Should i get an msw or mft

Professionals who are interested in the MFT degree should seek a program that has been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Both career paths have excellent growth potential. So both career paths are excellent choices. The direction the student takes largely depends if he or she wants to focus mainly on the individual, couple and family, or on the broader social and community context?

Both careers involve mental health counseling and helping people, but the emphasis is different. We strive to provide information that is accurate, complete and up-to-date. To this end, we rely on the latest salary and job growth data from the U. Bureau of Labor Statistics for all the healthcare occupations we feature. Figures represent national data, not school-specific information, so conditions in your area may vary. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.

Search for:. Toggle navigation. Fordham University Master of Social Work. OnlineMSW Fordham. Simmons University Master of Social Work. SocialWork Simmons. Syracuse University Master of Social Work. MSW Syracuse. Baylor University Master of Social Work. MSW Baylor. Some states specify the total work experience hours an LMFT must have. Most specify the number of clinical or psychotherapy hours that must be accrued; generally, at least half the required hours must be spent providing services to couples or families.

Clinical social work is a broad field that encompasses more than one occupational group. Social work is an older profession and has a higher level of trust or esteem in some circles. Marriage and Family Therapists vs. Clinical Social Workers Marriage and family therapists and clinical social workers are both considered mental health practitioners.

Sponsored School s. Each state has specific education requirements as they pertain to MFT licensure. Confirm with your state that this program will meet licensure requirements. Click here to learn more about the GCU programs and course descriptions.

It is also important to note that there are different types of MSW programs and that not all MSW programs provide extensive training in clinical counseling. MSW programs with macro or community practice specialization focus on the administrative and organizational aspects of social service programs rather than on individual and group counseling.

Advanced generalist MSW programs provide a mix of clinical and community practice training. And there are other MSW program specializations, including school social work, military social work, and mental health social work, that focus on discrete areas of clinical and macro practice. Professional counselors work with individuals, families, and groups of people who may require social services in addition to therapy to resolve emotional and behavioral problems.

However, the counseling profession is more narrowly focused on the application of psychotherapy to address mental health issues, rather than on the provision of outside social assistance.

This is true for MFTs, who represent a subset of clinical counselors, and who are trained specifically to use the tools of psychotherapy to address familiar problems and resolve conflict and dysfunction among couples and within the family unit.