Question by J.C: LCSW questions 10 pts best answr?
can you get an LCSW with a master’s degree in psychology, or do they have to have an MSW? and also how much does an LCSW make? and do they treat addictions? Please no comments saying
“if your in it for the money choose another career” I’m just curious I need to live too.
Thanks

Best answer:

Answer by Confidential
I believe you do have to have at least a BSW to be a LCSW. There isn’t a whole lot of difference between a LCSW and a LMHC. As far as income, you won’t make any more than maybe 75 grand a year if you are lucky. I actually worked with people who had MS’s in Social Work and Psychology and they made the same I did with a degree in History. There are other options if you want to work with addictions.

You could go for a nursing degree and work in a detox. You could do a dual degree (BSW + BSN)
You could be a nurse case manager working for an addiction’s facility.

The other problem with addiction counseling/case work is that the market is flooded with competent people who are looking for that particular or those particular jobs. You might want to consider a health related field along with the social work. (Health of the alcoholic, health of the heroin user at a methadone clinic etc.)

Also something to consider: The time required to get the LCSW (clinical hours that are UNPAID) It is ridiculous. I can understand your desire to help those with addictions, I enjoyed helping people in social work but it is a rather tumultuous career with little or no job security. Sorry if I was a little bit negative, but I hope I helped you with some other options.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

 

Atkinson series: Surprising lessons on the youth job crisis – thestar.com

Filed under: addiction counseling careers

At the age of 16, she works at two jobs to support her 15-year-old sister and her mother, who is battling an addiction. One day word drifts back to Belmore that family members sleep on air mattresses in a house with no heating. The furnace has broken down.
Read more on Toronto Star

 

Movie Of The Year 2012: AP Writers Make Their Picks

Filed under: addiction counseling careers

Anders Danielsen Lie gives one of the great, underappreciated performances of the year as a heroin addict who's allowed to leave rehab for the day to head into the Norwegian capital for a job interview. Instead, he wanders around visiting old haunts, …
Read more on Huffington Post

 

ULL top graduates to be honored at commencement

Filed under: addiction counseling careers

College of Liberal Arts: Marka Johnson, a sociology major with a 3.79 GPA, plans to continue her education in social work at LSU and obtain an addiction counseling license in Louisiana. Johnson, a member of the Louisiana National Guard, plans to use …
Read more on The Advocate