One distinction between these two avenues into the counseling profession is the fact that an MSW does not prepare you to administer psychological tests, while some masters of counseling programs do. While not the norm, a counselor who has had the appropriate academic courses and supervision may administer occupational tests or achievement and aptitude tests. Personality tests are not permitted as most counselors have not received the proper training to administer them.
Master's programs in psychology typically have a greater focus on research than does the MSW curriculum. Master's programs in clinical psychology, for example, typically require statistics and research coursework. Psychologists conduct scientific research to advance knowledge in the field. Doctoral programs require a dissertation but some master's degree programs do, as well. Even in a non-thesis program, students need a basis to understand the scientific articles that form the content of coursework and professional advancement. While MSW programs include some coursework in research, the emphasis is not as strong.
The MSW degree prepares graduates for work in many different fields of concentration. Graduates can work with groups, families, individuals, children or adolescents, in school, hospital or agency settings. Students develop skills required to perform clinical assessments, manage large caseloads, take on supervisory roles, and explore new ways of drawing upon social services to meet the needs of clients. In contrast, there are various academic programs for master's degrees in counseling that lead to specialized practice areas. The master's program education requirements will vary with the occupational specialty and state licensure and certification requirements. Counselor education programs in colleges and universities at the master's level reside in departments of education, psychology, or human services, and specializations include such varied roles as counseling in college student affairs, gerontological counseling, rehabilitation counseling and addictions counseling.
There is a good deal of overlap between the training of an MSW and a master's degree in counseling graduate, but differences exist in the practice focus. In general, counselors tend to do individual clinical work and focus specifically on helping people through a particular set of circumstances. Social workers also provide direct services, but tend to take into account the individual within his community or surroundings. For example, a social worker will help a man suffering from unemployment stress by one-on-one counseling and focusing him on support systems in his community. A counselor might focus more on developing the man's thought processes and coping style for dealing with stress and helping him determine what his next career direction should be, with the help of psychological tests.