some questions

[gabeybaby]

Hey guys, I'm new to this particular forum so I'm hoping if you have some free time, you can answer some of my questions for me.

Forgive me if other ppl have asked this:

I have many career interests and two of them are social working & therapy. I was wondering as an UG, do I need to get a master to do this? and if I do get my master, are there specific requirements (like extracurriculars, prereqs like in med school)?

And the difference between a Sociology and Psychology major when it comes down to social working. I've read on some websites that both are qualify for social working... but which one would be better?

Thanks guys for your responses.

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[gabeybaby]

anyone?

 

[pingouin]

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you mean when you say "social working". Being a social worker could mean a variety of things.

To briefly answer the questions I can..
To do therapy, you would need at minimum a masters degree and likely appropriate licensure. Social workers and counselors usually have a masters degree, while psychologists are usually doctoral-level.
There are some jobs out there for BSSWs that will involve doing generalist social work, not therapy.
If you were going for a MSW psychology or sociology would both be appropriate undergrad degrees. Would you rather study what makes individuals and groups work? Or what makes societies work? Some people do both.

 

[thepsychgeek]

Like pingouin, your use of the term "social working" is... confusing. In order to do therapy, you will need at least a Master's degree- there are several types out there, which have been discussed extensively on this board. Beyond the Master's degree (or Ph.D., if you decide to go that route), you will need to get licensed, which will probably mean some number of supervised hours, depending on what license you're getting and what state you're getting licensed in.

As for the second question, it really depends on what you want to do. Honestly, they're both just as good (...I worked with a woman whose undergraduate degree was in English, and she was finishing getting certified as an LCSW after getting her MSW, so... your milage may vary). On a greater scale, however, you may want to focus in psychology if you're more inclined toward individual work and mental illness, and in sociology if you're more interested in how groups and organizations work (I/O also covers that area).

I hope this helps a bit.