3 answers
Alondra
Student
Visalia, California
2
Questions
Asked
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I am not sure if I major in psychology or in social work or something else entirely?
I want to help children that are in foster care and/or coming from bad homes. #children #social-work #therapist
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3 answers
Thomas Sutherland
Associate Continuity and Recovery Specialist, CBCP
207
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Thomas’s Answer
"Should I Get a Social Work Degree or a Psychology Degree?
While both degree types help prepare you for a career devoted to improving people’s lives, it’s helpful to look closer to find the ideal match for your interests and goals.
The fields of social work and psychology attract professionals who are motivated by a desire to facilitate positive changes in people’s lives. In practice, social workers and psychologists use their degrees—and the different skills and knowledge that come with each—to address and solve diverse problems.
Social workers enjoy connecting individuals or families in need with resources and services that improve their circumstances and help them achieve social equity. Psychologists study the human mind and the normal and abnormal behaviors that the brain can produce. They use their expertise and knowledge of human behavior in many ways to help individuals, families, groups, students, employees, and businesses make positive behavioral changes.
Should I Get a Social Work Degree or a Psychology Degree?
The Role of Social Workers
Social workers’ clients may suffer from a range of highly stressful life issues, including poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, mental health conditions, chronic illnesses and disabilities, and abusive family situations.
Professionals with a social work degree are employed in a variety of settings—hospitals and healthcare facilities, schools, social services agencies, mental health clinics, and private and nonprofit organizations. They advocate for their clients and connect them with social services designed to help alleviate their challenges.
Choosing the Right Online Social Work Programs
A Bachelor of Social Work is a great choice for those who wish to enter the field of social work. As a social work practitioner with a BS in Social Work you can provide mentoring and supervision, advocacy, and collaboration activities to a wide range of audiences.
Several of the online Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees provide opportunities to gain hands-on experience with on-site residencies and supervised internships. Students may also choose a master’s degree in social work with one of several elective clusters like addiction; crisis and trauma; children, families, and couples; and other concentrated populations.
Job Growth for Social Workers*
Employment of social workers is projected to grow 16% from 2016 to 2026, a faster-than-average rate for all professions. The median annual wage was $47,980 in May 2017, and the top 10% earned more than $79,740.
The Role of Psychologists
The term “psychologist” usually refers to a clinical psychologist with a doctoral degree, like a PhD in Psychology. Most people picture a psychologist counseling individuals or couples in private psychotherapy sessions, helping them deal with emotional issues and psychological disorders.
In reality, being a clinical psychologist is only one of a wide spectrum of career options for professionals with a psychology degree (whether earned online or on campus). A general MS in Psychology degree, for example, can prepare you for a variety of nonclinical careers ranging from college professor to human resources manager to organizational consultant and more.†
Choosing the Right Psychology Degree Programs
A psychology degree can prepare you for a fulfilling career in private practice, healthcare, education, government, and business environments. With an MS in Forensic Psychology, you can be a forensic psychologist in the criminal justice system. If you’re earning a degree because you want to be a business psychologist or organizational consultant, you’ll have the right credentials with an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. If being a clinical psychologist is your goal, an MS in Clinical Psychology will provide the foundation and prerequisite for your clinical psychology doctoral degree studies.†
Job Growth for Psychologists*
Employment of psychologists is projected to grow 14% from 2016 to 2026, an average rate for all professions. The median annual salary was $77,030 in May 2017, and the top 10% earned more than $124,520.
Whether you choose a psychology or social work degree, you can look forward to a rewarding career spent making a positive difference for individuals, families, and communities."
Source: https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/resource/should-i-get-a-social-work-or-psychology-degree
While both degree types help prepare you for a career devoted to improving people’s lives, it’s helpful to look closer to find the ideal match for your interests and goals.
The fields of social work and psychology attract professionals who are motivated by a desire to facilitate positive changes in people’s lives. In practice, social workers and psychologists use their degrees—and the different skills and knowledge that come with each—to address and solve diverse problems.
Social workers enjoy connecting individuals or families in need with resources and services that improve their circumstances and help them achieve social equity. Psychologists study the human mind and the normal and abnormal behaviors that the brain can produce. They use their expertise and knowledge of human behavior in many ways to help individuals, families, groups, students, employees, and businesses make positive behavioral changes.
Should I Get a Social Work Degree or a Psychology Degree?
The Role of Social Workers
Social workers’ clients may suffer from a range of highly stressful life issues, including poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, mental health conditions, chronic illnesses and disabilities, and abusive family situations.
