Practical, verified tools for social workers and counselors who need the answer now, not the lecture.
A working reference for direct practice. The theories under the work, the modalities used in session, screeners you can score on the spot, group plans you can run this week, printable handouts, licensing and supervision rules for your state cited by number, and a filterable resource directory with phone numbers that actually connect.
Start Here
Pick a door. Whatever is going on right now, the part of Groundwork that handles it is one click away, filters already set.
TIP
Two shortcuts worth knowing: the search box at the top searches every section at once, and in Client Resources you can filter to a category and area, then print the result as a client handout.
Foundations & Ethics
Standardized · kept fixed
The NASW Code of Ethics names six core values, each paired with a governing principle. These sit under everything else in Groundwork.
Core Value
Service
Social workers' primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems.
Core Value
Social Justice
Social workers challenge social injustice, pursuing change on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed people and groups.
Core Value
Dignity & Worth of the Person
Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person, mindful of individual differences and cultural diversity.
Core Value
Importance of Human Relationships
Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships and engage people as partners in the helping process.
Core Value
Integrity
Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner, acting honestly and responsibly on behalf of the profession.
Core Value
Competence
Social workers practice within their areas of competence and continually develop and enhance their professional expertise.
SRC
Source: NASW Code of Ethics. The 2021 revision is still the current version; NASW has not issued a newer one. Read the full code for the standards under each value, not just the headline version above.
Practice in small towns and rural counties
NASW
Standard 1.06(c), under Conflicts of Interest, is the one that governs this: “Social workers should not engage in dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client. In instances when dual or multiple relationships are unavoidable, social workers should take steps to protect clients and are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries.” Read the second sentence carefully. The Code does not pretend overlap can always be avoided.
Small Town
Overlap is not the violation
The test in 1.06(c) is risk of exploitation or harm, not the existence of a second relationship. Someone trained in an urban program may arrive believing any overlap is misconduct. That reading is not what the Code says, and it is not survivable in a county where the clinician, the client, and the client's employer all attend the same three churches.
The real duty
Where overlap is unavoidable, you owe the client clear boundaries you have actually thought about, not avoidance you cannot deliver.
Small Town
Settle the grocery store question early
Ask at intake how the client wants you to handle running into them in public. Some want a normal greeting, some want to be passed without acknowledgment, and the difference matters enormously to them.
Why at intake
Deciding in the aisle puts the burden on the client in the exact moment they are least prepared for it. Deciding in advance makes it your plan rather than their scramble. Let the client set the rule, and follow whatever they choose.
Small Town
“Just refer out” is often not available
Standard advice assumes another qualified provider exists nearby. In much of the Hill Country the realistic alternatives are a two-hour drive, a months-long waitlist, or nothing.
What to do instead
Refusing service is not automatically the ethical choice; it can be the more harmful one. If you proceed, document what the overlap is, what specific boundaries you set, why referral was not viable, and that you sought consultation. That record is what distinguishes a considered decision from an unexamined one.
Small Town
Confidentiality leaks through context
Your records can be airtight while confidentiality still fails. A car parked in a driveway, another client in a four-chair waiting room, or a front desk staffed by someone's cousin gives away more than a file ever would.
Worth planning
Where people park, how the waiting area is arranged, whether appointments can be spaced so clients do not overlap, and who on staff is related to whom. None of that is in a HIPAA policy, and all of it determines whether people come in the door.
Small Town
Your self-disclosure is often involuntary
In a town of a few thousand, clients arrive already knowing your family, your church, your divorce, and where you worked before. The blank-screen posture is not available to you.
The shift
The question stops being “what do I disclose” and becomes “what do I do with what they already know.” Pretending otherwise reads as evasive and costs you credibility you will need later.
Small Town
When you cannot add distance, add oversight
Consultation is the practical substitute for the separation you cannot create. It is also your evidence that you treated the risk seriously rather than getting used to it.
Bring it up before it is a problem
Raise overlaps with your supervisor when you notice them, not when they become uncomfortable. A dual relationship discussed in supervision in month one looks very different from the same relationship discovered in month nine.
Small Town
Watch accumulation, not the single overlap
One connection is usually manageable with a clear boundary. Risk compounds when they stack up: you are her counselor, her son's coach, and her landlord's sister-in-law at the same time.
Ask periodically
Not “is there an overlap here,” which will almost always be yes, but “how many are there now, and could I still act in this client's interest if one of them turned adversarial?”
DV Practice
In DV work the overlap can include the person causing harm
In a small county the person your client is leaving may be someone you know socially, someone your agency has served, or someone related to a coworker. This is not rare and it is not something to manage privately.
Take it up the chain
Disclose it to your supervisor immediately so the agency can decide about reassignment, information barriers, and safety. Handling it quietly to avoid awkwardness is how confidentiality breaches and safety failures happen, and it puts the risk on the client rather than on the organization where it belongs.
Your state's rules of conduct
The Code above is the profession's. Each state also writes its own conduct rules into law, and those are what a licensing board disciplines under. Where the two differ, the state rule is the one with the license attached.
The NASW Code and the small-town cards apply everywhere. Choose a state for the conduct rules its board enforces. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
STATE
Pick your state above. Each state's board enforces its own conduct rules: what counts as a prohibited relationship, how sexual misconduct and impairment are defined, what you must report and when, and what a record must contain. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
TX
Where the Texas rules come from. Subchapter B, Rules of Practice, of the Behavioral Health Executive Council's consolidated social work rulebook dated 25 March 2026 (22 TAC Chapter 781, sections 781.301 to 781.323). These are enforceable rules; any violation is defined as unethical conduct and grounds for discipline (781.301). The NASW Code above is the profession's ethics; this is the law you are licensed under.
The Code of Conduct in one card
TX
Rule 781.301 lists thirteen duties, and every one is a licensing matter. Do not refuse service on the basis of age, gender, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or political affiliation. Report your services and credentials truthfully. Offer only what you are competent to do. Base every service on an assessment, evaluation, or diagnosis. Give a clear description of services, schedules, fees, and billing at the start. Safeguard confidentiality within the law. Set and keep professional boundaries. No sexual contact with a client or anyone who has been a client. Do not practice while impaired. Do not exploit the position of trust. Evaluate progress continuously and use supervision and consultation. Refer what you cannot meet, and terminate when continuing is no longer in the client's interest.
Boundaries and relationships, as the Council defines them
Dual RelationshipsTexas
The people you may not treat
Rule 781.304(l) is flatter than NASW 1.06(c): a licensee shall not provide social work services to previous or current family members, personal friends, educational or business associates, or individuals whose welfare might be jeopardized by a dual or multiple relationship. Where a dual relationship develops anyway, 781.304(q) puts the responsibility for the client's safety on you, and 781.304(r) bars non-professional relationships with a client's family members or associates where you knew or should have known it could harm the client.
How this sits with the small-town cards above
The NASW test is risk of harm. The Texas rule names categories that are off the table regardless: family, friends, and business or school associates. Overlap with the wider community is the 1.06(c) question; overlap with those categories is a rule violation.
Gifts & MoneyTexas
Twenty-five dollars, and no lending in either direction
A licensee may not accept from or give to a client any gift worth more than $25, and must follow a stricter employer policy if one exists (781.304(m)). Neither you nor your relatives to the fourth degree may borrow or lend money or items of value to a client or the client's relatives to the fourth degree (781.304(n)). Business relationships with clients are prohibited outright (781.304(c)), and bartering, where a client must, has to be agreed in advance and not exceed customary charges (781.303(8)).
Sexual MisconductTexas
No consent defense, no termination defense, and a duty to report other providers
Sexual contact, sexual exploitation, and therapeutic deception with a client, a former client, a supervisee, or a student are prohibited (781.305(b), (c)). It is no defense that the person consented, that services had ended first, that the person was no longer dependent, or that it happened away from the office (781.305(d), (e)). The rule also lists conduct that counts as exploitation when done for sexual purposes, from sexual comments to requesting a date.
The reporting duty
If a client alleges, or you have reasonable cause to suspect, sexual exploitation by another licensee or mental health provider, you must report within 30 days to the prosecuting attorney in the county where it occurred and to the Council or the provider's licensing agency, after telling the client of the duty and asking whether they want anonymity (781.305(f); Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 81).
Concurrent CareTexas
Do not treat someone another provider is treating, without that provider knowing
Rule 781.303(1): no knowingly providing services to someone concurrently receiving services from another mental health provider except with that provider's knowledge. If you learn of it, immediately request a release from the client to inform the other provider and work toward a collaborative relationship.
TerminationTexas
Ending it means three names
You must terminate when it is reasonably clear the client is not benefiting, and where further services are indicated you must take reasonable steps to facilitate transfer by giving the client the name and contact information of three sources of service (781.303(2)). Persistent or flagrant over-treatment is a separate violation (781.303(4)).
ConsentTexas
Written consent, and a copy of whatever gives the adult the right to sign
The client or a legally authorized representative must sign a consent for services, and where someone signs for a minor or ward you obtain and keep the relevant portions of the court order, divorce decree, power of attorney, or letters of guardianship that authorize it (781.303(9)). Before services begin and as they progress, the client must know your qualifications, any intent to delegate, any restrictions on your license, the limits of confidentiality, and the fees (781.303(7)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityTexas
A release has six required parts and a twelve-month shelf life
Communications and records are confidential under Health and Safety Code Chapters 181 and 611 and HIPAA (781.311(a), (b)). A written release must be dated and carry the client's name and identifying information, the purpose, the recipient, the length of time it is valid, and the signature and date of the client or guardian (781.311(d)). It lives in the permanent record and must be reviewed and updated at least every twelve months (781.311(e)).
ReportingTexas
Four reporting statutes the rule binds you to
Rule 781.311(f) requires reports under Family Code Chapter 261 (abuse or neglect of minors), Human Resources Code Chapter 48 (elderly or disabled persons), Health and Safety Code 161.131 and following (abuse, neglect, and unethical conduct in inpatient mental health, chemical dependency, and rehabilitation facilities), and Civil Practice and Remedies Code 81.006 (sexual exploitation by a provider). Timelines and detail are in Crisis & Safety.
Disclosure Without ConsentTexas
Imminent risk: medical or law enforcement personnel only
Rule 781.311(g): where you determine that a client or others are at imminent risk of physical injury, or a client is at immediate risk of mental or emotional injury, you may take reasonable action to inform only medical or law enforcement personnel, under Health and Safety Code Chapter 611. This is permission, not a duty, and it does not extend to the potential victim.
RecordsTexas
What the record must contain, and for how long
Accurate, legible records of dates of service, types of service, progress or case notes, intake assessment, treatment plan, and billing (781.309(1)); kept seven years after termination for adults or until five years past age 18 for minors, whichever is greater (781.309(4)); retained and disposed of confidentially (781.309(2)); with a written explanation of treatment and charges on every bill (781.309(5)).
ImpairmentTexas
Impairment is a conduct rule
Providing services while impaired by physical or mental health, a medical condition, medication, drugs, or alcohol violates 781.301(10), and using alcohol or drugs in ways that compromise your ability to practice violates 781.308.
Duty to the CouncilTexas
You report violations, unlicensed practice, and your own bad advertising
A social worker shall report alleged misrepresentations or violations of the chapter to the Council (781.312(b)), must report knowledge of unlicensed practice (781.303(5)), and must correct and report false or misleading statements made about their own services or qualifications (781.304(i)). Evaluating anyone's mental condition without a personal interview requires disclosing that fact in the evaluation (781.303(3)).
TX
Technology changes nothing. Services delivered by technology are subject to every rule and statute as if delivered face to face (781.323), and electronic practice with clients located in Texas requires a Texas license (781.304(k)).
CA
Where the California rules come from. Business and Professions Code (BPC) §4992.3, the statutory list of unprofessional conduct, 16 CCR §1881, the Board's regulation adding to it, and the related sections of the Board of Behavioral Sciences' Statutes and Regulations, January 2026 edition. California has no separate code of conduct; the ethics that can cost you the license live in the unprofessional-conduct list.
Unprofessional conduct, as the statute defines it
CA
BPC §4992.3 is the list the Board disciplines from. Twenty-nine lettered grounds, among them: incompetence and gross negligence; misrepresenting your license, education, or affiliations; aiding unlicensed practice; intentionally or recklessly causing physical or emotional harm to a client; sexual relations with a client or a former client within two years of termination; practicing beyond the scope of the license or of your own competence; failing to keep confidentiality; failing to disclose the fee before treatment; paying or accepting anything for referrals; false advertising; publishing test materials; any violation of the supervision laws; failing to keep records consistent with sound clinical judgment; and failing to make child abuse or elder and dependent adult abuse reports.
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductCalifornia
Two years after termination, and revocation with no stay
Sexual relations with a client, or with a former client within two years of the termination date, soliciting sexual relations, and sexual abuse or misconduct with a client are all unprofessional conduct (BPC §4992.3(l)). Where a disciplinary decision finds sexual contact with a patient, or with a former patient when the relationship was ended primarily to make that contact, the Board shall revoke the license, and neither the judge nor the Board may stay the revocation (§4992.33).
Sexual MisconductCalifornia
When a client reports a previous therapist, you hand them the brochure
Any psychotherapist who learns from a client that the client alleges sexual intercourse, sexual behavior, or sexual contact with a previous psychotherapist during prior treatment must give the client the state's brochure on clients' rights and remedies, and must discuss it with the client. Failing to do so is unprofessional conduct (BPC §728). The brochure, Therapy Never Includes Sexual Behavior, is on the Board's consumer pages in English and Spanish.
Disclose the fee first; never pay or take anything for a referral
Failing to disclose the fee, or the basis on which it will be computed, before treatment begins is unprofessional conduct (BPC §4992.3(o)). So is paying, accepting, or soliciting any consideration for the referral of clients; all payment must relate to services you actually provided, and collaboration between licensees may not be billed unless that fee was disclosed up front (§4992.3(p)).
