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What is a psychiatric social worker and how to become one
Psychiatric social worker's responsibilities and client populations will vary significantly depending on their work setting and the teams to which they are assigned at their place of employment. They sometimes work in inpatient hospital settings and complete many tasks to support patients suffering through mental health issues. This is a highly rewarding profession that also offers a range of employment opportunities.
The tasks and responsibilities that they fulfill in this capacity include, but are not limited to, attending to patients suffering complex and hard-to-manage conditions who are in deep emotional stress and/or could be a danger to themselves or others. Others include psychosocial and risk assessments, individualized and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention and support, care coordination, and discharge planning services. Psychiatric social workers are employed in a variety of settings, ranging from intensive inpatient wards to outpatient psychiatric clinics. Qualifications include graduate-level training in clinical social work methods. A master's degree in social work would be advantageous.
The average hourly salary for the position is $30.22, which amounts to $62,853 annually. The career is projected to grow substantially and create new opportunities all across the United States.
What general advice would you give to a psychiatric social worker?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Avg. Salary $59,144
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 9%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.60%
Asian 3.32%
Black or African American 19.92%
Hispanic or Latino 12.27%
Unknown 5.43%
White 58.45%
Genderfemale 75.18%
male 24.82%
Age - 44American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 44Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Psychiatric social worker career paths
Key steps to become a psychiatric social worker
Explore psychiatric social worker education requirements
Start to develop specific psychiatric social worker skills
Skills Percentages Social Work 23.24% Patients 15.62% Crisis Intervention 7.01% Rehabilitation 5.42% Discharge Planning 4.83% Complete relevant psychiatric social worker training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New psychiatric social workers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a psychiatric social worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real psychiatric social worker resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed psychiatric social worker usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed psychiatric social worker in most of states. 32 states require psychiatric social workers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Kansas Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Master Social Worker Alabama Degree required State exam required Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW) Arkansas Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Certified Social Worker Hawaii Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Social Worker Idaho Degree required Third-party exam required Social Workers Research psychiatric social worker duties and 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.
Prepare your psychiatric social worker resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your psychiatric social worker resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a psychiatric social worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable psychiatric social worker resume templates
Build a professional psychiatric social worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your psychiatric social worker resume.
Apply for psychiatric social worker jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a psychiatric social worker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first psychiatric social worker job
Are you a psychiatric social worker?
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Average psychiatric social worker salary
The average psychiatric social worker salary in the United States is $59,144 per year or $28 per hour. Psychiatric social worker salaries range between $43,000 and $79,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do psychiatric social workers rate their job?
Psychiatric social worker reviews
Working collaboratively with clients to help them understand themselves and experience their authentic selves. Learning from my clients.
Low pay
The insane amount of paperwork, the insurance/agency politics, the high expectations, the low amount of support. Burnout is very concerning for a profession where people in the frontline are the ones trying to make a difference. Individuals who work in this field need to have an incentive to keep pushing. I’m sorry but a kind heart and good intentions are not enough to sustain this type of career.
Serving people, impacting change in communities, never boring
pay is low for what you need to do
Updated January 8, 2025
