Clinical social worker vs primary therapist

The differences between clinical social workers and primary therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical social worker, becoming a primary therapist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $59,826 average annual salary of a primary therapist.

The top three skills for a clinical social worker include social work, patients and behavioral health. The most important skills for a primary therapist are patients, social work, and group therapy sessions.

Clinical social worker vs primary therapist overview

	Clinical Social Worker	Primary Therapist
Yearly salary	$63,056	$59,826
Hourly rate	$30.32	$28.76
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	124,816	85,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	4

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.

What does a primary therapist do?

Primary therapists are the main point of contact for patients concerning wellness and overall mental health. Those who choose this career path will be expected to supervise and manage efficient treatment according to plan, and to manage between six and eight patients at a time, keeping in constant communication with these patients and various specialists.

Clinical social worker vs primary therapist salary

Clinical social workers and primary therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Social Worker	Primary Therapist
Average salary	$63,056	$59,826
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $92,000	Between $43,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Thousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Tucson Electric Power	Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry	Education	Finance

Differences between clinical social worker and primary therapist education

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

	Clinical Social Worker	Primary Therapist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Clinical social worker vs primary therapist demographics

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

	Clinical Social Worker	Primary Therapist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	13%	15%

Differences between clinical social worker and primary therapist duties and responsibilities

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.

Primary therapist example responsibilities.

Case managing, intakes, group and individual session, treatment plans, OASAS standards
Provide clinical therapy for severely emotionally disturb adolescents and their families to aid in the rehabilitation process.
Perform crisis intervention, including management of difficult or resistant patients, utilizing clinically appropriate accept techniques and methods.
Assist in development of extend hour IOP and PHP program.
experience, IOP, individual sessions, assessments, case management.
Assist in developing and assessing progress on individual rehabilitation plans.

Clinical social worker vs primary therapist skills

Common clinical social worker skills

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

Common primary therapist skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Eating Disorders, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

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Clinical Social Worker vs Primary Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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