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Psychiatric social worker vs psychologist

The differences between psychiatric social workers and psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychologist has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $59,144 average annual salary of a psychiatric social worker.

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

Psychiatric social worker vs psychologist overview

Psychiatric Social WorkerPsychologist
Yearly salary$59,144$97,803
Hourly rate$28.43$47.02
Growth rate9%6%
Number of jobs57,28412,516
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4547
Years of experience2-

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.

What does a psychologist do?

Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.

Psychiatric social worker vs psychologist salary

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

Psychiatric Social WorkerPsychologist
Average salary$59,144$97,803
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $79,000Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying CitySan Mateo, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyHighmarkSierra Corporation
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between psychiatric social worker and psychologist education

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

Psychiatric Social WorkerPsychologist
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorSocial WorkPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Psychiatric social worker vs psychologist demographics

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

Psychiatric Social WorkerPsychologist
Average age4547
Gender ratioMale, 24.8% Female, 75.2%Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%20%

Differences between psychiatric social worker and psychologist duties and responsibilities

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.
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Psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
  • Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
  • Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
  • Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
  • Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
  • Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.
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Psychiatric social worker vs psychologist skills

Common psychiatric social worker skills
  • Social Work, 23%
  • Patients, 16%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Discharge Planning, 5%
  • Mental Health, 4%
Common psychologist skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 5%
  • APA, 4%

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