Child psychologist vs social worker

The differences between child psychologists and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a child psychologist and a social worker. Additionally, a child psychologist has an average salary of $78,743, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a child psychologist include autism, mental health and family therapy. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Child psychologist vs social worker overview

	Child Psychologist	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$78,743	$50,102
Hourly rate	$37.86	$24.09
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	22,815	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a child psychologist do?

Child Psychologists evaluate and treat adolescents and children. They help children to cope with stresses such as school or family transitions, deaths, and divorces. Their clients may include children with different developmental issues, from learning disabilities to severe mental illness. A partial list of problems they treat has autism, obsessive-compulsive order, attention deficit disorder, adjustment disorder, and phobias. Their job is to endorse the best diagnosis to a complex set of symptoms presented. Moreover, a Clinical Child Psychologist is considered a health service provider.

What does a social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Child psychologist vs social worker salary

Child psychologists and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Psychologist	Social Worker
Average salary	$78,743	$50,102
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $114,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between child psychologist and social worker education

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

	Child Psychologist	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Child psychologist vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between child psychologists' and social workers' demographics:

	Child Psychologist	Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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	12%	13%

Differences between child psychologist and social worker duties and responsibilities

Child psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

Child psychologist vs social worker skills

Common child psychologist skills

Autism, 30%
Mental Health, 11%
Family Therapy, 9%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Psychological Tests, 8%
Group Therapy, 7%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Child Psychologist
Child Psychologist vs Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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