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Originally Posted by Heather75019
That's fantastic. I am looking into TWU and the Counseling and Development program that is CACREP accredited but as far as any MSW programs in Dallas, there isn't any so online would be the only way I could do MSW. You would think being such a big metroplex there would be more options. :/ I am leaning towards TWU and getting my LPC though.
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Heather,
I graduated from a CACREP program - 60 semester hours. I am currently working toward my LPC. As others have said on this board - when you are in a clinical rotation - you work with lots of other MH professionals. In MY experience - some fellow trainees are great! and well trained! and some are really lost and don't have the skills necessary to do the work. And it really depends on the person - not necessarily their training.
In my practicum setting - I had more clinical counseling skills than the Psy.D. practicum students by far - my program was very clinical - CMHC - Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
In my internship setting - there were MSW students doing their internships who didn't have nearly the training, experience, and confidence that I had doing therapy and they left me in the dust when it came to case management and getting clients connected to community resources.
My internship clinical supervisor was an LCSW from a "top drawer" school - and she told me that my counseling training was much more than she had ever received in school.
And yet - my experience with working with MSW/LCSW professionals - is that they have skills that I don't have - and for the most part I am not interested in learning (or I would have become a social worker!)
I don't say this to disrespect any of the SW professionals here - this is my limited experience. Counselors in my program were trained to counsel - and there was an intense focus on those clinical skills to the exclusion of other skills.
LCSWs have a much more powerful lobby in DC than LPCs and are paid more for the most part than LPCs. This is changing... but slowly. I also think that straight out of school - an MSW student is more employable.
And yet - even knowing this I chose the LPC route because I knew that I wanted to sit hour after hour listening to the deepest experiences of my clients. And that is what I am doing - and I love the work - and my MSW/LCSW friends love their work too! and wonder how in the world I can be content - hour after hour...
There is room for all of us - and no matter which route you choose - you will find a way to be useful to others.
Vasa Lisa