In 2023, the US Census estimated that the population of the Dallas-Fort Worth area had risen to over 8.1 million, growing more than any other metropolitan region in the country.
Though Dallas and Fort Worth are home to more than 20 Fortune 500 companies, social issues like housing instability and homelessness, mental health, teen pregnancy, and racial inequality continue to exist within the city. Social workers are on the frontlines of bridging gaps in accessibility, supporting those in need, and speaking up for those whose voices are often unheard.
Social Work in the City of Dallas, TX and Fort Worth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 7 percent between 2022 and 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.”
Careers in social work will only become more in demand over the next decade. As the most populous metropolitan area in the state of Texas, Dallas and Fort Worth are likely to host an increasing number of opportunities for social workers in the years to come.
Social Work with Children and Youth in the Dallas Area
Social workers play a vital role in supporting vulnerable individuals and families through significant life challenges.
A social work case manager in Fort Worth, for instance, might work closely with schools, healthcare providers, and legal entities to develop comprehensive care plans tailored to the needs of a child who may be experiencing neglect, abuse, or other familial dysfunction. This could involve coordinating therapeutic interventions, advocating for necessary services, and ensuring access to educational and recreational opportunities that promote well-being and development.
Social Work in Family Services in Dallas, TX
Social workers who specifically focus on family services may focus on issues like child welfare and foster care, but that isn’t the only thing they do. In fact, social workers who do focus on that type of child protection have maintained the family unit as their first priority, before turning to more dramatic action, such as foster care and adoption.
Social workers who collaborate with families are not solely focused on instances of abuse and neglect, however. Social workers who have been trained with these skills can also be employed in places like homeless shelters and nonprofits that support immigrants. There, social workers can use their skills to connect people in need to the resources that may help them, such as food, employment opportunities, public schools, and accessible healthcare.
Student Advocate Social Work in the DFW ISDs
Social workers can also work with children without specifically being focused on Child Protective Services or foster care. One major avenue for this type of work is in education.
Dallas-Fort Worth is home to a number of ISDs (independent school districts). Within educational settings, social workers serve as advocates for marginalized youth, striving to amplify their voices and uphold their rights in schools. This could include work like being a school’s guidance counselor, facilitating anti-bullying workshops, and monitoring a child’s behavior in class to assess any potential learning differences they may have in order to make it easier for them to learn along with their classmates.
Emergency Department Social Workers in Dallas, TX
Emergency department social workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including medical social workers in Dallas, TX, play a critical role in providing holistic care to individuals in crisis.
Amidst the bustling environment of the emergency room, medical social workers collaborate with healthcare teams to develop discharge plans that address patients’ medical, social, and financial challenges. Additionally, as part of medical social work employment opportunities in Fort Worth, Texas, these vital team members advocate for vulnerable populations, including the uninsured and homeless, ensuring they receive equitable access to healthcare services and follow-up care. Social workers in the emergency department can also assess patients’ psychosocial needs, offering emotional support and connecting them with community resources.
Social Work for Trauma Treatment and Veterans in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
The treatment of trauma in multiple forms is a cornerstone of an MSW education. One possible application of these skills is through working with veterans.
Social workers who serve veterans in Fort Worth, TX can specialize in providing tailored interventions to support veterans coping with the aftermath of military service, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and adjustment difficulties. These dedicated professionals are equipped to offer individual and group therapy sessions, utilizing evidence-based approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to help veterans process their experiences and manage symptoms effectively.
Veteran social workers collaborate closely with VA hospitals, community organizations, and government agencies to ensure veterans have access to comprehensive healthcare, disability benefits, housing assistance, and vocational rehabilitation services. By fostering a supportive and understanding environment, social workers specializing in trauma treatment for veterans play a vital role in promoting healing, resilience, and successful reintegration into civilian life.
Correctional Social Work in Fort Worth, Texas
Correctional social work is another possible avenue to making a difference within this field.
Here, social workers are focused on the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals who are incarcerated or otherwise involved in the justice system. These social workers provide counseling, advocacy, and support services to inmates, addressing their mental health needs, substance abuse issues, and facilitating access to education and job training programs.
Additionally, these team members may collaborate with parole officers, legal teams, and community resources to develop comprehensive reentry plans aimed at reducing recidivism and promoting successful community integration post-release. Through their efforts, correctional social workers play a crucial role in promoting rehabilitation, restoring dignity, and fostering positive change within the criminal justice system.
How To Become a Social Worker in Dallas, TX
What does it take to build a career as a social worker in Dallas and Fort Worth? While it isn’t always necessary to get an MSW (Master’s in Social Work), this degree is your best approach to landing a steady, fairly-compensated job in the field that speaks to you. The work of attaining an MSW is likely to include mandatory fieldwork or internships, in which you will learn important professional skills under a supervisor. When you graduate equipped with over 1,000 hours of professional experience, you’ll set up for success in the field of your choice.
