There are many different paths we as therapists take to get to our destination. Clinical Social Work training is one of these paths.
Oftentimes, people outside of our field see the letters behind our names and scratch their heads. "What does this mean?" or "what's the difference between this therapist and the other one I saw?" might run through the minds of prospective clients. I chose to pursue a masters degree in Clinical Social Work in order to become a therapist, which is a distinct path from the Counseling Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy routes. Even more-so, there is a large gap between the scope of work for a clinical social worker and a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. Here are some reasons your therapist might have chosen the same path as me:
Cost
Higher education is expensive- the average cost of attendance to a masters program in the US in 2016 was roughly $23,000 per year. With most masters curriculums lasting two years, this is a significant investment for anyone! Further, counseling psychology programs tend to last longer than the two year time commitment that is typical amongst full-time clinical social work programs.
Upon graduation from their program of choice, each fledgling therapist has to pass an examination and other requirements to get their first license- typically known as a limited license. From that point, the therapist then has to undergo a further two years of clinical supervision in order to get their full license in the state of Alabama. For clinical social workers, this esteemed license is the Independent Clinical Social Worker license. Those two years of supervision are costly, as therapists most commonly pay for their supervision out of pocket. Fortunately for limited license social workers, or LMSWs, they need less supervision than their counterparts form other disciplines. Even more to their advantage, clinical social work supervisors are more ubiquitous. These factors, when combined, drive down the cost of supervision and make full licensure more accessible.
Flexibility
The training provided for clinical social workers is much broader than the training that other similar disciplines receive. While other disciplines focus more solely on client treatment, clinical social work programs also cover organizational management, systemic client advocacy, and policy change.
Clinical social workers' more generalist approach to training means they are often qualified for far more employment opportunities than other professionals in their field, These additional opportunities may see social workers working as case managers, state social workers, administrators, directors of nonprofit or advocacy groups, and more.
Scope of work
Social work is a diverse field that pulls together components of many different vocations into one profession that excels in advocating for the micro and macro needs of the people whom it serves. Clinical social workers who work as therapists have dedicated themselves to helping their clients in a comprehensive fashion. The variety of training these professionals receive means they can serve their client in therapy, in the legal system, through the educational system, or wherever else the case may take them.
This scope of work extends into even the clinical supervision for therapists up for their Independent Clinical Social Work license. While other mental health professionals are relegated solely to seeing clients in therapeutic sessions for their supervision, clinical social workers can organize the community, manage cases, and broadly serve the people around them in a myriad of ways. In short, as long as the social worker is aiding people, they are doing what they were trained to do.
In summary, a social work path gives you a broader education which allows you the choice of many options in finding their true niche instead of only focusing on doing therapy.
PowerStats National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2016 Graduate Students (NPSAS:GR) . Datalab. (n.d.). https://nces.ed.gov/datalab/powerstats/122-national-postsecondary-student-aid-study-2016-graduate-students/averages-medians-percents
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