Masters in Social Work

[Anastasia]

Hi. Does anyone know of a regionally accredited on-line school that I can get my Masters in Social Work degree from? Thanks so much!

[perrik]

Some CSWE-accredited MSW programs online:

[url= http://distance.und.edu/degree/?id=msw4n...University of North Dakota[/url] (requires some campus visits, though)
[url= http://www.socialwork.txstate.edu/On-Lin...html]Texas State University[/url]
University of New England

I don't know how online MSW programs handle the clinicals - ask a lot of questions before you apply!

[Anastasia]

Thanks for the heads up. You always come through, Perrick. I am realizing that it will be easier to become a Psychotherapist via an MSW otherwise with a Masters in Psych I will need two years of internship...

[TMW2010]

Thanks for the heads up. You always come through, Perrick. I am realizing that it will be easier to become a Psychotherapist via an MSW otherwise with a Masters in Psych I will need two years of internship...

Most of the MSW programs I've seen have a split in them. There's the Advanced Standing entry which allows someone who holds an approved SW undergrad take around 30-40 credits to get a MSW. The regular entry for the MSW courses without a undergrad in SW require around 60 or so credits to finish.

Me? I'm just going to go with New Mexico State U's program for a Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology. Get the first 36 hours done, and see where I want to go from there via grad certs, another masters, or what. (Yes this is a change in the plan I had talked about earlier with you, A)

Good luck!

[P00057870]

Please, please, please go and talk to and interview people in the field first! Perhaps see if you could shadow someone in the field.

I know some people are called to do this job and I am truly grateful, but I have met many that were completely unhappy with the job and the politics involved, and frustrated by what they are not able to accomplish, the limited funds (again politics) for their clients needs and for their own future, etc.

I can see that you may think this is a quick way of getting to a degree but the real question for you to determine is whether this is what you want to do? If it is not, then it is a waste of time and money. Just continue working for what you really want get.

[Anastasia]

POO I don't know if you were talking to me or TMW. If you get a Masters in Social Work, you can become licensed as a Psychotherapist, which is my goal.

TMW, do you know if the degree you're going for prepares you for the Psychotherapist license? What is your career goal?

[TMW2010]

POO I don't know if you were talking to me or TMW. If you get a Masters in Social Work, you can become licensed as a Psychotherapist, which is my goal.

TMW, do you know if the degree you're going for prepares you for the Psychotherapist license? What is your career goal?

The educational track I've been pondering can lead to an LPC -Licensed Professional Counselor certifcation which allows for 'personal psychotherapy' in practice. The LPC certification in OK requires 61 hours of Counseling or Psychology classes to fulfill certain requirements and 'elective' hours, totalling in 60 hours + internship and practicum. I'm also looking at going for an additional certification through Florida Institute of Techniology for Behavioral Analysis, culminating in a BCBA certification (Board Certified Behavioral Analyst). While the two don't totally coincide, they can work together (and the BCBA can mean a huge increase in pay, because of the specialty area).

The Masters program that I'm looking at pursuing is a Masters in Experimental Psychology, which provides a good framework for advancing in any other of the divisional areas of Psychology, giving me emphasis on the research end of things. The degree program is 36 hours, 27 hours are in Experimental, and I can choose 9 hours of courses from the other fields. From that point, depending on what I choose to do, I can add to my background with Grad certs in various fields, like Marriage & Family Therapy, Career & School Counseling, Forensic Psychology, and so on, to give myself more of a direction. The grad certs can also provide the rest of the credits/focus areas I'll need if I do indeed decide to pursue my LPC.

As far as psychotheraphy, this is what I found -

There are many settings, however, in which a person with any of various degrees might work as a “counselor” or “psychotherapist” without a license:
•
Drug and alcohol counselors and residential treatment counselors who work for large agencies, or in hospitals, are examples. Many of these persons have only bachelor’s degrees. In these cases, “counselor” is a job title, not a license to practice independently.

•
There are some states in the U.S. in which a person with a master’s degree in education or psychology may practice counseling or psychotherapy without a license.

•
A validly ordained Catholic priest who is actively serving his Ordinary (bishop or provincial) can practice counseling as a part of his pastoral functions. Some Protestant ministers and Rabbis can also provide counseling within the context of religious duties. Also, any one of these persons who has received an advanced degree in psychology or education and who has received supervised clinical training in psychotherapy may ethically practice psychotherapy within the pastoral role

This is taken from Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and Professional Licensure which has a lot of good information.

From what I understand, the MSW degree is really good if you're planning to work in a practice, because they can bill for medicare/medicaid for their services. But as I said, most of the MSW degrees that I've found require a full 60-65 hours to complete the degree if you don't already have a BSW. The reason they usually take so much to complete sans BSW is to prepare the student for the LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker certification, which is usually required not only to bill, but to practice psychotheraphy as a Social Worker.

Granted, the laws in CA are different (a lot different from those in OK, as far as the schools that people can get their degrees from and whatnot.) But from what I can gather from nosing around the web, you need to be either a Licensed Psychologist (Ph.D.), LCSW, or a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Which follows a lot of the same strictures that apply to the LPC & LCSWs) to be licensed to practice psychotherapy in CA. I'm not sure if California actually recognizes the LPC yet. From what I've seen, as late as June 2009, they were still trying to get it pushed through as a recognized certification, but the Marriage & Family therapist organizations were fighting it.

[TMW2010]

One thing I could suggest:

If you were interested in doing such is to go through WMNU for a Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies, and do 18 hours of Social Work and 18 hours of Psych. Either way you choose to go, you should be able to use both sets of credits towards your final goal. (And this is a BIG IN THEORY) One roadblock you WILL run into though is having to explain to the various boards about the MIdS, and backup the course contents of it to the board for acceptance.

Bad part is, that you'll probably want to get another degree in one of the two fields, ultimately. Good part is, you'd get a taste of both, and know which route you'd prefer. Another option would be to start taking courses and take like 4 courses over two semesters (at about $850/semester which ain't bad) and that way you can get a quick taste, and transfer your courses to either a full psych or a full SW degree program.

[Anastasia]

Wow. That's a lot of information. My head is spinning. Thank you. I'll sort it all out later.

I am not going to stay in California. I am moving to Las Vegas (don't ask) for at least a year at the end of the month. I don't know where I will live after that. I want to do whatever it takes to fulfill the educational requirements to become licensed in any state.

First I need to figure out how I am going to pay for this education... I wanted to go to the Jungian-based Pacifica University which is a non-resident program, but the Masters degree costs over $50,000 which is over $50,000 more than I have at the moment.

When do you start your program?

[Anastasia]

The truth is that I'm most interested in Jungian theory. Beyond that, I don't really need to get a taste of anything - I've been working in the field for over 20 years already and just want to jump through whatever hoops I need to in order to get licensed...