Top 2024 Guide to LCSW Jobs, Salary, Outlook & More
2024 Job Aid to Help You Become a Top Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
What does it mean to advance from a licensed social worker (LSW) to a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)? Besides the additional education and fieldwork, it means that you can now work with clients one-on-one in a clinical treatment setting.
The LCSW social worker is one of the most important links in the mental health services chain as licensed clinical social workers provide more mental health services in the U.S. than any other occupation.
So, how do you get into LCSW social work? And if you are already a licensed clinical social worker then what’s the job outlook and average LCSW salary that you can expect? And, in what ways does an LSW license or LMSW license differ from an LCSW license?
Read on to learn the answers to those questions and more.
LCSW Salary, Jobs, and License Requirements
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Table of Contents: What Is LCSW?
Keep on scrolling down this page to read each section or click any link below to go directly to that section.
- Why is it Important to Have an LCSW Degree?
- What Is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker?
- LCSW vs Psychologist
- Differences between LCSW vs LSW vs LMSW
- Can a LCSW Prescribe Medication?
- What Is LCSW? | Typical Job Duties
- What’s Involved in Becoming a LCSW?
- LCSW Salary & Career Outlook
- Conclusion | LCSW Salary, Jobs, Requirements
- FAQ | Licensed Clinical Social Worker Guide
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If you have any questions on the often asked questions: can LCSW prescribe medication? What is a LCSW degree? Keep on reading to find answers to your questions or click on the links above.
Why is it Important to Have an LCSW Degree?
We often see questions being asked by social workers about what is a LCSW degree? Why is it important to have a degree? And how is an LCSW license different from a LSW license?
Before continuing, let us quickly address why it is important to earn a licensed clinical social worker degree.
Completing your LCSW license, means you have the experience, knowledge, and certification needed to identify and diagnose emotional, behavioral, and mental health disorders. This is a big step up for many licensed master social workers because they can work more fully with clients, and work with them independently.
With the ability to diagnose and treat clients, someone with an LCSW degree and certification can provide therapy and psychotherapy services to individuals, families, and groups.
As you may imagine, elevating your career to provide clinical services without needing supervision, opens up more earning potential, which is why you’ll often find the LCSW salary listed as higher than someone without a clinical certification.
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What Is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker? What Does an LCSW Really Do?
A licensed clinical social worker is a social work professional that has earned LCSW credentials. This involves education, supervised field experience, and passing a required LCSW license exam.
An LCSW social worker has the credentials to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. This is something that you cannot do if you have an MSW license but are not licensed as a clinical social worker.
A clinical licensed social worker can provide one-on-one therapy and psychotherapy services, which allows the social worker to work more closely in a therapeutic setting with patients.
When advancing between MSW LCSW licenses, social work professionals will usually find the LCSW salary higher, which is due to the ability to take on advanced clinical duties. Also, someone with a social work LCSW certification can open a private therapy practice and qualify for reimbursement from insurance companies for mental health services. These are key reasons why licensed social worker (LSW) choose to advance into the clinical social work field from LSW to LCSW.
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LCSW vs Psychologist
The duties of a certified social worker that is licensed for clinical work look very similar to a psychologist. Both provide psychotherapy services and can assist patients with mental health diagnoses and treatment.
But when considering a licensed clinical social worker vs psychologist, there are some key differences. These include:
- Licensed clinical social worker requirements include a minimum of a master’s degree. Requirements for psychologists include a minimum of a doctorate.
- A licensed registered clinical social worker will typically take a holistic approach to treatment, including looking at the person’s social environment. A psychologist is usually laser-focused on the cognitive and behavioral aspects of a patient.
- Psychologists typically have more training in complex psychological testing and assessments.
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Differences between LCSW vs LSW vs LMSW
What are the Differences between a Licensed Clinical Social Worker vs Licensed Social Worker vs Licensed Master Social Worker
There are a lot of acronyms that you’ll see when looking up LCSW masters programs or social worker salaries. Each one can represent another step forward in your education and experience as a social worker.
Here is an overview of some key social work designations:
- LBSW license: The licensed social worker is the most entry-level position. The individual has earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree and has passed their state licensing exam.
- LMSW license: A licensed master social worker has earned a Master of Social Work degree and an appropriate license. They can identify clients that need help and refer them to LCSWs. They can work under the supervision of an LCSW.
- LCSW license: The most advanced license of the three is the licensed clinical social worker. They have earned a Master of Social Work degree, completed the requisite amount of clinical fieldwork, and passed the LCSW license exam.
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Can a LCSW Prescribe Medication?
A common question that people ask when researching clinical certified social workers is, “Can a social worker prescribe medication?” This is something that doctors and other medical professionals, such as psychiatrists, can do. However, a licensed clinical social worker cannot prescribe medication.
Can an LCSW prescribe medication when under supervision?
The answer would still be, “no.” Even under supervision, a licensed clinical social worker does not have the authority to prescribe any type of medication.
They do however coordinate closely with psychiatrists and doctors and can recommend mediation to a medical professional that has those capabilities. It is then in the hands of that medical professional to decide whether or not to write the prescription.
Can a psychologist prescribe medication?
In most U.S. states, a psychologist cannot prescribe medications, however, there are about five U.S. states that do allow it. These states are New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Idaho.