Dual RelationshipsCalifornia
No list of forbidden relationships, but three rules that reach the same place
California's statute does not enumerate family, friends, or business associates the way Texas does. The conduct it names instead: intentionally or recklessly causing physical or emotional harm to a client (§4992.3(j)), any dishonest, corrupt, or fraudulent act substantially related to the profession (§4992.3(k)), and gross negligence measured against the standard of conduct of the profession (§4992.3(e)), which is where NASW 1.06(c) enters as the standard. Supervisors may not supervise a spouse or relative, or anyone whose relationship undermines the supervision (§4996.20(a)(6), (7)).
CompetenceCalifornia
Scope of competence is its own ground
Performing, or holding yourself out as able to perform, mental health services beyond your competence as established by education, training, or experience is unprofessional conduct (BPC §4992.3(t)), separate from practicing beyond the scope of the license (§4992.3(m)). Letting a supervisee do either is a ground against the supervisor (§4992.3(u); 16 CCR §1881(b)).
ImpairmentCalifornia
Substance use that impairs practice, and a mandatory denial for using drugs at work
Using controlled substances, dangerous drugs, or alcohol to a degree that is dangerous to yourself, the public, or a client, or that impairs your ability to practice safely, is unprofessional conduct, and the Board shall deny or revoke where a person uses or offers to use drugs in the course of performing clinical social work (BPC §4992.3(c)). The Board may also refuse to license where an applicant may be unable to practice safely due to mental illness or chemical dependency (§4992.35).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityCalifornia
Everything received in confidence, including test results
Failure to maintain the confidentiality of all information received from a client in confidence during treatment, and all information about the client obtained from tests or other means, is unprofessional conduct except where disclosure is required or permitted by law (BPC §4992.3(n)). Telehealth adds its own duties under §2290.5 and 16 CCR §1815.5, and a willful violation of the patient-access-to-records chapter of the Health and Safety Code is a listed ground (§4992.3(z)).
ReportingCalifornia
Two reporting statutes are conduct grounds in their own right
Failing to comply with the child abuse reporting requirements of Penal Code §11166, or the elder and dependent adult abuse reporting requirements of Welfare and Institutions Code §15630, is unprofessional conduct (BPC §4992.3(x), (y)). Timelines are in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsCalifornia
Sound clinical judgment, seven years, and fifteen days for the Board
Records must be consistent with sound clinical judgment, the standards of the profession, and the nature of the services (BPC §4992.3(w)), and kept seven years from termination, or seven years past age 18 for a minor (§4993). When the Board lawfully requests records you have 15 days, or the time in the request if longer, unless there is good cause (16 CCR §1881(c)).
Duty to the BoardCalifornia
Thirty days to report convictions and out-of-state discipline
You must report to the Board within 30 days any felony or misdemeanor conviction (guilty verdict, guilty plea, or no contest) and any disciplinary action by another licensing authority, state, federal agency, or the military (16 CCR §1881(e)), and must provide arrest documentation within 30 days of a request (§1881(f)). Failing to cooperate with a Board investigation is itself unprofessional conduct, without waiving any constitutional right (§1881(d)).
NoticeCalifornia
The written Notice to Clients
Before starting psychotherapy, or as soon as practicable after, every client receives a written notice in at least 12-point type that the Board receives complaints about clinical social work services, with the Board's web address and phone number, and since 1 July 2025 your full name as filed, license type and number, and expiration date. Delivery is documented (BPC §4996.75).
AdvertisingCalifornia
Name as filed, full title or LCSW, license number
Every advertisement carries your name as filed with the Board, the complete license title or LCSW, and the license number; ASWs add their employer and that they are supervised (16 CCR §1811, effective 1 April 2026). Advertising that is false, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive under BPC §651 is unprofessional conduct (§4992.3(q)).
FL
Where the Florida rules come from. Section 491.009, Florida Statutes, the grounds for discipline; sections 491.0111, 491.0112, 491.0147, and 491.0149; and Board rules 64B4-5.001 (disciplinary guidelines, effective 1 January 2026), 64B4-9.001 and 9.002 (records), and 64B4-10.002 and 10.003 (sexual misconduct; 10.003 amended 2 March 2026), read from flrules.org. Florida also disciplines under the general health-professions grounds in section 456.072.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute defines them
FL
F.S. 491.009(1) lists 23 grounds, and the Board publishes a fine and penalty range for each. Among them: obtaining a license by fraud; false or misleading advertising, or promising results; practicing under a name other than your own; maintaining a professional association with someone you know is violating the chapter; aiding unlicensed practice; filing a false report or failing to file a required one; kickbacks, self-referral for services already paid for by another entity, and reciprocal referral agreements; sexual misconduct; soliciting clients through fraud, intimidation, or undue influence; refusing a client copies of tests and reports they paid for; not responding to the Department within 30 days; inability to practice from illness or substance use; experimentation without informed written consent; falling below prevailing peer standards; delegating to the unqualified; and breaching confidentiality except as 491.0147 allows.
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductFlorida
A crime as well as a licensing matter
Sexual misconduct with a client, or with a former client where the relationship was ended primarily to engage in sexual contact, is a third-degree felony, a second-degree felony on a repeat or where therapeutic deception is used, and the client's consent is no defense (F.S. 491.0112). The Board's definition reaches any behavior intended to be sexually arousing, including kissing and touching through clothing, and encouraging sexual conduct with a third party outside a planned treatment for a diagnosed sexual dysfunction (64B4-10.002 F.A.C.).
Sexual MisconductFlorida
"Former client" is decided case by case, and time alone does not end it
A person is presumed to remain a client until the relationship is terminated, and the mere passage of time since the last visit does not decide it. The Board weighs formal termination, transfer to another therapist, the length of the relationship, how much the client confided, the nature of the problem, and the client's emotional dependence (64B4-10.003(2), (3) F.A.C.). Sexual contact with a former client is prohibited at any time if it would be exploitative or detrimental, or exploits the trust, knowledge, or influence of the professional relationship (10.003(4)). A client's consent or initiation changes nothing (10.003(5)).
Referrals & FeesFlorida
Kickbacks, self-referral, and reciprocal referral agreements
Paying or receiving any kickback, rebate, bonus, or remuneration for a referral, referring a client to yourself for fee-paid services already being paid for by a public or private entity, and entering a reciprocal referral agreement are each grounds for discipline (F.S. 491.009(1)(j)); the general health-professions statute treats kickbacks as patient brokering (456.054). Obtaining a fee on a promise of guaranteed results is a separate ground (491.009(1)(d)).
Dual RelationshipsFlorida
No enumerated list; the peer-performance standard does the work
Florida's grounds do not name family, friends, or business associates. The standard that reaches dual relationships is failing to meet the minimum standards of performance in professional activities when measured against generally prevailing peer performance (F.S. 491.009(1)(r)), which is where NASW 1.06(c) and the profession's own standards are applied. Soliciting clients through undue influence or overreaching is its own ground (491.009(1)(m)).
CompetenceFlorida
Undertaking work you are not qualified for, or delegating it
Failing to meet prevailing peer standards includes undertaking activities for which you are not qualified by training or experience (F.S. 491.009(1)(r)), and delegating professional responsibilities to someone you know or should know is not qualified is a separate ground (491.009(1)(s)). Treatment that would constitute experimentation by prevailing standards requires full, informed, written consent first (491.009(1)(q)).
ImpairmentFlorida
The Department can compel an examination
Inability to practice with reasonable skill or competence because of a mental or physical condition, illness, drunkenness, or excessive use of drugs or any other substance is a ground, and on a probable-cause finding the Department may compel a mental or physical examination, enforceable in circuit court in a closed proceeding (F.S. 491.009(1)(p)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityFlorida
Privileged, with three waivers and one mandatory disclosure
Every communication with a client is confidential (F.S. 491.0147). The privilege may be waived when you are a defendant in an action the client brought, when the client (or every family member in family therapy) agrees in writing, and when the client has made a specific threat against an identified person and you judge they can carry it out imminently, in which case you may tell the potential victim. Where that clinical judgment is made, disclosure to law enforcement is mandatory (491.0147(2)); details in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsFlorida
What the record contains, and seven years after last contact
A psychotherapy record holds the client's identifying details, session dates, treatment plan and results, diagnosis if applicable, every financial transaction including fees assessed and collected, consent documentation, releases, legal forms, and every contact with other professionals about the client (64B4-9.002(2) F.A.C.). Full records are kept seven years after the last contact (64B4-9.001(2)). Clients who paid for tests, reports, or documents are entitled to copies on written request (F.S. 491.009(1)(n)).
ReportingFlorida
Failing to file a required report is a licensing violation
Willfully making a false report, failing to file a report required by state or federal law, or impeding one, is a ground for discipline (F.S. 491.009(1)(i)), and failing to perform any statutory obligation placed on a licensee is another (491.009(1)(h)). The child and vulnerable adult reporting statutes are in Crisis & Safety.
Duty to the BoardFlorida
Thirty days to answer, and associations with violators
Failing to respond within 30 days to a written communication from the Department or Board about an investigation, or failing to make relevant records available, is a ground (F.S. 491.009(1)(o)). So is maintaining a professional association with anyone you know or have reason to believe is violating the chapter or the rules (491.009(1)(f)).
TitlesFlorida
Your own name, your license on the wall, LCSW on the materials
Practicing or advertising under a name other than your own is a ground for discipline (F.S. 491.009(1)(e)); the license must be displayed at each practice location and "licensed clinical social worker" or "LCSW" must appear on all promotional material naming you (491.0149). The penalty ranges for every ground are published in 64B4-5.001 F.A.C.
Where the Washington rules come from. RCW 18.130.180, the Uniform Disciplinary Act's list of unprofessional conduct that applies to every health profession the Department of Health regulates; the counselor-specific rules in Chapter 246-809 WAC (sexual misconduct, reporting, records, disclosure); and the Department-wide rules in Chapter 246-16 WAC, all read from the Legislature's site.
Unprofessional conduct, as the statute defines it
WA
RCW 18.130.180 lists thirty grounds, and they apply to social workers as health care providers. Among them: any act of moral turpitude, dishonesty, or corruption relating to the profession, whether or not it is a crime; false or misleading advertising; incompetence, negligence, or malpractice that injures a client or creates an unreasonable risk of harm; violating any statute or rule regulating the profession; failing to cooperate with the Department; aiding unlicensed practice; practicing beyond scope; failing to supervise auxiliary staff; willful betrayal of the practitioner-patient privilege; current misuse of alcohol, controlled substances, or legend drugs; abuse of a client or sexual contact with a client; accepting more than a nominal gratuity from vendors; and performing conversion therapy on anyone under eighteen.
Boundaries and relationships, as the Department enforces them
Sexual MisconductWashington
Never, with a current or former client, inside or outside the office
The Department-wide sexual misconduct rule (WAC 246-16-100) lists twenty-one behaviors, from intercourse and kissing to soliciting a date, discussing your own sexual history, or suggesting a relationship after treatment ends, and bars them with current clients and, for most professions, former clients for two years. For licensed counselors and associates the counselor rule removes the two-year limit entirely: a licensed counselor or associate shall never engage or attempt to engage in those activities with a current or former client or key party (WAC 246-809-049). Client consent or initiation does not excuse it (246-16-100(7)).
Key PartiesWashington
The rule reaches the client's family too
The prohibition covers "key parties," the people close to the client, not only the client (WAC 246-16-100(1); 246-809-049). Terminating a professional relationship for the purpose of dating or pursuing a romantic relationship is itself listed misconduct (246-16-100(1)(n)).
Dual RelationshipsWashington
No enumerated list; negligence and abuse are the grounds
Washington's statute does not name family, friends, or business associates. Dual relationships are reached through incompetence, negligence, or malpractice creating an unreasonable risk of harm (RCW 18.130.180(4)), abuse of a client (18.130.180(23)), and moral turpitude or dishonesty relating to the profession (18.130.180(1)), with NASW 1.06(c) as the professional standard. The supervision rule adds its own exclusions: no supervising a relative, cohabitant, peer, or recent therapy client (WAC 246-809-334(2)).
GratuitiesWashington
Vendor gifts and the anti-rebate law
Accepting more than a nominal gratuity, hospitality, or subsidy from a vendor of health-related products or services, where a conflict of interest is presented, is unprofessional conduct (RCW 18.130.180(24)), and a violation of the anti-rebate chapter, RCW 19.68, is a listed ground (18.130.180(20)).
CompetenceWashington
Scope, supervision of staff, and secret methods
Practice beyond the scope defined by law or rule (RCW 18.130.180(12)), failure to adequately supervise auxiliary staff to the point that a consumer's health or safety is at risk (18.130.180(14)), promoting an unnecessary or inefficacious treatment for personal gain (18.130.180(16)), and treating by a secret method you refuse to divulge to the Department (18.130.180(18)) are each grounds.
ImpairmentWashington
Current misuse is the ground
Current misuse of alcohol, controlled substances, or legend drugs is unprofessional conduct (RCW 18.130.180(22)), as is practicing while suffering from a contagious disease involving serious public risk (18.130.180(15)). Reports of impairment without patient harm may go to an approved impaired-practitioner program instead of the Department (WAC 246-16-220(1)(b)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityWashington
Willful betrayal of privilege
The willful betrayal of a practitioner-patient privilege recognized by law is unprofessional conduct (RCW 18.130.180(19)). The disclosure statement you give every client at the start of treatment must describe the extent of confidentiality the chapter provides (RCW 18.225.100).
