When you want an experienced therapist, call a Clinical Social Worker?

Who would you turn to if you needed to see a therapist? The mass media continues to perpetuate this outdated notion that most people see a psychiatrist or psychologist for therapy.

According to the National Association of Social Workers, the fact is “clinical social workers represent the largest group of behavioral health practitioners in the nation.”  This is not to say there are not excellent psychiatrists and psychologists; it’s just not as many of them are seeing patients for therapy.You are more likely to see a psychiatrist for a medication evaluation and a psychologist for psychological testing than you are for therapy.

Clinical social work is a state-regulated professional practice. It is guided by state laws and regulations. In most instances, clinical social workers are required to complete nearly 1200 hours of supervised clinical work with clients before they can even obtain a Masters Degree. Additionally, to qualify to be a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), the professional needs to have a Masters degree and  3000 hours of supervised clinical work. A Board Certified Diplomat (BCD) in Clinical Social Work must complete at least 7500 hours of clinical practice and  acquire continuing education and training to maintain these credentials.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, he discusses the “10,000 hour rule.” He reports that success in any field is based on a matter of practicing 10,000 hours of  a specific task. Based on his research, if you are working with a licensed clinical social worker and/or a board certified diplomats in clinical social work, you can feel confident, you are working with an experienced professional that is continually striving for excellence.