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Mental health counselors are crucial contributors to the management and treatment of psychological illnesses. These health professionals usually work with practitioners of other human services like social workers.
While social workers and counselors both work to bring about positive social change, both professions complete this goal differently. Counselors generally provide therapeutic services to their customers. Social workers are more into guiding clients to the relevant services that will help improve their quality of life.
A Quick Look at the Differences Between Social Work and Counseling
If you wish to have a career that entails helping people how to efficiently manage life’s challenges, becoming either a social worker or a counselor is the best option. These roles have significant differences in the tasks they perform and the education they earn.
By learning about their similarities and differences, you can easily decide on the right career path that you believe is suitable for you.
| Social Work | Counseling | |
| Average Salaries | $55,350 | $49,710 |
| Job Growth | 7%, roughly 63,000 openings each year between 2022 and 2032 | 18%, roughly 42,000 openings each year between 2022 and 2032 |
| Licenses/Certifications | * Licensed baccalaureate social worker (LBSW) * Licensed master social worker (LMSW) * Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) | * Licensed Professional Counselor by the American Counseling Association |
| Education Required | * Bachelor’s Degree * Master’s Degree | * Bachelor’s Degree * Master’s Degree * Doctorate Degree |
The partnership between social workers and counselors is important for treating crucial mental health issues, including addiction and substance misuse. Without the help of social workers and counselors, this addiction could affect their mental health over time and hinder an opportunity maintain a good quality of life.
What is Social Work?
Social Work is a type of practice-based profession that promotes development, social change, cohesion, and the encouragement of people and communities. This field involves your understanding of behavior, human development, and the economic, social, and cultural interactions and institutions.
Over the years, social workers have contributed significantly to society in areas that include:
- Civil Rights
- Reduced Mental Health Stigma
- Unemployment Insurance
- Medicaid and Medicare
- Disability Pay
- Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
- Workers’ Compensation
For over 100 years, social work has been in the United States, with notable pioneers such as Frances Perkins, Jane Addams, Harry Hopkins, Whitney M. Young Jr., Jeannette Rankin, and Dorothy Height.
What Does A Social Worker Do?
Human services employees doing different duties to help clients in addressing various issues are called social workers. These professionals also provide services that help clients deal with legal issues, health disparities, employment challenges, and other hindrances to social functionality.
Most social workers provide mental health care as one of their top services in a bid to improve the livelihood of their clients, although not everyone is up for such capacities.
Social Work, as a field, also focuses on community and client advocacy. This includes creating sustainable and long-term care solutions and giving help to clients in accessing support systems to boost social wellness.
Social Work Education and Career Paths
An Associate in Social Work degree can get you started, introducing you to the basics of the discipline. However, to land relevant roles in the field, employers typically require a Bachelor’s in Social Work or any related field like Psychology. Social workers can later find any entry-level position.
By earning a Master’s in Social Work, you can apply for licensure in your state. Licensed social workers find roles in clinical or generalist social work. Depending on their state and license, some social workers are expected to complete a supervised experience or internship to learn the ins and outs of the job.
A Doctorate in Social Work is the academic path that boosts your academic skills toward career advancement. By pursuing either a Ph.D. in Social Work or a Doctorate of Social Work (DSW), you can become a top pick for leadership or executive positions in corporations or organizations requiring a high level of social work expertise.
The process of becoming a social worker generally differs in each state, although everybody is required to complete the fundamental steps. The first is to earn a social work degree. With a degree in the field, you can easily find clinical or nonclinical social work, depending on your license and degree.
Social workers take on these jobs:
- Direct Care Worker
- School Counselor
- Family Advocate
- Case Worker
- Behavioral Health Technician
- Child Welfare Specialist
- Case Manager
- Addiction Counselor
A career in social work is for you if:
- You are flexible, politically and socially aware, eager to learn over a lifetime, self-motivated, and interested in changing social conditions.
