Therapists and social workers can provide different levels of counseling service.
Social workers and therapists have similar jobs. They are professionals in the field of human services who assist people in need. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of social worker jobs is expected to grow by 16 percent from 2008 to 2018. The term therapist can refer to both counselors and psychologists. Counselor jobs are expected to grow by 18 percent, while psychologist jobs are projected by the bureau to increase by 12 percent. Although they have similar jobs, significant differences exist between therapists and social workers.
Education
One difference between social workers and therapists such as counselors and psychologists is in the level of education that is required to work in each field. The social worker can generally begin her career by completing a bachelor of science in social work and a supervised internship. Some social workers obtain master's degrees, but it is not always essential to work as a social worker. Therapists, on the other hand, are required to pursue advanced degrees to work in their field. Counselors typically have to obtain a master's degree and psychologists, a PhD or Psy.D.
Job Description
Another major difference between the social worker and the therapist is in the work that each does. While both the social worker and therapist can provide counseling to individuals, it is the primary job of psychologists and counselors. They can collect fees for their services, whereas the social worker cannot. The social worker is paid by the state and only provides counseling at a basic level. Social workers do not typically prescribe treatments for individuals, but rather listen and refer them to the necessary mental health professionals. Social workers provide various types of assistance to people who need it. For example, some social workers help children who are abused and need assistance from the state, while others may provide assistance to someone with a disability or someone needing material assistance through a welfare program.
Training
Aside from the education difference, the amount of required training or hands-on experience to work as a social worker differs from the requirements for therapists. Except in the case of clinical social workers, the novice social worker typically completes an internship of about 900 hours, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the other hand, counselors and psychologists typically need two years or 3,000 hours of supervised experience beyond their education to obtain a license to provide counseling services.
Salary
Another difference between social workers and therapists is in what they are paid and how they are paid. Social workers are paid by the state and thus limited in what they can make. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers made an average salary of $41,880 to $52,270 per year in 2010, depending on their area of specialization. Therapists, on the other hand, are paid by their clients or patients and are limited only by the number of clients they have and how often they provide services. Despite the unlimited potential, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that counselors made an average salary of $44,380 per year in 2010, while psychologists made $86,510.
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