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Social worker vs psychologist

The differences between 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 $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

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

Social worker vs psychologist overview

Social WorkerPsychologist
Yearly salary$50,102$97,803
Hourly rate$24.09$47.02
Growth rate9%6%
Number of jobs77,34012,516
Job satisfaction4.5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4547
Years of experience2-

What does a social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

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.

Social worker vs psychologist salary

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

Social WorkerPsychologist
Average salary$50,102$97,803
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $67,000Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying CityPortland, ORSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateOregonCalifornia
Best paying companyHealth AdvocatesSierra Corporation
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between social worker and psychologist education

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

Social WorkerPsychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorSocial WorkPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Social worker vs psychologist demographics

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

Social WorkerPsychologist
Average age4547
Gender ratioMale, 19.5% Female, 80.5%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 social worker and psychologist duties and responsibilities

Social worker example responsibilities.

  • Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
  • Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
  • Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
  • Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
  • Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
  • Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.
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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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Social worker vs psychologist skills

Common social worker skills
  • Social Work, 30%
  • Patients, 15%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • MSW, 4%
  • Discharge Planning, 4%
  • Home Health, 4%
Common psychologist skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 5%
  • APA, 4%

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