Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.
132,810 people do this job in the US. $60,280 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 47%
- 53%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 20%. Today's estimate: 21%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan or conduct programs to prevent substance abuse, combat social problems, or improve health or counseling services in community.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 24% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Develop or advise on social policy or assist in community development.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 13% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Interview clients, review records, conduct assessments, or confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of clients or patients.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 50 min38 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Supervise or direct other workers who provide services to clients or patients.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Educate clients or community members about mental or physical illness, abuse, medication, or available community resources.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min25 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Assist clients in adhering to treatment plans, such as setting up appointments, arranging for transportation to appointments, or providing support.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Counsel or aid family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting the client or patient.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Increase social work knowledge by reviewing current literature, conducting social research, or attending seminars, training workshops, or classes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 25 min17 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Modify treatment plans according to changes in client status.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Mental Health Counselors65% now, 67% by 2028
- Healthcare Social Workers42% now, 62% by 2028
- Marriage and Family Therapists57% now, 65% by 2028
- Rehabilitation Counselors66% now, 79% by 2028
- Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors46% now, 60% by 2028
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists39% now, 65% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Outpatient Care Centers28,670 people
- Individual and Family Services17,790 people
- Offices of Other Health Practitioners17,540 people
- Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals13,940 people
- Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities13,280 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).