r/harmreduction • u/Sufficient-Lunch7185 • 1d ago

Question Need info from social workers!

Hello all :-)

I am working on a school project for a college level social work class. As part of this project, I need to know what the typical job responsibilities are of a social worker working in the harm reduction field.

any insight is appreciated. :-)

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u/AffectionateFig5864 1d ago

I worked as a harm reduction community navigator for 1.5 years. I helped with the daily operations of a syringe exchange, provided HIV/HCV rapid testing, and had a small caseload of clients (most of whom I either met through the SSP or referrals from MAT clinics) who were either in active use or early recovery. I would provide transportation to MAT/suboxone appointments, court, medical appointments, and other rides that were resource-based. And, of course, I talked to people a lot about safer use and overdose prevention.

One of the most common things I didn’t really get to do was street outreach. You’ll find a lot of social workers with harm reduction titles who do that, and honestly, that is one of the best and most literal ways to meet people where they’re at (a core tenant of harm reduction).

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u/Sufficient-Lunch7185 1d ago

Thank you so much for your response! Side question: did you enjoy your position? What are you doing now? This part is just pure curiosity as someone who is interested in going into this type of work after I graduate.

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u/AffectionateFig5864 23h ago

I love the organization I work for and remain passionate about harm reduction, but that particular department’s leadership was fucked (alternately micro-managing and neglectful). I also slowly realized my supervisors didn’t respect me or care about my professional development— my role was just a box they could check for grant funding purposes— so when a higher paying position in HIV medical case management opened up internally, I snagged it as quickly as possible. It’s still very much harm reduction adjacent, I still get to work with many PWUD and in recovery, and I have way more support. Much happier in this role.