Hi, I currently live in Canada and it seems that you are unable to do private practice with a masters in psychology but you can with masters in social work. Is anybody doing this, or can give me more info? In addition, I like to know if there is any difference in terms of the therapy that a social worker would offer vs therapy offered by a psychologist. I studied psychology in college so I'm less familiar with social work. Thank you.
Masters in Social Work and private practice in Canada? (general questions)
- Thread starter Harmos
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2014
- Messages
- 221
- Reaction score
- 160
Although they would probably view their clients issues under a different lens, so to speak, being that one has a background in social work, the other in psychology, it would really depend more on what modality they practice (e.g., CBT, EMDR, Play Therapy). Each therapist is going to be fairly unique in their approach so it's difficult to say for sure who will do what and how, especially if we're talking masters level for both. What kind of other info regarding private practice were you interested in?
Thank you Wesleysmith very much for the info. I am basically looking at my options. I guess you answered one of my questions because I wanted to know if social workers approach therapy differently, but apparently it's more about modality, at the end of the day. Because like I said, I'm not familiar with social work and my bachelors is in psychology. I suppose the other part of it would be the viability of doing private practice as a social worker, in Canada. Like their typical day, expenses, how difficult it is to get clients, what kind of therapy they provide, etc. APA provides some basic info and salary survey for psychologists in US but I could not find something similar, I for social workers in Canada, in particular those in private practice.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2014
- Messages
- 221
- Reaction score
- 160
Well, the social work vs psychology approach does play a part. Some social workers may really emphasize systems theory, some may not though. A typical day for a private practice anything is going to vary greatly depending on how they do things. Some can load up on clients during the day and have an employee, company, or independent person do their billings (i.e., insurance reimbursements) for them, others have to set aside a great deal of time to handle it. A PhD or PsyD psychologist may do a mix of psychometric testing and therapy or one or the other - a social worker could spend more time doing case management which could include referrals to other resources or assisting them with signing up for social welfare programs. Private practice is going to be so different across the board a typical day isn't really a thing, there is a lot more that could be included and any number of combinations (groups, couples, singles, assessments, therapy, crisis intervention, consultations). If you've established yourself and built a referral network by making a good name for yourself at a local agency before starting your practice it may be fairly easy to get clients. A lot of people start a part time practice while they're still working for an agency and slowly move over as their client base builds. My professor is a private practice social worker and he says there is a shortage of practitioners in this area, so as long as you do good work and build the networks the clients should come. This may not be the case everywhere though so I don't want to make it sound like that is the norm. What kind of therapy they provide is up to them; hopefully whatever they have been trained and supervised in, but technically if they read a book on guided hypnosis or whatever they could give it a whirl, there is really no written rule perse forcing them to practice any particular modality (this would be highly unethical the appropriate training/supervision). Salary will also be all over the place; I hear some people say that it's hard to scrape by, others say it's possible to live very comfortably (wouldn't go so far as to say rich). There are a lot of expenses and different ways of running a practice to consider. As I said some people hire others to do their insurance reimbursements for them, so on one hand they can see more clients, on the other they have to pay for those services. Also, some run their practice out of their house (not my favorite idea) and some rent an office, so that's another expense to think about. Some people have another employee for scheduling and paperwork, some do not. As far as actual reimbursement, that depends on the area and on the insurance. From what I'm told Medicaid is particularly troubling to do billing for and they reimburse the lowest, some people do what's called "skimming"; this is where they only take the affluent clients or ones with the best insurance. This can help pad your pockets, however, for a social worker at least, this is considered to be taboo. Sorry I'm ranting, it's sort of a big question and there really is no good single answer. Hopefully a PhD or PsyD or someone from a different background can elaborate, I'm an MSW student so this is all from the social work perspective.
wesleysmith, oh I didn't see any part of that as ranting, I actually find it a great answer and I appreciate it very much. Gives me a real feel for how someone would describe the work and the challenges, from the inside. All I know about social work has been based on little bit of info here and there, information and misinformation. I once did some test (one of these superficial online personality tests) and apparently my personality was more suited to psychology than social work, the latter requiring a more risk taker, a take-charge person who wants to influence others in major ways. It made intuitive sense, because I associated social work with social justice, with standing up for the abused and homeless and a whole class of people who don't have their most basic needs met, and I imagined social work being first and foremost about empowering these people and trying to get these people connected to the right social programs.
