LMSW vs. LCSW - New York’s Social Worker License Types

For just about every single graduate coming out of New York’s Master of Social Work programs, the end goal is a state-issued license to practice.

That means earning one of two credentials:

Or, more precisely, since the LCSW is designed to stack on top of the lower-level LMSW, those graduates all start with the LMSW as their first goal, while many move on to the LCSW after a few years.

Social work licensing happens at the state level, so these very common titles mean different things in different states. But in New York, they act as two parts of the same licensing structure. While there are real differences between the LMSW and LCSW licenses, you’ll find that they are closely connected in many ways.

LCSW vs. LMSW in New York: What Is an LCSW?… and What Is an LMSW?

The truth is, in New York, not much separates an LMSW from an LCSW when it comes to the work they do every day. There’s far more common ground than differences. So much so that you’ll find most employers here willing to hire people with either license for the same role.

In fact, every LCSW in the state has been an LMSW at some point. There’s no way to accumulate the required practical experience to become an LCSW without first working under an LMSW license for 3 years.

The only exception to that might be for those who have transferred in through a license reciprocity agreement from another state.

On the job, both LMSW and LCSW professionals handle assessment, advocacy, case management, planning, and counseling work with a wide range of patients. They can work in any areas of specialized social work roles, from dealing with unhoused veterans to placing abandoned kids in foster care. Both licenses even allow clinical practice… but with one crucial difference:

LCSWs have gained the experience and earned the authority to serve as independent clinical practitioners without any requirement for supervision. Under the LMSW license, social workers are limited to clinical practice only while under supervision.

The Difference Between LMSW and LCSW Licensing and Education Requirements

The technical differences between the educational path to both licenses is minor: an LCSW-qualified MSW degree will have at least 12 credit hours of approved clinical coursework. It’s also possible to get this coursework through post-master’s certificates in clinical social work if your original MSW program curriculum doesn’t qualify.

Beyond that, an LCSW is simply a New York LMSW who has also:

So the real difference comes down to experience. As any social worker will tell you, the actual application of psychotherapy and other social work theory with real clients is a game changer. By accumulating those three extra years of experience, LCSWs build an additional layer of confidence and competence that allows them to practice fully independently.

LMSW vs LMHC vs LCSW vs CASAC… It’s Worth Taking a Minute to Compare Social Work Licensure With Other Human Services Licenses

Clinical counseling isn’t just offered in New York by social workers, or even just by social workers and psychologists. There are a range of different licensed professions in the state that deliver clinical services to populations that require direct assistance.

For starters, the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) credential doesn’t exist in New York State. Instead, the LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) is the standard for professional counselors here. Together with Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) and Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASAC), these are the professionals who provide counseling services comparable in many ways to what social workers do.

Though they have different specialized orientations and approaches to counseling and therapy, professionals in these licensed roles are certainly equals within the healing arts and social services community in New York.

The actual practice of counseling for all of them comes out of the same well of evidence-based psychotherapy methods. But the difference is in perspective and scope.

LMHC and LMFT practitioners focus directly on counseling. They may deal with immediate issues, but only through the perspective of responses that can be achieved by the clients through therapy. For someone experiencing the trauma of a healthcare emergency, for example, they can use psychotherapy to help develop coping skills.

It’s not uncommon for social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors to hold the CASAC credential alongside their primary license. For social workers more than any other perhaps, substance use disorder counseling is a key part of the counseling services they provide, making the expertise that comes with the CASAC a perfect fit. It’s worth noting that the CASAC is not technically a license, and social workers pretty easily meet the requirements for the credential by meeting social work license requirements.

Social workers deal with many of the issues that are part of the standard scope of practice under these other licenses and credentials. With a bigger picture understanding of factors that contribute to mental health, relationship, and substance abuse problems, and a working knowledge of the resources available to people in New York, they often have even more tools at their disposal.

Beyond the counseling they may offer, social workers also have the ability to help with insurance paperwork, explore other treatment options, make referrals to assist with medicine and basic needs, and even advocate at high levels for more comprehensive treatment services.

Practice Authority Is the Biggest Difference Between LMSW and LCSW Licenses in New York

The big LMSW vs. LCSW differences really come down to practice authority. That is the level of legal rights you have as a social worker to provide clinical services

The idea of there being a clinical aspect to social work can sometimes throw people a bit. Clinical in the context of the LCSW license simply refers to the ability and authority to diagnose common mental health and behavioral problems like substance use disorder, and then deliver the one-on-one or group talk therapy (psychotherapy) to treat these problems.

That’s reflected in New York State Education Law Article 154. It defines the practice authorities which are the flip side of the additional requirements.

LMSWs are authorized to apply the methods of social work theory to prevent, assess, and implement plans for clients with a wide range of social, behavioral, developmental, or other disorders and disabilities. They are even authorized to deliver clinical social work services—but only under the supervision of an LCSW.

