Masters in Social Work versus Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

[susieque]

I am currently in the process of applying to both masters of social work and masters of clinical mental health counseling. I am debating between these two careers and I am stuck on which I should choose. I would like to know what each program is like. How are they different from one another? Which would you say is more difficult? On the one hand, everybody keeps telling me to get my MSW because it will be more marketable. However, sometimes I feel like I should go for a counseling degree because it is more related to my psychology bachelors degree and I feel that I may understand the content better. I guess I feel like maybe getting an MSW would be more difficult since I do not have a strong foundation in this subject other than one intro to social work class that I have taken. I know I shouldn't be worried on difficulty of the programs because they will both definitely be difficult, but I want to be able to keep some sanity and have some free time too.

[PsyDuck90]

The MSW is a more flexible and portable degree. Counseling license requirements vary by state, but LCSW licenses are pretty standard across the board. Also, LCSWs can bill Medicare while counselors cannot. At the end of the day, you can become a licensed therapist with either degree, but the MSW offers other opportunities on top of that.

[RyanS]

10 hours ago, PsyDuck90 said:

The MSW is a more flexible and portable degree. Counseling license requirements vary by state, but LCSW licenses are pretty standard across the board. Also, LCSWs can bill Medicare while counselors cannot. At the end of the day, you can become a licensed therapist with either degree, but the MSW offers other opportunities on top of that.

Agreed.  I would assume that the MSW would include more training on navigating social systems where the counseling degree would be more therapy theory.  You would have to compare the coursework to verify.  Regardless, you could look for job advertisements for positions that you would want to apply to and then check the degree or license requirements (both "required" and "preferred").  I tend to see more MSWs in administrative positions.