Social worker assistant vs clinical social worker

The differences between social workers assistant and clinical social workers 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 worker assistant, becoming a clinical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $37,542 average annual salary of a social worker assistant.

The top three skills for a social worker assistant include social work, patients and public assistance. The most important skills for a clinical social worker are social work, patients, and behavioral health.

Social worker assistant vs clinical social worker overview

	Social Worker Assistant	Clinical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$37,542	$63,056
Hourly rate	$18.05	$30.32
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	115,098	124,816
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Master's Degree, 54%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	12	2

What does a social worker assistant do?

A social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.

What does a clinical social worker do?

A clinical social worker is an individual in social work, which provides help to individuals in need of improving their lives and their well-being. Clinical social workers must work with different individuals to help them address difficulties that they are trying to overcome. To perform counseling services, clinical social workers must take and pass the professional licensure examination. They also help disadvantaged individuals connect to resources and services that they may benefit from.

Social worker assistant vs clinical social worker salary

Social workers assistant and clinical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Worker Assistant	Clinical Social Worker
Average salary	$37,542	$63,056
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $51,000	Between $42,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	Minnesota State Fair	Tucson Electric Power
Best paying industry	Finance	Education

Differences between social worker assistant and clinical social worker education

There are a few differences between a social worker assistant and a clinical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Social Worker Assistant	Clinical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Master's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	University of Pennsylvania

Social worker assistant vs clinical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between social workers assistant' and clinical social workers' demographics:

	Social Worker Assistant	Clinical Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	13%

Differences between social worker assistant and clinical social worker duties and responsibilities

Social worker assistant example responsibilities.

Manage the clinic's Medicaid enrollment process and assist clients with their application process under proper guidance.
Assist patients in coping with their lifestyle changes and overall help patients achieve optimum independence and reduce re-hospitalizations.
Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
Refer patients and their families to relevant community resources and coordinate with social services at other community agencies.
Maintain accurate records to comply with ESRD and CMS regulations.
Participate in monthly interdisciplinary team meetings regarding patient care.

Clinical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical services to patients in rehabilitation and oncology including assessment, crisis intervention, grief therapy, and discharge planning.
Provide individual, group, family therapy, team coordination, discharge planning, utilization review and MSW student supervision.
Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to determine Medicare length of skil nursing stay.
Facilitate therapy, symptom management, and rehabilitation groups for mental health clients in partial hospitalization setting.

Social worker assistant vs clinical social worker skills

Common social worker assistant skills

Social Work, 22%
Patients, 14%
Public Assistance, 11%
Community Resources, 5%
Mental Health, 5%
Social Services, 5%

Common clinical social worker skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 17%
Behavioral Health, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
MSW, 3%

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Social Worker Assistant
Social Worker Assistant vs Clinical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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