- You are passionate about social justice issues.
- You are committed to working toward ending human rights discrimination and abuses or inequities.
- You want to help people cope with the many challenges in life.
A career in social work is not a great fit if:
- You cannot handle a heavy workload
- You cannot work for long hours
- You are not open about always being ‘on-call.’
- You don’t want to end up suffering from compassion fatigue
What is Counseling?
Counselors empower diverse individuals, groups, and families to accomplish wellness, education, mental health, and career goals. The American Counseling Association emphasizes the importance of counselor-client collaboration. Counselors work with clients to develop a more professional relationship that will help them go through and better deal with different issues.
Counseling has different specialties, with Addiction Counseling as a top option for would-be counselors. Depending on who you’re working with and where you work, you can employ group or individual counseling to help clients deal with certain issues like coping skills, communication, self-esteem, behavior change, goal setting, and behavior management. The main goal of the counselor is to work with their clients until the problem is finally resolved.
What Does A Counselor Do?
A counselor is an expert trained in helping people overcome their issues following a systematic chain of sessions. Depending on the client’s needs, the types of counseling vary. Counseling is considered a talking therapy as this allows clients to talk about their problems with trained counselors in a safe and peaceful ambiance.
The role of a counselor is not limited to suggesting this or that. Instead, counselors support their clients by encouraging them to talk about their problems and assess the root cause behind these problems. Counselors also come up with an action plan to help clients cope with their problems or win over them.
There are several formats through which a counseling session will take place. Counselors assess the situation and help clients determine the type that best suits their needs. The most popular counseling formats include:
- In-person: This is a face-to-face counseling session that usually takes place in the counselor’s place, where they meet clients in person and discuss their problems. This is the most popular format of counseling.
- Group Counseling: Some counselors provide group counseling sessions where anyone can join to address their issues. By joining group counseling, you can easily find people who share the same problems as you and develop a solid support system.
- Telephonic Session: This is a perfect alternative to in-person counseling. Telephonic counseling rounds are suitable for people who find it hard to get into the chambers. This flexible process allows clients to talk about their problems with the counselor in a more secure and safe environment from the client’s room.
- Online Counseling: Those who are not open about meeting their counselor face to face can take advantage of online counseling. In this process, you can simply email the counselor for your concerns.
Counseling services are offered wherever they are needed! Licensed counselors are in schools and colleges helping students deal with mental health. They are in corporate settings working alongside HR to assist employees who need good advice to deal with workplace issues or improve work performance. You will find counselors in health and clinical facilities, helping people recover from many forms of addiction.
Education and Career Path of Counselors
Counselors take on these jobs:
- Mental Health Counselor
- Marriage and Family Counselor
- Career Counselor
- Adolescent Counselor
- Grief Counselor
- School Counselor
- College Counselor
- Pastoral Counselor
- Veteran Counselor
- Rehabilitation Counselor
To become a counselor, you need to earn a Bachelor’s in Counseling degree. Alternative programs include Psychology and Human Services which lay the groundwork for further study.
Once the bachelor’s degree is completed, you need to earn your master’s degree. The program must be Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited.
You can complete the master’s degree in just two years, provided you attend full-time. Coursework revolves around Sociology, Psychology, and Research. Counseling techniques, statistics, and training of the type of counseling you plan to pursue.
After completing the master’s degree, you need to earn supervised clinical experience. The type and how much experience required will vary by state. Finally, you become qualified to sit for state licensing exams, although most students opt to set aside this step to pursue their doctorate.
A career in counseling is for you if:
- You feel satisfied and rewarded for helping people grow.
- You love working with children.
- You want flexibility in your job.
- You want to work in schools, with families, or with veterans.
- You love celebrating your patient’s accomplishments.
A career in counseling is not a great fit if:
- You can’t handle a job that can be emotionally demanding.
- You can’t work long hours.
- You want to avoid burnout.
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