ReportingWashington
Child and vulnerable adult reports, and telling your supervisor
All licensed counselors and associates shall immediately report child abuse or neglect under Chapter 26.44 RCW, and suspected abandonment, abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult under Chapter 74.34 RCW, on reasonable cause; an associate must tell their approved supervisor of any report filed (WAC 246-809-040). Timelines are in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingWashington
Reporting another provider: thirty days, to the Department
Reports required by the Department's mandatory reporting rules go to the Department of Health no later than thirty calendar days after actual knowledge (WAC 246-16-220(3)), and no later than twenty days after a determination is made under the counselor chapter (WAC 246-809-060). A report to a national data bank or an impaired-practitioner program does not substitute where a patient has been harmed (246-16-220(1)).
RecordsWashington
Five years, a signed disclosure in every file, and a plan for the end
Records must hold the client's name, fee arrangement and payments, session dates, the signed and dated disclosure statement, presenting problem or diagnosis, consults, and progress notes, and be kept five years after the last visit with limited access (WAC 246-809-035). A client may request in writing that no treatment records be kept, and you may agree unless another law requires them. You must make provisions for records if you go out of business, die, or become incapacitated.
Duty to the DepartmentWashington
Cooperate, comply, and do not interfere
Failing to furnish records, a full written explanation of a complaint, or access for practice reviews, and failing to respond to subpoenas, are grounds (RCW 18.130.180(8)); so is failing to comply with an order or stipulation (18.130.180(9)), and interfering with an investigation by misrepresentation, threats, or inducements to witnesses (18.130.180(21)).
DisclosureWashington
The disclosure statement is a conduct rule, not a courtesy
Failing to provide the required client disclosure information is a basis for discipline (WAC 246-809-720). The statement covers your license number, methods and orientation, education and training, course of treatment, cost and billing practices, the right to refuse treatment and choose a practitioner, and the Department's complaint contact, signed and dated by both of you (RCW 18.225.100; WAC 246-809-710).
NY
Where the New York rules come from. Rules of the Board of Regents Part 29: section 29.1 (all professions), 29.2 (health professions, which lists social work), and 29.16 (social work), read from op.nysed.gov in September 2026, with Education Law Article 154. New York has no free-standing social work code of conduct; the Regents Rules define unprofessional conduct and the Board of Regents disciplines under Education Law §6509 and §6511.
Unprofessional conduct, as the Regents define it
NY
Regents Rule 29.1 applies to every licensed profession, and 29.2 adds the health-profession rules. Among the 29.1 grounds: willful or grossly negligent failure to comply with laws governing the profession; undue influence on a client, including promoting sales that exploit the client for financial gain; any fee or consideration for a referral; fee-splitting with anyone but a partner, employee, associate, professional subcontractor, or authorized trainee; conduct evidencing moral unfitness; filing a false report or failing to file a required one; refusing a client copies of documents they paid for; revealing personally identifiable information without consent except as the law allows; practicing beyond scope or without required supervision; delegating to the unqualified; performing services the client did not authorize; advertising that is not in the public interest; and failing to respond to the Department within 30 days. Rule 29.2 adds abandonment, harassment or abuse of a client, record-keeping, supervision of those who need it, and more.
Boundaries and relationships, as the Regents enforce them
Sexual MisconductNew York
Moral unfitness, abuse, and undue influence
New York's Regents Rules do not name sexual contact in a social work-specific section. Sexual contact with a client is reached as conduct evidencing moral unfitness to practice (29.1(b)(5)), willful harassment, abuse, or intimidation of a client (29.2(a)(2)), and exercising undue influence on a client (29.1(b)(2)), and the Board of Regents disciplines under Education Law §6509. There is no two-year window written into the social work rule; the standard is the profession's, which NASW 1.09 sets at no sexual contact with current clients and a presumption against former clients.
Dual RelationshipsNew York
No enumerated list; undue influence and moral unfitness do the work
The Regents Rules do not name family, friends, or business associates. Dual relationships are reached through undue influence and exploitation for financial gain (29.1(b)(2)), moral unfitness (29.1(b)(5)), and the profession's standard of care under NASW 1.06(c). The Office of the Professions states plainly that a supervisor may not have a familial relationship with the supervisee, and that such dual relationships may be charged as unprofessional conduct.
FeesNew York
Referral fees and fee-splitting, including percentage rent
Directly or indirectly offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving any fee for the referral of a client is unprofessional conduct (29.1(b)(3)). So is permitting anyone outside the practice to share in professional fees, and the rule expressly treats rent or personnel charges calculated as a percentage of the licensee's receipts as fee-splitting (29.1(b)(4)). Exploiting a client through the promotion of sales is a separate ground (29.1(b)(2)).
AbandonmentNew York
Ending it without arrangements is abandonment
Abandoning or neglecting a client under and in need of immediate professional care without making reasonable arrangements for the continuation of that care is unprofessional conduct, and so is abandoning a professional employment with a facility without reasonable notice where it seriously impairs the delivery of care (29.2(a)(1)).
CompetenceNew York
Beyond scope, beyond competence, or without required supervision
Practicing or offering to practice beyond the scope permitted by law, accepting responsibilities you know or should know you are not competent to perform, and performing services you may only perform under supervision without that supervision (except in a life-or-health emergency) are each unprofessional conduct (29.1(b)(9)). Delegating to someone not qualified by training, experience, or licensure is another (29.1(b)(10)).
ScopeNew York
Two things a social worker may never do
Regents Rule 29.16, tracking Education Law §7708: prescribing or administering drugs as a treatment, therapy, or professional service, or using invasive procedures, meaning any procedure in which human tissue is cut, altered, or infiltrated, including surgery, lasers, ionizing radiation, therapeutic ultrasound, and electroconvulsive therapy.
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityNew York
Personally identifiable information, without consent
Revealing personally identifiable facts, data, or information obtained in a professional capacity without the client's prior consent, except as authorized or required by law, is unprofessional conduct (29.1(b)(8)). The disclosures the law authorizes when a client presents a danger are in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingNew York
Failing to file a required report is a licensing violation
Willfully making or filing a false report, failing to file a report required by law or by the Department, willfully impeding a filing, or inducing another to do so, is unprofessional conduct (29.1(b)(6)). Social workers are mandated child abuse reporters under Social Services Law §413; the timelines are in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsNew York
Six years, minors to 22, and copies on request
A record for each client that accurately reflects evaluation and treatment, kept at least six years, and for minors at least six years and until one year past age 21 (29.2(a)(3)). Copies of documents prepared for and paid for by the client must be made available on request (29.1(b)(7)).
ConsentNew York
Services the client did not authorize
Performing professional services that have not been duly authorized by the client or the client's legal representative is unprofessional conduct (29.1(b)(11)). Ordering treatment or excessive use of facilities not warranted by the client's condition is a ground under 29.2(a).
Duty to the DepartmentNew York
Thirty days to answer the Department
Failing to respond within 30 days to written communications from the Education Department or the Department of Health, and to make relevant records available on an inquiry or complaint, is unprofessional conduct (29.1(b)(13)); the clock starts at personal delivery or the return-receipt date. Violating any term of probation imposed by the Board of Regents is a further ground (29.1(b)(14)).
Continuing EducationNew York
CE records are a conduct matter
Failing to provide documentation of completed continuing education on the Department's request is an act of misconduct subject to disciplinary proceedings (Education Law §7710(2)(d)), and practicing after a registration is denied for a CE shortfall is disciplinable (§7710(3)).
PA
Where the Pennsylvania rules come from. Section 11 of the Act (63 P.S. §1911), the grounds for discipline, and the Board's Code of Ethical Practice and Standards of Professional Conduct at 49 Pa. Code §§47.61 to 47.80, read from pacodeandbulletin.gov in September 2026. Pennsylvania is unusual in one respect: the Board formally subscribes to the NASW Code of Ethics, the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work's standards, and ASWB's Model Practice Act, and requires licensees to follow them except where Chapter 47 says otherwise (§47.71). The NASW Code is therefore enforceable here, not merely aspirational.
Grounds for discipline, as the Act defines them
PA
Section 11(a) lists eight grounds, and the Board can refuse, suspend, revoke, limit, or restrict a license or issue a reprimand on any of them: conviction of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, including probation without verdict and accelerated rehabilitative disposition; immoral or unprofessional conduct, defined as any departure from or failure to conform to the standards of acceptable and prevailing practice, with no need to prove actual injury; violating the Board's standards of practice or conduct; false credentials or statements on an application; a false or deceptive renewal; discipline by another jurisdiction; violating a Board regulation or order; and inability to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of illness, drunkenness, drugs, or any mental or physical condition, on which the Board can compel an examination and treat refusal as an admission (Act §11(a)(1) to (8)). The Board may also suspend temporarily without a hearing on an immediate and clear danger, with a preliminary hearing within 30 days (§11(d)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductPennsylvania
Seven years, and the client's family too
Sexual intimacies with a current client, or with an immediate family member of a current client, are prohibited outright (§47.61). With a former client, or a former client's immediate family member, they are prohibited for seven years after the professional relationship ends (§47.63(a)), the longest fixed window on this site; only Washington, whose bar never ends, goes further. After seven years the conduct is still barred if it is exploitive, judged on the time elapsed, the nature and length of the relationship, how it ended, the client's vulnerabilities and current mental status, anything said during treatment that invited a later relationship, and the likely impact (§47.63(b)).
Sexual MisconductPennsylvania
What "sexual intimacies" means, and what consent is worth
The definition reaches romantic, sexually suggestive, sexually demeaning, or erotic behavior: intercourse or intimate touching, nontherapeutic sexual or romantic communication, sexual invitations, soliciting or accepting a date, and kissing, hugging, or self-disclosure of a sexual nature (§47.1). Consent by the client or family member is no defense (§47.64(b)), evidence of the client's past sexual conduct is inadmissible (§47.64(c)), and a licensee disciplined for it is ineligible for the impaired professional program instead of discipline (§47.65).
Sexual MisconductPennsylvania
Former sexual partners cannot become clients
A licensee may not accept as a client anyone with whom they have engaged in sexual intimacies (§47.62). The rule runs in both directions in time.
Dual RelationshipsPennsylvania
Avoid them; where unavoidable, document the precautions
Dual or multiple relationships are interactions with a client, the client's romantic partner, or immediate family in more than one context, whether professional, social, or business, at the same time or in sequence (§47.73(a)). A licensee must avoid any that could impair judgment or increase the risk of exploitation, must weigh familial, social, emotional, financial, supervisory, political, administrative, and legal relationships before entering them, and where one cannot be avoided must take precautions such as informed consent, consultation, supervision, and documentation (§47.73(b)). The same standard covers supervisees and students.
ConflictsPennsylvania
Couples, families, and the custody case
When serving two or more people in a relationship, clarify who the client is and what you owe each person; where a conflict is foreseeable, such as being asked to testify in a custody or divorce matter involving your clients, clarify roles and act to minimize the conflict (§47.73(c)).
CompetencePennsylvania
The standard of care, and the duty to refer
Practice only within the competence your education, training, and experience support; keep current; meet the standard of what an ordinary, reasonable licensee would do; and where a client's needs exceed your competence, refer and facilitate an orderly transfer, promptly telling the client why (§47.72(a)). Delegating to someone you know is not qualified is its own violation (§47.72(c)).
ImpairmentPennsylvania
Stop, tell the client in writing, and hand off
A licensee whose objectivity or competence is or could reasonably be expected to be impaired by a mental, emotional, physiological, pharmacological, or substance use condition may not begin or continue a professional relationship; if it develops mid-treatment, the licensee terminates appropriately, notifies the client in writing, and helps them find another professional (§47.75). The Act separately lets the Board compel an examination and offers an impaired professional program (§11(a)(8), §15).
HarassmentPennsylvania
Supervisees, students, and colleagues are protected too
Sexual harassment of supervisees, students, trainees, employees, research subjects, or colleagues is unprofessional conduct, defined as unwelcome sexual advances or conduct that is made a condition of employment or academic standing, used as the basis for decisions, or creates a hostile environment (§47.74).
Conversion TherapyPennsylvania
On a minor, discipline
The Board's statement of policy says being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual is not a disorder, defines conversion therapy as any practice seeking to change sexual orientation or gender identity, and states that a licensee who uses it on a person under 18 may be found guilty of unethical, immoral, and unprofessional conduct and disciplined (§47.5). Affirming counseling, support, and identity exploration are expressly outside the definition.
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityPennsylvania
Consent, court order, statute, or clear and present danger
Confidential and private information is revealed only with the informed consent of the client or their legal representative, except where withholding it would violate a court order or a specific federal or state privacy statute, or would result in clear and present danger to the client or others; even then the client is told and written consent sought unless the situation makes that impossible (§47.72(d)(1)). Discuss the limits of confidentiality at the start and as needed; in couples, family, and group work, no individual's confidence is shared with the others without that person's written permission (§47.72(d)(2), (3)).
ReportingPennsylvania
Child abuse: immediate, to ChildLine, with 48 hours for the paper
Licensed social workers at every level are mandated reporters under 23 Pa.C.S. §6311; the Board restates the duty as its own rule, with an oral report to ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 followed by a written report within 48 hours, or an electronic report through the Child Welfare portal that satisfies both (§47.52). Failing to report is a conduct violation and a crime; the timelines and the adult side are in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingPennsylvania
You must report colleagues, and yourself within ten days
A licensee who has knowledge or reason to suspect that a colleague or other licensee is incompetent, impaired, or unethical shall report that practitioner to the Board, in a way that does not breach client confidentiality (§47.79(a)). Address changes go to the Board within 10 days (§47.15(a)(3)).
RecordsPennsylvania
Five years, accurate, and accessible
Records of dates, types, and details of service, termination, and billing, kept at least five years from the last entry, accurate and legible, with reasonable client access and only exceptional, documented limits on it (§47.78). Records held by government agencies and educational institutions are outside the retention rule.
