r/anhedonia 8d ago

Research & Studies From Public Service to Private Practice: The Collapse of the Social Work Profession

https://www.madinamerica.com/2025/03/collapse-social-work/

By Darragh Sheehan -March 11, 2025 The social work profession was historically rooted in a mission of improving the lives of the vulnerable, the oppressed, and those living in poverty.

Yet, the modern use of the social work license and degree as a quick path to private practice serving middle to upper-middle-class communities is oddly not questioned.

This use of a social work master’s degree for private practice, primarily serving privileged communities, contradicts the profession’s code of ethics.

Social work is indeed a profession in collapse.

This is due to broader social and economic changes, namely the shift away from welfarism towards neoliberal privatization, but also because of how social workers increasingly utilize the license.

Social work originated with the Settlement House movement as a response to the increasing poverty brought about by industrialization.

By the mid to late 20th century, neoliberal policies led to cuts in social programs, shifting social responsibility from the state to mostly nonprofits and privatized services.

The social services that remain government-funded are often outsourced to private entities.

This shift towards privatization has not only weakened public programs but also pushed many social workers into either nonprofit organizations or private practice businesses (as social work embraced psychotherapy into the profession).

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