Psychosocial Social Work Helping Solve a Housing Crisis
This psychosocial social work story takes place in Ipswich and discusses how one of our social workers supported their client through a housing crisis.
Ipswich is a city on the move. As the population is projected to more than double in the coming years, the city will find itself at the crossroad of opportunity and challenge.
The Ipswich economy, with a Gross Regional Product of $12.18 billion, showcases its enormous potential. The prominence of the health care and social assistance sector as the largest employer underscores the importance of support services in maintaining the community’s health and well-being.
Against this backdrop, the role of therapists in Ipswich offering psychosocial support work becomes crucial to support the psychosocial needs of the community.
Why Psychosocial Social Work
Despite many misconceptions surrounding social workers, important to know is that social workers are qualified professionals who support people during crisis, undertake psychosocial assessments, planning, and therapeutic interventions.
When we talk about psychosocial social work, we refer to understanding how a person’s feelings and mental health affect how they act with others. It’s also about looking into their social life to see what kind of help they might need and finding the right services to support them.
Social workers support their clients by linking individuals, families, and carers to social services to help them overcome challenges associated with physical disability, mental health, financial burdens, or living situations. Social workers advocate for those in need and offer support to navigate systems to help people transform their lives.
How Social Workers Make a Difference
Although they support a range of community groups, here are two ways a social worker helps carers and parents.
Managing Complex Carer Situations
Social workers can support carers who find themselves managing complex family situations or multiple family members with varying needs.
Through psycho-social assessments, social workers develop support plans that can include practical assistance and emotional support. It’s imperative for carers to manage their responsibilities along with their own well-being. Social workers can aid in this effort by ensuring carers have access to the resources they need to support their loved ones and themselves.
Linking Parents with Specialist Services
Social workers can help parents with children with disability who often face unique challenges. Tailored support from social workers helps such families to cope by ensuring they have access to specialist services that cater to disabled children’s needs.
This extends beyond the child, as social workers can help the entire family to manage the emotional, social, and practical aspects of their situation. Through advocacy, advice, and direct assistance, social workers ensure that these families have the resources and support necessary to thrive.
Advocating for Ipswich Residents
As a Therapy Pro Social Worker, Fea, provides psychosocial disability support and advocacy for Ipswich residents feeling overshadowed by their circumstances. Her expertise in motivation and confidence building allows her to support clients by connecting them with social services that make tangible differences.
Her work is particularly poignant through stories like that of a vision and cognitively impaired 49-year-old client who recently faced eviction.
Fea advocated for her client to remain in their tenancy beyond the original vacate date. She helped the client address issues from previous rentals which thereby allowed them to secure a new lease. The new rental agreement also allowed for the client to bring their pet, which they initially thought would need to be surrendered.
Fea’s interventions on her client’s behalf highlight the impact of her social work and the very real difference it can make to an individual’s personal situation. Homelessness would have placed a phenomenal extra burden on her client’s life. Now that the stress surrounding their living situation has been resolved, they are now able to continue to work towards other therapeutic goals, under Fea’s care and guidance.
Connection During in Times of Crises
Social workers, like Fea, connect those in need with the services that matter the most during times of crisis.
Social workers are grounded, direct, and deeply engaged with the individual’s need. They often have a wide network of connections within the local community because this helps them to find answers and solve problems quickly.
For Fea, her work underscores the significance of social work in addressing and navigating the socio-economic challenges present in the Ipswich community. And as the city grows, the need for such dedicated professionals who blend empathy with action will become increasingly apparent.
Fea exemplifies the vital role social workers play in fostering a resilient, supportive community where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.
If you, or someone you know, requires Ipswich therapy services, or social work services, contact the Therapy Pro team on 1300 004 414 to enquire about availability.
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