Find an MSW program that teaches mental health social work
Find an MSW in mental health to prepare you for a career in clinical social work.
See all MSW programsWhy earn an MSW with courses in mental health social work?
Prepare to practice as a licensed therapist
Meet prerequisite requirements for clinical licensure in your state.
Become a mental health expert
Learn how to identify, understand, and treat mental health conditions.
Learn how to work with clients effectively
Develop the interpersonal skills essential to both macro- and micro-levels of social work practice.
Mental health social workers provide a valuable person-in-environment perspective to clinical social work. Continue reading to learn how to find a master's of social work (MSW) program that focuses on mental health social work, preparing you to help people struggling with complex mental health conditions.
Browse MSW programs that cover mental health social work topics
What is mental health social work?
Mental health social work is a specialization that focuses on assessing, diagnosing, and treating people with mental health conditions. In practice, this might involve providing individual and group therapy, crisis counseling, or case management services in an inpatient or outpatient clinical setting.
Mental health social work can help you make a difference in the lives of people struggling with their mental health and social-emotional well-being.
What to expect from an online MSW that teaches mental health social work
In an online MSW program that teaches mental health social work, you'll learn valuable interpersonal skills that will prepare you to work as a licensed therapist.
You will take courses in mental health assessment and intervention, social justice and diversity, social welfare policy, community organizing, and research. Courses in specific evidence-based treatments, like cognitive-behavioral therapy and group facilitation, are also frequently offered.
Many programs allow you to focus on the population you are most interested in working with, whether adults, children, youth, or people with substance use conditions.
A supervised internship experience offered through your MSW program provides hands-on training with clients in the community.
Internship placements might include:
- Hospitals
- Community mental health centers
- Outpatient mental health clinics
- Substance use treatment programs
- Schools
- Grief and bereavement programs
What jobs can you get with an MSW that teaches mental health social work?
According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), mental health and clinical social workers are one of the largest groups of mental health service providers in the U.S.
An MSW in mental health social work can prepare you to work as a therapist providing mental health services to individuals, families, and groups. Many therapists work in private or group practices.
You might choose to work in a hospital as a medical social worker, or in a school setting, providing assessment, Individualized Education Program (IEP) input and review, and counseling services to support children's emotional, developmental, and behavioral needs.
With a background in mental health social work, you can also become a substance use counselor, helping individuals and communities recover from substance use.
Some social workers may conduct mental health or substance use research in a university or medical setting.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for mental health social workers was $55,960 in 2023.