Clinical social worker vs psychiatric social worker

The differences between clinical social workers and psychiatric 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 clinical social worker and a psychiatric social worker. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $59,144 average annual salary of a psychiatric social worker.

The top three skills for a clinical social worker include social work, patients and behavioral health. The most important skills for a psychiatric social worker are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Clinical social worker vs psychiatric social worker overview

	Clinical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Yearly salary	$63,056	$59,144
Hourly rate	$30.32	$28.43
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	124,816	57,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

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 psychiatric social worker do?

A psychiatric social worker specializes in providing mental health treatments and other services to patients and their families, referring them to other agencies and programs as needed. They conduct assessments and interviews to determine the condition of patients, devise specific treatment and care plans, update and maintain patient records, conduct regular counseling sessions, and monitor the progress of every patient to ensure their health and welfare. They may also provide interventions, train junior psychiatric social workers, and conduct reviews and evaluations on existing care plans.

Clinical social worker vs psychiatric social worker salary

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

	Clinical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Average salary	$63,056	$59,144
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $92,000	Between $43,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Tucson Electric Power	Highmark
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between clinical social worker and psychiatric social worker education

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

	Clinical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical social worker vs psychiatric social worker demographics

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

	Clinical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
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, 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	13%	13%

Differences between clinical social worker and psychiatric social worker 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.

Psychiatric social worker example responsibilities.

Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical supervision and oversight to MSW intern who provide assessments and treatment.
Participate in weekly hospital social services meetings, weekly individual supervision, and facilitate change strategies for patients.
Guide, mentore, and tutor both BSW and MSW students in internship programs.
Assist individual in developing and practicing the skills define on their psychiatric rehabilitation plans.
Follow patients throughout hospitalization, working closely with attending psychiatrist; involve in family, individual and group treatment.

Clinical social worker vs psychiatric social worker skills

Common clinical social worker skills

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

Common psychiatric social worker skills

Social Work, 23%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Discharge Planning, 5%
Mental Health, 4%

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Clinical Social Worker vs Psychiatric Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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