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Social work supervisor vs counselor/case manager

The differences between social work supervisors and counselor/case managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social work supervisor and a counselor/case manager. Additionally, a social work supervisor has an average salary of $62,939, which is higher than the $39,562 average annual salary of a counselor/case manager.

The top three skills for a social work supervisor include social work, patients and MSW. The most important skills for a counselor/case manager are crisis intervention, patients, and social work.

Social work supervisor vs counselor/case manager overview

Social Work SupervisorCounselor/Case Manager
Yearly salary$62,939$39,562
Hourly rate$30.26$19.02
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs93,86788,285
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a social work supervisor do?

Social work supervisors are licensed professionals who are responsible for providing administrative, clinical, and supportive supervision to inexperienced social workers. These supervisors are required to organize training to help their subordinates to develop their skills and promote career growth. They must respond to the conflicts occurring within the team and promote ethical behaviors among them as well as manage their schedules and expectations. Social work supervisors must also participate in research and studies which required opinion from social work organizations.

What does a counselor/case manager do?

A Counselor provides advice for coping with everyday situations, relationships, health challenges, or disabilities of patients. Case Managers develop, monitor, and evaluate treatment plans and the progress of patients within the social service departments, healthcare companies, hospital networks, etc.

Social work supervisor vs counselor/case manager salary

Social work supervisors and counselor/case managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Social Work SupervisorCounselor/Case Manager
Average salary$62,939$39,562
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $83,000Between $32,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CitySan Mateo, CADenver, CO
Highest paying stateCaliforniaConnecticut
Best paying companyChaplaincy Health CareParkland Hospital
Best paying industryGovernmentEducation

Differences between social work supervisor and counselor/case manager education

There are a few differences between a social work supervisor and a counselor/case manager in terms of educational background:

Social Work SupervisorCounselor/Case Manager
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorSocial WorkPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - FullertonCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Social work supervisor vs counselor/case manager demographics

Here are the differences between social work supervisors' and counselor/case managers' demographics:

Social Work SupervisorCounselor/Case Manager
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 23.4% Female, 76.6%Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between social work supervisor and counselor/case manager duties and responsibilities

Social work supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
  • Provide training and weekly supervision to MSW and BSW level staff in the traditional and therapeutic foster care programs.
  • Provide ongoing adjustment to illness support to patients and families through hospitalization, bereavement counseling, and crisis intervention.
  • Input data from assessments into the MDS system for submission to Medicare.
  • Spearhead hospital-wide projects, including roll out of new CMS regulations and forms.
  • Provide ongoing and current education regarding CMS issues like ABN process and implementation.
  • Show more

Counselor/case manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage the care of patients with tuberculosis (TB) during their hospitalization and their discharge follow-up care.
  • Provide individual therapy for addict patients with depression, bipolar, anxiety, attention deficit, antisocial/borderline/obsessive compulsive/narcissistic tendencies.
  • Collaborate with patients to develop individualize treatment plans and assist patients with updating their goals according to their progress.
  • Perform concurrent review to assure appropriateness of admission, inpatient/acute care, rehabilitation/SNF status, and discharge using establish InterQual guidelines.
  • Prepare documentation for HOPWA applications.

Social work supervisor vs counselor/case manager skills

Common social work supervisor skills
  • Social Work, 31%
  • Patients, 6%
  • MSW, 5%
  • Child Welfare, 5%
  • Social Services, 5%
  • Crisis Intervention, 4%
Common counselor/case manager skills
  • Crisis Intervention, 13%
  • Patients, 9%
  • Social Work, 8%
  • Mental Health, 7%
  • Intake Assessments, 6%
  • Substance Abuse Issues, 6%

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