Accredited Mental Health Social Workers, or AMHSW’s, is a title given to social workers who have applied for and successfully earned what is referred to as a
Mental Health Credential facilitated by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). AMHSW’s can then use this credential to apply for a Medicare Provider Number, allowing AMHSW’s to offer Medicare rebates to clients who obtain a Mental Health Treatment from their GP via the Federal Government’s Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative. In short, this makes counselling and psychotherapy more accessible to the general public, a necessity given the current cost-of-living crisis in Australia. To obtain a Mental Health Credential through the AASW, the process is rigorous. Social workers must demonstrate a thorough understanding of focused psychological strategies and experience in using such strategies over several years of clinical practice.
But what is social work, and what do social workers do? I’ll admit, this is not an easy question to answer, because social workers work across so many diverse roles. Whilst in roots can generally be traced back to assisting those experiencing
difficulties navigating the welfare system, as well as championing the rights of other disadvantaged communities, the profession of social work has evolved into
something much broader and greater than this. The AASW on their website
describes the social profession as follows:
“Social workers take the time needed to build relationships with people so that together they can consider all aspects of their situation, including their strengths and capacities, as well as the areas where they need help. They offer solutions, supports and pathways that make sense in the context of the person’s environment, preferences and abilities.”
Admittedly, this description is also very broad. When I get asked the question what is social work, I often respond by saying that social work is largely a profession identified by its values and principles in working with individuals and communities, values that I personally as a social worker, but also as a human being, hold dear. The values and principles that I proudly espouse in my practice (and life) include:
Systems theory – acknowledging the various systems in a person’s life that have brought them to current situation.
Developing an understanding of the impact of these systems and other institutions as well as societal norms and expectations on communities and individuals, and the necessity of activism in its different forms to challenge such systems where appropriate.
Placing the problem outside of the individual
Social justice and human rights
The right to client self-determination
The importance of empowerment
Identifying clients’ strengths
Ethics and integrity.
One final question that I often get asked, is what is the difference between an
AMHSW and a psychologist. The answer in practice, in my humble opinion, is not a great deal. We both use focused psychological strategies to assist clients who are presenting to counselling with concerns about their mental health or more generally about something they feel stuck with in their life. The difference is largely in our training – where as psychologists largely study what is sometimes referred to ‘the science of the mind’, and then later how to apply this understanding to a clinical setting by learning and then offering evidenced based focused psychological strategies, social workers approach client work from a more sociological perspective whilst incorporating the values mentioned above.
However, as an AMHSW, we must prove that we have also learnt and developed the skills in offering the very same focused psychological strategies through professional development, on-the-job experience, and / or through further tertiary study. In my case, I’ve explored all three, including completing a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy through the Australian College of Applied Psychology. I therefore like to think I can offer the same evidence based psychological strategies using therapeutic modalities developed by psychologists and psychiatrists – such as CBT, ACT, DBT, Person-Centred Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy and many more – embedded within the humanism of the core social work values.
Psychotherapy is both an art and a science. I like to think that AMHSW’s naturally blend “the science of the mind” with the art of working relationally with human beings.
