Should I get masters in counseling or masters in social work?
October 8, 2014 8:11 AM   Subscribe

[asking for a friend]. "I want to work with with teens and families providing individual or group therapy. Eventually I want to go into program development and management with the goal of being a program director one day. Should I go for a Masters in Social Work or Counseling?"

"I like the flexibility of a MSW degree because you can work in a variety of settings (also I have a BSW so I can complete a masters in one year). However does a MSW give you enough of a background and education in counseling? And vice versa if I get a masters of counseling, could I do program management later?"
posted by empath to Education (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: She's in the DC area, if anyone wants to recommend nearby schools.
posted by empath at 8:30 AM on October 8, 2014


The MSW degree and license is more flexible and robust than the counseling degree in many states. If private practice is a possibility at some point Medicare will not cover counselors, only MSWs or psychologists. BCBS will not cover counselors in many states either. Anything in the health field needs the MSW, including hospice care. Counselors do not qualify.

I faced the same decision a few years ago. I got the MSW and have been grateful every day that I went that route. It simply eliminated any restrictions that the counseling degree and license (in Michigan) would have had.

With the MSW you get extensive education and experience in counseling techniques. Much of it done during internships that last the entire time you are in grad school.

When looking for a school, be sure it is accredited by CSWE. You can't get a license to practice without a degree from an accredited MSW program. Here is a database of accredited schools:

http://www.cswe.org/17491.aspx
posted by Jandasmo at 9:09 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]


My dad was an LCSW with an MSW. He did pretty much only counseling, mostly adolecents. He did this as the Director of more non-profits than I can shake a stick at. He loved everything about his work except the fund raising.

Spent the last ten years of his career doing counseling for the military abroad.

He is now in a very cushy retirement, he volunteers at the local hospital and plays Santa all over Dallas during the season.

So I vote for MSW with LCSW certification.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:17 AM on October 8, 2014


Master's in Counseling generally leads to licensure as an MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist) or LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor), both of which are being added to Medicare, so that's less of a concern in my opinion.

I do think if she wants to do program management, the MSW would be a more appropriate degree. I would try to focus her post-degree supervised hours in therapy settings, rather than case-management settings, if she wants that training -- I have a master's in counseling and I learned almost all my real clinical knowledge in my traineeships (pre-degree) and internships (post-degree).
posted by jaguar at 9:48 AM on October 8, 2014


I would say that a MSW would prepare you more for clinical work than a counseling MA would for administration/program management. You could certainly move into an administrative role with a counseling MA but the education probably wouldn't prepare you for it that much.

Any MSW program would do but I would recommend looking over the websites of or attending informational sessions at local schools and pay attention to what they emphasize. Most MSW programs that focus on clinical work will shout it from the rooftop at every opportunity so they're easy to find.

Plus, you can't underestimate the usefulness of being able to complete school in 1 year.
posted by fox problems at 7:07 PM on October 8, 2014


(1st year Counseling student here, who was told by counseling and MSW programs, "if you want to be a counselor, don't do a social work program.")

That said, nthing Fox's point about completing school in 1 year being pretty awesome.

It seems like your friend could separate out getting licensed (as an LCSW) from gaining counseling training and experience. While in school, your friend could volunteer at a crisis line, conflict resolution center, or anything else that provides free training and client contact experience. She could also do any number of graduate certificate counseling programs, generally about 3-5 quarters of Couples Therapy or some other specialty.

Also, as others pointed out, there are some counseling-focused MSW programs. I couldn't find one near me, but they exist.
posted by MonsieurBon at 7:14 AM on October 9, 2014


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