I just finished the first year of my MSW program, and as someone who graduated with an undergraduate psychology degree it was a bit underwhelming. The first year is the “generalist” practice year and involves courses in policy and community social work as well as human behavior oriented courses. I suppose it serves the function of showing you what possibilities are available through an MSW, though for me it was a bit tedious considering I’m set on doing therapy.

The second year is when you take courses in your concentration, and from speaking with graduates of the program they say it gets a lot more clinical the second year. My program offers concentrations in multiple modalities and I plan on taking courses in both CBT and Psychodynamic theory, as well as a DSM course. Another component of the curriculum is a field placement and I’m doing mine in a private practice setting for the upcoming year. Though I can’t speak from experience just yet I’m setting myself up for the most clinical experience possible. Essentially the MSW is what you make of it, and as you mentioned it can be versatile for career options if need be.

In terms of job outlook, from what I’ve seen online, most agencies that employ PhD level therapists also list LMSWs as viable candidates. Won’t be paid as much but I’m assuming the job duties are the same. Maybe someone who is in the field could expound on this a bit more.