TerminationPennsylvania
Notice and referral before you stop
Services end only after careful consideration of the effects, with notification and referral for continued care when an interruption or termination is anticipated (§47.72(e)(1)). Termination for nonpayment has three conditions, in Private Practice.
ConductPennsylvania
No abuse, threats, or derogatory language
Licensees may not physically or verbally abuse or threaten clients or their family members, and may not use derogatory language in written or verbal communication to or about clients (§47.72(g)). Compliance with federal and state anti-discrimination law is a conduct rule in its own right (§47.72(f)).
IL
Where the Illinois rules come from. Section 19 of the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act (225 ILCS 20/19), the grounds for discipline, and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.96, the Department's list of unethical, unauthorized, and unprofessional conduct, read from ilga.gov in September 2026. Illinois incorporates by reference the NASW Code of Ethics (2021 edition) and the Clinical Social Work Association Code of Ethics (2016) as standards the Department enforces (1470.96(b)).
Grounds for discipline, as the Act defines them
IL
Section 19(1) lists 22 grounds, (a) through (v), and each carries a fine of up to $10,000 per violation on top of refusal, suspension, revocation, probation, or reprimand. Among them: material misstatements to the Department or an insurer; violating the Act or rules; conviction of a felony, or of a misdemeanor involving dishonesty or directly related to practice; fraud in applying or renewing; professional incompetence; gross negligence; aiding unlicensed practice; failing to answer the Department within 60 days; dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct as the rules define it; substance use that impairs practice; discipline elsewhere on an equivalent ground; fees for services not rendered; violating probation; abandonment of a client without cause; false records; willfully failing to report suspected child abuse; being indicated as a perpetrator of child abuse; impairment that prevents safe practice; false advertising; self-referral violations; willfully failing to report abuse of an eligible adult; and being found an abuser under the Adult Protective Services Act (20/19(1)). A court finding that a licensee is subject to involuntary admission suspends the license automatically until the court discharges the person and the Board recommends resumption (20/19(3)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Department enforces them
Sexual MisconductIllinois
Clients, students, supervisees, and 24 months after termination
Any act of sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, or sexual relations with a client, patient, student, or supervisee, or with an ex-client within 24 months after termination of treatment, is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(9)). Beyond 24 months the NASW Code's standard applies through incorporation: a presumption against any sexual contact with former clients, with the burden on the social worker to show no exploitation (1470.96(b); NASW 1.09(c)).
Dual RelationshipsIllinois
Disclose them, and do not start where judgment is compromised
Entering a treatment relationship in which professional judgment may be compromised by prior association with or knowledge of a client is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(10)), and so is failing to disclose conflicts of interest, dual relationships, or obligations that might affect the client's decision to enter or continue treatment (1470.96(a)(13)). The NASW Code's 1.06 standard fills in the rest.
CompetenceIllinois
Beyond your competency is the first item on the list
Practicing or offering to practice beyond one's competency, meaning services and techniques for which one is not qualified by education, training, and experience, is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(1)); professional incompetence and gross negligence are separate statutory grounds (20/19(1)(e), (f)). Letting a trainee work beyond their training is a violation by the supervisor (1470.96(a)(11)).
ImpairmentIllinois
Impaired and still practicing
Knowingly providing services when your objectivity or effectiveness is impaired is unprofessional conduct, and a licensee who becomes impaired and unable to meet the standard of practice is subject to discipline if active practice continues; the rule names mood-altering chemicals and physical or mental problems as causes (1470.96(a)(15)). The Act adds habitual substance abuse and any impairment that prevents practice with reasonable judgment, skill, or safety (20/19(1)(j), (r)).
DiscriminationIllinois
An enumerated rule
Discriminating on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, political affiliation, social or economic status, choice of lifestyle, or sexual orientation is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(14)). The Act separately bars the Department from denying a license on those grounds (20/11(c)).
FeesIllinois
Kickbacks and fee-splitting, with two express exceptions
Giving or receiving any fee, commission, rebate, or compensation for a professional service not actually rendered, participating in illegal fee-splitting, or giving or accepting kickbacks for referrals, is unprofessional conduct; using a referral service that charges a fee, and agreeing to discount fees by contract, are not (1470.96(a)(6); 20/19(1)(l)).
ResearchIllinois
Serious after-effects must be disclosed and undone
Failing to inform prospective research subjects of potential serious after-effects, or failing to remove them as soon as the design permits, is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(4)).
ImpersonationIllinois
Your license is not lendable
Impersonating another licensee or allowing another person to use your license is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(7)); aiding or assisting another person to violate the Act is a statutory ground (20/19(1)(g)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityIllinois
Section 16: the exceptions are the whole list
Disclosure without written consent is a conduct violation except where Section 16 or the Confidentiality Act allows it (1470.96(a)(2)): consultation with colleagues bound by the same duty, a representative's consent after death or disability, the client's waiver by bringing public charges, an adult protective services investigation, and a communication revealing an intended crime or harmful act where disclosure is judged necessary to protect any person from a clear, imminent risk of serious mental or physical harm (225 ILCS 20/16(1)). Everyone who has access to the records or works under the licensee's supervision is bound the same way (20/16(3)). The permitted disclosures when a client presents a danger are in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingIllinois
Two reporting statutes are grounds in their own right
Willfully failing to report suspected child abuse or neglect under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, and willfully failing to report abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or self-neglect of an eligible adult under the Adult Protective Services Act, are each grounds for discipline (20/19(1)(p), (u)), and being indicated or verified as an abuser under either Act is another (20/19(1)(q), (v)). Timelines are in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsIllinois
Secured against unauthorized access, and compliant on disposal
Records and written data must be stored with security measures that prevent unauthorized access, and the licensee is responsible for their content and disposition complying with State law (1470.96(a)(16)). Willfully making or filing false records or reports relating to practice, including filings with State or federal agencies, is a statutory ground (20/19(1)(o)).
MinorsIllinois
When a minor client was the victim of a crime
Where the information indicates a minor was the victim or subject of a crime, the licensee may be required to testify after the court reviews the information in camera and finds the minor's interest in privilege outweighed by the requirements of justice, public safety, or protection of the minor (20/16(2)). Voluntary testimony in adoption, child abuse, and child neglect matters is expressly permitted (20/16(4)).
Duty to the DepartmentIllinois
Sixty days, and no secret methods
Failing to provide information within 60 days of a written request from the Department is a ground for discipline (20/19(1)(h)), and refusing to divulge the techniques or procedures used in your professional activities when the Division asks is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(5)).
Automatic SuspensionIllinois
A court's involuntary admission order suspends the license
A court determination that a licensee is subject to involuntary or judicial admission under the Mental Health Code results in automatic suspension, lifted only when a court finds the person no longer subject to admission and the Board recommends a return to practice (20/19(3)).
OH
Where the Ohio rules come from. ORC 4757.36, the grounds for discipline, and the Board's Standards of Ethical Practice and Professional Conduct at OAC 4757-5-01 through 4757-5-13, with OAC 4757-11-01, read from codes.ohio.gov in September 2026. Ohio's code is the Board's own; the NASW Code is not incorporated by rule, though the Board's standards track it closely.
Grounds for discipline, as the Act defines them
OH
ORC 4757.36(C) lists the grounds, and the Board may refuse, suspend, revoke, restrict, reprimand, fine on a graduated schedule, or order corrective courses (4757.36(B)). Among them: violating the chapter or its rules; a knowingly false statement on an application or renewal; accepting a commission or rebate for referring clients to any licensed professional; failing to display the fee schedule; a felony conviction; failing to perform properly because of alcohol, drugs, or any physical or mental condition; a misdemeanor committed in the course of practice; practicing outside the applicable scope; and practicing in violation of the supervision requirements of 4757.21 and 4757.26 (4757.36(C)(1) to (9)). The rule adds committing any act that could be a crime in Ohio, which the Board refers to law enforcement, and diverting drugs (OAC 4757-11-01(C)(9), (11)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductOhio
Five years after termination, and the agency's clients are yours
No sexual relations with a current client, consensual or not, and no counseling of a person with whom you have had a sexual relationship (OAC 4757-5-04(A), (B)). No sexual relations with a former client for a minimum of five years after termination; after that, the licensee must examine and document in the client's record that the relationship is not exploitative, weighing the length of therapy, the time since, the termination, the client's history and mental status, the power differential, and anything said during treatment that suggested a plan (4757-5-04(C)). A client of the agency is a client of every licensee the agency employs or contracts (4757-5-04(A)).
Sexual MisconductOhio
Relatives and close relationships of the client
No sexual activity or contact with a client's relatives or others with whom the client maintains a close personal relationship where there is a risk of exploitation or harm to the client; the licensee, not the client or the relative, carries the full burden of setting clear boundaries (OAC 4757-5-04(D)).
Dual RelationshipsOhio
Avoid them; where unavoidable, discuss, record, and keep reassessing
Licensees shall avoid multiple relationships and conflicts of interest with clients, ex-clients, their family members, and others met professionally or otherwise; where one is first recognized and cannot be avoided, it is discussed with the client as soon as possible and continues only with both parties' agreement, it is noted in the record with the reasoning, the notation is continually reassessed, and informed consent, consultation, and supervision are used to keep judgment unimpaired (OAC 4757-5-03(A)). The rule's examples run from familial, social, emotional, business, and supervisory relationships to political, administrative, legal, and social media or online-community relationships (4757-5-03(A)(4)).
GiftsOhio
Decline gifts; a nominal one needs a reason on the record
Licensees should decline gifts, which may establish a multiple relationship; a gift of nominal value may be accepted only where refusing it would diminish the licensee's ability to provide care, and then the ethical limits are discussed with the client and the burden of explaining the acceptance is on the licensee (OAC 4757-5-03(A)(6)).
CompetenceOhio
Reliable evidence of competence, and referral when you reach the edge
Practice only within the areas your education and training qualify you for; keep the standard of care of an ordinary, reasonable professional with similar training; claim specialty skills only after appropriate education and while in peer consultation; and refer promptly when the client's needs exceed your competence or scope (OAC 4757-5-02(A)). LSWs diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders only under proper supervision (4757-5-02(A)(5)).
ImpairmentOhio
Stop, tell the client in writing, and hand off
A licensee whose objectivity or competence is or could reasonably be expected to be impaired by mental, emotional, physiological, pharmacological, or substance abuse conditions may not begin or continue a relationship with a client, supervisee, or student; if the condition develops mid-treatment, the licensee terminates appropriately, notifies the client in writing, and helps them find another professional (OAC 4757-5-05). Impaired performance from alcohol, drugs, or any condition is a statutory ground (ORC 4757.36(C)(6)).
Referral FeesOhio
No commission or rebate for a referral
Accepting a commission or rebate for referring persons to any professional licensed, certified, or registered by any Ohio court, board, or agency is a ground for discipline (ORC 4757.36(C)(3); OAC 4757-11-01(C)(2)).
Court ReportsOhio
Custody and visitation reports have their own rule
Reports prepared for court review in custody, visitation, and guardianship matters are governed by a separate rule (OAC 4757-6-01), and the informed consent rule requires obtaining and following any court documents on custody or guardianship before treatment proceeds (4757-5-02(B)(5), (6)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityOhio
The privilege statute, and where it stops
Ohio gives licensed and independent social workers, and registered social work assistants, a testimonial privilege for confidential communications and advice, with named exceptions: clear and present danger to the client or others, which by statute includes indications of present or past child abuse or neglect; the client's express consent; the client's own testimony; a court's in camera finding that the information is not germane; and court-ordered treatment in dependency, abuse, neglect, or custody proceedings (ORC 2317.02(G)). The disclosures permitted when a client presents a danger are in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingOhio
Report colleagues in writing, and your own felony at conviction
All licensees, registrants, supervisors, and trainees must report alleged violations of the Act or rules to the Board, and a licensee who knows or has reason to suspect that another licensee is unethical, incompetent, or impaired shall report that practitioner, in writing, bearing the reporter's name and license number, without breaching client confidentiality (OAC 4757-5-10(A)). Licensees report any felony conviction, or judicial action in lieu of one, at the time of conviction (4757-5-10(B)), and must comply with every mandatory reporting statute, including the duty-to-warn, child abuse, and adult abuse provisions (4757-5-10(C)).
RecordsOhio
Seven years, accurate dates, your own work
Dates and types of service and billing, kept seven years in a secure location; clinical records with diagnosis, treatment plan and revisions, intake, consent, and releases; accurate dates of service and of entry; documentation developed and approved by the licensee rather than produced by another person or by software (OAC 4757-5-09(A), (B)). Records of government agencies and educational institutions are exempt from the retention rule.
Name and AddressOhio
Keep the Board current
Licensees must notify the Board of any change of name or mailing address within 45 days, and must keep an email address on file for eLicense; failing to do so may bring discipline (OAC 4757-5-11).
TeletherapyOhio
Competence, screening, and full attention
Teletherapy providers assess their own professional and technical competence continually, screen clients for suitability at intake and throughout, document technology assistance, may decline to offer teletherapy on clinical judgment, and may not conduct it while driving or while doing anything that keeps them from focusing on the client and preparing to document (OAC 4757-5-13).
Summary SuspensionOhio
The Board can suspend first and hear later
On clear and convincing evidence that continued practice presents a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public, the committee imposes a summary suspension without a prior hearing; a requested adjudication is set within seven to fifteen business days, and the suspension stands until the final order (ORC 4757.361(B); OAC 4757-6-02).
MI
Where the Michigan rules come from. MCL 333.18511 and 333.18513 in Part 185, the general disciplinary provisions of Part 161 (333.16221, 333.16222, 333.16226, 333.16192, 333.16213, 333.16281), and the Social Work General Rules, read from legislature.mi.gov and ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us in September 2026. Michigan has no state-written social work ethics code in its rules: the statute requires every act to be "consistent with the code of ethics for social workers" (333.18511), and the Board's former ethics rule, R 338.2965, is rescinded. What the Board enforces is the list of grounds in 333.16221.
