To truly make the most of life, it is not enough to focus on physical or mental health in isolation.

Both factors play a crucial role in not only our overall well being but also our ability to lead an enjoyable, fulfilling, and happy existence.

Being physically fit is naturally a positive thing, but it counts for nothing if you experience mental health issues that impact your life.

By the same token, being in the right frame of mind to succeed in life is not enough if your physical health is preventing this. 

While this might be a simple enough concept to understand, caring for both physical and mental health is not always so easy for all of us in daily life.

This can lead to some people experiencing issues in one or both areas that impact their ability to reach their true potential.

When this occurs, there is a range of trained professionals who are able to deliver the specialized support to help you get back on track.

Qualified social workers are a good example of this and have the right knowledge to help support clients’ all round health.

As a result, moving into social work can be a great way to not only understand the true power of physical and mental health but also help those struggling in these areas move past their problems.

How Can Social Workers Support Both Physical and Mental Health: Full Guide

How do you become a social worker?

If you like the thought of helping vulnerable people achieve their true potential through supporting better physical and mental health, social work could be for you.

The best way to move into this industry is through formal academic study.

This not only provides the qualifications needed to work in the sector but also the right skills and knowledge to thrive.

Studying on a social work course can also help you forge professional connections within the industry to call on when building your career. 

The best place to start is studying for a bachelor’s degree in social work at a reputable university.

Once this is done, many social work professionals will then continue on to a Master of Social Work course.

This more advanced award enables graduates to pursue licensure and move into clinical social work.

This kind of social work is often the best place to really make an impact on clients in terms of their physical and mental health. 

The online Master of Social Work at Florida State University is a popular advanced program for social workers and delivers a convenient online way to move into clinical social work.

With the chance to graduate in only two years, it can also be studied part time, which is ideal for busy working professionals. 

What skills and qualities do you need to become a social worker?

Although gaining the right qualifications is key to becoming a social worker and better supporting clients’ mental and physical health, it is also crucial to have the right skills and qualities.

But what are some of the most important things to focus on developing? 

As this is such a client facing role, communication is a skill that is critical.

Being able to communicate well in person, over the phone, on video call or via email, for example, enables social workers to clearly pass on information in a concise, appropriate manner.

Listening is also a key skill for social workers because a lot of the job is about listening actively to what clients are saying.

This can help you pick up on what might be holding them back from exercising to boost their physical health, for example, or what might be triggering their mental health issues.

Social work professionals must also be very organized and good at not only taking notes but also updating them.

When it comes to personal qualities, compassion is naturally essential, and empathy is also useful for building connections with clients.

Using these qualities, for example, can help clients open up to you and feel a bond that encourages them to talk about their mental or physical health problems. 

This, in turn, enables the social worker to glean far more information to work from in terms of how best to support them in these areas.

Ethics are also key for those in social work and help professionals adhere to industry guidelines and treat clients fairly. 

How can social workers support both the mental and physical health of clients?

We have already noted that mental and physical health are key ingredients to achieving our potential as humans.

Social workers can certainly help clients get the right support in these areas, but just how do they do this specifically? 

1. Integrated assessment and care planning.

The proper integration of assessment and care planning is vital because it enables social work professionals to deliver help that takes both physical and mental health into account.

Without this integrated approach, it would be easy to only focus on one aspect and not provide the best support. 

But how does this look in practice for social workers?

Integrated assessment involves talking with a client to find out more about the physical and (or) mental health issues they are experiencing.

Social workers will listen carefully at these sessions, ask relevant questions and record notes from which to make assessments.

This will naturally include finding out more about a client’s current situation, looking at how this might be affecting their physical and mental health, and assessing how issues in one area might be affecting the other. 

Once an integrated assessment is made that covers both the client’s physical and mental health, social workers will then look at planning out the care that is required.

This will also be done in an integrated way so that both physical and mental health support is given where needed. 

A social worker, for example, may assess that substance abuse is not only bringing on aggressive behavior in a client but also impacting their physical health through poor personal hygiene.

The integrated care plan, in this case, may focus on helping the client deal with their substance abuse issues to solve their behavioral problems and also draw up a personal hygiene plan to follow for better physical health. 

2. Collaboration with healthcare professionals.

Social workers are specialized professionals who have advanced knowledge in their field.

To offer the very best mental and physical health support to clients, though, they still need to collaborate with other healthcare professionals regularly.

This enables them to utilize the specific skills that these health colleagues possess and deliver high quality support to those they help.

Also, collaborating with colleagues in health allows social workers to get a fresh perspective on how best to help clients and double check with experts that any assessment or planned care package is the right decision. 

If a social worker thinks that the depression that a client is experiencing, for example, is stopping them from working out and leading to the risk of obesity, then they may double check with a mental health counselor about whether this could be the case.

They may also ask the counselor how best to treat the client’s depression to make them feel more like exercising or what benefits exercise can have on mental health.

Following this, the social worker may then speak to a physiotherapist to find out which exercises are best for people who have not worked out in a while so that they know which types to recommend in the care plan.

In the modern world, this form of collaboration is made simpler by the tech that is used within social work and health.

Email, for example, makes it quick to touch base with health colleagues and gain expert advice from them.