Beyond an MSW, you also have the opportunity to apply for licensure, becoming an LMSW (licensed master of social work) or an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker). While these degrees are not always essential to employment, becoming an LCSW in Dallas enables you to work within clinical settings and sometimes to offer additional services, such as diagnoses.
MSW Programs in Dallas and Fort Worth, TX
Dallas-Fort Worth is home to more colleges than anywhere else in the state. Some of these schools in Dallas, TX are particularly highly regarded for their social work graduate programs, like the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Arlington.
The University of North Texas near DFW offers a well-known social work master’s program. Here, an aspiring social worker in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX has the opportunity to obtain a master’s degree in social work by taking courses like “Social Work Administration and Management”, “Death, Dying and Bereavement”, and “Foster Care, Adoption and Permanency Planning.”
Social Work CEUs: Continuing Education After Graduation
Social work CEUs (Continuing Education Units) can also be great tools for professionals in the field to maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills after graduation.
In the DFW area, social work CEUs offer a range of specialized training opportunities to meet the diverse needs of practitioners. These CEU programs cover various topics such as trauma-informed care, cultural competency, ethical practice, and interventions for specific populations like children, veterans, or the elderly.
By participating in these continuing education activities, social workers can stay updated with the latest research, best practices, and legal regulations, ensuring they provide high-quality services to their clients.
Social Work Internships in the Dallas Area
Fieldwork and internships in social work are often required to attain an MSW degree and licensure, but also in preparing prospective employees for the challenging—but deeply rewarding—labor of social work. Through doing these internships, you’ll be best prepared to jump into the real tasks of social work with confidence.
Social work takes many forms, so it’s only natural that internships would take many forms, too. Some possible internships could shadow professionals in advocacy, mentorship, counseling, therapy, and community organizing, and could take place at a variety of places, including schools, hospitals, retirement homes, non-profit organizations, and rehabilitation facilities.
Finding an Internship in Social Work in Dallas-Fort Worth
Fieldwork and internships in social work are a key means of attaining an MSW degree and licensure, but also in preparing prospective employees for the challenging—but deeply rewarding—labor of social work.
If you’re interested in finding an internship in social work in Dallas or Fort Worth, it might be wise to explore your options in ways such as:
- Researching Organizations: Using online search engines, job boards such as LinkedIn, Idealist, and Indeed, professional contacts, social work agencies, or resources at your university, learn more about organizations in Dallas and Fort Worth that offer social work internships. This could include government or social work agencies, non-profit organizations, hospitals, schools, and counseling centers.
- Networking: Is there someone you admire, or a field you’re especially curious to explore? Professional contacts can be a meaningful way of building a strong network and accessing future opportunities, as well as people you may be able to work with to access resources for your future clients. If you’re not sure where to start, seek out events for social workers in Fort Worth and Dallas to kick-start your networking.
- Directly Contacting Organizations: Identify organizations that align with your interests and career goals, then reach out to them directly to inquire about internship opportunities. If you’re not sure who to contact, the human resources department or internship coordinator could be the best place to start. In a brief, professional email, express your interest and ask about available positions.
- Volunteering: If you’ve found an organization that appeals to you, reach out to their volunteer coordinator to see if there are opportunities to get involved. Volunteering is a great, low-commitment way to see if you like the work and the workplace. If you particularly like the place where you volunteer, it can help you build connections within the community, and can even lead to internship opportunities in the future.
By utilizing these strategies and actively searching for opportunities, you can increase your chances of finding an internship in social work in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
Social Worker Salaries in Dallas and Fort Worth
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a wide range in salaries for social workers, with employees in this field earning anywhere from $32,730 to $97,280 annually. In some fields, such as healthcare, social workers in the Dallas metropolitan area earn above the national average across occupations. Dallas social workers also have the opportunity to earn above the average for social work, a field in which the average American employee earns $55,530 annually (as of May 2022).
The table below offers a glimpse into the range of salaries—from the bottom 10% of earners to the top 10% of earners—available to social workers in Dallas across four categories. The final category, “Social Workers (All Other),” is broad enough that it may include such diverse positions as community organizers, homeless shelter workers, corrections social workers, grant writers, and crisis hotline counselors.
Social Work Specialty | 10% | 25% | 50% (Median) | 75% | 90% |
Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $37,000 | $45,780 | $47,800 | $62,130 | $75,030 |
Healthcare Social Workers | $44,190 | $51,370 | $65,270 | $77,250 | $81,390 |
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $32,730 | $35,230 | $42,220 | $49,830 | $65,730 |
Social Workers (All Other) | $39,910 | $52,000 | $74,880 | $78,770 | $97,280 |
Table data taken from 2022 BLS reports for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area.
2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for child, family, and school social workers, healthcare social workers, mental health and substance abuse social workers, and social workers (all other) are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed March 2024.