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Originally posted by winneythepooh7
With an MSW you learn about a lot of different theory to work with difficult clients and how to link it your practice. I am sure it is similar in counseling. Depending on what part of the country you reside in, it may not matter what you get your degree in.
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I got my degree in Arkansas, where the U of A has a large SW program, and UCA has a Counseling Psych/School Psych program (they both turn out LAC/LPCs). We can get pretty competitive for jobs between the two groups, but a large part of that is politics between the two schools. (The Counseling Psych and School Psych programs go farther than the Counseling programs in that it teaches us how to give, score, and interpret psychological tests. It leads to a Licensed Psychological Examiner).
Probably the biggest difference I've noticed between the two degrees is that counseling prepares you to focus on the individual. Sure, you take family therapy classes and group counseling classes, but a large portion of the theory and techniques focus on the individual and what's going on with them personally. Social Work seems to focus more on the individual and how they
interact with others....things like getting them connected with services in their community, school based programs, etc.
Of course there's always crossover, and everyone learns the basic theories....but when I've talked with SW students, their assignments seem to focus on observing clients interactions with others and their environment, while my assigments tended to focus on the individual.
Anyway, that's what I've seen here in AR....but of course each area can be different.
PsychTau