Child and family therapist vs clinical social worker

The differences between child and family therapists and clinical social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a child and family therapist, becoming a clinical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $55,339 average annual salary of a child and family therapist.

The top three skills for a child and family therapist include social work, diagnosis and mental health. The most important skills for a clinical social worker are social work, patients, and behavioral health.

Child and family therapist vs clinical social worker overview

	Child And Family Therapist	Clinical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$55,339	$63,056
Hourly rate	$26.61	$30.32
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	120,152	124,816
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 51%	Master's Degree, 54%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	4	2

What does a child and family therapist do?

Child and family therapists are therapists who specialize in treating traumatized children due to neglect or abuse. They always formulate various techniques and activities to treat their patients and help improve the affected family's quality of living while maintaining confidentiality and following HIPAA laws and agency policies and procedures. During treatment, they monitor the progress of their patients and adjust the treatment accordingly. They also train youth counselors to maintain open communication with their families to know the cause and resolve problems faster.

What does a clinical social worker do?

A clinical social worker is an individual in social work, which provides help to individuals in need of improving their lives and their well-being. Clinical social workers must work with different individuals to help them address difficulties that they are trying to overcome. To perform counseling services, clinical social workers must take and pass the professional licensure examination. They also help disadvantaged individuals connect to resources and services that they may benefit from.

Child and family therapist vs clinical social worker salary

Child and family therapists and clinical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child And Family Therapist	Clinical Social Worker
Average salary	$55,339	$63,056
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $81,000	Between $42,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	San Rafael, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Everymind (formerly Mental Health Association Of Montgomery County)	Tucson Electric Power
Best paying industry	Finance	Education

Differences between child and family therapist and clinical social worker education

There are a few differences between a child and family therapist and a clinical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Child And Family Therapist	Clinical Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 51%	Master's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Child and family therapist vs clinical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between child and family therapists' and clinical social workers' demographics:

	Child And Family Therapist	Clinical Social Worker
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 19.2% Female, 80.8%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	13%

Differences between child and family therapist and clinical social worker duties and responsibilities

Child and family therapist example responsibilities.

Develop and lead DBT base therapy groups for children and adolescents in residential treatment.
Train in HIPAA as well as an understanding of BCBA professional standards.
Create, implement, and monitor behavior programs under supervision of a BCBA.
Conduct psychological testing for social security disability, vocational rehabilitation, and hospital inpatient populations.
Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.
Perform occasional psychosocial rehabilitation services.

Clinical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical services to patients in rehabilitation and oncology including assessment, crisis intervention, grief therapy, and discharge planning.
Provide individual, group, family therapy, team coordination, discharge planning, utilization review and MSW student supervision.
Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to determine Medicare length of skil nursing stay.
Facilitate therapy, symptom management, and rehabilitation groups for mental health clients in partial hospitalization setting.

Child and family therapist vs clinical social worker skills

Common child and family therapist skills

Social Work, 21%
Diagnosis, 8%
Mental Health, 6%
Individual Therapy, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Behavioral Health, 5%

Common clinical social worker skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 17%
Behavioral Health, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
MSW, 3%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Child And Family Therapist
Child And Family Therapist vs Clinical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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