In plain English
Social work covers a wider range than therapy. The classification includes clinical social workers licensed to diagnose and treat mental health conditions, and also the hospital and community social workers whose work is discharge planning, benefits, housing, safeguarding and coordination.
The clinical licence - LCSW in most states, LICSW or LCSW-C in others - requires a master's in social work plus supervised post-master's clinical hours and a clinical examination. It is the licence that allows independent practice and, in most states, billing for therapy.
Clinical social workers are among the largest groups of licensed psychotherapy providers in the United States, which makes them the behavioural health population most often underestimated in a list built around psychiatrists and psychologists.
Training and credentials
A master of social work degree, supervised post-master's clinical hours, a clinical licensing examination, then a state licence.
| Letters | What they mean |
|---|---|
| LCSW | Licensed clinical social worker - independent clinical practice. |
| LICSW, LCSW-C | The same clinical licence under another state's name. |
| LMSW, MSW | The degree and the pre-clinical licence, before supervised hours are complete. |
Where they practise
Hospitals and health systems, community mental health, independent and group therapy practice, hospices and home health, child welfare and schools, veterans' facilities.
Social workers on the public record
Counted from what providers file about themselves, with suppression applied before anything is counted, refreshed 2026-10-05. Names, specialties and practice locations are public; work email and phone are for signed-in customers.
| State | On record | With work email | With practice phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 57,349 | 35,395 62% | 57,343 |
| California | 49,730 | 32,257 65% | 49,722 |
| Michigan | 30,980 | 19,849 64% | 30,975 |
| Massachusetts | 25,111 | 15,844 63% | 25,105 |
| Ohio | 22,765 | 16,557 73% | 22,759 |
| Illinois | 22,649 | 12,479 55% | 22,646 |
| Florida | 21,549 | 12,500 58% | 21,546 |
| North Carolina | 18,672 | 10,985 59% | 18,671 |
Closely related, and where to find them.
Closely related
- Licensed counselor One classification, a dozen state titles - and why this entry stops where it does.
- Psychologist The doctoral behavioural health profession, and the one that does formal assessment.
- Psychiatrist The prescribing profession in mental health, and how it is filed on the record.
Find them
- Social workers list counts by state, the fields a record carries, a sample record.
- Mental health psychologists, counsellors and clinical social workers, with psychiatrists counted separately as a physician specialty.
- Social workers in New York, NY
- Social workers in Los Angeles, CA
- Social workers in Houston, TX
- Social workers in Miami, FL
- Social workers in Chicago, IL
- Social workers in Philadelphia, PA
- Certified hospices, where social work is part of the team
Need the list, not the definition?
A free account builds this population with your own filters and shows what each record carries before anything is bought.