Social work in counseling is a very broad area which may include addictions, abuse or domestic violence, phobias, grief, career choices, student course decisions, family planning, low income housing, long-term care facility placements, injury and illness rehabilitation, as well as many other aspects of one's life which affects his/her ability to live in a safe and comfortable manner.

Furthermore, social work in counseling might involve assistance for large groups. An example would be a school where a child dies, normally counselors and social workers are sent in to help everyone with their feelings of grief and sometimes fear, especially if the students are young children. A small community may suffer a traumatic event and officials may make available social workers to aid the residents in coping with the tragedy.

Group counseling may also suggest couples or whole families. Often, when issues affect all members of the family, everyone will attend counseling sessions. Couples might see a social worker for help in adopting a child or even for counseling when they have had difficulty conceiving.

Another area of social work in counseling is pastoral services. As people are terminated from their jobs and displaced from other family members, the church has become more visible in people's lives in terms of offering emotional support. Many religious organizations now have counselors in addition to their ministers, priests, pastors, and other types of church leaders. 

Aside from trauma and other negative issues that impact one's life, social work in counseling might be involved with happy occasions such as testing a gifted child for acceptance into a prestigious school or university. Intelligence testing and academic achievement levels are important to some parents and thus, professionals are required to conduct and interpret the tests. The social worker may counsel the parents on the pros and cons of sending the child away to school or even permitting the child to advance a grade or more to meet his/her scholastic abilities.

Additionally, social work in counseling may be mandated by the courts. Instances where domestic violence is present, the judge may order an individual to seek anger management counseling for a predetermined period of time. And in other cases, the judge may require custodial caregivers to find proper housing before children are returned to their homes. Professional social workers will counsel both the children and the parents, as well as help the caregivers find acceptable housing. There are also cases of legal assistance mandated by the courts...

Most jobs that are available to social work in counseling require at the minimum an MSW degree (Master of Social Work).