I'm always excited to hear from folks who are pursuing the field the psychology. As a psychologist, I am, of course, biased, but I think that psychology offers a lot of interesting opportunities and flexibility as a career.

I do not know the specifics of TN and KY, but I think a good place to start would be to ask yourself what types of professional and career activities interest you the most. If you are interested in acting as a counselor or therapist, you can provide these kinds of services with a Masters or Doctorate. If you are really only interested in providing therapy and other clinical services, a Masters degree would probably be sufficient. A doctoral degree in psychology is generally for folks who are interested in research or teaching (at the university level as a professor). Of course, many doctoral level psychologists just provide therapy, and they are able to charge at a higher hourly rate because they have more education and training than a Masters-level therapist.

You asked about social work and psychology degrees. I don't believe that one degree is "better" than the other, although one may be a better fit for your interests. Social work is concerned with the contexts and environments in which an individual works. Social workers typically work closely with schools and community-based programs to get the necessary services in place that an individual might need. Psychology is slightly more concerned with the individual's internal experience. Psychologist still collaborate with schools and community organizations, but they typically help individuals more through therapy that starts with the individual.

Officially, psychologists must have a doctoral degree, but the one exception is "school psychologists" who have a Masters degree. There is an exemption in the American Psychological Association's guidelines that allows them to call themselves psychologists. Otherwise, Masters-level therapists are not supposed to call themselves a "psychologist."

For more on psychologists and social workers, I have provided some useful links below.

Good luck with your education and training!

Laura Kauffman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
JustAsk Expert