Are you drawn to a career supporting the mental health needs of our society’s most vulnerable? If so, you’re likely to find the professional path you’re looking for as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
LCSWs are the only social work professionals authorized to perform counseling and other therapeutic services for clients, offering an invaluable resource to people who would oftentimes not have any other care options.
In this role, you will be eligible to offer focused support to individuals, families, and groups, providing care that can be instrumental in turning around the lives of some of society’s hardest hit demographics.
LCSWs are employed in every branch of social work, developing areas of specialty by issue as well as therapeutic modality. Those who excel in this career path are drawn to one-on-one roles that allow them to work directly with clients, offering a supportive ear and the emotional resources one needs to overcome serious issues.
Becoming an LCSW is its own particular path through the social work profession, offering unique opportunities once you have obtained your license. This guide will provide information on job titles for LCSWs as well as information about how to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Texas.
What Does a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Do?
LCSWs do what many people imagine when they think of social work: providing direct counseling services to people struggling with a host of mental health issues and concerns. This is known as clinical social work, and is its own discipline of the social work practice, though it extends into every focus area in the field.
LCSWs can be trained in a large variety of techniques and treatment methods, typically focusing their work on a particular cause or affected community to gain deep expertise in their discipline. LCSWs can help people who are struggling with mental health, emotional, and behavioral issues including the following:
- Mental illness
- Addiction and substance dependence
- Post-traumatic stress conditions
- Behavioral health issues and learning disabilities
- Grief and Loss
- Eating disorders
These are just the broad categories within which social workers perform mental health services. Over the course of their practice, clinical social workers develop areas of specialty, gravitating toward particular issues that move them and learning about the specific therapeutic modalities they find most effective in treating these problems.
Job Titles for LCSWs
As mentioned above, upon becoming a licensed clinical social worker in Texas, most professionals determine a key social work focus area in which to build up their expertise. This means there are LCSW job titles in every social work subfield.
Take a look at the list below to see some of the most common job titles for LCSWs in each branch of social work practice. These are not the only titles you may find as you are seeking opportunities, but they are good ones to have in mind as you seek the professional path that’s right for you.
Clinical Social Work (General)
- Psychotherapist
- Mental Health Therapist
- Counseling Clinician
- Behavioral Health Specialist
- Therapeutic Services Manager
- Clinical Director
School Social Work
- School Social Worker
- School-Based Clinical Social Worker
- School Counselor
- School Mental Health Specialist
- Student Support Services Coordinator
- Education Social Worker
Medical Social Work
- Medical Social Worker
- Hospital Clinical Social Worker
- Palliative Care Social Worker
- Oncology Social Worker
- Renal Social Worker
- Hospice Social Worker
- Healthcare Social Services Manager
Substance Abuse and Addiction Social Work
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Addiction Therapist
- Chemical Dependency Counselor
- Substance Use Disorders Clinician
- Recovery Services Social Worker
- Dual Diagnosis Clinician
Child and Family Social Work
- Child and Family Therapist
- Family Services Clinician
- Child Welfare Social Worker
- Adoption Counselor
- Pediatric Social Worker
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinician
- Child Protective Services Social Worker
Geriatric Social Work
- Geriatric Social Worker
- Senior Services Clinician
- Aging Life Care Manager
- Memory Care Social Worker
- Long-Term Care Social Worker
- Hospice and Palliative Care Social Worker
Forensic Social Work
- Forensic Social Worker
- Criminal Justice Clinician
- Legal Social Worker
- Juvenile Justice Social Worker
- Victim Advocate
- Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)
Military Social Work
- Military Social Worker
- Veterans Services Clinician
- Military Family Therapist
- Deployment Support Social Worker
- Trauma-Informed Care Specialist
Community Social Work
- Community Mental Health Clinician
- Community Social Services Manager
- Social Services Clinical Program Coordinator
- Nonprofit Clinical Program Director
These job titles reflect the diverse roles that LCSWs can play within specific subfields, addressing the unique needs and challenges within each area of social work practice.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Salaries in Texas
Though social workers tend to be moved to join the profession out of a concern for the common good and a passion for supporting others, there’s no shame in wanting to be sure that this career path will be remunerative, allowing you to maintain a high quality of life as you devote your professional life to public service.
