Difference Between Social Work And Counseling Degrees

For those who are considering a career that can provide services to help improve the lives of others, an occupation in social work or counseling are two viable career paths. However, these terms are often confused amongst those who are not familiar with the two professions. Can a social worker be considered a counselor, and vice versa? While both career paths are geared towards the strong desire of providing aid and guidance for others, they tend to require different educational requirements and credentials.

What’s The Difference Between Social Workers And Counselors?

Before you can decide on which degree to choose from, you need to gain a basic understanding of both professions. One of the key differences between a social worker and a counselor is that social workers lend assistance within a social setting, working with various systems and institutions to improve their client’s situation. A counselor, on the other hand, typically focuses on just the individual who needs assistance.

Think of it like this: A social worker helps a client within the context of a wider community, while a counselor focuses on just the client.

Here is a list of common settings for a social worker:

• Child and family services: A social worker in this particular field focuses primarily on assisting families and their children, which includes child protective services, foster care, domestic violence and adoption services.
• Educational system: Social workers in a school setting are different from a school counselor or child psychiatrist. The main focus in this particular field is to work as a sort of liaison between the educational system, and families and their children. They can provide assistance to single parents, abused or neglected children, children with disabilities, and they can address special needs for troubled students.
• Mental health and substance abuse: Social workers in this setting tend to focus on helping the client rejoin society after undergoing treatment, counseling and/or rehabilitation. Services in this field include crisis intervention, employee –assistance programs, social rehabilitation and group therapy. These types of social workers are commonly found in outpatient facilities.

Here is a list of common settings for a counselor:

• School counselors: School counselors offer guidance and care by working with students individually. Upon assessing a student’s particular needs, they may work closely with school psychologists and social workers to acquire the assistance a student needs. For example, an elementary school counselor working with a student who is failing academically might discover that the student’s trouble in school stems from domestic abuse in the home. At that point, the counselor can contact the school’s social worker for assistance to help improve the child’s situation.
• Mental health counselors: A mental health counselor usually employs a range of therapeutic  techniques to assist clients suffering from mental or emotional disorders. They differ from psychiatrists or psychologists in that they are not trained to assess or diagnose patients, but can help in the recovery process.

Social Work Degrees

Becoming a social worker typically requires a bachelor’s degree, at the minimum. The most common type of degree pursed for this profession is a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW). However, there are alternatives majors to social work that can qualify for this profession, which include psychology or sociology.

For those who wish to further their career in social work, an advanced degree is typically required. To act as a social worker in health or educational institutions, you are typically required to have a master’s degree in social work (MSW).

The course curriculum for these degrees will typically cover studies in:

• Human behavior
• Researching methods
• Social welfare policy
• Social work practices
• General psychology
• Human diversity and social work
• Child welfare
• Child and family services

Counseling Degrees

In most cases, a master’s degree is required to become a licensed counselor. The most common degrees pursued are a master’s degree in clinical or counseling psychology, or a master’s degree in counseling with a primary concentration in a particular field of study. The primary concentration of study depends on what particular setting the future counselor wishes to work in. These areas of study are typically:

• Elementary or secondary school counseling
• High school counseling
• Marriage and family therapy
• Alcohol and substance abuse
• Community counseling
• Mental health counseling
• Career counseling

The Differences Between Social Work And Counseling Degrees

The differences in counseling education and training from that of a social worker’s can help you determine which career path you wish to pursue. Here are some of the major differences:

• Social workers can start their careers with a four-year bachelor’s degree, while a counselor is required to have a master’s degree at the minimum.
• The curriculum for degrees in social work tend to focus on sociology, social psychology and other areas of study that can help future clients be a working part of their society. Counseling degrees will focus on behavior, psychology and addressing the individual needs of future clients.
• Aside from education degrees, counselors and social workers need to research the certification and licensing requirements for the state they wish to practice in. These requirements may vary depending on the type of degree you have.

Bottom Line

While social workers and counselors hold key differences in training, education and services, both share a primary focus on assisting those who need help. Due to the nature of such work, there are many instances where job functions and primary goals overlap. For example, a substance abuse counselor and a substance abuse social worker are both focused on helping clients and their families suffering from alcohol or drug addiction. However, substance abuse counselors may help clients and their families accept and cope with their problems as they guide them towards recovery, while a substance abuse social worker may assist by providing access to group therapy, outpatient facilities, group rehabilitation and employment services.