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What Is LCSW? | Typical Job Duties
Once you become a social worker clinical practitioner, many different types of job opportunities are available to you. Some professionals with an LCSW degree and license will open their own private practice. Others may work in a government setting, such as assisting Foster Care families.
LCSW jobs can be just about anywhere, including schools, military bases, correctional facilities, substance abuse centers, research facilities, and many more. A licensed social worker that has their clinical certification will often offer direct social work services (e.g., offering psychotherapy), but they can also work in indirect social work service areas (e.g., research or administration).
Some of the common duties someone working in LCSW social work will perform are:
- Mental health assessment
- Diagnosis of emotional and mental health conditions
- Treatment planning
- Working one-on-one with clients through their treatment and intervention plan
- Keeping case notes and reports
- Coordinating with other medical and mental health professionals
- Supervising more junior social workers, such as a licensed master social worker
- Evaluating social services programs to ensure they are properly serving those they are meant to support
- Other administrative work, especially if they are an independent social worker
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If you have any feedback or questions on this article about LCSW salary, an LCSW degree, and MSW LCSW differences, please let us know. Contact the Social Work Portal Team.
What’s Involved in Becoming a LCSW?
If you’re interested in becoming a LCSW, there are educational and fieldwork requirements you need to meet. You will also need to pass your LCSW license exam for your state or jurisdiction of practice.
First, you need to earn your Master of Social Work degree. To take this step, you would initially need to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work or a closely related human services field.
Next, you need supervised field study, part of which needs to be doing clinical work with patients directly. States will have different requirements to qualify for LCSW jobs, but many include over 3,000 hours of fieldwork in total, done in no less than two years.
The third requirement is to take the LCSW certification exam in your state or jurisdiction of practice.
LCSW Programs
There are many different programs that will prepare you for LCSW jobs and going through the requirements above. You can find several college and university programs for an LCSW career path here: Social Work Degree Programs.
What Is LCSW Prep?
It’s not unusual for someone about to take the LCSW license exam to do a bit of prep first with a practice test. If you search online for “LCSW prep,” there are many different resources you can find to prepare for earning your license as a LCSW social worker.
For more details on social work licensing, renewing social work license, and licensed clinical social worker requirements, you can visit the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website.
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LCSW Salary & Career Outlook
What will you make as an LCSW salary or LICSW salary (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker)? The average annual salary for LCSW jobs is $63,056.
There is about a $50,000 range for average salary, however, depending on your experience and area of work. LCSW jobs at the lower end of the spectrum can earn about $42,00 per year. On the other hand, licensed certified social workers with more years of experience can earn an LCSW salary as high as $92,000 annually.
LCSW Jobs Outlook
Licensed clinical social workers would fall into the category of “Mental health and substance abuse social workers” in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) social work categories.
The BLS projects that between 2021 and 2031, this job sector will grow by 11.1%. This is good news for anyone that is considering becoming a clinical licensed social worker because it’s more than double the average for all occupations of 5.3% projected for the same period.
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Do you have any questions about the difference between LCSW vs psychologist? Are you still wondering, can a LCSW prescribe medication? Need more details on LCSW salary? Contact the Social Work Portal Team, we’ll be happy to help.
Conclusion | LCSW Salary, Jobs, Requirements
You can tell by the great LCSW jobs outlook that social workers licensed for clinical work are in high demand, and this is expected to continue. This is the number one profession that those with mental health disorders and emotional issues rely on for diagnosis and treatment in the U.S.
Once you do the necessary field study work and pass your LCSW license exam, many opportunities in multiple areas open up to you. LCSW social workers also enjoy autonomy in their patient care and casework that helps them make an even bigger difference in the lives of those they treat.
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FAQ | Licensed Clinical Social Worker Guide
What is the highest LCSW salary?
According to Zippia, the highest LCSW salary is about $92,000 annually. Those at the higher end of the LCSW jobs pay range are often independent licensed certified social workers in private practice.
Is a LCSW better than a psychologist?
LCSWs and psychologists are different professions. One is not “better” than the other. Both provide psychotherapy services and can assist patients with mental health diagnoses and treatment.
When looking at the differences between licensed clinical social worker vs psychologist, the LCSW required a master’s degree, while the psychologist requires a doctoral degree. The LCSW tends to take a “person-in-environment” holistic approach to diagnosing mental health disorders, whereas a psychologist is more focused on cognitive and behavioral issues.
What does a licensed clinical social worker do?
Some of the common duties someone working in LCSW social work will perform are:
•Mental health assessment
•Diagnosis of emotional and mental health conditions
•Treatment planning
•Working one-on-one with clients through their treatment and intervention plan
•Keeping case notes and reports
•Coordinating with other medical and mental health professionals
•Supervising more junior social workers, such as a licensed master social worker
•Evaluating social services programs to ensure they are properly serving those they are meant to support
•Other administrative work, especially if they are an independent social worker
Are clinical social workers in demand?
Licensed clinical social workers would fall into the category of “Mental health and substance abuse social workers” in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) social work categories.
The BLS projects that between 2021 and 2031, this job sector will grow by 11.1%. This is more than double the average for all occupations of 5.3% projected for the same period. So, yes, licensed clinical social workers are in high demand.
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