Professionals with a social work degree are employed in a variety of settings—hospitals and healthcare facilities, schools, social services agencies, mental health clinics, and private and nonprofit organizations. They advocate for their clients and connect them with social services designed to help alleviate their challenges.
Choosing the Right Online Social Work Programs
A Bachelor of Social Work is a great choice for those who wish to enter the field of social work. As a social work practitioner with a BS in Social Work you can provide mentoring and supervision, advocacy, and collaboration activities to a wide range of audiences.
Several of the online Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees provide opportunities to gain hands-on experience with on-site residencies and supervised internships. Students may also choose a master’s degree in social work with one of several elective clusters like addiction; crisis and trauma; children, families, and couples; and other concentrated populations.
Job Growth for Social Workers*
Employment of social workers is projected to grow 16% from 2016 to 2026, a faster-than-average rate for all professions. The median annual wage was $47,980 in May 2017, and the top 10% earned more than $79,740.
The Role of Psychologists
The term “psychologist” usually refers to a clinical psychologist with a doctoral degree, like a PhD in Psychology. Most people picture a psychologist counseling individuals or couples in private psychotherapy sessions, helping them deal with emotional issues and psychological disorders.
In reality, being a clinical psychologist is only one of a wide spectrum of career options for professionals with a psychology degree (whether earned online or on campus). A general MS in Psychology degree, for example, can prepare you for a variety of nonclinical careers ranging from college professor to human resources manager to organizational consultant and more.†
Choosing the Right Psychology Degree Programs
A psychology degree can prepare you for a fulfilling career in private practice, healthcare, education, government, and business environments. With an MS in Forensic Psychology, you can be a forensic psychologist in the criminal justice system. If you’re earning a degree because you want to be a business psychologist or organizational consultant, you’ll have the right credentials with an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. If being a clinical psychologist is your goal, an MS in Clinical Psychology will provide the foundation and prerequisite for your clinical psychology doctoral degree studies.†
Job Growth for Psychologists*
Employment of psychologists is projected to grow 14% from 2016 to 2026, an average rate for all professions. The median annual salary was $77,030 in May 2017, and the top 10% earned more than $124,520.
Whether you choose a psychology or social work degree, you can look forward to a rewarding career spent making a positive difference for individuals, families, and communities."
Source: https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/resource/should-i-get-a-social-work-or-psychology-degree
Kei Mercado
53
Answers
Updated
Kei’s Answer
Hi Alondra!
This is a very nice route to take. Basing it on what you shared, it seems like you have to have a good background of both.
If you prefer to help kids in foster care or coming from bad homes, you may or may not meet some kids who would need professional help. Kids brought to foster homes may or may not have experience neglect, trauma or to your point may have experienced "bad homes" or bad parenting. If this is the case then you would have to be a licensed therapist to help them get through their concerns.
On other hand, if you want to be there and help without offering professional help, you can do volunteerism just like how social workers do it. They help these kids and work with professionals get the help that is appropriate for their case.
I hope that helps! Take care!
This is a very nice route to take. Basing it on what you shared, it seems like you have to have a good background of both.
If you prefer to help kids in foster care or coming from bad homes, you may or may not meet some kids who would need professional help. Kids brought to foster homes may or may not have experience neglect, trauma or to your point may have experienced "bad homes" or bad parenting. If this is the case then you would have to be a licensed therapist to help them get through their concerns.
On other hand, if you want to be there and help without offering professional help, you can do volunteerism just like how social workers do it. They help these kids and work with professionals get the help that is appropriate for their case.
I hope that helps! Take care!
Roshawnda Washington
Volunteer Program Manager
4
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Roshawnda’s Answer
There are already two great answers given to this question. I hope that was helpful to you. I wanted to second that a large part to consider for you when you are trying to decide which degree path you want to follow is the interaction level and type of impact you want to have. I'll speak from the social worker side that you can work directly with children and their families in a capacity of counseling, guidance and resource connection. You often work with your clients in a close way as you become familiar with the needs and strengths of the family to help them begin a path forward. There are many ways that you can also work a step removed from the micro level and help to make sure effective programs and systems are in place to give children and families a good foundation for the future they build. You can go into managing and overseeing individuals and programs for an agency or a county. There are multiple "levels" to the interaction you can have with children/families as a Social Worker and each provides a very important part of the process to helping them move forward. It's definitely a rewarding career that is not without its challenges.