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Choosing between social work and Counseling for a career path isn’t a difficult decision because both offer excellent returns on investment!
On the one hand, social workers and counselors earn comfortable incomes with the attendant benefits that come with their compensation packages (e.g., health insurance, paid leaves, bonuses, and retirement packages).
Both professionals also enjoy good job security, thanks partly to the increasing need for social workers and counselors to address social issues and provide mental health treatments, respectively.
On the other hand, the opportunities to help families and individuals deal with their challenges contribute to a strong sense of personal and professional fulfillment. Even with the challenges that come with their professions – with burnout being a common complaint – the recognition and appreciation that social workers and counselors receive from their clients and communities make it worthwhile.
A Quick Look at Their Differences
| Social Worker | Counselor | |
| Average Annual Salary | $55,350 | $49,710 |
| Projected Job Growth | 7% (2022-2032) or about 63,800 job openings/year, on average | 18% (2022-2032) or about 42,000 job openings/year, on average |
| Licenses/Certifications Required | Yes | Yes |
| Primary Duties | Social workers provide guidance and assistance for accessing appropriate resources for individuals, families and groups that enable them to overcome their challenges. | Counselors, such as substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, provide individuals and their families with advice on overcoming their mental health issues. |
How Social Work and Counseling Compare
Both Social Work and Counseling are helping professions. The aim is to assist families, individuals and even communities in dealing with their unique challenges. Professionals in both fields adopt a client-centered approach and exercise active listening and empathy in their client interactions.
Both are relationship-centric professions, too, meaning their work emphasizes the value of building trust in relationships as a foundation for positive change.
Social Work and Counseling adhere to ethical guidelines, including client confidentiality and autonomy. Both professionals must hold the appropriate license to practice.
As for their differences:
- Education and Training – Social workers usually have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work, while counselors must have a master’s in their chosen specialization, such as Marriage and Family Therapy or School Counseling.
- Scope – While Social Work covers community organizing, advocacy and policy development as well as covers individuals, families and communities, Counseling has a more limited scope, specifically in addressing mental health issues among individuals and families.
- Work Settings – Social workers will find employment opportunities in a wider range of places, from government agencies, healthcare facilities, and nonprofit organizations, even in schools, as educators. Counselors are usually found in mental health clinics, rehabilitation centers, and private schools, as well as K-12 schools and colleges.
- Focus on Intervention – Social workers adopt a more holistic perspective when dealing with their client’s mental health concerns, meaning they consider the social, economic, and environmental factors affecting their clients. Counselors use therapeutic interventions based on the clients’ influences and circumstances.
The bottom line: If you want to make a broader impact on society, your best choice can be social work. If you want to interact more with individuals, then go for Counseling. Either way, your career will be about helping others become better – and that, in itself, is its reward.
What Does a Social Worker Do?
Social workers perform these general roles and responsibilities:
- Identify high-risk, vulnerable, and in-need individuals, groups and communities
- Perform a comprehensive assessment of the identified clients’ needs, strengths and circumstances
- Work with clients in identifying their goals and identifying effective strategies and steps in achieving them
- Advise clients on making effective adjustments and coping mechanisms in dealing with their life challenges, such as unemployment, divorce or homelessness.
- Research and advocate for as well as refer clients to available resources and services offered by the community, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations that will assist them in overcoming their life challenges. These can include free or subsidized childcare services, food stamps and food banks, and healthcare services, even subsidized housing.
- Respond promptly to crises, including mental health emergencies and child and spouse abuse.
- Monitor their clients’ progress and perform follow-ups to assist in their recovery.
- Maintain complete, accurate and updated case files and records of their clients.
- Provide appropriate psychotherapy services.
Note that social workers can be involved in different types of well-paying careers in social work. First, macro social work refers to the advocacy done on behalf of their clients and of their profession, such as raising awareness of and enthusiasm for social work among individuals, organizations and governments.
Second, micro social work refers to the person-centric work that social workers do, specifically in helping persons overcome their life challenges.
If you decide to become a social worker, you can also choose a specialized area including:
- Clinical social workers diagnose, treat and manage mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.
- Child and family social workers assist families and children in need and intervene on their behalf in cases of abuse, neglect and maltreatment.
- School social workers coordinate with parents, teachers and school administrators toward improvements in the students’ academic performance and personal development.
- Healthcare social workers work with clients and other healthcare professionals in addressing healthcare issues and finding appropriate services.
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers focus on clients dealing with addictions and mental illnesses.