Understanding LMSW Supervision Requirements Helps Clear Up the Difference Between These Credentials

Clinical supervision can be a mysterious concept if you are coming to it for the first time. What does the law mean when it says that LMSWs can only perform clinical services under “supervision?”

Of course, general supervision is a feature of every job everywhere unless you are self-employed. Everybody has a boss to report to.

Clinical supervision isn’t so different. It doesn’t mean that your supervisor has to be in the same room and watching your every move as you deliver therapy.

Instead, you are required to engage in 100 or more hours of direct contact hours with your supervisor over your 36 months as an LMSW, discussing your current casework with them. It’s a formal way for you to get feedback and to get additional mentoring and advice from an experienced clinician.

Your supervisor will typically also review your case notes and files. They share in the professional and legal responsibility you have toward the client. Consequently, many of the terms of clinical social work supervision are set by the supervisor.

So although the legal supervision requirements are the same throughout the state, different organizations and supervisors may handle the process differently. At some, your supervisor may have to co-sign all of your notes. They may insist on being on-site or may be willing to oversee your practice remotely.

Your clinical supervisor may also be your work supervisor, but in some organizations, you may report to one person administratively and have your clinical practice overseen by someone else entirely.

LCSWs can perform all of the work of an LMSW, in addition to being authorized to deliver clinical services independently. That gives them the ability to perform psychotherapeutic services addressing all of the same issues that LMSWs deal with, but at a more in-depth level.

Additionally, they can supervise LMSWs or, in some circumstances, even unlicensed MSW or BSW students performing practicum or internship work in clinical settings.

Can a LMSW Diagnose Clients?

It’s splitting hairs a bit, but LMSWs are allowed to assess, test, and draw conclusions about clients and their situations through the basic knowledge of social work theory. They may not, however, clinically assess or offer clinical diagnosis for mental, behavioral, developmental, or addictive disorders independently.

Part of the job, however, is often to do exactly that. And LMSWs are expected to do it under clinical supervision.

This is why you see so many jobs that are open to either LMSW or LCSW social workers. As long as clinical supervision is provided in the setting where they are working, LMSWs can handle exactly the same clinical work as an LCSW.

LCSW Job Openings Vs LMSW Job Openings in New York

This makes for a wide open market when it comes to LMSW vs LCSW jobs. In the majority of positions, there’s no difference in the kind of employers who are hiring or in the job descriptions themselves.

The major area where you find a lot of daylight between LMSW and LCSW roles is when it comes down to responsibility. LCSWs are legally able to take on more responsibility for clients. They have the ability to clinically supervise LMSWs, and they are often hired for more general management positions because they simply have more experience overall.

On the other hand, LMSWs can develop their own expertise and capabilities in all social work areas outside of clinical practice. So there are many intermediate mezzo positions and big-picture macro social work roles where an LMSW can be just as qualified and ascend to levels of responsibility similar to an LCSW.

LMSW vs LCSW Salary Levels in New York

Despite all the similarities, the average pay for LCSW workers in New York is commonly higher than that of LMSWs.

Part of this is that they are often in positions where they are hired specifically for their clinical expertise. They also get paid more for taking on the greater responsibility of providing clinical supervision for LMSWs.

It’s also true that the three years of practice required before getting an LCSW builds in an experience advantage for anyone with that license. They will often have more time on the job than an LMSW who is still working on their contact hours.

The best way to pin down the difference in salary is to make the reasonable assumption that LMSW salaries in New York would land very solidly at the median (or higher) for all social workers in the state, which, as of 2023, looked like this:

And after the three years of experience it takes to qualify for the LCSW, it’s safe to conclude that the salary would land within the top 10% for all social workers in New York, which as of 2023, looked like this:

All salary data shown here comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), widely recognized as the most trusted source for accurate state-by-state survey-based salary data that looks at what people are actually earning in the real world. It’s worth noting that BLS top 10% category shows the lowest figure among the top 10%, so at this level you can expect to be making at least what’s shown above, if not more.

Many other factors impact social worker salaries in New York, however. Location, employer, and overall demand will play into what you make on the job, no matter what your license level.

It’s entirely possible to keep the LMSW for the duration of your career, and some social workers who focus strictly on mezzo- and macro-level social work do. The most natural path, though, is to move up to that coveted LCSW after gaining a few years experience working directly with clients in a micro-focused role. It simply allows for more autonomy and more ways to serve individuals. Even in mezzo- and macro-level work, the kind of insight that comes from having experience working with individuals and small groups at the micro-level is extremely valuable.

Ultimately, almost all New York social workers will be both LMSW- and LCSW-licensed at some point in their careers. That makes the relationship between these licenses less of a versus thing and more of a mutually cooperative thing.

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Social Workers reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2024.