“What are the main duties of a social worker?”
Recently I divorced, and I want a social worker's help for my daughter. What are the main duties of a social worker that could help her? She's 12 years old.
7 Answers
SocialWorkerSocialworker
Main Duties of a Social Worker Supporting a 12-Year-Old After Divorce:
1. Psychosocial Assessment
The social worker will begin by conducting a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment of your daughter. This includes:
• Her emotional well-being (e.g., anxiety, depression, behavioral changes)
• School performance and peer relationships
• Coping strategies and resilience factors
• Family dynamics before and after the divorce
2. Emotional Support and Counseling
• Provide individual counseling to help her process complex emotions like grief, confusion, loyalty conflicts, or fear of abandonment.
• Facilitate age-appropriate therapeutic interventions (e.g., expressive arts, play-based techniques, narrative therapy) to help her express herself safely and without judgment.
3. Support Adjustment to Family Changes
• Help her understand and adjust to the new family structure—which may include new routines, dual households, or shifting parental roles.
• Address any feelings of guilt or self-blame that are common in children experiencing divorce.
4. Enhancing Communication
• Coach her in effective communication skills, especially if she feels torn between parents or struggles to verbalize her needs.
• Offer parent-child mediation sessions when appropriate to promote understanding and repair relational ruptures.
5. Stabilizing External Systems
• Collaborate with schools to ensure academic and social support is in place (e.g., teachers, counselors, 504 accommodations if needed).
• Coordinate with health professionals if there are concerns about mental health that warrant psychiatric consultation or medication.
6. Advocacy and Resource Navigation
• Advocate for your daughter’s best interests in systems such as schools or court-related services.
• Link the family with community resources, such as peer support groups for children of divorced parents or family-focused workshops.
7. Strengthening Protective Factors
• Work with both parents (as appropriate) to ensure consistency in parenting approaches, co-parenting boundaries, and emotional attunement.
• Encourage involvement in positive peer relationships and extracurriculars that promote identity, belonging, and confidence.
Developmental Considerations
At 12, your daughter is at the cusp of adolescence. She may not fully understand the adult dynamics of divorce, but she will acutely feel its emotional impact. A social worker trained in child and adolescent mental health can help her construct a coherent narrative of what’s happening—one that reduces confusion and reinforces her sense of security and self-worth.
Dr. Soto
1. Psychosocial Assessment
The social worker will begin by conducting a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment of your daughter. This includes:
• Her emotional well-being (e.g., anxiety, depression, behavioral changes)
• School performance and peer relationships
• Coping strategies and resilience factors
• Family dynamics before and after the divorce
2. Emotional Support and Counseling
• Provide individual counseling to help her process complex emotions like grief, confusion, loyalty conflicts, or fear of abandonment.
• Facilitate age-appropriate therapeutic interventions (e.g., expressive arts, play-based techniques, narrative therapy) to help her express herself safely and without judgment.
3. Support Adjustment to Family Changes
• Help her understand and adjust to the new family structure—which may include new routines, dual households, or shifting parental roles.
• Address any feelings of guilt or self-blame that are common in children experiencing divorce.
4. Enhancing Communication
• Coach her in effective communication skills, especially if she feels torn between parents or struggles to verbalize her needs.
• Offer parent-child mediation sessions when appropriate to promote understanding and repair relational ruptures.
5. Stabilizing External Systems
• Collaborate with schools to ensure academic and social support is in place (e.g., teachers, counselors, 504 accommodations if needed).
• Coordinate with health professionals if there are concerns about mental health that warrant psychiatric consultation or medication.
6. Advocacy and Resource Navigation
• Advocate for your daughter’s best interests in systems such as schools or court-related services.
• Link the family with community resources, such as peer support groups for children of divorced parents or family-focused workshops.
7. Strengthening Protective Factors
• Work with both parents (as appropriate) to ensure consistency in parenting approaches, co-parenting boundaries, and emotional attunement.
• Encourage involvement in positive peer relationships and extracurriculars that promote identity, belonging, and confidence.
Developmental Considerations
At 12, your daughter is at the cusp of adolescence. She may not fully understand the adult dynamics of divorce, but she will acutely feel its emotional impact. A social worker trained in child and adolescent mental health can help her construct a coherent narrative of what’s happening—one that reduces confusion and reinforces her sense of security and self-worth.
Dr. Soto
That question is not easy to answer with the information provided but I will give it a shot. A social worker might be able to assist in two ways. Many social workers have a clinical license, which allows them to offer therapy for your daughter to process her emotions related to the divorce. That assumes your daughter may have negative feelings about the divorce. The second way is more of a case management role. In having a divorce, that might have diminished the resources that the other party may have brought. Social workers in this capacity can help you and your daughter get connected to resources that you might need. Such resources might include a support group if needed. So there are many ways that a social worker could help her. It depends on what kind of help you are looking for.
Clinical social workers are often very well trained therapists. I would find one who specializes in working with teens and ones who work with children in families experiencing divorce.
A social worker is educated and trained to help your daughter navigate this time in life of divorce and puberty. A social worker will assess and monitor your daughter's social, emotional, physical and mental functioning and connect her with appropriate community programs. Ask her pediatrician about meeting with a social worker.
Social work is a broad field and our duties can vary depending on the sector or setting. Social workers are a great resource, do alot of care coordination and resource linkage, in some settings with certain licenses conduct and facilitate therapeutic interventions for children, families, adults and various specialities, and social workers are advocates and mandated reporters in all settings to support children and vulnerable adults.
Thank you for your question. The field of social work is quite broad. However, all Social Workers are trained as Generalist; meaning the basic competencies are known, understood, implemented and practiced to fidelity. Social workers are to act as agents of change - be that in communities, institutions, organizations, or private practice. We are individuals who provide resources and connections to those resources by understanding the expressed need of the person with whom we work. That said it sounds like you may seeking an LCSW who focuses on direct practice/therapy/counseling. Depending on where you live you may find and LICSW or LSW. These individuals are trained to assess and treat mental health and wellness issues. I hope this helps. Be well.
Empathy, understanding her concerns and fears. Encouraging her to talk about her feelings and understand that they are normal for a child in her position. Investigate programs for children of divorced parents. Encourage the single parent to seek counseling to help dealing with the pain, fear, and uncertainty that comes with such a dramatic change in life circumstances.