Grounds for discipline, as the Code defines them
MI
MCL 333.16221 lists the grounds for every health profession, and 333.16226 fixes the sanctions for each: probation, limitation, denial, suspension, revocation, permanent revocation, restitution, reprimand, or a fine. The grounds include a violation of general duty, meaning negligence or failure to exercise due care, including negligent delegation or supervision, whether or not injury results; incompetence; substance use disorder; a mental or physical inability affecting safe practice; lack of good moral character; specified convictions; fraud in obtaining a license; practice outside the scope of the license; false or misleading advertising; fee-splitting and kickbacks; betrayal of a professional confidence; sexual conduct with a patient; failing to report a conviction, another state's discipline, or a change of address; and violating the article or a rule (333.16221(a) to (h)). A fine for a general-duty or personal-disqualification violation can reach $250,000 (333.16226(3)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Code enforces them
Sexual MisconductMichigan
Any sexual conduct with a patient, consent or not
Any conduct with a patient, while acting within the profession, that is sexual or may reasonably be interpreted as sexual, including conduct the patient initiates or consents to, is unprofessional conduct; so is offering practice-related services in exchange for sexual favors (MCL 333.16221(e)(vi), (vii)). The sanctions are probation, suspension, revocation, limitation, denial, restitution, or fine (333.16226(1)). The statute addresses patients; it sets no waiting period after termination, and the code of ethics the license is held to fills that space (333.18511).
Sexual MisconductMichigan
Criminal sexual conduct convictions end the license
Conviction of first-, second-, or third-degree criminal sexual conduct or a repeat offense (MCL 750.520b, 520c, 520d, 520f), among other listed felonies, requires permanent revocation when the violation occurred while acting within the profession (MCL 333.16221(b)(xiii); 333.16226(5)), and conviction of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct or assault with intent to commit it (750.520e, 520g) is a personal disqualification (333.16221(b)(vii)).
CompetenceMichigan
Trained to do it, and consistent with the code of ethics
A licensee shall not perform an act, task, or function within the practice of social work unless trained to perform it and the performance is consistent with the code of ethics for social workers (MCL 333.18511). Incompetence and practicing outside the scope of the license are separate grounds (333.16221(b)(i), (c)(iii)).
ImpairmentMichigan
Substance use disorder and inability to practice safely
Substance use disorder as the Mental Health Code defines it, and a mental or physical inability reasonably related to and adversely affecting the ability to practice safely and competently, are personal disqualifications (MCL 333.16221(b)(ii), (iii)), subject to the Health Professional Recovery Program provisions of sections 16165 to 16170a.
FeesMichigan
No fee-splitting, kickbacks, or self-dealing referrals
Dividing fees for referral of patients or accepting kickbacks, fraud in obtaining third-party reimbursement, promoting an unnecessary service for personal gain, and requiring a patient to buy from a business in which you have a financial interest are all grounds (MCL 333.16221(d)(ii), (iii), (e)(iii), (iv)(A)).
CharacterMichigan
Good moral character, at application and after
Good moral character is a requirement for licensure and its lack is a ground for discipline (MCL 333.16174(1)(b); 333.16221(b)(vi)). Michigan's good moral character statute asks whether a person has the propensity to serve the public in a fair, honest, and open manner (MCL 338.41), which is the standard the renewal questions track.
TrainingsMichigan
Human trafficking and implicit bias are license conditions
Training in identifying victims of human trafficking is required before licensure and certified at every renewal (R 338.2929; Board guides), and one hour of implicit bias training per year of the license cycle is required at every renewal since 2022, with two hours in the five years before a first license (Board guides). Failing the continuing education rule is a violation of 333.16221(h) (R 338.2961(5)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityMichigan
Part 185's own confidentiality rule
Client communications are confidential and may be disclosed only within the employing organization's required supervisory process or on the client's waiver; betrayal of a professional confidence is unprofessional conduct (MCL 333.18513(2); 333.16221(e)(ii)). A licensee may disclose to comply with the Mental Health Code's duty when a patient threatens a third person (333.18513(4)), and reports of child or adult abuse are not privilege violations (MCL 722.631; 400.11a(2)). The rest is in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingMichigan
Report other licensees, and your own conviction within 30 days
A licensee who has knowledge that another licensee has committed a violation under 333.16221 shall report the conduct and the name to the Department; the reporter's identity stays confidential unless they must testify, and the duty does not apply to knowledge gained while treating that licensee or serving on an ethics or peer review committee (MCL 333.16222(1), (2)). Every licensee must notify the Department of any criminal conviction, and of any disciplinary action by another state, within 30 days (333.16222(3), (4)).
RecordsMichigan
Seven years, confidential, and never abandoned
Keep a full record for each patient for at least seven years from the date of service, protected for integrity and confidentiality and accessible to the patient; destroy a younger record only with written notice and the patient's written authorization; and on closing or leaving practice, tell the Department who holds the records and how patients reach them (MCL 333.16213(1) to (6)). Gross negligence in disposal carries an administrative fine of up to $10,000 (333.16213(9)).
Child Abuse RecordsMichigan
Fourteen days to hand over records in an abuse investigation
When a child protective services caseworker notifies you in writing that an abuse or neglect investigation concerns a child you have served and requests the pertinent records, you review your records and release the pertinent ones within 14 days; the health professional privileges do not apply, and good-faith release is immune from liability (MCL 333.16281(1) to (3)).
Name and AddressMichigan
Thirty days to report a change
Report a change of name, mailing address, or e-mail address within 30 days (MCL 333.16192(1)); failure is a ground for reprimand or fine (333.16221(g); 333.16226(1)). The Board's renewal notices go to the address on file, and not receiving one is no excuse (333.16201(1)).
TelehealthMichigan
Consent, scope, standard of care, privacy
Obtain consent before a telehealth service (MCL 333.16284), stay within scope, apply the same standard of care as in person, and use technology that complies with current privacy-protection laws (R 338.2930).
MA
Where the Massachusetts rules come from. M.G.L. c. 112, § 137, the Board's Standards of Professional Practice and Conduct at 258 CMR 20.00, the confidentiality rules at 258 CMR 22.00, and the complaint and discipline rules at 258 CMR 30.00, read from malegislature.gov and mass.gov in September 2026. Massachusetts writes the NASW Code into its regulations: failing to conform to any provision of the NASW Code of Ethics, as amended, is unethical conduct unless the provision conflicts with state or federal law (258 CMR 20.01(10)(a)).
Grounds for discipline, as the Board defines them
MA
258 CMR 30.03(1) lists the grounds, and the statute sets the frame: the Board may refuse to renew, revoke, suspend, cancel, order further training, reprimand, censure, or otherwise discipline for a felony involving moral turpitude in connection with practice, fraud or deceit in obtaining the license, or gross negligence (M.G.L. c. 112, § 137). The regulation adds unprofessional conduct under 20.01 to 20.14, violating any law governing social work practice, gross misconduct, fraudulent or out-of-scope practice, gross incompetence or negligence on one occasion or negligence on more than one, practicing while impaired, aiding unlicensed practice, a conviction bearing on fitness, and discipline in another jurisdiction (30.03(1)(a)). Sanctions run from denial, revocation, suspension, and probation to censure, reprimand, required education, supervised practice, and substance treatment or testing (30.03(3)). A licensee asked to respond to a complaint who does not may be treated as admitting it (30.02(2)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductMassachusetts
Never, with a current, prospective, or former client
A social worker shall not engage in, solicit, or attempt any form of sexual relationship or activity with a client, a prospective client, or any former client to whom the social worker has provided services or a consultation; there is no waiting period. Inducing any of them by claiming a sexual relationship would help diagnostically or therapeutically is a separate violation (258 CMR 20.06).
Dual RelationshipsMassachusetts
Social relationships likely to exploit or harm
No social relationship with a client or prospective client, or with a third person the client knows, where a reasonably prudent social worker would conclude it is likely to result in exploitation of, or identifiable physical or emotional harm to, the client (258 CMR 20.07). Using client information, including the fact of the relationship, for private or pecuniary gain without informed written consent is prohibited (20.11).
CompetenceMassachusetts
The reasonably prudent social worker
A service is negligent or incompetent if the social worker failed to exercise the care and skill a reasonably prudent social worker would in like circumstances, or performed it knowing it was beyond their skills, training, or expertise (258 CMR 20.04). Prescribing or administering any drug, diagnosing organic illness by medical tests, or any medical therapy is outside every level of the license (20.03).
ImpairmentMassachusetts
No practice while intoxicated or incapacitated
A social worker shall not perform or offer any professional service while impaired by intoxication from alcohol or drugs or by incapacitation due to illness (258 CMR 20.05); practicing while impaired by alcohol, drugs, physical disability, or mental illness is a ground for discipline, and the Board may condition a license on rehabilitation or testing (30.03(1)(a)7, (3)(h)).
DiscriminationMassachusetts
A written anti-discrimination rule
A social worker shall not engage in, facilitate, or collaborate in discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, marital status, veteran or military status, blindness, hearing impairment, or any physical or mental disability in the availability or performance of any service (258 CMR 20.08).
Referral FeesMassachusetts
No consideration for referrals, either direction
Offering, giving, soliciting, receiving, or agreeing to receive any fee or other consideration to or from a social worker or other health care professional for the referral of a client is unethical conduct (258 CMR 20.01(7)).
Unlicensed PracticeMassachusetts
Do not let the unlicensed or out-of-scope practice for you
Authorizing or permitting someone you know is unlicensed to practice social work, or permitting a licensee to work beyond the scope of their level or their skills, is unethical conduct (258 CMR 20.01(5), (6)); using an expired, suspended, or someone else's license is too (20.01(4)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityMassachusetts
The statute and the rule, and what they reach
All communications between a licensed social worker and a client are confidential, and neither the social worker nor any colleague, agent, or employee may disclose information acquired in the course of services, including the fact and records of the services, except as the statute allows (M.G.L. c. 112, § 135A). The rule protects the communications themselves, third-party communications about the client, whether someone is a client at all, and how they came to be one (258 CMR 22.03(1)), and binds students, interns, supervisors, and consultants alike (22.01). The exceptions and the duty to warn are in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsMassachusetts
Seven years, and never denied to the client
Clinical treatment records are kept at least seven years from the last encounter, longer for minors (258 CMR 22.02(2)), and a social worker shall not deny a client or their legal representative access except as the statute and rule allow, with a treatment summary as the fallback where access would harm the client (20.10; 22.02(3)).
ReportingMassachusetts
Complaints, and what the Board can share
Anyone may file a written complaint with the Board, which may investigate anonymous ones; a good-faith complainant is immune (258 CMR 30.01; 30.02(3)). Investigative records stay confidential until the Board dismisses, issues an order to show cause, or acts, but may be shared with listed law enforcement and licensing agencies, including ASWB's disciplinary database and other states' boards (30.02(4), (5)).
Continuing EducationMassachusetts
Falsified hours are a discipline ground
Falsifying reports of continuing education or misrepresenting any material fact about completion, and failing or refusing to furnish proof of hours when the Board asks, are grounds for disciplinary action (258 CMR 31.05(3), (4)). The renewal attestation is made under the pains and penalties of perjury (31.05(2)).
Name and AddressMassachusetts
Tell the Board
A licensee notifies the Board in writing or electronically of any change in name or address as listed in the Board's records (258 CMR 9.10(7)); the renewal notice goes to the address on file and a missed one does not excuse a lapse.
Protected CareMassachusetts
Reproductive and gender-affirming care is shielded from discipline
No licensee is subject to discipline, including revocation, suspension, censure, or fine, for providing or assisting in reproductive health care or gender-affirming health care services as defined in M.G.L. c. 12, § 11I½, or for any judgment or out-of-state discipline arising from them, where the services would have been lawful and consistent with professional standards in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 112, § 137; 258 CMR 30.03(1)(b)).
NJ
Where the New Jersey rules come from. N.J.A.C. 13:44G Subchapter 10 (business practices and professional conduct), Subchapter 12 (records and confidentiality), Subchapter 13 (custody and parenting-time evaluations), 13:44G-9.1, and N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-13, read from law.cornell.edu and codes.findlaw.com in September 2026. Discipline itself runs under the Uniform Enforcement Act, N.J.S.A. 45:1-21, which the conduct rules invoke; New Jersey has no state-written social work ethics code beyond these rules, and the NASW Code is not incorporated by reference.
Grounds for discipline, as the rules define them
NJ
The Uniform Enforcement Act supplies the grounds for every Consumer Affairs board, and the Board's rules say which conduct falls under them: a violation of the sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination rule is gross or repeated malpractice or professional misconduct under N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(c), (d), or (e) (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.7(k)). The conduct rules cover informed consent and disclosure of confidentiality limits, impairment, termination and abandonment, conflicts of interest and dual relationships, sexual misconduct, inappropriate behavior, reporting other licensees, solicitation and kickbacks, excessive fees, treatment of minors, advertising, records, and confidentiality (Subchapters 10 to 12). Failing to confirm continuing education, or to report an address change or another state's discipline, are their own violations (6.1; 9.1).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductNew Jersey
Twenty-four months after services, and forever for the vulnerable
No sexual contact with a current client, a former client to whom any social work services were rendered within the preceding 24 months, a current student, a supervisee or supervisor, or a research participant; the bar is indefinite where the former client is or should be recognized as clearly vulnerable to exploitation by reason of an emotional or cognitive disorder (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.7(c)). No taking a sexual partner as a client (10.7(b)), no soliciting sexual contact for services, no intimate sexual discussion beyond legitimate need, no condoning sexual contact between group members (10.7(f) to (h)). Consent, solicitation by the client, and love are not defenses (10.7(j)).
HarassmentNew Jersey
Harassment and discrimination, defined
A social worker shall not condone or engage in sexual harassment, which includes a single severe act and conduct toward clients, co-workers, employees, students, or supervisees, or harassment, meaning deliberate or repeated comments, contacts, or gestures that intimidate or offend on the basis of a personal characteristic (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.7(a), (d)). Discrimination on the basis of race, age, religion, color, national origin, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other personal characteristic is prohibited (10.7(e)).
Dual RelationshipsNew Jersey
Conflicts, exploitation, and who the client is
Avoid conflicts that interfere with professional discretion, tell the client when one arises and resolve it, even by ending the relationship; never exploit clients for personal, religious, political, or business interests; and avoid dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients where there is risk of harm or a perception of partiality, setting clear, culturally sensitive boundaries (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.4(a) to (c)). When serving couples, families, or separated parents, identify who the client is and your obligations to each (10.4(d)).
Inappropriate BehaviorNew Jersey
Favors, gifts, and unprofessional contact
Actions that do not support the therapeutic relationship are prohibited: unprofessional communication with the client or their support system, preferential treatment or its appearance, losing impartiality by aggression or overprotection without a clinical reason, granting favors or rewards or receiving gifts to endear clients, and sharing private information with no therapeutic benefit (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.7A).
ImpairmentNew Jersey
No practice under the influence, and get help deciding
A social worker shall not provide services under the influence of alcohol or any mind-altering drug that impairs delivery, and shall obtain competent professional assistance to decide whether to suspend, end, or limit activities foreseeably likely to lead to inadequate performance or harm (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.5(b), (c)).
TerminationNew Jersey
End services when they are no longer needed, and never abandon
Terminate when services no longer meet the client's needs; never abandon or neglect a client in need without reasonable arrangements for continued care or help finding another source; give prompt notice of any anticipated interruption and seek transfer or referral (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.6(a) to (c)). Services may be ended for an unpaid balance only if the contract said so, the consequences were discussed, and termination poses no imminent danger (10.2(f)).
Custody EvaluationsNew Jersey
LCSW only, with its own subchapter
Custody and parenting-time evaluations are within the LCSW scope and outside the LSW's (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-3.1(a)3; 3.2(b)), and are governed by Subchapter 13, which sets rules on competency, dual relationships, communications, informed consent, fees, and reports; an evaluator's report may require advance payment (13:44G-13.1 to 13.7; 12.4(g)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityNew Jersey
The privilege and its exceptions
Client information stays confidential, after death included, except where federal or state law requires disclosure, the Board or Attorney General requires it in an investigation, a judge orders it, the client would present a clear and present danger to someone's health or safety without disclosure, the social worker is a defendant in an action arising from the services, the client is a criminal defendant whose rights require it, or the client waives in a signed and dated writing kept in the record, with every family member 14 or older agreeing in family work (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-12.3(a); N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-13). Disclosures required by law must be explained to the client in writing as soon as possible in the relationship (10.5(a)). The duty to warn is in Crisis & Safety.
ReportingNew Jersey
Report an impaired or dangerous colleague promptly
A social worker shall promptly notify the Board on information reasonably indicating that another licensee or certificate holder has shown impairment, gross incompetence, or unprofessional conduct presenting an imminent danger to a client or the public; where the information came from a client unwilling or unable to report, the social worker reports and tells the client; a treating social worker need not report a client-licensee whose conduct has stopped and whom treatment or supervision is correcting (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.8).
RecordsNew Jersey
Seven years or age 25, and procedures for when you leave
Records are kept at least seven years from the last entry, or until a minor client is 25, with procedures protecting them from unauthorized access and preserving them through relocation, retirement, death, or leaving a group practice (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-12.1(e); 12.3(b), (c)). Agency social workers without control over records are excused from the retention and release rules (12.1(e)1; 12.4(h)).
Name and AddressNew Jersey
Thirty days, and out-of-state discipline too
Report an address change within 30 days, stating whether it is home or work; report a name change with proof; and report any disciplinary action in another jurisdiction within 30 days of receiving notice (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-9.1; 9.2). Service at the address on file is adequate notice of a disciplinary proceeding.
AdvertisingNew Jersey
Accurate credentials in the prescribed order
Represent competence, education, training, and experience accurately; list only accredited degrees and named certifications; and limit letters after your name to social work degrees, the license or certification, other governmental credentials, and clearly identified other degrees, in that order (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-11.4). Fee advertisements, prohibited methods, testimonials, and a retention rule for every ad are in 11.5 to 11.8.
Continuing EducationNew Jersey
Credits the Board can verify
Renewal is refused without the continuing education confirmation unless the Board grants a waiver (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.1; 6.6). Keep comprehensive records with the course title and category, date, credits, and the responsible party's signature for five years after the renewal period, and produce them on request (6.5).
NC
Where the North Carolina rules come from. G.S. 90B-11 (disciplinary procedures) and the Board's Ethical Guidelines at 21 NCAC 63 Section .0500, with Sections .0400, .0600, and .0800, read from ncleg.gov and the Office of Administrative Hearings in September 2026. North Carolina's rules are the Board's own, signed by every applicant on approval (21 NCAC 63 .0501(d)); the NASW Code is not incorporated by reference.
Grounds for discipline, as the Act defines them
NC
G.S. 90B-11(a) lists the grounds: conviction of or a plea to a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, misrepresentation or fraud with the public, or conduct relevant to fitness or the safety of clients; conviction of or a plea to any felony; gross unprofessional conduct, dishonest practice, or incompetence; procuring a credential by fraud; fraudulent or dishonest conduct in social work; inability to perform, or substantial impairment by physical or mental disability; and violating the Chapter or the rules. The Board may deny, suspend, or revoke, or instead reprimand or censure, impose probation, require examination, remediation, or treatment, require supervision, or limit the practice, all at the licensee's expense, and may assess the costs of the proceeding (90B-11(b), (c), (h)). Violating the Ethical Guidelines may be gross unprofessional conduct, dishonest practice, or incompetence (21 NCAC 63 .0501(b)); the rules add returned checks, compensation by fraud, false documents to the Board, and violating a Board order (63 .0601). Anyone may file a complaint, and a licensee under complaint is notified (63 .0602).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductNorth Carolina
Never, with a client or former client, under any circumstances
Social workers shall not engage in sexual activities with clients or former clients, and shall not engage in or request electronic, verbal, or physical sexual contact with a client or former client under any circumstances; sexual contact means behavior relating to sexual activities including intentional touching, directly or through clothing (21 NCAC 63 .0504(g)). A client's or former client's initiation of a personal, sexual, or business relationship is no defense (.0504(h)). There is no waiting period; the bar is permanent.
Dual RelationshipsNorth Carolina
Avoid them, and set boundaries when they cannot be avoided
Do not misuse professional relationships sexually, financially, or for any personal advantage, toward clients, colleagues, supervisees, employees, students, or research participants (21 NCAC 63 .0504(a)). Avoid treatment relationships compromised by prior association, such as family members, friends, associates, or employees, and avoid personal relationships or dual roles with current clients or with former clients whose feelings may derive from the professional relationship; where unavoidable, document the discussion, seek consultation or supervision, and set boundaries that account for the client's age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, national origin, and diagnoses (.0504(e), (f)).
CompetenceNorth Carolina
Training first, and the rules over the employer's policies
Practice only in accordance with your training and experience, represent your credentials accurately, take continuing education before a new area of practice, and comply with every federal, state, and local law affecting practice (21 NCAC 63 .0503(a), (d)). Where an employer's policies conflict with the Ethical Guidelines, the Guidelines win (.0503(b)).
DiscriminationNorth Carolina
No discrimination, in practice or in public
Social workers shall not practice or facilitate discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, socioeconomic status, medical diagnoses, or national origin while practicing or while holding themselves out as social workers (21 NCAC 63 .0503(c)).
ImpairmentNorth Carolina
Impairment is a ground, and renewal asks about it
Inability to perform, or substantial impairment by physical or mental disability, is a ground for discipline, and the Board may order a criminal record check, a mental examination and substance abuse assessment, or a physical examination at the licensee's expense when fitness is in question (G.S. 90B-11(a)(6), (d)). Every renewal affidavit certifies that your ability to practice is not impaired by alcohol, drugs, or controlled substances (21 NCAC 63 .0403(d)(7)(C)).
ColleaguesNorth Carolina
Integrity with colleagues, and a duty to report misconduct
Do not misrepresent a colleague's license level or qualifications or use demeaning language; refer only to professionals and resources able to provide the service; where a prospective client is already receiving similar services, put the client's welfare first and discuss the existing relationship (21 NCAC 63 .0505(1) to (3)). A licensee with knowledge of conduct that would be grounds for discipline against any licensed health care provider shall report it to that provider's licensing authority, and shall help colleagues defend against allegations (.0505(5)). Settlement agreements that bar reporting ethical misconduct to the Board are prohibited (.0503(e)).
SuperviseesNorth Carolina
Fair evaluation, and no sexual relationships with those you supervise
Social workers give competent guidance to colleagues, employees, supervisees, and students, foster fair and safe working conditions, evaluate associates without bias and share the evaluation, and shall not engage in sexual relationships with supervisees, students, trainees, or colleagues over whom they exercise professional authority, nor abuse that authority for personal or financial gain (21 NCAC 63 .0505(4)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityNorth Carolina
Informed written consent, with two exceptions
Protect the client's confidentiality as established by law; reveal confidential information only with the client's informed consent, except where not doing so would violate other laws or would result in clear and imminent danger to the client or others; unless the situation makes it impossible, inform the client and get written consent before anything is revealed (21 NCAC 63 .0507(a), (b)). In teaching, research, or consultation, conceal the client's identity and limit the material to what the purpose needs (.0507(c)). The statutory privilege and the crisis exceptions are in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsNorth Carolina
Ten years, adequate for diagnosis and treatment, protected in transit
Records are retained for the longer of ten years after services end and the record closes, or the payer's retention period, and must be produced to the Board on order; the licensee cooperates fully and promptly with Board inquiries (G.S. 90B-6(i)). Records must be adequate for proper diagnosis and treatment, and electronic, fax, telephone, and voicemail transmissions must be protected (21 NCAC 63 .0507(d), (e)).
ReportingNorth Carolina
Thirty days for convictions, discipline, and every change of details
Within 30 days of the effective date, report in writing any change of name with documentation, home or business address, or phone, and any adverse or disciplinary action by a licensing board, certifying body, or professional organization for conduct described in G.S. 90B-11(a); within 30 days of a criminal disposition, including driving under the influence, send a certified copy of the plea, finding, or deferred judgment (21 NCAC 63 .0405(a), (b)). Failing to report is itself an ethics violation (.0405(c)).
Public StatementsNorth Carolina
Accurate credentials, no testimonials, personal opinions labelled
State your qualifications, affiliations, and functions without misrepresentation and correct others' misrepresentations; announce services only with your name and credential level plus the permitted details; never advertise falsely or use client testimonials; and distinguish personal opinions from statements on behalf of an organization (21 NCAC 63 .0509(a) to (d)).
ResearchNorth Carolina
Research subjects
Research and scholarly activity involving clients or participants is governed by 21 NCAC 63 .0508, and confidential information used for education, research, or consultation must have the client's identity concealed (.0507(c)).
Continuing EducationNorth Carolina
False continuing education documents are a ground
Submitting false documents to the Board, including those related to continuing education audits or the application or renewal process, violates G.S. 90B-11 (21 NCAC 63 .0601(3)). The renewal affidavit commits you to comply with an audit request (.0403(d)(7)(G)).
GA
Where the Georgia rules come from. O.C.G.A. 43-10A-17 (grounds for discipline) and the Board's Code of Ethics at Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 135-7, with Chapters 135-6, 135-9, and 135-11, read from codes.findlaw.com and rules.sos.ga.gov in September 2026. Georgia's code is the Board's own, written for all three professions it licenses; the NASW Code is not incorporated by reference.
Grounds for discipline, as the Code defines them
GA
O.C.G.A. 43-10A-17(a) lists the grounds on a majority vote of the whole Board: failing to demonstrate the qualifications for a license; misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent representations in practice or on any document, or fraud in obtaining a license; conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude, including first-offender treatment or a withheld adjudication; discipline or denial by another licensing authority; unprofessional, immoral, unethical, deceptive, or deleterious conduct that affects fitness or is likely to jeopardize the public, which need not have caused injury and includes any departure from the minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing practice and practicing what you are not qualified to do; aiding unlicensed practice; violating any law or rule regulating the specialty; and adjudication of mental incompetence, which suspends the license automatically. Every rule in Chapter 135-7 lists conduct that "includes, but is not limited to" unprofessional conduct under that statute.
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductGeorgia
No sexual activity or advances with any client, trainee, or student
Engaging in sexual activities or sexual advances with any client, trainee, or student is unprofessional conduct (135-7-.02(2)(c)). The rule names no waiting period after termination; exploiting a client relationship for personal advantage and dual relationships that impair judgment, harm the client, or compromise therapy are separately prohibited (135-7-.01(2)(a), (c)).
Dual RelationshipsGeorgia
Exploitation, confidences, and conflicts
Exploiting relationships with clients for personal or financial advantage; using a client's confidence to the client's disadvantage; and participating in dual relationships that create a conflict of interest which could impair judgment, harm the client, or compromise the therapy are unprofessional conduct (135-7-.01(2)(a) to (c)). Using an institutional affiliation to solicit clients for a private practice, and soliciting a colleague's clients or taking them over without communicating with the colleague, are too (135-7-.02(2)(h); 135-7-.04(2)(a)).
