Human Services Education in Washington
The stunningly beautiful Northwestern state of Washington is a wonderful place to live. Washington also has need of human services workers from Seattle to Spokane. There are many opportunities throughout Washington to make a difference in people’s lives and help Washington service human beings. Whether you are an eligibility worker helping people receive government assistance in Walla Walla, or a professor teaching Psychology in Bellingham there are tremendous opportunities for the well-educated human services worker to give back to their community in Washington.
As you plan for your future, it is important to realize that very few decisions in life are as important as determining your career path. When making such a critical decision you will want to be informed about your options. Here at Humanservicesedu.org, we are committed to providing an excellent resource to help you make this challenging decision with ease and confidence. We have created a database of career overviews that include information on such factors as: salaries ranges, educational requirements, societal impact of the career and state-by-state licensure regulations. Below you will find a list of some of the jobs you can find in Washington sorted by educational requirements.
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Once you have finished school and been awarded your Bachelor’s degree from a Washington university or college human services course of study, you will be able choose from one of the following careers:
- Case Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- If you enjoy being part of a team handling large volumes of paper work to meet efficiency goals this career could be excellent for you. Helping Case and Eligibility Workers perform at a high level and learning their jobs while you assist them. You can learn more about these careers here:
- Behavioral Management Aide (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- With over 270 school districts in the state, Washington has many children in its schools that need the special help a Behavioral Management Aide offers so they can get the most out of their education you can learn more at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction here:
- Probation officer (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
- If you like the idea of working with those convicted of crimes so they can make their way through the Criminal Justice System, these could be excellent career tracks for you. The largest employer of these occupations is the Washington State Department of Corrections:
- Rehabilitation Case Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- If you are interested in working in this field, you will want to research the sector at the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation:
- Washington Substance Abuse Counselor (Bachelor of Sociology, Social Work or Psychology)
- In order to become certified you will need to meet certain requirements which you can learn about here:
- Community Outreach Worker (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology)
- Child Life Specialist (Bachelor of Science, Child Life Specialist)
- With over 115 major hospitals in the State there are many who are employing Child Life Specialists to help their pediatric patients. For example, the Seattle Children’s Hospital:
- Gerontology Specialist (Bachelor of Science, Gerontology)
- Juvenile Court Liaison (Bachelor of Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or Criminal Justice)
If you decide to continue your education and earn your Master’s degree from a Washington college or university you will be able to add the following career options to those presented above:
- Marriage and family therapist (Master’s in Counseling, Psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy)
- Licensed Social Work Associate & Independent Clinical (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school)
- You can learn about all the Social Work licensure laws in Washington by reading our in-depth article here:
- Child welfare case manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
- School social worker (Masters of Social Work)
- Social and community service manager (Masters in Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology or Sociology)
- Licensed Social Work Associate & Advanced (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school)
- Licensed Advanced Social Worker Advanced (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school + field experience)
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (Master of Social Work from a CSWE accredited school + field experience)
If you feel called to become an expert in your discipline and attain the highest levels of academic achievement, you will want to go on to earn your doctorate. With a Ph.D. you will find that your options for career paths are wide open. You will also enjoy the prestige of expert status in your field and the ability to command top pay for your services. Whether you want to open your own private mental health practice in Seattle, or join a non-profit on its leadership committee in Olympia, you will be able to create a career that matches your employment dreams. You will have all the previous job possibilities and also be able to teach in academia, or lead a clinical research team if those appeal to you. With a doctorate you will have maximum opportunities and benefits available to your chosen field of expertise.
To begin your journey in academia it is wise to know the journey’s end point, in the form of the career you wish to hold. By understanding your end goal you will more easily be able to discern the education you will need. By studying our section on career overviews you will learn all about many of the most common jobs in the human services field. We have information on a wide variety of topics such as: job descriptions, job duties and responsibilities, the impact of your job on society the family and individual, salary ranges, and educational requirements. We also have an entire section devoted to state-by-state licensure requirements. With this wealth of information you will be able to find a job that resonates with your inborn skills and natural interests. Once you have found a career that appeals to you and know its educational requirements, you will find our schools database very helpful. Our database has a list of schools both within Washington State and online, with accredited programs to fill your educational needs. You will then want to contact your school directly and find out about the individual requirements are to apply for your program. A final point to consider in your planning is for post-graduate field experience, if you wish to attain some of the higher levels of licensure.