Top NASW Resources for New Members
Tap into the resources below…and you’ll be on your way to greater career satisfaction, enhanced job performance and practice knowledge, more affordable continuing education, simplified CE tracking for licensure renewal, new professional relationships, leadership opportunities and growth, advocacy with impact, informed risk management, and much more.
View even more NASW resources and benefits
Community and Peer Support
Chapter Membership
Your NASW membership includes membership in NASW National and in your NASW chapter, at no additional cost. Your NASW chapter is your go-to resource for what's happening in the profession locally. Get involved in NASW activities and leadership opportunities where you live. Your chapter can help with licensure support, such as exam preparatory courses and CEs for licensure renewal. Meet peers, network, and build professional relationships at chapter events. Participate in advocacy efforts that have real impact in your state legislature.
MyNASW Member Community
NASW’s MyNASW online member community is a fast way to connect with peers who are eager to listen and help you out. MyNASW community members bring new points of view to discussions, share useful resources, and add to the knowledge base. MyNASW is also a great resource for new social workers who want to find mentors and for those who want to share their years of experience.
Specialty Practice Sections
Focus your professional development by adding an NASW Specialty Practice Section to your NASW membership. Select from 11 specialty areas, such as Aging, Private Practice, School Social Work, and Social and Economic Justice & Peace. Stay current on trends, treatment strategies, policies, and social work issues affecting your practice area. Earn 45+ CE credits FREE every year through Specialty Practice Sections (SPS) educational opportunities. As a bonus, SPS members can participate in their Section’s MyNASW online community, at no extra charge:
- Children, Youth, and Schools is exclusively for members of the School Social Work; Child Welfare; and Children, Adolescents & Young Adults Specialty Practice Sections.
- Clinical Social Work, Aging, and Health is exclusively for members of the Aging; Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs; Health; Mental Health; and Private Practice Specialty Practice Sections.
- Social Justice, Administration, and Courts is exclusively for members of the Administration/Supervision, Social and Economic Justice & Peace, and Social Work and the Courts Specialty Practice Sections.
SECTION FEE: SPS membership costs $40/Section per year—about the same as what one CE course costs elsewhere. You must be a current NASW member to join a Section.
Live Events
Re-energize and renew your commitment to social work practice and advocacy at live events at the national and chapter levels. Learn as a group at conferences, march with colleagues at advocacy rallies, join in town hall discussions and chats, and get to know colleagues at chapter meet-ups and peer support groups. Participate in NASW’s monthly Q & A sessions for private practitioners─An Hour With Private Practice: Questions & Answers.
Tools to Stay Current in the Field
NASW membership makes it easy to stay current on the latest research, topics, and trends in social work to help you practice at the highest levels and enhance your capacity to support your clients.
NASW Research Library
Log in to the members-only NASW Research Library to access evidence-based research, practice guidelines, client education, assessment tools, and more, to support your social work practice and professional development. The NASW Research Library includes more than 25 international databases with thousands of documents from leading research institutions, think tanks, and advocacy groups. These databases include ERIC, SocINDEX, and PubMed. You'll also find relevant resources from government agencies such as NIH, HHS and DOJ.
NASW Press Publications
Access qualitative and quantitative research to support your own research and to improve practice. Your NASW membership includes a digital subscription to Social Work, the premiere scholarly journal of the social work profession and the official journal of NASW. Your subscription also includes access to the full journal archive, which goes back to 1956. As an NASW member, you receive member-pricing on subscriptions to NASW's Specialty Journals: Children & Schools, Health & Social Work, Social Work Research, and Social Work Abstracts. Subscribe for articles on innovations in practice, interdisciplinary efforts, research, program evaluation, policy, and planning. Also, you can save 10% on the print edition of NASW Press books by entering your NASW member ID where indicated at checkout when ordering books online.*
*Discount excludes all Encyclopedia of Social Work products and all NASW journal subscriptions and cannot be combined with any other discount.
Social Work Advocates Magazine
Stay current on NASW news, read feature articles on social work trends and issues, and learn member backstories. Your NASW membership includes an e-subscription to Social Work Advocates, NASW’s award-winning magazine. Visit the Social Work Advocates archive to catch up on issues you missed prior to joining as an NASW member.
Social Work Talks Podcast
Hear from experts and practitioners on topics social workers care about. Podcast episodes inform, educate, and inspire. Tune in to episodes on self-care and burnout, sleep health, housing insecurity, systemic racism, LGBTQIA2S+ youth, immigration, violence, trauma, parenting, PSLF, negotiating salaries, and more.
Professional Development Discounts
Social workers turn to NASW for continuing education, credentials and certifications, and licensing support. NASW members receive discounted pricing on their professional development needs.
Social Work Online CE Institute
NASW is committed to helping members meet their professional development needs. The Social Work Online CE Institute houses hundreds of on-demand titles produced by NASW National and the NASW chapters. Find courses that meet national requirements and state requirements, all in one place. All courses are NASW accredited. Enjoy discounted pricing and free content as an NASW member.
