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Are you interested in a career where you can make a difference? Are you passionate about helping children and families thrive, or perhaps about supporting older adults in dealing with the challenges of aging?
Whatever community or cause you care about, a degree in social work is likely to help you serve it. Social workers — and Licensed Clinical Social Workers in particular — devote their careers to serving underserved communities, advocating for others, and helping people improve their mental and physical health.
Read on for some basic information on this growing career path and how you can enter it.
What Is a Clinical Social Worker?
A clinical social worker is in a specialty practice area of social work which, according to the National Association of Social Workers, “focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional and other behavioral disturbances.”
There are a variety of different types of social workers who fit into this category, including clinical social workers who work in mental healthcare, addiction treatment, child services, medical settings, family counseling, and much more.
Clinical social work differs from non-clinical social work due to its additional knowledge, skills, and licenses. With a social work degree focused on clinical social work, you can build a career centered around directly caring for the communities you’re passionate about helping.
Is Clinical Social Work a Growing Field?
Clinical social work is growing rapidly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field will grow by 7 percent between 2022 and 2032 ― faster than the overall average job growth rate of most occupations. Social work jobs specializing in healthcare, mental health, and substance abuse are growing even faster, at a rate of 11 percent.
There are several factors contributing to this growth. One is the growing elderly population, which requires more social workers in healthcare settings. There is also an increasing demand for mental health and substance abuse social workers as more people seek treatment. Additionally, prison reform initiatives are providing individuals with substance abuse charges the option of receiving treatment instead of being incarcerated.
And for those who are incarcerated, social workers are playing an increasingly crucial role, with greater emphasis being placed on addressing mental health concerns. For example, a new prison in Indiana, scheduled for completion in 2027, will include a 240-bed mental health unit.
How Do You Become a Clinical Social Worker?
The first step to becoming a clinical social worker is earning a Master of Social Work degree. While there are some jobs in the field that accept just a bachelor’s degree, to become a licensed clinical social worker, you will be required to hold an MSW and will have increased preparation if you have earned a clinical MSW.
Additional requirements vary by state, but a license in clinical social work typically requires completing a few years (usually a minimum of two) of supervised experience after earning your master’s.
You’ll also need to pass a social work exam from the Association of Social Work Board. Depending on your state, you may need to apply for an LCSW exam.
What Is it Like to Earn a Social Work Degree?
A typical social work program takes about two years to complete, depending on the institution, or one if you hold a BSW and qualify for Advanced Standing. While pursuing your degree in social work, you’ll study topics like human behavior, equity and inclusion, social justice, clinical techniques, research methods, mental health policies, and more.
The best social work programs also give you opportunities for hands-on learning through placements in organizations that offer social services. An effective social work degree will require practicum placements that give you opportunities to apply your learning in real-world settings.
Finally, many degrees in social work require you to take electives so you can prepare for the specific type of social work you’re interested in, as well as options to complete a concentration in a specific topic of interest. The Saint Mary’s College MSW program also has an optional focus on aging.
Career Opportunities With a Social Work Degree
A Master of Social Work degree with a clinical concentration prepares you to be a social worker in a number of clinical settings. You can work with people of all ages and from all backgrounds ― the one constant being that wherever you go, you’ll be making a difference.
Here are just a few of the settings clinical social workers find employment in.
Healthcare organizations
Clinical social workers find employment at hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, community health settings, and more.
In these settings, social workers advocate for patients and act as liaisons between doctors, patients, patients’ families, other organizations and the community. They guarantee that patients have access to the services and resources they need. When working with older adults, social workers help enhance quality of life in a patient’s advanced years.
Family- and child-focused community settings
Clinical social workers often assist families and children by offering support to enhance the family’s ability to improve their physical and mental well-being. Some clinical social workers’ therapeutic services focus primarily on children, working in schools and other settings to support children’s mental health and making sure they’re receiving the support they need for positive development. Others help address issues families may be facing with counseling and resources.
Mental healthcare institutions
Social workers often provide mental healthcare in hospitals, outpatient settings, and community centers. These social workers can offer individual or group counseling, trauma counseling, and advocacy for people with long-term mental health issues.
In addition, clinical social workers provide mental health treatment and support to people struggling with substance abuse issues. They can work in addiction treatment centers and support them through the recovery process.
The criminal justice system
Clinical social workers advocate for people in the criminal justice system, provide services, and help them find the resources they need to navigate the system and improve their lives in the long-term.
These social workers may help clients understand their legal needs, support them in finding work after release, and make sure they have the mental health services they require.
Launch Your Career With a Social Work Degree From Saint Mary’s
If you’re interested in earning your MSW and beginning a fulfilling career in social work, a degree in social work from Saint Mary’s can get you started.
With our fully online social work program, you can learn on your own time and work or complete practicums during the day. This online learning is supplemented with a one-weekend campus immersion, giving you opportunities to form connections with your fellow students and faculty. And if you would also like to earn your Bachelor’s in Social Work from Saint Mary’s, our accelerated social work program lets you graduate in four years with both a BSW and an MSW.
Our degree in social work is dedicated to hands-on learning, with supervised practicums in a variety of different social work settings. Your online coursework is enhanced by field placements in the community of your choosing, providing a focus on real-world issues such as inclusion, social justice, and collaborative research and practice. This makes Saint Mary’s MSW program an idea choice for those who aspire to make a meaningful impact.