Regardless of their specialization, social workers must possess good communication, organization and time management, and interpersonal skills as well as empathy.
Social Worker Education and Career Paths
The common path toward a successful career in Social Work is a bachelor’s degree. An undergraduate Social Work program from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program makes qualified for entry-level, non-clinical positions.
Get a Master’s in Social Work degree from a CSWE-accredited program if you want to become a clinical social worker. A common requirement is supervised training and experience.
By completing an MSW program that takes two years of full-time study, you can secure a state-issued license to become a clinical social worker. Note that some states also require non-clinical social workers to obtain and maintain a professional license.
Aside from being a social worker, you can also pursue a career as a community organizer or a policy analyst.
A career in Social Work Is for you If:
- You have a passion for helping others.
- You’re compassionate, an active listener, and resilient.
- You can set professional and personal boundaries.
A career in Social Work is not a great fit if you:
- You can’t say “no,” or you’re a people-pleaser.
- You’re uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity.
- You cannot work under pressure and handle extreme stress.
What Does a Counselor Do?
There are several types of professional counselors, and each type has its specific roles and responsibilities.
- Licensed professional counselors (LPC) provide a wide range of mental health counseling or therapy services to individuals, couples and families, and small groups.
- School counselors work with students as well as parents, teachers and school administrators in the development of plans and programs that support academic performance and progress, social development, and career guidance.
- Marriage and family therapists (MFT) provide counseling services for couples and families toward the improvement of their personal relationships.
- Substance abuse counselors focus on individuals with addiction and substance use issues.
- Career counselors provide guidance, assistance and information for individuals in making informed career decisions.
- Geriatric counselors work with older adults in addressing their mental health issues and dealing with their life challenges.
- Trauma counselors provide trauma-informed therapeutic interventions to allow clients to process their traumatic life experiences and promote their healing.
Counselors employ Counseling methods and techniques and are paid based on their role. The specific tasks vary depending on specialization, but the following presents the general scope of their work:
- Conduct preliminary assessments to understand their client’s unique issues and goals and perhaps perform a personal SWOT analysis using psychological tests, interviews, and questionnaires.
- Provide counseling services that assist clients in understanding, coping and overcoming their issues, whether these are dealing with their destructive behavior or toxic relationships
- Work with clients in setting SMART goals that focus on reducing their symptoms, resolving their issues and promoting their personal growth, among others.
- Teach clients the essential skills in coping with their challenges, such as problem-solving and decision-making strategies, communication techniques, and positive mindset development.
- Provide clients with information about the available resources for their challenges.
- Give immediate support during crises, such as overwhelming stress and suicidal thoughts.
- Advocate for the needs and rights of their clients in healthcare, employment and education settings.
- Maintain client records and protect their confidentiality.
Like social workers, a counselor must also be compassionate, a good communicator and listener, and resilient. Counseling careers expose professionals to the realities of life so their mental health must be sound, too.
Counselor Education and Career Paths
The starting point for a successful counselor career is a Bachelor’s in Counseling, Psychology, or Social Work, among other related fields. The bachelor’s degree is usually sufficient for entry-level, non-clinical positions.
If you want to advance in your career, you must earn a Master’s in Counseling or in the specialization you want to be known in, such as School Counseling or Family and Marriage Counseling. In addition to their didactic coursework, graduate students are also required to complete clinical training and experiences.
These hands-on learning experiences are also usually part of licensure and certification requirements of state licensing boards and professional organizations.
Once you’re licensed or certified, you may have to obtain continuing education credits that help maintain your professional credential. These can include participation in industry workshops, conferences and seminars, and continuing education classes. Investing in lifelong learning courses enhances your personal and professional development.
With the appropriate credentials, professionals have numerous top-paying Counseling career opportunities in government agencies, schools, healthcare organizations, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.
A Career in Counseling is for you if:
- You enjoy helping others in dealing with their trauma and other life challenges.
- You are patient, resilient and empathetic.
- You are adaptable to a wide range of situations and possess an open mind.
A Career in Counseling is not a great fit if you:
- You’re uncomfortable listening to other peoples’ problems and giving them advice.
- You struggle with maintaining emotional boundaries and keeping emotional distress under control.
- You like sharing other peoples’ struggles.
Becoming a social worker or a counselor isn’t an easy walk in the park. You need to do the work—from earning your degrees and obtaining licensure to dealing with difficult clients. However, if you focus on the opportunities of helping others and, in the process, helping yourself, then it becomes worthwhile!
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