“Is a victims advocate basically a social worker?”
My daughter was sexually assaulted and instead of getting a social worker for her case, she has a victim's advocate helping her. Are they the same thing?
7 Answers
SocialWorkSocialworker
Thank you for reaching out with such an important and heartfelt question. As a Doctor in Clinical Social Work, I want to first express how sorry I am that your daughter is going through this. No one should have to endure such trauma, and I commend you for being there for her and seeking clarity in navigating the support systems.
To your question: a victim’s advocate is not the same as a social worker, though there can be some overlap in what they do.
Here’s a breakdown:
Victim’s Advocates:
• Typically work for law enforcement agencies, district attorney’s offices, nonprofits, or crisis centers.
• Their primary role is to support the victim through the criminal justice process, providing emotional support, information about rights, help with safety planning, and guidance on how to access resources like counseling, shelters, or financial assistance.
• Some are trained professionals with degrees in criminal justice or psychology, but not all are licensed or clinically trained.
Social Workers (especially Clinical Social Workers):
• Are licensed professionals trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health and emotional issues.
• Can provide therapy and trauma-informed care to help victims process their experiences and begin healing.
• Also advocate for clients, but with a broader and deeper clinical skill set and a focus on long-term well-being, not just legal or immediate crisis response.
So why was your daughter assigned a victim’s advocate and not a social worker?
In most jurisdictions, victim’s advocates are automatically involved once a sexual assault is reported to law enforcement. Their focus is on guiding the victim through the system and ensuring their voice is heard. However, this does not replace the need for clinical support.
What can you do now?
I strongly recommend that your daughter also be connected to a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) or trauma therapist who can help her begin the healing process from a mental health perspective. The victim’s advocate may be able to refer her to such a provider, or you can look for one directly—especially someone trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) or EMDR.
You’re doing the right thing by asking these questions. Healing is possible—with the right support.
Dr. Soto
To your question: a victim’s advocate is not the same as a social worker, though there can be some overlap in what they do.
Here’s a breakdown:
Victim’s Advocates:
• Typically work for law enforcement agencies, district attorney’s offices, nonprofits, or crisis centers.
• Their primary role is to support the victim through the criminal justice process, providing emotional support, information about rights, help with safety planning, and guidance on how to access resources like counseling, shelters, or financial assistance.
• Some are trained professionals with degrees in criminal justice or psychology, but not all are licensed or clinically trained.
Social Workers (especially Clinical Social Workers):
• Are licensed professionals trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health and emotional issues.
• Can provide therapy and trauma-informed care to help victims process their experiences and begin healing.
• Also advocate for clients, but with a broader and deeper clinical skill set and a focus on long-term well-being, not just legal or immediate crisis response.
So why was your daughter assigned a victim’s advocate and not a social worker?
In most jurisdictions, victim’s advocates are automatically involved once a sexual assault is reported to law enforcement. Their focus is on guiding the victim through the system and ensuring their voice is heard. However, this does not replace the need for clinical support.
What can you do now?
I strongly recommend that your daughter also be connected to a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) or trauma therapist who can help her begin the healing process from a mental health perspective. The victim’s advocate may be able to refer her to such a provider, or you can look for one directly—especially someone trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) or EMDR.
You’re doing the right thing by asking these questions. Healing is possible—with the right support.
Dr. Soto
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's attack. I hope both of you are getting the support you need. A victims advocate can be a social worker, but not necessarily. A social worker, by title, is someone who has a master's degree in social work. A victims advocate is someone who has been specially trained to help someone who has suffered an attack. They understand the system, legal, medical, and mental and help the person navigate and access resources. Additionally, they frequently have personal experience with surviving and are focused on being a support for the person in need. They may also have access to funds to assist with paying for services such as counseling and legal counsel. You are in good hands with a victims advocate.
Victim Advocates work for the courts to make sure her rights are protected during the court case.
A social worker in the other hand might work at a trauma or mental health clinic to provide therapy and resources for her.
Access Everything!!
A social worker in the other hand might work at a trauma or mental health clinic to provide therapy and resources for her.
Access Everything!!
No they are not the same thing. It is my understanding and experience that a victim’s advocate has specialized training and access to resources that allow them be more sensitive to the delicate needs of a sexual assault survivor. A social worker may not be trained in victim advocacy or trauma recovery.
A Victim's advocate might be a social worker. However, there is a significant difference between an advocate and a therapist. Therapy can only be conducted by a board certified licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). LCSW attend 6 years of college before 3000 hours of post-graduate clinical social work experience. Some social workers have only 2 years of college and clinical training.
A victim's advocate can be a social worker; I encourage you to find out what degree/certification they posses as well as their experience. Not every social worker has experience/expertise in handling sexual assault cases and a victim's advocate will have more experience.
The victim's advocate is a person who has volunteered to help children in danger. They are trained and generally have an emotional vested interest in the welfare of the child. What kind of social worker are we talking about? One who works for the school or one who works for the court? In this country, the problem with the court assigned social worker is that they are generally overloaded.
