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What is a psychotherapist social worker and how to become one
What general advice would you give to a psychotherapist social worker?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Avg. Salary $58,080
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 69.23%
male 30.77%
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
Psychotherapist social worker career paths
Key steps to become a psychotherapist social worker
Explore psychotherapist social worker education requirements
Start to develop specific psychotherapist social worker skills
Skills Percentages Social Work 32.71% Group Therapy Sessions 12.23% Treatment Plan Reviews 8.22% Discharge Planning 7.05% Mental Health 6.82% Complete relevant psychotherapist social worker training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real psychotherapist social worker resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed psychotherapist social worker usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed psychotherapist social worker in most of states. 32 states require psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social worker duties and responsibilities
- Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
- Assist patients to apply for Medicaid, food stamps, medical insurance, housing, and SSI/SSD.
- Assist clients in ascertaining eligibility for SSA, Medicare and MD Medicaid (including ACA) and completing requisite applications.
- Work with a complex interdisciplinary team facilitating treatment for patients on medical floors including oncology, dialysis, cardiac and maternity.
Prepare your psychotherapist social worker resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social worker resume templates
Build a professional psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social worker resume.
Apply for psychotherapist social worker jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist social worker job
Are you a psychotherapist social worker?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average psychotherapist social worker salary
The average psychotherapist social worker salary in the United States is $58,080 per year or $28 per hour. Psychotherapist social worker salaries range between $42,000 and $78,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do psychotherapist social workers rate their job?
Psychotherapist social worker reviews
Working collaboratively with clients to help them understand themselves and experience their authentic selves. Learning from my clients.
Low pay
Serving people, impacting change in communities, never boring
pay is low for what you need to do
Making a positive impact for my client that they wanted.
The accredited MSW should be sufficient to practice the specialized areas of social work. The Ridiculous testing after so much schooling is further decreasing our earning power. This is causing the averaged alumni with a MSW to work knowing they are just a few paychecks shy of seeking someone within our own profession for help. The LICENSE should be based on confirmation of school accreditation and graduation...not re-testing. Quite frankly, it's insulting to all MSW graduates! The excessive paperwork places Additional undue stress upon SW and should be trimmed as much as possible. This also applies to the Health Information Technology (HIT) selected by the company. The HIT should have the capabilities to process forms necessary for daily work, data collection, and. ease of access.
Updated January 8, 2025