National and Chapter Conferences
Advance your skills, stay current in the field, and earn CE credit for licensure renewal. NASW regularly hosts a variety of in-person and virtual events at the national and chapter levels that help you advance your skills and stay current in the field. Check out our events calendar to view all the events NASW has lined up. Many of these events are free or at reduced rates for NASW members.
CE Tracker
Simplify CE tracking with the CE Tracker. This online tool tells you exactly what you need to renew your license and tracks your progress along the way. It even suggests content to obtain the continuing education you need. NASW members receive discounted subscription rates.
Credentials and Specialty Certifications
Gain recognition for your professional achievements and unlock new career paths! NASW credentials and specialty certifications signify that you have met the highest national standards developed in the social work profession and have experience and supervision working with certain populations. A credential is a voluntary pursuit beyond your social work degree and your state license, which regulates practice and protects the public. Earn NASW specialty credentials in addictions, case management, gerontology, school social work, health care, hospice and palliative care, youth and families, and military social work. NASW members save more than $280 on the initial specialty certification fee and up to $300+ on the renewal certification fee.
NASW Social Work Career Center
Find your next social work position and access tools and tips to make your search go smoothly. NASW's Social Work Career Center houses a robust social work job database of openings nationwide and provides tips for writing resumes and cover letters and for interviewing. Create a free job seeker account to post your resume in NASW's resume database for employers, request a professional critique of your resume, and sign up for email alerts about new jobs.
Virtual Career Fairs
NASW annually hosts a virtual career fair enabling members to connect with top employers and recruiters looking to fill social work positions nationwide and share their valuable career-building advice. Attending the event will help create meaningful connections and give you the opportunity to land your first or next social work job from the comfort of your home or office. Visit our Virtual Events Calendar to learn about upcoming opportunities.
Leadership Opportunities
Take the next step in your social work career by volunteering for a NASW leadership role at the national or chapter level. Volunteering builds leadership skills, expands your network, strengthens your professional identity, and is a way to give back to your profession.
Expert Support
An Hour With Private Practice
Get updates in clinical social work affecting the delivery of mental health services in a private solo or group practice. An Hour With Private Practice (HOPP): Questions & Answers is a free members-only question-and-answer session for private practitioners. Sessions take place by Zoom on the third Friday of the month, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET. Log in with your NASW username and password to access the Zoom meeting schedule and to register for sessions. You also can access past sessions and handouts.
Ethics and Legal Consultations
Talk privately with NASW ethics and legal staff about social work practice-related ethical dilemmas and legal issues you are facing. Interested? Contact NASW Member Services at 800-742-4089, M-F, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. ET, or email membership@socialworkers.org.
Practice and Policy Experts at National Level
Dedicated practice and policy experts at the national level advocate for your practice area and for the populations and communities served by your practice area. This work cannot be done without the support of our dues-paying members, and we thank you!
Advocacy With Impact
Move Priority Legislation Through Congress
NASW is working hard in Washington, DC, and state capitols to promote the profession and fight for social justice priorities. You can help move priority legislation forward and defend against threats to the profession and social justice issues by signing up for NASW's Legislative Action Alerts. Stay current on legislation in Washington, DC, and in your own state capitol. In seconds, you can add your name to pre-written, customizable e-communications to politicians to advance legislation that supports our profession, our clients, and our communities. Sign up for Legislative Action Alerts today.
Participate in Your Chapter's Advocacy
Be on the front lines of advocacy in your state: Add your voice to your NASW chapter's efforts to elevate the social work profession and change laws that can impact the profession, our clients, and our communities in your state. Attend your chapter's lobby days to learn more about the legislative process and get a "hands on" lobbying experience with state legislators and/or their staff about important policy issues.
Risk Management
Ethics and Legal Consultations
We’re here to help you navigate social work practice-related ethical dilemmas and legal issues. Our free consultations with NASW ethics and legal staff are a highly valued member benefit. If you would like a consultation, contact NASW Member Services at 800-742-4089, M-F, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. ET, or email membership@socialworkers.org.
Liability Insurance
Protect your practice, and your career, with professional, general, and cyber liability insurance coverage from NASW Assurance Services. Add coverage today at member rates.
Member Discount Programs
Your NASW membership helps us negotiate better pricing with our partners on products and services that help you save time and money and increase your satisfaction in your professional and personal lives. Visit the Member Discounts page to learn about these member discount programs and ways to save.
- Professional, Cyber, and General Liability Insurance
- Visa® Rewards Credit Card
- Practice Management, Billing, and Scheduling Tool
- Shipping, Printing, and Office Supplies
- Computers and Accessories
- Email Marketing Tool
- Social Science/Scholarly Publications
- Student Loan Management Tool
- Life, Home, and Auto Insurance
- Identity Theft Protection
- Hotels
- Airfare
- Car Rentals
- Entertainment
Savi Student Loan Management Tool
Savi, an NASW partner, helps members better understand, manage, and repay their student loan debt. Savi’s Student Loan Management Tool analyzes repayment and forgiveness programs to help borrowers find solutions. Members can select a free account to explore options at no cost, or choose a member-discounted premium account to get help enrolling and submitting application paperwork directly to loan servicers, and access one-on-one support with student loan experts.
Questions?
Please contact NASW Member Services at membership@socialworkers.org or 800.742.4089
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET.