For people who do therapy through MSW —> LCSW training, were you happy with the clinical training you received?
I finished my BA psychology in 2021, and the whole time I was studying I dreamt of doing psychotherapy. I’m passionate about counseling techniques and feel i have developed a strong skill set for working with people 1 on 1.
At the same time, most of my work experience has been in social work roles (shelter work, group homes). These jobs have been wonderful and I felt I was able to make a difference in peoples lives.
I guess the issue is that I’m afraid to commit to LPC, on the chance that in the future I won’t want to be limited to counseling only. I could see after some years in a career wanting to work in hospice, NGO work, or something else in the social work field.
I can only afford to go to my local state school, which does have both a counseling program and MSW, but I’ve heard the school is quite macro focused and not so heavy in clinical skills for the social work program.
Im having a really hard time deciding which route to take. I know I could do therapy with LCSW, but worried that my therapeutic training wouldn’t be as strong as a result of going thru that program.
Ultimately my heart is calling me to therapy but I don’t want to limit myself to one job, not even knowing if I actually enjoy that work or will be able to persist for years without burning out.
What would you consider in my position?
Thanks for your advice