Why did you choose a masters in social work? In the USA can you become a counselor if you have your masters? Here in Canada you can. I hope your post op recovery continues to go well. Take care of yourself. Xo
********************************************************************************** I think this was supposed to be an ask - not sure how to answer a submission so that you’ll see it’s been answered? Hopefully you catch this :) Thanks for your well wishes…. I picked it because I want to have a big, time consuming life (lots of kids, polyamorous, writing and publishing, a million plants and gardening, road trips, etc) and so a PhD really didn’t fit with that. And, neuropsychology (which I desperately wanted to study more of) is an odd conundrum for me, where I would love the school part but hate the work part. Whereas this degree path I’m on is sort of the opposite - I often find the course material repetitive or unchallenging, but I love the work itself. Aaaanyway, yes, in the U.S. an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) can diagnose, baker act, see clients as a therapist, and more. It’s a title that is sought by a lot of institutions and that most health insurance plans will pay for, for clients. I initially had some stigma in my mind around not wanting to be a “social worker” (because I thought of that as being someone in a dusty office piled with manila folders, or someone within CPS) - but that’s faded away as I’ve seen and learned more and more about how broad and necessary social work really is. I’ve had to take courses in diagnosing, assessment, psychopathology, the DSM, “interviewing,” counseling with groups, evaluating empirical evidence to ascertain best practice for a particular case, and more - but since it IS social work, I’ve also had multiple policy classes, and classes about helping the families of the elderly, and an initial internship that was basically agency case management.
When I get done with the masters in August I’ll still have to have two years of supervised hours, to take the exam to get licensed. But you can do a lot of cool things while you’re working toward licensure/under supervision.