It was only later that I learned that social worker may actually do private practice, might do psychotherapy, etc. I think the only thing psychologists do that social workers don't is probably psychological assessment (though I could be wrong). In Canada (I have lived in both US and Canada but most my family is in Canada and I have been living here for a number of years now) I also learned that you can't practice with masters in psychology but you can, with a masters in social work. Given that I have lived much of my life barely above the poverty line (and sometimes below), I thought private practice would allow me to have a comfortable life (meaning not worry about the bills) and afford a car and maybe buy a small house (I have neither) and start a family one day.
Of course, there are articles such as this, from CNN (http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/pf/1008/gallery.low_paying_college_degrees/) that say social work is number one is college degrees that "don't pay", with a median starting salary of $31,800 (mid-career is $44,900): "Dealing with homelessness, drug addiction, poverty and abuse on a daily basis in exchange for a tiny paycheck is emotionally -- and financially -- straining."
I think though I'm drawn to some aspects of social work, like social justice and empowerment and helping the most needy, there are other aspects that I would not enjoy doing (like doing case management most of the day or regular involvement in emergency crisis situations involving police and courts) because knowing myself and my personality (I'm a shy, cautious, and a cerebral guy) and my interests, I have always been more drawn to research and assessment and therapy aspect of mental health work. I want the intellectual stuff of science (I like neuropsych in particular), the one-on-one kind of interaction with people on a personal level, but also helping people connect with social programs and help them get justice, but most importantly, I want options and freedom to do as I see fit, to take on clients that I want to work with, and have the kind of schedule I want to have (within reason). That is a big reason I'm drawn to private practice, so I can be my own boss, so to speak.
But I understand how private practice can have its own problems and challenges. Like you say, some people might take on only affluent clients or work from their home, in order to save costs. Actually I used to see a psychiatrist who used to work out of her house for several years. And I'm sure it can be hard work especially if you have not built up your reputation, and so it can be worse than working for an organization if you don't do it well, that's for sure,
So that's why I am asking around here and in the psych forum, about my options, as an adult student, considering going back to college and make a living and hopefully be a positive force a few people's lives in a way that fits with my personality and vision.
It was only later that I learned that social worker may actually do private practice, might do psychotherapy, etc. I think the only thing psychologists do that social workers don't is probably psychological assessment (though I could be wrong). In Canada (I have lived in both US and Canada but most my family is in Canada and I have been living here for a number of years now) I also learned that you can't practice with masters in psychology but you can, with a masters in social work. Given that I have lived much of my life barely above the poverty line (and sometimes below), I thought private practice would allow me to have a comfortable life (meaning not worry about the bills) and afford a car and maybe buy a small house (I have neither) and start a family one day.
Of course, there are articles such as this, from CNN (http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/pf/1008/gallery.low_paying_college_degrees/) that say social work is number one is college degrees that "don't pay", with a median starting salary of $31,800 (mid-career is $44,900): "Dealing with homelessness, drug addiction, poverty and abuse on a daily basis in exchange for a tiny paycheck is emotionally -- and financially -- straining."
I think though I'm drawn to some aspects of social work, like social justice and empowerment and helping the most needy, there are other aspects that I would not enjoy doing (like doing case management most of the day or regular involvement in emergency crisis situations involving police and courts) because knowing myself and my personality (I'm a shy, cautious, and a cerebral guy) and my interests, I have always been more drawn to research and assessment and therapy aspect of mental health work. I want the intellectual stuff of science (I like neuropsych in particular), the one-on-one kind of interaction with people on a personal level, but also helping people connect with social programs and help them get justice, but most importantly, I want options and freedom to do as I see fit, to take on clients that I want to work with, and have the kind of schedule I want to have (within reason). That is a big reason I'm drawn to private practice, so I can be my own boss, so to speak.
But I understand how private practice can have its own problems and challenges. Like you say, some people might take on only affluent clients or work from their home, in order to save costs. Actually I used to see a psychiatrist who used to work out of her house for several years. And I'm sure it can be hard work especially if you have not built up your reputation, and so it can be worse than working for an organization if you don't do it well, that's for sure,
So that's why I am asking around here and in the psych forum, about my options, as an adult student, considering going back to college and make a living and hopefully be a positive force a few people's lives in a way that fits with my personality and vision.
