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Cottage Health
Santa Barbara, California

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Social WorkerIncludes callFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 45m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital seeks a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for their Medical Social Worker department responsible for performing bio-psycho-social assessments, care coordination and clinical interventions, program development & discharge planning.

Effectively intervenes with medically and psychosocially complex patients, while demonstrating the ability to understand complex dynamics related to the clinical situation.

Medical Social Worker ensures that the patient and family experience adhere to Cottage Health Patient First Philosophy and is consistent with the Mission and Vision of our health care organization.

Qualifications

All job qualifications listed indicate the minimum level necessary to perform this job proficiently.

Education

  • Minimum: Master's in Social Work (MSW) degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited School of Social Work.

Certifications, Licenses, Registrations

  • Minimum: Current California Clinical Social Work License (LCSW) required upon hire. California Children Services (CCS) paneling is required within six months of hire.
  • Preferred: California Children Services (CCS) paneling is required within six months of hire. Certified Social Worker in Health Care (C-SWHC).

Years of Related Work Experience

  • Minimum: 1-2 years of relevant clinical social work experience required.
  • Preferred: 3-4 years of related experience in a healthcare setting preferred.

Cottage Health is a leading acute care hospital system, located on the central coast of California, widely known for our superior patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health system operates primarily in Santa Barbara, CA, since 1888, and consists of three acute care hospitals, a Rehabilitation Hospital, multiple clinics and a multi-site Urgent Care system.

Our mission is to serve the central coast communities with excellence, integrity, and compassion. Every day we touch thousands of lives in many different ways, resolute in our mission to put patients first. We take pride in helping our patients get back to living their lives - in the places they love.

*Pay for non-physician positions is determined based on related years of experience and internal equity. Eligible employees may also receive additional forms of compensation, including shift differentials, on-call pay, incentive pay, and bonus opportunities, where applicable. Manager and above positions may participate in Cottage Health’s annual management incentive program. Physician compensation is determined based upon specialty and may include bonus potential.

For more information on our comprehensive Total Rewards offerings, please visit cottagehealth.org.

If you're already a Cottage Health employee, please apply on this link only.

Key Responsibilities

The Licensed Clinical Social Worker performs bio-psycho-social assessments, care coordination, and clinical interventions for complex patients. They are also responsible for program development and discharge planning while ensuring adherence to the organization's patient-first philosophy.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient advocacyCrisis interventionHealthcare documentationMultidisciplinary collaboration

Social Worker Career Context

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedLicensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) median $95k (middle half $82k–$124k)30 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) listings in California750 active7,058 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Social Worker listings: 6% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 6% offer loan repayment750 active listings, Nov 2026
New Social Work listings2,430 in the last 30 days1,521 the 30 days before (+60%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Jobs

21 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

18 jobs · 15 employers
5
<$105k
4
$105k-125k
4
$125k-145k
4
$145k-165k
1
$175k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

16 jobs · 15 employers
401k / retirement match
94%
Sign-on bonus
50%
CME allowance
38%
Loan repayment
6%
Relocation assistance
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

LCSW Clinical Supervisor - Leadership Track

Ellie Mental Health - 128 · McLean, Virginia

$61-$84/hr
#2

LCSW III

Sutter Health · Sacramento, California, United States

$53.36-$74.7/hr
#3

LCSW Clinician

$65-$73.16/hr
#4

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Full Time, Day)

$58.21-$70.76/hr
+ 19 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 2,010 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
Cottage Health logo

About Cottage Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Santa Barbara, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Shift differentials
On-call pay
Incentive pay
Bonus opportunities
Management incentive program

Living in Santa Barbara

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.90M
Typical market rent
$3,642/mo
Residents’ average commute
17 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.8
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.