Social worker Kate Schleicher counsels a client. Photo courtesy of NPR.

Social worker Kate Schleicher works for Vital Decisions in Cherry Hill, N.J., and calls clients to help them make health care plans, according to this NPR article.

However Schleicher, LCSW, is working a particular type of client — people who are terminally ill and contemplating the last months of life.

The service Schleicher and others at Vital Decisions provide is vital but is often not discussed openly by doctors and other health care providers.

Schleicher’s phone calls help patients decide whether they want to pursue more aggressive treatment or explore options to alleviate symptoms they may be experiencing such as dizziness from medication.

“The main goal with us talking is to make sure that you know what’s important to you and that your care aligns with what’s important to you, so that things go the way you want them to,” she said to a client.

Social workers help clients get the best possible health care and also deal with grief and loss. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” consumer website.