Social Work Organizations
Social workers can benefit from one of the dozens of professional organizations available. These groups range from large national organizations like the National Association of Social Workers, which has more than 120,000 members, to regional organizations like the Midwest School Social Work Council or specialties like the National Association for Rural Mental Health. Some social work organizations are based on career specialty, culture identity, sexual identity, racial identity, religious affiliations and more.
These social work professional organizations, while different in their focus, provide their members with a variety of resources that can include:
- Annual conferences and events
- Certifications
- Continuing education
- Job boards
- Networking
- Newsletters and journals
- Professional development
- Social networking
- Timely news and information
Many organizations for social workers act as advocacy groups on behalf of their members to promote their profession at the local, state and national levels.
Here is a list of national and international social work organizations in a variety of specialties and for different types of social workers.
Social Work Organizations with a Focus on Health
Many social workers work with the medical community and health care professionals, working with those enduring grief, physical changes or illness. These organizations are for those focusing on health or interested in becoming a mental health social worker.
American Holistic Health Association (AHHA)
Address: P.O. Box 17400 Anaheim, CA 92817-7400
Email: mail@ahha.org
American Public Health Association (APHA)
Address: 800 I St., NW, Washington, DC 20001
Email: membership.mail@apha.org
Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW)
Address: 1325 G St., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005
Email: info@abhw.org
Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW)
Address: 111 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 1412, Chicago, IL 60604
Email: Jordan Burghardt, Member Services Manager: jburghardt@aosw.org
Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers (APOSW)
Address: P.O. Box 9214, Morgantown, WV 26506
Email: Info@aposw.org
Mental Health America (MHA)
Address: 500 Montgomery St., Suite 820, Alexandria, VA 22314
Email: info@mentalhealthamerica.net
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Address: 4301 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22203
Email: info@nami.org
National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH)
Address: 660 North Capitol St., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20001
Email: info@narmh.org
Psychologists, Social Workers & Counselors (PSWC) Section of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, Inc.
Address: 6 Lawrence Square, Springfield, IL 62704
Email: Josh Marx, Membership Services: jmarx@firminc.com
Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare (SSWLHC)
Address: 295 E. Swedesford Road Wayne, PA 19087
Email: info@sswlhc.org
Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Address: 11240 Waples Mill Road, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: info@sswr.org
Organizations for School Social Workers
Another common place to find social workers is in schools working with children. Social workers in a school setting may have different needs than those of their peers in clinical settings. These organizations are meant to help those who already work as or interested in becoming a school social worker.
American Council for School Social Work (ACSSW)
Address: 5011 W Fairy Chasm Court, Milwaukee WI 53223-1406
Email: acssw@acssw.org
Midwest School Social Work Council
Address: 4204 Boones Grove Way, Louisville KY 40299-7406
Email: N/A
National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work (NADDSSW)
Address: 1701 Duke St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314
Email: naddssw@cswe.org
School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA)
Address: P.O. Box 3068, London, KY 40743
Email: contactus@sswaa.org
Clinical Social Work Organizations
For those who are interested in becoming an LCSW and working in a clinical practice, there are a number of organizations just for them.
American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work (AAPCSW)
Address: P.O. Box 67, Boonsboro, MD 21713
Email: Barbara Matos, Membership Administrator: barbara.matos@aapcsw.org
American Board of Clinical Social Work (ABCSW)
Address: 19 Mantua Road, Mount Royal, NJ 08061
Email: abe@abecsw.org
Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
Address: 1420 Spring Hill Road, Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102
Email: acu@clinicians.org
Center for Clinical Social Work
Address: 241 Humphrey St., Marblehead, MA 01945
Email: abe@abecsw.org
Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA)
Address: PO Box 10, Garrisonville, Virginia 22463
Email: administrator@clinicalsocialworkassociation.org
Social Work Organizations for Minority Groups
Many social workers work with minority groups and underserved populations. If you focus on minority groups in your work, these organizations may help you.