CompetenceGeorgia
Graduate training or its equivalent, and referral at the edge
Practicing in an area where you have not obtained university-level graduate training or substantially equivalent supervised experience, and failing to obtain supervision or consultation or to refer when treatment, assessment, or evaluation issues exceed your competence, are unprofessional conduct (135-7-.02(2)(e), (f)). The statute treats practicing without the requisite education, training, or experience as unprofessional conduct in itself (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-17(a)(6)).
ImpairmentGeorgia
Alcohol and unprescribed drugs
Practicing while under the influence of alcohol or of drugs not prescribed by a licensed physician is unprofessional conduct (135-7-.02(2)(d)).
DiscriminationGeorgia
Inhumane or discriminatory treatment
Practicing inhumane or discriminatory treatment toward any person or group is unprofessional conduct (135-7-.02(2)(a)); the licensee is expected to act with the highest standards of integrity and to work to eliminate incompetence and dishonesty from the profession (135-7-.02(1)).
Referral FeesGeorgia
Nothing of value for a referral
Accepting or giving a fee or anything of value for making or receiving a referral is unprofessional conduct (135-7-.02(2)(g)), and allowing a paying party undue influence over a client's evaluation or treatment is another (135-7-.02(2)(i)).
ColleaguesGeorgia
Respect, confidences, and honest credit
Failing to keep the confidences colleagues and supervisees share, failing to give a supervisee a forthright evaluation of unethical or harmful conduct, failing to tell an unlicensed supervisee the limits of unlicensed practice, and taking credit for work not personally performed are unprofessional conduct (135-7-.04(2)). A licensee employed by an organization remains individually accountable to the ethical principles (135-7-.04(1)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityGeorgia
From the first contact, with five exceptions, and a written duty to act
All information from any point in the professional relationship, beginning with the first contact, is held in confidence, living or deceased clients alike, except as required by law, with consent given after a description of what and to whom, in the licensee's own defense, in consultation or supervision, or where there is clear and imminent danger to the client or others (135-7-.03(1), (2)(a)). In that last case the rule goes further than most states: the licensee shall take whatever reasonable steps are necessary to protect those at risk, including warning any identified victims and informing the responsible authorities (135-7-.03(2)(a)4). More in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsGeorgia
Recording, observation, storage, and disguise
Written informed consent before recording a session or letting a third party observe; confidential storage and disposal; protecting other people's confidences when a client reads their own record; preventing disclosure by employees and associates; and adequately disguising client identity in training or research material (135-7-.03(2)(b) to (e)). Test results and the basis for conclusions belong to the client, who has a right to know them (135-7-.05(1)).
ReportingGeorgia
Report your own convictions and other states' discipline at renewal
Conviction of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude anywhere, and discipline, denial, or non-renewal by any other licensing authority, are grounds for discipline in Georgia (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-17(a)(3) to (5)); the renewal application is where they are disclosed. The Board's rules impose no general duty to report other licensees, but aiding, assisting, or encouraging unlicensed practice is a ground (43-10A-17(a)(7)).
Continuing EducationGeorgia
False attestation can cost the license
Renewal is an attestation that the 35 hours are complete; a false attestation is grounds for discipline including revocation, and a licensee whose audited hours are disqualified renews on condition of curing the deficiency within six months (135-9-.01(3)(b), (c), (4)(b)). Independent study hours need a notarized affidavit (135-9-.01(2)(g)).
Name and AddressGeorgia
Thirty days for an address, documents for a name
Every licensee must notify the Board in writing of any change of name, with a certified copy of the marriage certificate, court order, or other document, and of any change of address; the Board asks for address changes within 30 days through GOALS (135-6-.02; Board FAQ).
TelehealthGeorgia
Telehealth without the training is an ethics violation
Failing to comply with the TeleMental Health rule, including the six training hours, written consent, and suitability assessment, constitutes unprofessional conduct under the Code of Ethics (135-11-.01(b)5).
VA
Where the Virginia rules come from. 18VAC140-20-150 (professional conduct) and 18VAC140-20-160 (grounds for discipline), with 18VAC140-20-100, -105, and -106, and §§ 54.1-2400.1 and 54.1-2400.4 of the Code of Virginia, read from law.lis.virginia.gov and dhp.virginia.gov in September 2026. Virginia's standards are the Board's own regulation; it does not adopt the NASW Code by reference, though practicing contrary to the standards of ethics of social work is itself a ground for discipline.
Grounds for discipline, as the regulation lists them
VA
18VAC140-20-160 lists nine grounds on which the Board may refuse an exam or a license, or reprimand, fine, place on probation, suspend, or revoke: conviction of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; procuring a license by fraud or misrepresentation; practicing in a manner that endangers clients or the public, with continuing education weighed when competence is questioned; inability to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of illness, alcohol, drugs, or any mental or physical condition; practicing contrary to the standards of ethics of social work or in violation of the standards of practice in 18VAC140-20-150; performing functions outside the licensed area of competency; failing the continuing education requirement; violating or aiding another to violate any statute or regulation governing social work; and failing to provide supervision as 18VAC140-20-50 or -60 requires. Reinstatement after disciplinary action costs $500 (18VAC140-20-30).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductVirginia
No romance or sex with a client, or with anyone in collateral services, and five years after
Licensees may not have any romantic relationship or sexual intimacies with a client or with those included in collateral therapeutic services, may not serve people they have had such a relationship with, and may not engage in one with a former client within a minimum of five years after termination; after five years the licensee carries the burden of examining and documenting that the relationship is not exploitive, considering the length of therapy, time since termination, the client's history and vulnerability, and the circumstances of termination (18VAC140-20-150(D)(2)). Sexual harassment of clients, from advances and solicitation to written or electronic contact of a sexual nature, is separately prohibited (18VAC140-20-150(B)(15)).
Dual RelationshipsVirginia
Family, social, financial, business, bartering, or close personal ties
No dual relationship with a client or supervisee that could impair professional judgment or increase the risk of exploitation or harm, with those examples named in the regulation; where one cannot be avoided, take precautions such as informed consent, consultation, supervision, and documentation (18VAC140-20-150(D)(1)). No personal relationship with a former client where there is a risk of exploitation or harm, or where the former client still relates to you in your professional capacity (18VAC140-20-150(D)(5)). Recognize conflicts of interest and tell all parties where your loyalties and responsibilities lie (18VAC140-20-150(B)(12), (D)(4)).
SuperviseesVirginia
Students and supervisees are off limits
No romantic or sexual relationship with, and no therapeutic relationship with, a current supervisee or student, and no nonsexual dual relationship with one where there is a risk of exploitation, harm, or interference with the supervisor's judgment (18VAC140-20-150(D)(3)). A supervisor also may not supervise a family member (18VAC140-20-50(B)(3)).
CompetenceVirginia
Only what your education and experience qualify you for
Practice only within the competency areas for which you are qualified by education and experience, and be able to justify every service rendered as necessary for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes (18VAC140-20-150(B)(1), (3)). Performing functions outside the licensed area of competency is a ground for discipline in its own right (18VAC140-20-160(6)).
ImpairmentVirginia
Personal problems and impairing conditions
Refrain from any activity in which your personal problems are likely to lead to inadequate or harmful services (18VAC140-20-150(B)(11)); inability to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of illness, excessive use of alcohol, drugs, narcotics, or chemicals, or any mental or physical condition is a ground for discipline (18VAC140-20-160(4)). DHP runs a Health Practitioners' Monitoring Program for licensees with impairing conditions.
Licensees shall not engage in conversion therapy with any person younger than 18 years of age (18VAC140-20-150(B)(13)).
Physical ContactVirginia
Contact that could harm, and boundaries that are clear
No physical contact with a client when there is a likelihood of psychological harm; social workers who use physical contact are responsible for setting clear and culturally sensitive boundaries (18VAC140-20-150(B)(14)).
Referral FeesVirginia
Nothing for a referral, and fees disclosed first
Neither accept nor give commissions, rebates, or other remuneration for referring clients for professional services, and make sure clients know the fees and billing arrangements before services begin (18VAC140-20-150(B)(5), (6)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityVirginia
Written consent, two exceptions, and informed consent to treatment
Keep the therapeutic relationship confidential and disclose client records to others only with the client's written consent, except when the client is a danger to self or others or as required by law (18VAC140-20-150(B)(8)). Inform clients of the potential risks and benefits of services and the limits on confidentiality, and get informed written consent to treatment (18VAC140-20-150(B)(7)). The duty to protect third parties has its own statute, § 54.1-2400.1; more in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsVirginia
Six years, secure storage, and consent before recording
Records follow § 32.1-127.1:03 on health records privacy and the regulation's list of contents; they are kept securely, with employees told the confidentiality rules and old records destroyed confidentially; released only with the expressed written consent of the client or legally authorized representative or as law mandates; and kept at least six years after termination, or for a minor six years past majority or ten years after termination, whichever is later (18VAC140-20-150(C)(1) to (3), (5)). Informed consent comes before videotaping, audio recording, third-party observation, or using identifiable material in teaching, writing, or presentations (18VAC140-20-150(C)(4)).
ReportingVirginia
Report violations to the Board; tell clients they can report another provider
Licensees shall report known or suspected violations of the laws and regulations governing social work to the Board (18VAC140-20-150(B)(4)). Any mental health service provider who learns of evidence indicating a reasonable probability that another mental health provider has violated standards of conduct must advise the client of the right to report it to the Department of Health Professions, give the Department's complaint hotline number and its written guidance on filing, and document in the record the alleged misconduct, the other provider's licensure category and approximate treatment dates, and what was done to inform the client; doing so carries immunity absent bad faith (§ 54.1-2400.4; 18VAC140-20-150(E)).
When advertising services to the public, ensure the advertising is neither fraudulent nor misleading (18VAC140-20-150(B)(9)); procuring a license by fraud or misrepresentation is a ground for discipline (18VAC140-20-160(2)), and the title "Social Worker" is protected by statute (§ 54.1-3709).
Continuing EducationVirginia
Keep three years of originals; a failed audit is a ground
Active licensees keep the original continuing education documentation for three years after renewal and produce it on request; the Board audits (18VAC140-20-106). Failure to comply with the continued competency requirements is a ground for discipline (18VAC140-20-160(7)); an extension of up to a year for good cause, or an exemption for circumstances beyond your control, must be requested in writing before the renewal date (18VAC140-20-105(A)(1), (2)).
Name and AddressVirginia
Thirty days
Any change in the address of record, or in the public address if different, is furnished to the Board within 30 days; notices mailed to the address of record are validly given (18VAC140-20-100(D)).
TelehealthVirginia
The same standards on every channel
Regardless of the delivery method, whether in person, by telephone, or electronically, the professional conduct standards apply to the practice of social work (18VAC140-20-150(A)).
MN
Where the Minnesota rules come from. The Standards of Practice in Minn. Stat. 148E.185 through 148E.290, especially 148E.190 (grounds), 148E.195, 148E.200, 148E.205, 148E.210, 148E.215, 148E.220, 148E.225, 148E.230, 148E.235, and 148E.240, read on the Revisor's site, and the Board's ethical practice page, read from mn.gov/boards/social-work in September 2026. Minnesota's standards are statute, not rule, and the definition of professional social work knowledge, skills, and values points to the NASW Code of Ethics (148E.010, subd. 13).
Grounds for action, as the statute lists them
MN
Minn. Stat. 148E.190 and 148E.210 set the grounds. The Board may act when a social worker violates a statute or rule it enforces, a federal or state law related to social work, or a Board order or agreement; practices outside the authorized scope; practices without a license when one is required; or engages in unprofessional or unethical conduct, meaning any departure from the minimum accepted ethical and prevailing standards of professional social work practice, without any actual injury needing to be shown, conduct with the potential to harm a client, intern, student, supervisee, or the public, willful or careless disregard for their health, welfare, or safety, or conduct affecting fitness to practice whether or not it happened while practicing (148E.190, subd. 2, 4; 148E.210). The Board's reach extends to conduct before licensure that fell below prevailing standards or affects present ability to practice (148E.190, subd. 3). Actions range from disciplinary to adversarial-but-nondisciplinary and voluntary (148E.255 to 148E.270).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductMinnesota
Never with a client; two years after, and then the burden is yours
A social worker must not engage in or suggest sexual conduct with a client (148E.220, subd. 7). A social worker who diagnosed, counseled, or treated a client for a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder must not engage in or suggest sexual conduct with that former client under any circumstances for two years after termination, and after two years only if there was never coercion, exploitation, deception, or manipulation, no suggestion that sex was part of treatment, no detriment to the client at any time, and no continuing emotional dependence on either side; if challenged, the social worker bears the full burden of proving all of it, with the Board entitled to ask about duration, intensity, termination, the client's history and current status, and any invitations made during services (148E.220, subd. 8). For clients served in other ways, the test is whether a reasonable and prudent social worker would find an unacceptable risk of harm (148E.220, subd. 8(c)). Sexual conduct includes any communication suggesting it (148E.010, subd. 14), and a client's initiation or request is no defense (148E.220, subd. 1).
Dual RelationshipsMinnesota
Boundaries, misuse, and personal relationships
Maintain professional boundaries; do not engage in practices that create an unacceptable risk of client harm or impair objectivity, and do not act in a way a reasonable and prudent social worker would see as inappropriately inviting the client outside the professional relationship (148E.220, subd. 2). Do not use the relationship with a client, student, supervisee, or intern for personal, emotional, financial, sexual, religious, political, or business benefit (148E.220, subd. 3). A personal relationship with a current client that creates such a risk is prohibited, with precautions such as consultation or supervision where one cannot be avoided; with a former client it is allowed after appropriate termination unless either of you is emotionally dependent or still relating as client and social worker (148E.220, subd. 5, 6).