Video call platforms are ideal if a face to face discussion is better via a convenient digital format.

File sharing platforms such as Dropbox are also popular ways to facilitate these kinds of collaborations and deliver a secure, confidential way to share documents. 

3. Supporting chronic illness management.

Chronic illnesses can have a major impact on how people feel physically, how they feel mentally, and how much they get from life.

Chronic physical illnesses, for example, not only affect how well certain parts of our bodies function but can also bring high levels of discomfort. 

This, in turn, can lead to physical symptoms causing issues with mental health.

It can be common, for example, to get very down about living with high pain levels each day and having poor mental health as a result.

Of course, the same can be true in reverse, and we see chronic mental health conditions leading to physical health problems.

Someone who has severe anxiety, for example, may turn to self harm in order to calm themselves.

Common examples of chronic illnesses that can impact physical and mental health include Crohn’s disease, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, obesity, depression and osteoporosis. 

Social workers can provide excellent support in this area by helping clients manage the chronic conditions they have.

This not only gives them someone to talk to about how best to manage their condition but also someone who can signpost them to the best resources to achieve this.

Social workers can also collaborate with colleagues, as above, to find out new or better ways for clients to manage their illnesses.

Professionals in the industry can also provide an objective viewpoint on how a client is managing their condition and have a clearer view of how this could be improved to foster better mental and physical health. 

If someone with bipolar disorder, for example, lets slip in a session that they have stopped taking their medication, the reason for a slump in their mental health and injuries from resultant physical altercations when manic might suddenly become clear.

By encouraging the client to take their medication as prescribed, social workers can help them get back on track and manage their condition better.

4. Advocacy for accessible healthcare.

Advocacy work is something that is key for most social work professionals, and sees them fighting to make the world a better place.

This is achieved through raising awareness of social justice issues, advocating for fairer policies, and helping people who are left outside of mainstream society get fair treatment.

In terms of supporting both physical and mental health for clients, social workers can achieve this through advocating for more accessible healthcare for all.

This helps to ensure that healthcare is something that everyone can access.

By doing this, social work professionals are able to ensure that everyone is able to get help with things such as managing ongoing mental health issues or getting support from the health sector around improving their physical fitness.

By advocating for more accessible mental health services for this community, social workers are able to improve the mental health support that these clients can get.

This, in turn, can not only see them keep in better shape mentally but also stop their physical health from being impacted by mental issues.

5. Promoting healthy lifestyles.

Achieving our true potential in life revolves heavily around following a healthy lifestyle.

This is both in a physical sense (where a healthy diet can help) and a mental sense (where mindfulness or meditation can be a benefit). 

The most vulnerable in society may need help in following a healthy lifestyle overall, and this is something that social workers can promote.

Many clients, for example, may not realize how key sleeping well, eating well and drinking plenty of water each day is for their physical health.

By the same token, they might not understand how important it is to be kind to yourself and maintain a positive mindset in life (even when you might be going through difficult times). 

Social workers can talk with clients about these subjects and help them understand the benefits of living in a healthier way.

They can also point out how this could, in turn, help them improve their current situation.

Social workers can also suggest practical ways that clients can go about living in a healthier way or signpost them to colleagues in health who can offer specialist advice to take on board.

If a client wants information on a healthy eating plan, for example, to get physically fitter and feel better, a social worker could help them find it online or refer them to a nutritionist for further help.

A social worker could also suggest the top things that diabetics can do to be more healthy to clients with this condition in order to promote a more wholesome lifestyle. 

If a social worker notices that a client smokes, they could point out that quitting would be better for their lungs and overall physical health.

They could also point out how much cigarettes are costing them and the mental stress that this brings into their life.

By encouraging the client to quit, social workers can help them be more healthy and bring down their stress levels.

Although these are just two examples of how social workers can promote healthier lifestyles to benefit clients overall, they give a good idea of how it can work in practice.

6. Community engagement and support groups.

It is always crucial for social workers to engage with local communities and connect with people in their area.

This is useful because it puts them in contact with people who might not choose to visit a social worker normally or those who might not know how to access this kind of support. 

Community engagement can also help professionals in the industry support clients’ physical and mental health.

Allowing them to engage with disparate groups in their own environment enables social workers to find out what issues may be affecting someone’s overall health.

They are then able to suggest ways to tackle these issues and help raise someone’s state of mind and (or) physical health.

Social workers may also arrange a follow up session to discuss the situation more and provide effective assistance. 

Support groups can also play a major role when it comes to supporting the physical and mental health of clients.

These are groups that bring together people with specific issues that could impact their physical and mental health. 

Social workers will have knowledge of local support groups that clients may choose to visit.

These groups give clients somewhere safe to talk through their problems and hopefully move past them to become healthier overall.

A good example of this is a group that gives support to those suffering from alcoholism. 

Social workers are key to clients’ mental and physical health

The general aim of social work is to give much needed assistance to the poorest, neediest and most vulnerable in society.

A large part of the role can involve finding ways to help a client improve their situation through supporting better mental and physical health.

This often goes hand in hand, as a bad situation can often have a negative impact on a client’s mental and physical well being. 

As the above shows, there are a number of effective ways that trained social workers achieve this.

For anyone looking to move down this career path, it is something that is worth considering.