Their specialties are usually more closely related to categories of mental issues and treatment. Most of the day for an average LPC will consist of actually treating clients one-on-one.
The job can involve a lot more solo work than is the case with LCSW positions. There may be less paperwork and less interaction with coworkers or other human services professionals. This can vary by agency and industry, however. Although that has implications in terms of the kinds of jobs and salary they might be qualified for, it can also mean something important for client relationships.
LPCs are usually paid directly by their clients, while LCSWs are typically paid through government or non-profit funding. You will often charge by the hour as an LPC. That will change your client base, because only people who can afford to see you will do so. It also can constrain the amount of time and energy you put into a particular client. LCSWs, on the other hand, are far more likely to work for government agencies or non-profits without outside funding services.
Their clients are more likely to receive services free of charge. Again, that affects the type of clients as well as the kind of engagement an LCSW has with them. Just as importantly, there are differences in the salary level and employment prospects for the two careers. Both kinds of jobs are growing in the United States right now. According to the U.
Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS , counseling jobs are growing at a much faster than average rate of more than 25 percent over the ten-year period leading up to , while social work positions are increasing rapidly too, with a 13 percent projected growth rate over the same period. You are also going to wonder about how easy it is to get a job in the field.
The BLS keeps up with employment and salary data on both social workers and counselors. The information, most recently updated in May of , is not perfect, though. That happens to be the highest paid type of social worker, which aligns with the actual salary hierarchy out in the job market.
The top industries employing those social workers were:. LPCs are grouped in with substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, which skews the figures lower than what you are likely to find when you start working in the field. In this broad category, substance abuse counselors are more likely to be the ones working in outpatient and other facilities, while LPCs are most likely to work in individual and family services.
They are also far more likely to be self-employed. LCSWs can operate independently, but even then, they are largely employed directly by government and social service agencies.
With relatively little experience, early in your career, you can become a business owner, with all the risks and responsibilities that come along with that.
And even in the private sector, you will have a bigger range of employment options. For example, the number of counselors employed in individual and family services is estimated to be more than 52, nationwide. In the same sector, for social workers, there are only 5, positions. Information reflects national data not school specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed June This person holds a doctorate degree in Psychology but as with the PhD, this does not give any information about whether or not the person holding the degree has a license to practice therapy.
If they are licensed they have completed a required number of post graduate hours of counseling and passed a rigorous exam in order to become a licensed psychologist. This person holds at least a Masters degree in a mental health discipline MA or MS in psychology, counseling, social work etc. Individual state laws vary in this regard. The scope of practice linked to the LPCC license is specific to mental health, and anyone — licensed or not — can call themselves a career counselor.
From a policy perspective, there are good arguments on all sides of that question. A broad LPC license might offer greater public protection, in that even consumers of non-mental-health counseling have a licensure board they can complain to if the LPC behaves unprofessionally.
Advocating for insurance reimbursement, for example, may be easier when counselors are operating under a more narrow mental health focus. Many of the key differences and subtle distinctions between counseling and social work become apparent when comparing curricula from advanced degrees in counseling and social work. Students learn to apply this knowledge to the use of psychotherapy in a variety of clinical settings, with individuals, couples, families, and other social groups.
Other core areas of instruction include the laws and ethics pertaining to counseling, research methods in the field of counseling, and the identification and treatment of common forms of psychopathology. Students learn to apply this knowledge in clinical and community settings, with individuals, families, and groups. In counseling, students typically complete a formal practicum generally hours during which they work in a supervised clinical setting and have direct client contact.
These practicum and internship experiences take place in settings like teaching hospitals and clinics or, in the case of school counseling, educational institutions. In social work, students in MSW programs are required to complete a designated number of hours of field education or fieldwork.
Field instruction typically takes place at a social service agency, or in a hospital, school, prison, or other institution with a social work department.
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