MSW Is Becoming a LCSW Right For Me?

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Hello Everyone,

I am a newcomer to SDN and have a few questions about whether or not Clinical Social Work is the right field for me. Currently I am a Psychology Undergraduate freshman that is thinking of getting a MSW.
The three reasons why I want to go into Clinical Social is because:

• I want to go into a private practice where I can counsel clients with mental health problems (such as depression or PTSD) and also clients who have went through or is going through a horrifying situation (such as racial discrimination/profiling, abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse, cancer, and other diseases)
• I would like to work in the field of Medical and Mental Health/Substance Abuse Social Work before opening up a private practice
• Possibly in the distant future (like 10 or 15 years after a possible MSW) get a DSW or PHD in Social Work in order to teach classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels in SW.

So Basically do you think that Social Work is the right field for me? Also can you please let me know that if my interests are right for the field? And lastly if a Clinically concentrated MSW is right for me?

Thank you

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[ikibah]

Sounds about right. I have very similar goals and this is the route I am taking. I am very happy at my clinical MSW program right now. It sounds like you definitely want a clinical MSW.

 

[wesleysmith]

I am currently in my second semester of my MSW program. My field placement is at a mental health agency that serves clients with substance abuse and persistent (generally severe) co-occuring mental health disorders. My next field placement, should I be accepted into the program, will train me over the summer in TF-CBT so I can work with children and adolescents who have mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders as a result of a traumatic exposure (e.g., directly or indirectly experiencing physical/sexual abuse). Of course, I'll be doing so under the supervision of a trained and certified supervisor, but I'll still get the hands on experience (in fact, administering TF-CBT with at least two children/adolescents is a requirement of the training). So, you could reasonably accomplish two of your goals during your time at a program such as mine before even graduating . Heck, even research opportunities are readily available through research oriented Registered Student Organizations (e.g., ABSAME), or with professors of course. Just a heads up, a cool thing about the MSW (and I'm sure other masters degrees) is you can teach and get opportunities to conduct research with it; this way you could see if either of these things are really for you before you commit yourself to a PhD in SW. It sounds like an MSW could serve you well, but it would definitely be worth discussing your interests with a wide variety of mental health professionals so you don't end up with the wrong degree. Asking questions on a forum like this is how I started

 

[submarine1991]

I will add that you can teach at the undergrad and graduate levels with an LCSW

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Thank you both for your responses. Another question I have that I forgot to mention is about the gender of a Social Worker. I am a male and so far I have heard a lot of people stating that males are having a harder time in the field due to social work being a woman-dominated field. Is this assumption true?

 

[submarine1991]

Harder time in what way? The following link should give you somewhat of an idea. If I am wrong for posting this I hope somebody tells me or a mod corrects me.

http://www.reddit.com/r/socialwork/search?q=Males in social work &restrict_sr=on

 

[GunnarBronson]

Yes, social work is generally female dominated (probably 75% in my classes). However, at my field placement site, it's pretty much 50/50 as far as the counselors go.

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

What I mean is that men don't seem to be recognized as being social workers and that heck at my college I only seen two guys being in the Social Work major. I guess that social work is definitely a field where men are needed.
Another concern I have is that I will not be making enough money. Can you get by with 35,000 to 40,000 in NJ as a social worker?

 

[Goobernut]

Why do you think you are only going to make that in NJ?

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Well its just that I know that before I can get a LCSW I will be working for 2 years as a regular Social Worker and these jobs most likely don't make much money (maybe 35,000 to 40,000) at the very least

 

[submarine1991]

It's female dominated, there are not a ton of males in programs, but I don't know that they will have a harder time in the field. Being in the minority may give them an edge.

I don't live in NJ and don't know the cost of living. Are you working with dual incomes? Supporting a family? Plan to pay off student loans? These are all things to consider when thinking of your financial situation post grad. There are ways to make "good" money as new grad. "Good" is relative and will be different for you and I.

I think that you can meet your afforementioned goals with an MSW degree. There are a few of us on here that are MSW students who actively post and are happy to answer as many questions as you can throw our way. I haven't checked to see if you've been on the doctoral threads but they will give you food for thought as well

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Thank you submarine1991. Currently it is just me and so I will only be looking after myself (which means I probably will only have my income, unless I find my match in undergrad or grad school) so I will only have to worry about rent (or mortgage payments if I decide to get a house in the future), loan payment, and food/other expenses so far

 

[submarine1991]

I don't want to turn this into a budgeting class or anything. I also don't want to insult your intelligence in case you've already experienced living on your own... Do you have specific questions about life and a financial picture after a grad program?

 

[Goobernut]

So I pulled up MSW salaries in Newark, NJ. I'm not sure what city you live in, but you can use this website to look up salaries local to your area. They are not always 100% accurate, but they do give you a ballpark figure. The numbers you quoted for salaries are more what I would see in my state, and we have an extremely low cost of living. Maybe those are beginning salaries for Child or Adult Services (DHS in my state), which are typically the lowest paying.

http://www1.salary.com/NJ/Newark/Medical-Social-Worker-MSW-salary.html

http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Social-Worker-MSW-Salary-Details-Newark-NJ.aspx

 

[GunnarBronson]

While yes, there are many lower paying jobs available to new grad MSW's, it seems that these jobs are also open to bachelors level SW (i.e. case management with your local child services agency). However, many local community behavioral health agencies (at least around here) offer a modest starting salary, and will arrange for the necessary supervision for licensure, which comes with a pay raise.

Additionally, many of the jobs I see posted for local BH agencies do not list a specific salary. In that case, it may be open for some negotiation. Yes, you are mostly serving a population that is socioeconomically disadvantaged, but you've paid your dues to achieve a higher level of education. Don't sell yourself short.

 

[wesleysmith]

It's worth noting that, at least in my state, there is a high demand for a fully licensed clinical social worker. So, although you will most likely get paid a modest salary at best right out of grad school, the goal is really to find an agency that will give you good experience and supervision. Once you earn your license things can really open up. For example, I know there is a community mental health agency in town that is hiring fully licensed clinical social workers only right now, but the starting salary is in the $50,000.00 range. These types of positions are fairly readily available due to the fact that they don't pay quite as much as the private, state, or federal for-profit type positions (more sought after). I live in a very low cost of living area so I would be sitting pretty on that as a starting salary (I am single, no family).