Licensed Independent Social Worker in New York

The world of social work offers an almost infinitely flexible set of tools and ideas for dealing with ways that individuals and society can go off the rails. In many ways, social workers are the final link in the social safety net: when all else has failed, when you have called everyone you can think of, when the chips are down, when all hope is lost, chances are a social worker will have both a solution and an idea of where to get the resources to make things happen.

For all the major ways that people can fall down and need a hand back up, there are big organizations and big processes devoted to helping:

But something most social workers quickly learn is that every client is unique and every challenge is special. Sometimes you just need the flexibility that comes from working outside the system to make the biggest difference.

That’s where social workers in private practice come in.

What Is a Private Practice Social Worker?

The role of private practice social workers is broad enough to reflect that astounding diversity. There’s no single focus area, no limit on the kinds of problems or the combinations of issues they can choose to take on.

Instead, it’s your call when it comes to deciding not only what social ills you want to tackle, but also in what way you want to tackle them.

That may be starting a theater group that calls attention to New York communities that have been oppressed and discriminated against. It could be a nonprofit that focuses entirely on female immigrants from Africa, helping them adjust and settle in to life in a new country. It could be substance use disorder prevention that is focused on a specific neighborhood, or type of drug, or kind of user.

The ways that you can make a difference in society as a private practice social worker are limitless, and entirely up to you.

The call for many private practice social workers, though, is simply to handle individual issues for individual clients hands-on, and face-to-face. So clinical and mental health work tends to be the predominant kind of practice these social workers perform. Their days may be very similar to social workers in mental health roles.

Specialization is often a part of that, but no one can tell you what that looks like. Maybe it’s a particular neighborhood that you love and want to help. Maybe it’s a specific age range, or people dealing with a particular kind of substance use or mental health disorder.

You get to decide. And then you have to make it work.

Is There a Role for Private Agencies in Social Work in New York?

While only licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) can operate without supervision in clinical practice in New York state, it’s entirely possible to operate your own business here independently as a Licensed Master Social Work (LMSW).

The only catch is that you can’t offer clinical services, namely the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral problems or common mental health issues. LMSWs are only authorized to provide clinical treatment under the supervision of an LCSW. It’s considered an ethical breach to hire someone to provide supervision, so LMSWs are unable to own a private clinical practice and be supervised by an employee who is an LCSW.

No matter what license you end up deciding to go with, a Master of Social Work will be an inevitable requirement for earning it.

And while private practice social workers can generally pick and choose from almost any type of social work, it’s probably least common to find them working at the mezzo, or intermediate, level. The process of managing systems and shuffling paperwork is generally something you find primarily in the depths of big organizations. So private practice may go big and handle major advocacy and policy work, or zoom in on the very micro concerns of individual patients, but it doesn’t get a lot of play in the middle of the field.

The Best Degrees in New York for Starting off in Private Practice Social Work

Private practice means independence and striking your own path toward social justice and equity.

Of course, this brings both flexibility and uncertainty. The major obstacle for many social workers striking out on their own at first is understanding the world of business licensing and taxes.

On top of that, pesky considerations like advertising, customer service, scheduling, bookkeeping, and other roles that are typically taken care of by specialists in larger companies all fall on your plate as well.

This all makes a great case for paving your pathway to the MSW you’ll almost certainly choose to pursue with a Bachelor of Social Work degree.

Like other kinds of bachelor degree programs, a BSW includes not just specific coursework dealing with social work skills and knowledge, but also plenty of general and liberal arts education. That includes concepts and skills such as:

Throw in available electives in fields like marketing, accounting, and general business management, and you can lay the groundwork for managing your own private practice as smoothly as you handle human services issues for your clients.

Even more attractive is the fact that a BSW actually shortens your path to a master’s. For many New York universities, a BSW can be the ticket to an advanced-standing MSW program. The advanced standing MSW can be completed in a single year versus the typical two, which can launch your career faster than ever.

Why a Social Work Master’s Degree Is Probably in Your Future if You Pick Private Practice in New York

The good news is that there are really no limits to what you can do in private practice as an appropriately licensed social worker in New York. That means almost any degree choice can be the right one, depending on where you want to take your independent social work career.

When it comes to appropriate licensure, though, you’ll find that all your options require one degree in particular: the Master of Social Work.

It’s also the case that most social workers in private practice in New York work primarily in clinical social work. So a program offering a concentration such as a Master of Social Work in Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice, a Master of Social Work Specializing in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, or a Master of Social Work Clinical Focus are probably the type of degree they’ll be most interested in.

These kinds of programs layer in clinical treatment coursework on top of the basic ethics, social justice, and social systems education that is standard in MSW programs. Those classes can include:

Other electives can be used to further specialize or round out your education such as studies in crisis management, couples counseling, or interventions with families and children.

It’s also normal for these concentrations to come with field placements that put clinical practice front and center in your training. Working at psychological counseling practices, mental health treatment facilities, or even in private practice clinics, students take all the classroom theory and apply it in the real world with real patients.

Of course, just about any other kind of specialization in social work can also be used in private practice. You might instead lean toward studies in:

No matter which path you take, a CSWE-accredited MSW that’s accepted by the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions will prepare you for licensing and independent social work practice.

Important Considerations When Building a Private Practice Social Work Business in New York

Private practice social workers don’t need an organization to hire them. They work directly for their clients. That’s just to say that you’ll be less worried about finding businesses to work for than creating your own business to work within.

Since independent practice involves business formation concerns no different than any other small business, social workers going out on their own in the world of New York social services will have to be prepared for dealing with the New York State Department of State. The federal Internal Revenue Service would also like a word, whether you are starting a non-profit or a sole proprietorship. Many cities also have their own licensing scheme on top of what the state requires.

You may also have to deal with carrying unemployment insurance or getting professional liability policy coverage.

All that general knowledge education will come in handy as you navigate various bureaucratic and civic responsibilities as a solo operator and business owner. But it will also be useful to get plugged in to your social work peers and the human services community in general.

The New York state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers is a solid option for doing that. On top of continuing education and networking, it’s also a venue where you can hang out your shingle and advertise your services to those in need. There is also a New York City chapter for folks working in the Five Boroughs.

If your expertise and experience in social work matches your drive to make a better society, you’ll go far as a private practice social worker in New York.