Mental Health Social Worker
Mental Health Social Workers (MHSWs) are an integral profession in promoting recovery and restoring personal and social well-being.
Social workers advocate for fairness, social justice, human rights, and inclusion, which are vital supports to people when experiencing challenges to their mental health.
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MHSWs play a vital role as an intermediary between the client and community or government services. Social workers are skilled at assessing, analysing, connecting and monitoring a person’s health and welfare. As such, they are employed across the lifespan and through various levels of recovery in mental health settings
MHSWs work as a vital part of a multidisciplinary team and have long championed valuing lived experience and, more broadly, the complexity of the person-environment interface. It can be argued that SW is similar to other allied health and nursing professions in mental health, as evidenced by the similarity of tasks, ethics, and values. MHSWs are trained differently and with a unique worldview, grounded in sociology and social justice.
MHSWs have a strong grasp of logic, scientific inquiry, and sound reasoning. They utilise critical thinking skills, which are further enhanced by creativity and a desire for knowledge.
From this, MHSWs support individuals, families, groups and communities experiencing a range of difficulties. They provide practical support in the form of counselling, advocacy and referrals to promote wellbeing.
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Undergraduate /Qualifying
Social work requires a Bachelor of Social Work (4-year bachelor's degree) or a Master of Social Work (2-year post-graduate degree). Each degree requires a work placement.
Clinical placement
Social work students typically have two longer clinical placements in the latter stage of their 3rd year and early stage of their 4th year. Placement length totalling approximately 1000 hours, which can be divided across direct client work and indirect learning within a connection via community setting, policy or research.
Postgraduate
You can become a qualified Social Worker if you have another undergraduate degree by completing a recognised Master's Social Work. Postgraduate study options in the field include a Doctorate in Social Work
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Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSWs) use a range of strategies to support people experiencing mental health issues. These social workers have completed advanced training and education in mental health and are recognised providers with Medicare Australia. Accreditation eligibility requires a minimum of two years in a mental health role in the past five years, CPD, and completion of a case study assessment. (Australian Association of Social Workers, 2025). These social workers need to demonstrate they have completed advanced training and education in mental health and are recognised providers with Medicare Australia.
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MHSW have the opportunity to explore further development and specialisations. This might include a focus on additional training in specialised areas of practice and advanced focused psychological strategies, for example: eye movement desensitisation reprocessing therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy.
In the public sector, social workers are typically employed under the relevant state health or community services award (e.g. in New South Wales, the NSW Health Service Health Professionals Award or the SCHADS Award for NGO roles). Public sector roles offer structured pay scales, formal supervision, and access to leave entitlements, while private practice and NGO roles may offer greater flexibility and, for AMHSWs in private practice, the ability to set their own fees above the Medicare schedule fee. In rural areas, many employers offer additional incentives, including rural health allowances, accommodation support, and enhanced leave provisions, to attract social workers to hard-to-fill positions (ACAP, 2025; AASW, 2024).
Under the Medicare scheme, Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSWs) are eligible to deliver services under the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2026; AASW, 2024). AMHSWs may also provide services under other Medicare arrangements, such as Chronic Disease Management, where appropriate. Historically, AMHSWs were providers within the Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) program, which is now largely replaced by PHN‑commissioned mental health services. Better Access services may be delivered via telehealth, with expanded availability for clients in rural, remote and very remote areas.