Answers to Consumer Questions
Question 6: "I see that
you have social workers listed in your counselor locator section.
Is a
social worker qualified to do the same kinds of counseling as
licensed mental health counselors and licensed marriage and family
therapists?"
Clinical Social Workers in Washington State
February 27, 2004
The role of clinical
social workers in mental health care.
Clinical social work has a
crucial role in the delivery of mental health services nationally with
over 250,000 licensed clinical social workers. The clinical social worker
is
also a strong advocate for access to mental health treatment and
other social services for the vulnerable citizens of Washington State.
Clinical social work
training varies from state to state but requires far more extensive
training than generic social work. In Washington, there are over 2,700
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSW) and over 3,000
more social workers doing clinical work in a variety of settings.
Here are some facts about clinical social workers:
• Clinical social workers
provide 61% of mental health treatment in the country (SAMHSA, 2000)
and have clinical training standards that are the equivalent or
stronger than mental health counselors, marriage and family
therapists, psychiatric nurses, and psychologists.
• Clinical social workers
are trained to provide diagnosis and treatment through psychotherapy
and counseling of all mental health disorders, working closely with
health care professionals who provide drug and other therapies for
mental health disorders.
• Clinical social workers
had one of the highest satisfaction ratings of all mental health
professionals in a 1995 Consumer Reports article according to 4000
consumers of mental health services.
• Clinical social workers
practice arenas include independent private practice, forensic
assessment, mental health agencies, medical social work, school social
work, and consultation to business.
• Clinical social workers
have one of the lowest complaint rates of any mental health discipline
(less than 1% in Washington, according to Department of Health, 2003).
• Licensed
Independent Clinical Social Workers in Washington
State have the highest standards for clinical social work licensure in the
country including an MSW degree and three years of post-graduate supervised
experience.
• Clinical social workers
contribute to fewer medical problems and decreased health care costs
by treating the emotional disorders that lead to 50% of visits to
family practitioners (Office of the Surgeon General, 2000).
• Clinical social workers
play an integral role in state, county, and city mental health
programs in Washington, King County and Seattle.
Contact Person: Laura W.
Groshong, WSSCSW Legislative Consultant, (206) 524-3690.
.02 Definitions:
B. (4)
clinical social work
(1.) "Clinical social work" means the professional application of
social work theory and methods for the treatment and prevention of
psychosocial dysfunction, disability, or impairment, including
emotional and mental disorders of individuals and families.
(2.) "Clinical social work" includes rendering a diagnosis based on
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in current use.
Source: Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, Maryland Social Workers Act, Health Occupations
Article, Title 10, Subtitle 42 Board of Social Work Examiners, Chapter
01, Annotated Code of Maryland.
