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Types of Jobs Working With Abused Children

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There are many jobs that work with abused children, and most of the jobs entail a lot of sympathy, empathy and emotional endurance. Individuals can work with children on a personal and social level, and these professionals help children develop the skills and the maturity that they need to overcome their abuse and be a happy and positive contributor in society.

Social Workers

Social workers who work with children help them deal with issues that affect their everyday lives. Because children are coming from an abusive relationship, they most likely have difficulties participating in society, whether it be socially, academically or relationally. Social workers act as positive role models and often work as a negotiator between children and their teachers, families, administrators and other adults. Because substance abuse is common among abused children, social workers also try to curb drug and alcohol problems.

Counselors and Psychologists

Whereas social workers approach abused children from a social and relational level, counselors and psychologists aim to help children on a personal level. Children may have trust issues, problems relating to others, lack of respect for authority figures or behaviorial issues, and counselors and psychologists try to help children understand why they act in certain ways. Psychologists primarily explore a child's subconscious motivations for acting in a certain way, and counselors usually work within a school context to help a child with personal goals and aspirations.

Doctors and Peditricians

Although doctors and pediatricians work with healthy and abused children alike, certain programs and fellowships allow people in the medical field to specialize in working with abused children. For example, Ohio State's School of Medicine has a three-year Fellowship Program in Child Abuse Pediatrics, which helps pediatricians learn how to deal with issues that involve abused children. These fellowships not only help doctors deal with physical issues, but they also help doctors do mental health assessments, learn how to provide court testimony to facilitate prosecution of child mistreatment and review child fatality in cases where abuse might be a factor.

Social Programs

Social programs are another huge way in which abused children receive help, and working in these programs is a good way to start out if you think you may want to begin a career that deals with abused children. An abundance of programs exist in both the private and nonprofit sectors. For example, Free Arts for Abused Children, an organization that utilizes dancing, acting, writing music and painting to rehabilitate children, provides a program for children from ages 2 to 18. The program employs both interns and paid workers.

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