Association of Latina/Latino Social Work Educators (ALLSWE)
Address: 4807 Pin Oak Park Apt. 191, Houston, TX 77081-2216
Email: Rocío Calvo, President: rocio.calvo@bc.edu
Latino Social Workers Organization (LSWO)
Address: 5419 N Sheridan Road, Suite 103A, Chicago, IL 60640
Email: socialwork@lswo.org
National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW)
Address: 2305 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20020
Email: OfficeManager@nabsw.org
National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers (NAPRHSW)
Address: P. O. Box 651, Brentwood, NY 11717
Email: naprhsw@aol.com
National Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (NCORED)
Address: 750 First St., NE Suite 800, Washington, DC 20002
Email: Rita Webb, Senior Staff Associate: rwebb.nasw@socialworkers.org
Learn more about resources for working with ethnic and minority populations.
LGBTQIA Social Work Organizations
The LGBTQIA community can have unique needs in the realms of gender and sexual identity. Focusing on social work in the LGBT community, these organizations aim to help meet those needs.
Council on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (CSOGIE)
Address: 1701 Duke St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314-3457
Email: info@cswe.org
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
Address: 1133 19th St., NW, Suite 302, Washington, DC 20036
Email: info@glma.org
LGBT HealthLink
Address: P.O. Box 24490, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307
Email: healthlink@lgbtcenters.org
National Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues (NCLGBTI)
Address: National Association of Social Workers, 750 First St., NE Suite 800
Email: Rita Webb, Senior Staff Associate: rwebb.nasw@socialworkers.org
Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE)
Address: 6101 Stevenson Ave., Suite 600. Alexandria, VA 22304
Email: membership@algbtic.org
Learn more about LGBTQIA resources for social work.
International Social Work Organizations
Social workers may need to work with international organizations, especially if they work with minority or immigrant populations. Learn more about international social work organizations.
International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW)
Address: Milan, Italy
Email: Annamaria Campanini, President: annamaria@iassw-aiets.org
International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG), Inc
Address: 101 West 23rd St., Suite 108, New York, NY 10011
Email: membership@iaswg.org
International Consortium for Social Development
Address: N/A
Email: Sharvari Karandikar, Membership Chairman: karandikar.7@osu.edu
International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW)
Address: Risfjellvegen 3, No – 4364 Sirevaag, Norway
Email: icsw@icsw.org
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
Address: Maiengässli 4, 4310 Rheinfelden, Switzerland
Email: global@ifsw.org
Other Social Work Organizations
There are dozens of organizations specializing in everything from religion to veterans affairs. Find more special social work organizations.
Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA)
Address: P.O. Box 510191, Livonia, MI 48151
Email: chair@acosa.org
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Address: 17126 Mountain Run Vista Ct. Culpeper, Virginia 22701
Email: info@aswb.org
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Address: 1701 Duke St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314-3457
Email: info@cswe.org
Child and Adolescent
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC)
Address: 1706 East Broad St., Columbus, OH 43203
Email: info@apsac.org
Elder, Hospice and Palliative Care
Administration for Community Living
Address: 330 C St. SW, Washington, DC 20201
Email: aclinfo@acl.hhs.gov
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)
Address: 8735 West Higgins Road, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60631
Email: info@aahpm.org
Faith
Catholic Social Workers’ National Association (CSWNA)
Address: 620 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20064
Email: N/A
Islamic Social Services Association (ISSAUSA)
Address: P.O. Box 12705, Tempe, AZ 85284
Email: Dr. Aneesah Nadir, President: draneesah@hotmail.com
JPRO Network
Address: 25 Broadway, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10004
Email: info@jpro.org
North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW)
Address: PO Box 121, Botsford, CT 06404
Email: info@nacsw.org
Marriage and Family
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
Address: 112 South Alfred St. Alexandria, VA 22314-3061
Email: central@aamft.org
National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (NFFCMH)
Address: 15800 Crabbs Branch Way, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20855
Email: ffcmh@ffcmh.org
Military
VHA Social Work
Address: 810 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington DC 20420
Email: N/A
Information on this page was last updated in June 2021.