities, administration, personnel, and health,
malpractice and liability insurance.
Fees and Billing
You and/or the payor will set flat or sliding, global or fee-for-service
charges according to market rates. You will have to set up a system for
billing, payment, and recovery of unpaid bills.
Personal Considerations
You may choose to secure individual or peer supervision. Some advantages
of a private practice are independence and additional income.
Disadvantages include professional and social isolation, fiscal
insecurity.
*Barker,R.L. (1992) Social work in private practice: Principles,
issues and dilemmas. Silver Spring, MD: National Association of Social
Workers.
prepared by the Core Group of the Career Development Directors in Social
Work Education, 7/99 |
