I.help.u is serviced by clinical professionals in the field of Health, Mental Health and Disability.
How Social Work is Different
Social work is a tertiary qualified and registered profession, requiring a master's degree or 4 year bachelor minimum.
Support workers and Support coordinators cannot do what a Social Worker does, as it requires specialist training and experience.
There is huge overlap between psychology, occupational therapy and social work under the NDIS funding system. It can be difficult to know when to allocate funds to Social Work and or when to refer to a Social Worker. Here are the key differences:
Psychologists address purely the psychological needs.
Occupational therapists address the regulation needs in relation to daily activities (occupations).
Social workers:
Address the psychological needs providing the same therapies as psychologists (eg.CBT, EMDR, emotional regulation, sensory understanding, understanding of disability, cognitive assessments and therapy),
Address the occupational needs using the same regulation strategies as an OT,
Address the sensory needs through understanding and appropriate referrals for profiling,
Provide support to access and adequately utilise the systems around them to fully participate in daily life, and
Work with a person's support network to ensure that supports are adequately resourced.
Social Work description provided by Monique Van Zelim Felix, Senior Social Worker
When to refer to a Social Worker:
There are high levels of psycho-social complexity, hidden disabilities or challenges that are greater than just psychological or regulation needs.
The person is having great difficulty in engaging with the systems around them due to their disability (eg. the person is losing opportunities because they cannot access or get a system to understand their disability needs).
A psychologist or OT feels out of their depth with a client and needs further support.
What is a Biopsychosocial assessment:
A biopsychosocial assessment is the key practice tool of the Social Work profession. Social workers “use a multi-dimensional, ‘person-in-environment’ approach. When social workers commence work with a person, they undertake comprehensive and evidence informed psychosocial assessments. Their professional education provides an appreciation of the impact that intrinsic personal factors, combined with familial, social, environmental and cultural factors have on development, health and wellbeing. Unlike other forms of assessment, social workers use an interactive and systemic analysis; and this psycho-social assessment process is the unique core of social work practice.” (AASW 2023).
A biopsychosocial assessment covers the following areas:
Biological: Current Illness, past Illnesses of note, current or past injuries of note, disabilities or challenges, medications past and present, sensory needs.
Psychological: General mental health, coping mechanisms, current issues or challenges, self esteem, self control, mood, past mental health history, current level of coping/functioning, executive function, cognitive function.
Social: Family unit (past and current), Past and present trauma (particularly related to family), abuse/neglect, circle of friends/networks, hobbies, interests, work history, community participation, challenges to these.
Do you require Social Work to meet your NDIS goals? Contact us for a personal ‘NDIS Plan Assessment’ today. We’re here to help you.
“Based on my extensive experience working with Dani and i.help.u, I can readily recommend their social work skills and overall professionalism.
As a health care professional and manager, I’ve had many clients who were supported by Dani and her organisation. They have consistently offered strong praise for the quality of service they received, and for i.help.u's respectful, person-centred approach.
In particular, I know that Dani has exceptional skills in the area of managing highly complex individuals living with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, as well as those who have experienced PTSD or a traumatic brain injury. She works through barriers systematically, while always diversity and culturally responsive, and operates very effectively within a strengths-based and person-centred framework.”
Gene Niblack
CEO & Founder IDEAustralia