Social Work vs. Counseling: What’s the Difference?

Social work and counseling are sometimes confused as the same field. Both are social services professions. Both use their compassion and communication skills to create positive change in the people and communities they serve. But each has different focus areas and approaches.

Both counselors and social workers provide therapy to people with mental health conditions and other challenges. However, counselors focus on psychological challenges, while social workers take a more comprehensive approach to counseling by addressing how issues like poverty can affect mental health. Social workers also help people navigate social systems and access community services.

On this page, we’ll discuss more differences between social work and counseling to help you decide which career path you might choose.

Social workers connect their clients to community services, such as food, housing, childcare, and healthcare resources. If you’re a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), or if you’re working under the guidance of a clinical supervisor, you’ll also diagnose and treat mental health conditions like a counselor would.

However, instead of focusing solely on psychological challenges, you’ll examine how certain social contexts, such as poverty, can create and worsen mental health conditions.

Those with a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) can accept entry-level nonclinical roles as a caseworker, mental health assistant, health educator, child welfare specialist, social and community service manager, or residential case manager.

However, many BSW-holders choose to continue their education and earn a master’s degree in social work (MSW) and licensure to further their careers. A master’s degree is required to become an LCSW. These professionals diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental health conditions.

With an MSW, you can also work in advanced clinical practice as a clinical coordinator, behavioral health clinician, medical social worker, and addiction care team harm reduction specialist.

Counselors focus primarily on mental health rather than a variety of systemic issues like social workers. As a counselor, you’ll help people manage or overcome conditions like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, family and marriage issues, and post-traumatic stress.

Many counselors specialize in certain mental health areas, such as geriatric counseling, school counseling, and addiction counseling. There are many specializations to choose from.

To work as a counselor, you’ll need a master’s degree in counseling. Then, you’ll need to earn licensure before you can practice independently. Master’s in counseling programs teach you how society’s cultural and social factors shape human minds and behavior across the lifespan.

Melissa Bronstein, LICSW, adds that “counseling programs focus on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions and typically focus on individual and group therapeutic treatment.”

Common career paths for licensed counselors include marriage and family therapist, school counselor, rehabilitation counselor, and substance use counselor.

Social work and counseling offer a variety of career paths. Both professions offer roles in advocacy and therapeutic support. Whether you’re drawn more toward social work or counseling, you can find ways to make a meaningful difference in either profession.

If you’re unsure whether to choose social work or counseling, consider how each field operates and what each profession requires of you.

Counseling centers mental health and requires you to perform therapeutic techniques to help people alleviate and manage mental health conditions. While it can be fulfilling to help change lives, this type of work can drain you emotionally, leading to career burnout.

Counseling may also offer a narrower scope of practice than social work.

As a social worker, you can find a variety of different roles. These career opportunities allow you to create systemic change and connect clients with vital resources. Social work, however, involves complex case management and potentially lower salaries than many counseling roles — unless you earn licensure and become a clinical social worker.

Bronstein suggests that you “spend some time thinking about what draws you to the field and what you envision yourself learning about and specializing in post-graduation. Ultimately, there is a lot of overlap between the two programs, and deciding which to pursue is a personal decision based on your own interests, goals, and preferences.”