Top 10 Things You Can Do To Educate Consumers about Social Work

1)  Write a book about your area of practice expertise.  Journalists prefer using recognized, published experts in their trend stories and can help promote your book.

2)  Contribute an article to HelpStartsHere.org.  Although the HelpStartsHere.org site has 1,000 pages, competitor sites such as WebMD have thousands more. Take a look at topic areas that are not covered on our site and offer to fill in the gaps. 

3) Participate in Q & A interviews with NASW staff on a given consumer topic. We’re finding that this format can be more effective than a press release with media targets.

4) Agree to be profiled on HelpStartsHere.org during a national heritage month.  We want to promote the diversity (age, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, et al) of the social work profession to encourage consumers from all communities to seek assistance.

5) Join the National Social Worker Finder or another reputable online directory of mental health and social service professionals. These tools, which are promoted on the HelpStartsHere.org site, help people in need of services find professionals near them.  

6) Write letters to the editor or post Web comments on publication Web sites when you agree or disagree with information you read.  Your written response will become part of the searchable online content on a given topic.

7)  Agree to do media interviews—for television, radio, print or Web.  The more the public sees social workers in expert roles commenting on “hot issues,” the more perceptions of social work practice will change. 

8)  Write articles and columns for trade publications in your practice area.  Social work covers every health and social issue imaginable and social workers can provide insightful commentary for many of these issue-based publications and/or their companion websites. (Think AARP Magazine, Psychology Today Magazine, Youth Today, et al) 

9) Get involved with an NASW Chapter.  We want local opinion leaders to see the state NASW chapter as a go-to resource for policy and consumer issues, from an informed social work perspective.  If an NASW chapter executive director knows about your work, they can include you in media and community outreach projects of interest.  

10) Participate on community panels, especially those sponsored in part by local news organizations about high-interest health and social issues.  These forums can introduce you to new “influence brokers” and other decision makers in your community.