by nogger

Question by Andy: What Kind Of Salary Can an LCSW in Texas Expect?
I’m currently a 23 year old male graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. I’m doing the Masters of Social Work program in order to allow me to earn an LCSW after I graduate. My ultimate career goal is to have a private practice, working primarily with people with mood disorders, drug issues, and perhaps couples therapy.

What kind of salary can I expect out of the gate? Ten years from now? Anyone have any general advice they’d like to share? It’s all appreciated, thank you!

Best answer:

Answer by DS
http://www1.salary.com/TX/Licensed-Clinical-Social-Worker-salary.html
http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Master-Social-Worker-Lmsw-Lcsw-l-Texas.html
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Licensed_Clinical_Social_Worker_(LCSW)/Salary

Private practice is risky. You’re obviously not going to open out up right off the bat so find a good job at a hospital and put in your time. Look in to specializing in PTSD since thats going to be a big thing going forward with all the vets coming back from over a decade of continuous war. There is also a lot of government funding going to PTSD research (which is more on the psychologist side of things) but some of that will trickle down to therapy and insurance reimbursments.

Answer by monique
If you have a private practice, don’t think “salary”, because you will be paying yourself (so to speak). If your goal is to have a private practice, you will definitely want at minimum another therapist working for you or a partner who buys into the practice. Your stress will be high if you are a one man show, and then you will be the one needing therapy! Self care is so important, because you are taking on the problems of individuals 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. So if you decided to set up a private practice with a partner you would of course need your business plan. How much money you would need upfront. You would need money upfront for signing a lease for your practice site. As you probably know insurance does not pay you the next day after the session, which is why you definitely need to have money in the bank to pay the lease, utilities and any staff you may have…ie. receptionist.

In looking at income, private practice income is across the board. Your income will depend on several factors….who is your bulk of clients? Those with insurance, private pay, Medicaid? If your clients have good health insurance you will be reimbursed at higher rates, than lets say Medicaid. Some therapists have an income of six figures, some have an income of $ 50,000…..it all boils down to “reimbursement”.

I would say that typically while some therapists are “generalists” in that they see all populations (children, adolescents, young adults, etc) for various types of needs (mood disorders, anxiety, etc), drug and alcohol abuse is usually a unique field. And dual diagnosis requires specialization……those diagnosed with mentall illness and diagnosed with alcohol/drug abuse. That is why you notice drug/alcohol abuse centers that only specialize in that area. Even with standards of practice, if I were a therapist and a client came and told me they were addicted to drugs, since you can’t do therapy on someone who is actively using or addicted, the standard of practice is to refer them to a trained alcohol/drug abuse counselor/therapist. That is not something a generalist therapist can handle.

So if your main interest is drug/alcohol abuse and perhaps dual diagnosis that would be an area you would need to focus strictly on. Many states require additional certifications as well for drug/alcohol abuse therapists/counseling because it is very different than doing therapy with someone who has depression. You have the substance on top of the problems.

Examples of job searches for drug/alcohol abuse counselors/therapists

“Chemical Dependency Counselor
Travis County – Austin, TX
Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements: Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC); OR, Qualified Credentialed Counselor (QCC) must be obtained within six (6) months of date of hire. Valid Texas Driver’s License.” http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=drug+abuse+counselor&l=tx#jk=7ca0b3f65e9dba4f

Another example:
“Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor
Department Of Veterans Affairs – El Paso County, TX
Education: Hold a master’s degree in mental health counseling, or a related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Examples of related mental health counseling fields include, but are not limited to, Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling; and Marriage and Family Therapy. A doctoral degree in mental health counseling may not be substituted for the master’s degree in mental health counseling,”

Another job search example:
“Substance Abuse Counselor-San Antonio
Qualified candidates will have an LCDCI or LCDC certification in the state of Texas”
http://cmglp.catsone.com/careers/index.php?m=portal&a=details&jobOrderID=562573&ref=indeed

Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselors are licensed by the state of Texas Department of State Services:
“A licensed chemical dependency counselor (LCDC) is licensed to provide chemical dependency counseling services involving the application of the principles, methods, and procedures of the chemical dependency profession as defined by the profession’s ethical standards and the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) as defined by rule in 25 TAC ch. 441 (relating to General Provisions).”
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/lcdc/lcdc_counselor.shtm

So if you want to focus on alcohol/drug counseling and want to work in a good drug/alcohol abuse treatment counseling center, you would definitely want to pursue additiona licensure like above that is offered in the state of Texas.

For more information on Dual Diagnosis:
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/index.cfm?objectid=c7df9405-1372-4d20-c89d7bd2cd1ca1b9

Best wishes in your career endeavors!