How valuable is a Master's in Social Work? A Bachelor's degree? A PhD?

Yes in todays economy and the new world order you must be avid in your career path choices decisions and your degree and college you attend in order to move forward in life.

In order to have a very good successful career working with families adults and children you will want to complete your Masters Degree in Social Work with your concentration in clinical psychology. You will after graduation be able to apply for governmental licensure examination as a Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinician
LCSW- C class

A total of 8 yrs. strait thru college including your summer internships and class capstone externship

please heed my advice do not stop at your Bachelors Degree in this day and age you will have to have a MSW to provide good services and be at the top of your game in your Social Work career.

Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical

Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical (LCSW-C) If you wish to hold the title of Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical (LCSW-C)

Licensed Certified Social Worker to designate those who have completed a master's level education and 3000 hours of supervised work. In this case, an extra C (for Clinical) is added at the end (i.e., LCSW-C) to indicate clinical or mental health practice (instead of management, or other nonclinical work).

Masters Degree Graduate in Social Work with a minor in psychology

Some social workers with extra clinical work certification also have the BCD at the end of the LCSW, which stands for Board Certified Diplomate.

The C allows for you to practice as a clinician therapist you are able to write scripts and bill the federal govt. value options for medicare and medicaid.

The average beginner in this position makes around $49K, but folks who have been around for five to 10 years see a markedly higher median salary of $54K. Licensed Clinical Social Workers bring in $59K.

Program management and ownership of therapeutic programming makes around $80K up to $100K.

Create a practice design and a business plan for your social work private practice. What kind of clients do you want to help?

develop a thorough business plan and marketing plan for your business

Exemption Requirements - 501(c)(3) Organizations - IRS.gov
https://www.irs.gov/.../Exemption-Requirements...
Internal Revenue Service
To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set ...

and utilize research from

The Social Worker's Path to Private Practice - Dr. Lynn K. Jones
www.lynnkjones.com/privatepractice/
The Social Worker's Path to Private Practice – How You Can Get From Here to There ... She has written four books about the business of being a therapist and coach ... advises students who are planning to develop a private therapy practice

good luck on your new journey start now while your young and be fully loaded and ready for action now it will put you above the rest so you may prosper and enjoy your life

As a psychiatric major you can still go into a masters in social work program. I majored in Sociology, graduated in 3 years and went on to get my Masters in Social Work which was a 2 year program. One of the benefits of getting your bachelors in social work (BSW) is that you will be able to do an advance standing 1 year masters in social work (MSW) program. If you want to grow in the social work field you will eventually need a Masters degree.

Hi Micah

You know I asked the same questions myself many many years ago. A BA is a the way to begin it is almost a must. You can work a few years before going for a masters and some graduate programs require it and give credit for the time worked. It is highly recommended if you want to supervise or run a program. A PhD more along the lines of teaching or high level research fields.

Good luck!!

Hi Maggie,

Yandrina I think did a pretty decent job of summarizing social work degrees for you. There is definitely value in pursuing a Master's in the Social Work if you decide to stick with that path. I'd really encourage you to do some social work internships or shadow some social workers to learn more about the job before you begin a Master's program. Also if you are able to shadow people in other similar professions or at least do some research on those professions.

Similar to you when I started college I intended to go into Social Work. I got my Bachelor's in Human Services and after working as a case manager for a few years I decided to get my Master's in School Counseling instead of my MSW. I'm not saying that the MSW isn't the right choice for you, but it's best to explore all of your options so you can be confident in your choice. There are pros and cons to all of the helping fields and I think it is important that you consider them to find the best fit for you. Some similar fields I'd encourage you to do some research on are Marriage, and Family Therapy, School Psychologists, Occupational Therapy,.