I am going to school to be an LMHC. They have equal amounts of education- both require a Master's degree, but the coursework is very different.

In Massachusetts anyway, an LMHC is a MS in psychology with state licensing. A social worker has a Masters in Social Work. A social worker can also go a step further and be licensed as an LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker). That is the only way a social worker can work independently as opposed to working in a hospital setting or in a group practice.

For an LMHC, the coursework is heavy on psychological theory, the DSM and cultivating counseling skills. In Social work, the focus is heavier on social structures. When and MSW student chooses the Mental health track to become a therapist they then get their training in counseling skills and some psychological theory.

An important difference though is that a LICSW can treat more serious mental illnesses like Bipolar or schizophrenia. I'm not sure but I think an LMHC can but under supervision of a psychologist. So there is a little bit of a heiarchy there which has never been clearly explained to me. There is no difference in the socal worker's education to justify this difference, but the social work license is much older than the LMHC. An LMHC license is fairly recent- has only been around since the 1970's. Before that there were a lot more unqualified people practicing as "therapists", so that may have something to do with it. I imagine eventually LMHC's will be able to diagnose.

So when it comes down to it, it is the approach that is more different between the two. A social worker is more focused on external factors in a client- society, while an LMHC is more focused on the internal. Otherwise it's fairly equal, both have a Masters degree and both need to be licensed by the state.