It is unfortunately not possible to determine exact salary ranges for LCSWs specifically, as the official records of national and state pay rates (overseen by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) do not track this information. However, one can take a look at their overall salary data for each subfield of the social work profession to glean a basic understanding of what you can expect to make as a clinical social worker. See mean annual salary data below:
- Child, family, and school social workers: $49,810
- Healthcare social workers: $62,500
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers: $44,100
- Social workers, all other: $68,500
It’s worth noting that LCSWs are considered advanced professionals, with certifications that allow them to do uniquely skilled work. This can potentially mean you will find higher base salaries as an LCSW than for the profession overall, giving you a higher salary than the information included in this data.
This information is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2022 report, accessed in February 2024.
How to Become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Some aspiring social workers know before they even enter their MSW programs that they wish to take on clinical social work as their primary career pursuit. Others discover their interest in providing counseling services while pursuing their Master of Social Work degree.
You don’t have to go into your MSW program knowing you wish to pursue clinical social work, but if you do, you may be able to receive a focused education that will start building your skills early on.
In Texas, there are several top MSW programs offering clinical social work concentrations, providing course work that dives deep into the fundamentals of counseling and therapy so that future LCSWs can hit the ground running as soon as they’ve received their license. These are a great choice for anyone who feels certain that clinical social work is their calling.
Your field work experiences – both in your MSW program and during your licensing hours – will also build skill and expertise to enhance your capabilities as a clinical social worker. This is also an opportunity to develop a focus area within the broad field of clinical social work, gaining the specialized insights of a true expert who is able to help individuals, families, and communities in critical need of support.
Requirements to Become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The steps to becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Texas are fairly straightforward, but they must be completed with care and diligence, as they are a strict prerequisite in order to receive clinical licensing. They are as follows:
- Obtain your Master of Social Work degree from an accredited institution.
- Complete your mandatory field work hours (totaling 3,000 hours, typically completed over two years).
- Pass the ASWB Clinical Licensing Exam and the Texas Jurisprudence Exam.
- Submit your fingerprinting and any other information needed for background clearance to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC).
- Wait to receive your license!
When completed on a full-time schedule, this process is designed to be completed over four years, with two devoted to your Master of Social Work program and two more focused on your clinical social work field work hours. This means that the LCSW licensing process requires focus and discipline, but with hard work you will see your professional goals realized.
For more complete information on the steps to becoming an LCSW, visit our guide here.
FAQs
Do you need an MSW to become an LCSW?
Yes. In the state of Texas (as well as the rest of the U.S.), you will not be eligible for social work licensing – and in turn, jobs for licensed social workers – unless you hold a Master of Social Work degree. This is why it’s the necessary first step for anyone wishing to pursue a social work career.
How do you become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker?
LCSWs are expected to obtain their Master of Social Work degree from an accredited institution. With this, they will be eligible to pursue their clinical social work license, a process that involves completing 3,000 hours (approximately two years) of supervised field work hours. After this, social workers will be ready to take their qualifying exams and submit their information to the state licensing board for final certification.
How long does it take to become an LCSW?
Assuming one completes their MSW program on a full-time (two-year) schedule and their supervised field work hours on a full-time (two-year) schedule, it takes four years to receive clinical licensing. It is possible to do either of these on a part-time schedule as well, which can lead the process to take five to six years.
What is the difference between a Licensed Master Social Worker and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker?
LMSWs are social work professionals who are able to hold any position outside of clinical practice. LCSWs are authorized to perform clinical duties – i.e., counseling and therapeutic services – and therefore typically follow different career paths with a stronger emphasis on one-on-one or group counseling.