Post job

Social work internship vs family therapist

The differences between social work interns and family therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a social work internship, becoming a family therapist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a family therapist has an average salary of $50,774, which is higher than the $37,178 average annual salary of a social work internship.

The top three skills for a social work internship include patients, social work and intake assessments. The most important skills for a family therapist are social work, patients, and rehabilitation.

Social work internship vs family therapist overview

Social Work InternshipFamily Therapist
Yearly salary$37,178$50,774
Hourly rate$17.87$24.41
Growth rate12%14%
Number of jobs142,426106,982
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4341
Years of experience124

What does a social work internship do?

Social work interns are students who chose to do their on-the-job training in the field of social work. They apply for an internship at social services facilities. They are usually assigned to do administrative or clerical activities such as sorting through files, updating records, organizing documents, and filing reports. Aside from clerical tasks, they also get exposed to program or project management by working on program-specific initiatives. They get exposed to planning, resource managing, implementing, and evaluating. They may also join their supervisors during field activities.

What does a family therapist do?

A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.

Social work internship vs family therapist salary

Social work interns and family therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Social Work InternshipFamily Therapist
Average salary$37,178$50,774
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $51,000Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CityFargo, NDRochester, NY
Highest paying stateAlaskaOregon
Best paying companyDTCCDignity Health
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between social work internship and family therapist education

There are a few differences between a social work internship and a family therapist in terms of educational background:

Social Work InternshipFamily Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorSocial WorkPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - FullertonCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Social work internship vs family therapist demographics

Here are the differences between social work interns' and family therapists' demographics:

Social Work InternshipFamily Therapist
Average age4341
Gender ratioMale, 18.3% Female, 81.7%Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage11%6%

Differences between social work internship and family therapist duties and responsibilities

Social work internship example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary team to provide necessary referrals and counseling to achieve establish patient goals.
  • Participate in program development relate to identify needs of oncology population
  • Provide emotional support and referrals to veterans and family members/ significant others in support of veteran's treatment.
  • Utilize Kenshoo to build and optimize Facebook campaigns.
  • Monitor timely completion of all reports, progress notes and maintenance of chart to ensure DHS compliance.
  • Show more

Family therapist example responsibilities.

  • Complete documentation to medicaid standards.
  • Create maximum billable Medicaid hours and submitting necessary paperwork for Medicaid billing.
  • Apply behavioral analysis instruction for a student with autism concentrating on communication, socialization, self-help skills and community skills.
  • Receive and process referrals from DCF and community-base case managers for individuals suspect as substance abusers.

Social work internship vs family therapist skills

Common social work internship skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Social Work, 10%
  • Intake Assessments, 7%
  • Mental Health, 7%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Substance Abuse, 6%
Common family therapist skills
  • Social Work, 27%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Community Resources, 4%
  • Mental Health Issues, 4%
  • Group Therapy, 3%

Browse community and social services jobs