BusinessMinnesota
Buying, selling, bartering, and who was a client before
No business relationship or purchase of goods or services from a client unless a reasonable and prudent social worker would find no practical alternative source and no detriment to the client or the relationship; with former clients, only after appropriate termination and absent emotional dependence that would make it detrimental (148E.220, subd. 11, 12). Never take on as a client someone you had a sexual relationship with, and take on a former personal or business contact only when the risk of harm or impaired judgment is acceptable after assessment (148E.220, subd. 13). The same rules reach a client's family or household members when a relationship with them would create an unacceptable risk to the client (148E.220, subd. 15).
SuperviseesMinnesota
Students, interns, and supervisees
No sexual conduct, or suggestion of it, with a student while you have authority over any part of the student's academic program, with an intern during the internship, or with a supervisee during the period of supervision, and no physical, oral, written, or electronic behavior that a client, former client, student, supervisee, or intern could reasonably read as sexually harassing or demeaning (148E.220, subd. 9, 10).
CompetenceMinnesota
Only what your training and license support, and referral beyond it
Provide services and hold out as competent only to the extent education, training, license, consultation, supervision, or other relevant experience demonstrate competence, and refer to a competent professional when the services needed are beyond your competence or authorized scope (148E.200, subd. 1(a)). Obtain supervision or consultation when appropriate or necessary even after the licensing supervision is done (148E.200, subd. 2).
ImpairmentMinnesota
Inability to practice safely is a ground, and a duty to self-report
The Board may act when a social worker is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of illness, use of alcohol, drugs, chemicals, or other materials, or any mental, physical, or psychological condition; a social worker in that position must report to the Board or to the Health Professionals Services Program (148E.205).
The primary professional responsibility is to the client, including the client's interest in self-determination except where the law requires otherwise (148E.215, subd. 1). A social worker must not discriminate against a client, intern, student, or supervisee on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, color, national origin, religion, illness, disability, political affiliation, or social or economic status (148E.215, subd. 2).
SubstancesMinnesota
No medication, controlled substances, or alcohol to or from a client
Unless authorized by law, do not offer medication or controlled substances to a client or accept them, except to dispose of or monitor them where the law allows; do not offer alcohol except as authorized by a physician or a care plan, and do not accept it (148E.220, subd. 14).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityMinnesota
Written consent, and disclosure without it only when the law, a subpoena, or a court says so
Ensure the confidentiality of all client information from the relationship and any other relevant client information you obtain; release it only with valid informed consent, in writing with the recipient, purpose, and expiration date, except when mandated or authorized by federal or state law including the duty to warn and the child and vulnerable adult reporting laws, when the Board subpoenas it, or when a court orders it (148E.230, subd. 3 to 5). Tell clients at the start which circumstances can require disclosure without consent (148E.230, subd. 2). Released records must be current, accurate, and complete (148E.230, subd. 6). More on the duty to warn in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsMinnesota
Seven years, with the releases inside
Records hold at least the assessment or diagnosis, the service plan, progress and revisions, fees and payments, copies of every written authorization the client signed, and whatever else is needed to provide services, kept for at least seven years after the last date of service; agency employees are not required to keep personal copies (148E.225, subd. 4). Research on human subjects requires accepted protocols, safeguards for vulnerability, and informed consent (148E.215, subd. 3).
ReportingMinnesota
Yourself within 90 days, other professionals, and unlicensed practice
Report to the Board within 90 days any discipline by another licensing agency, any conviction, guilty finding, admission, or no-contest plea for a felony, gross misdemeanor, or misdemeanor reasonably related to social work, and any license denial elsewhere (148E.240, subd. 1). Applications must disclose malpractice settlements and civil litigation about your services (148E.240, subd. 2). Report to the appropriate board conduct by a licensed health professional that would be grounds for discipline there, and report to this Board conduct by another licensee that may reasonably be grounds for action and unlicensed practice of social work by anyone not exempt; failing to do so is itself a ground (148E.240, subd. 3 to 5). Institutions and professional associations report sanctions against licensees too, with immunity for good-faith reports (148E.285).
Honest credentials, honest statements to the Board
Obtaining a license by cheating, fraud, or deception, making false statements or misrepresentations to the Board or in materials submitted to it, and conduct with the potential to deceive or defraud a client, intern, student, supervisee, or the public are prohibited (148E.195, subd. 2a(d)). Do not hold out as licensed without a license, and take reasonable steps to prevent misrepresentation by other social workers (148E.195, subd. 3).
Continuing EducationMinnesota
Two hours of ethics every term, and a year of documentation
Every two-year term includes two clock hours in social work ethics, defined to cover the history of values and ethics, ethics theories, the NASW, Canadian, Clinical Social Work Federation, and CSWE codes, each jurisdiction's legal requirements, and ethical decision-making, plus four hours in cultural responsiveness (148E.130, subd. 1; 148E.010, subd. 7e, 7f). Documentation is kept for one year after the license expires and produced on audit (148E.130, subd. 11, 12).
CooperationMinnesota
Subpoenas and the obligation to cooperate
The Board may issue subpoenas for reports required by the reporting section and related documents (148E.240, subd. 9), and the chapter includes investigative powers and an obligation to cooperate with a Board investigation (148E.245; 148E.250). Practicing after a license has expired, lapsed, or been terminated is unauthorized practice and a misdemeanor (148E.275; 148E.290).
MO
Where the Missouri rules come from. RSMo 337.630 (grounds for discipline) and the Committee's Ethical Standards/Disciplinary Rules at 20 CSR 2263-3 (Scope, Moral Standards, Client Relationships, Relationships with Colleagues, Public Statements/Fees, Confidentiality, Research on Human Subjects, and Competence), read from revisor.mo.gov and sos.mo.gov in September 2026. The rules are mandatory; failing to abide by any of them is unethical conduct and grounds for discipline (20 CSR 2263-3.010), and unethical conduct as the Committee defines it is itself a statutory ground (RSMo 337.630.2(15)). The NASW Code is not incorporated by reference.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
MO
RSMo 337.630.2 lists fifteen grounds on which the Committee may refuse a license or file a complaint with the Administrative Hearing Commission: substance or alcohol use that impairs the ability to practice, though past treatment or recovery alone is not a cause; a final adjudication or plea of guilty or nolo contendere for an offense directly related to the duties of the occupation; fraud, deception, misrepresentation, or bribery in getting a license or exam approval; obtaining fees by fraud; incompetency, misconduct, fraud, misrepresentation, or dishonesty in performing a social worker's duties; violating or enabling a violation of the licensing sections or rules; impersonating a licensee or lending a license; revocation or suspension elsewhere on grounds recognized here; adjudication as incapacitated; enabling unlicensed practice; a license obtained on a material mistake of fact; failure to display a valid license; violation of any professional trust or confidence; false, misleading, or deceptive advertising; and unethical conduct under the Committee's ethical standards. After a finding by the Hearing Commission, the Committee may censure, impose probation of up to five years, suspend for up to three years, or revoke (337.630.4). Good-faith reports to the Committee are immune from civil damages (337.630.3).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Committee enforces them
Sexual MisconductMissouri
No sexual intimacies with clients, students, or supervisees, defined in detail
A licensee shall not engage in any activity that exploits clients, students, or supervisees, including sexual intimacies, which the rule defines as physical or other contact by either party and spells out from intercourse and sodomy to kissing, touching or caressing, exhibitionism and voyeurism, and comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature (20 CSR 2263-3.020(6)). A supervisor or educator shall not engage in sexual intimacies or contact with supervisees, students, trainees, or colleagues over whom they exercise professional authority (2263-3.060(5)).
Dual RelationshipsMissouri
No social, business, or sexual relationship with a current client, or ever with a former psychotherapy client
A licensee shall not enter into or continue a dual or multiple relationship, including a social, business, or sexual relationship, with a current client, or with anyone to whom the licensee has at any time rendered psychotherapy or other professional social work services for the treatment or amelioration of mental and emotional conditions; the only carve-out is buying goods or services a client provides to the general public when no other reasonable source exists (20 CSR 2263-3.040(1)). Where objectivity or competence is or could be impaired by a present or previous familial, social, sexual, emotional, financial, supervisory, political, administrative, or legal relationship, do not take the client on, and if it surfaces later, terminate appropriately, in writing, with help finding another professional (2263-3.040(5)).
ConflictsMissouri
Money, commerce, and the people you evaluate
Do not let financial gain or personal benefit interfere with professional judgment, use therapeutic relationships to promote commercial enterprises for your own or an agency's gain, or knowingly cause a client to leave another professional solely for personal gain (20 CSR 2263-3.020(2)(D), (E); 2263-3.060(2)). A licensee with an administrative, supervisory, or evaluative relationship with someone seeking counseling refers that person to another professional rather than serving as their practitioner (2263-3.040(6)). Be alert to and avoid conflicts of interest (2263-3.040(2)).
CompetenceMissouri
Trained interventions only, and referral beyond your training
Limit practice to the areas for which you are trained, attempt no intervention unless thoroughly trained in it or supervised by an expert, use consultation as needed, know when to use other disciplines, and refer when the services required are beyond your competence as shown by education, training, or experience (20 CSR 2263-3.140(1), (2); 2263-3.040(10)). The competence rule also asks for accessibility, maximum client self-determination, candor about the personal risks of services, attention to socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, disability, racial, and cultural factors, and careful deliberation before assuming responsibility for a client whose judgment is seriously impaired (2263-3.140(1)(D) to (I)).
ImpairmentMissouri
Your own mental health, and a duty toward impaired colleagues
Be aware of your own mental health and emotional stability; do not undertake or continue a professional relationship when competence is or could reasonably be impaired by mental, emotional, physiologic, pharmacologic, or substance abuse conditions, and if it develops mid-treatment, notify the client in writing of termination and help them find services elsewhere (20 CSR 2263-3.040(4)). Seek treatment for personal medical, substance, psychological, and emotional problems (2263-3.140(1)(J)). A licensee with direct knowledge of a colleague's impairment that interferes with practice should consult with the colleague when feasible and assist with remedial action (2263-3.060(4)). Impairing substance use is a statutory ground (RSMo 337.630.2(1)).
CoercionMissouri
Protect clients from threats and intimidation
A licensee shall protect clients against physical threats, intimidation, and coercion in the provision of social services insofar as reasonably possible (20 CSR 2263-3.040(9)), and shall not exploit professional relationships with supervisors, colleagues, supervisees, students, or employees sexually, economically, or otherwise (2263-3.060(3)).
Referral FeesMissouri
Nothing for a referral, no exploitative barter
Giving or receiving a commission, rebate, or any other remuneration for referring clients is prohibited, as is accepting any remuneration, including bartered services, that exploits the relationship or creates a dual relationship (20 CSR 2263-3.080(1)(A), (7)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityMissouri
Four exceptions in the rule, and a written duty to act on clear and imminent danger
Therapy relationships and the information from them stay confidential except with written consent, when the client is a danger to self or others, under court order, or as required by law (20 CSR 2263-3.100(3)). The rule goes further where danger is clear and imminent: the licensee shall take reasonable personal action and inform responsible authorities or the persons at risk, consulting other professionals when uncertain about the duty to protect (2263-3.100(1)). Inform clients of the limits of confidentiality at the onset (2263-3.100(2)). More in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsMissouri
Five years, no falsification, disguised case studies
Records with the contents the rule requires are kept at least five years after termination, are never falsified or destroyed without authorization, and are forwarded to no one without written consent (20 CSR 2263-3.040(11) to (13); 2263-3.100(5)). Case studies in classes, meetings, or publications must disguise the client's identity, and research on human subjects requires voluntary written informed consent and compliance with 45 CFR 46 (2263-3.120).
ReportingMissouri
Report violations to the Committee, and answer the Committee
A licensee shall report to the Committee any known or suspected violation of the laws or rules governing social work that does not violate a client's right to privacy, and must report unfavorable information about an applicant's qualifications before recommending them (20 CSR 2263-3.020(3), (7)). A licensee shall respond to all reasonable requests from the Committee; failing to do so can cost a license, permit, or supervision registration (2263-3.020(5)). A materially false statement or a deliberate omission on an application is grounds for discipline (2263-3.020(4)); the renewal form asks about convictions, substance treatment, civil suits, and discipline elsewhere (2263-2.075(2)).
Prisoner ComplaintsMissouri
Complaints from incarcerated or civilly detained clients
When a complaint comes from a person incarcerated or in Department of Corrections custody, or held under the sexually violent predator sections, no documentation stays on file and no discipline follows unless section 337.630.2 was actually violated; unsubstantiated case files are destroyed within three months, and the licensee need not disclose the complaint on later applications (RSMo 337.649).
Continuing EducationMissouri
Three ethics hours every renewal, four years of records
Every 30-hour renewal includes three clock hours of ethics presented by a social worker or a professional with knowledge of social work ethics, and two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management; documentation is kept four years after renewal, and failing to produce it on request is a violation and cause for discipline (20 CSR 2263-2.082(2), (11), (12)). Hours ordered as discipline do not count toward renewal (2263-2.082(13)).
Name and AddressMissouri
Thirty days, by letter
Notify the Committee within 30 days of a change of legal name or address, with documentation for a name change and the return of the old license and certificate (20 CSR 2263-1.030).
TN
Where the Tennessee rules come from. T.C.A. 63-23-108 (grounds for discipline) and Rules 1365-01-.09, 1365-01-.10 (standards of conduct), 1365-01-.11 (disciplinary actions and civil penalties), and 1365-01-.14 of the Board of Social Worker Licensure, read from codes.findlaw.com and the Secretary of State's rules site in September 2026. Tennessee adopts the NASW Code of Ethics outright: every licensee must comply with the Code as approved in 1996 and revised in 2017, except where it conflicts with Tennessee law or the Board's rules, which then govern (Rule 1365-01-.10(1)).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
TN
T.C.A. 63-23-108(a) lists the grounds on which the Board has the power and the duty to deny, suspend, revoke, or otherwise discipline: willful or repeated violation of the chapter or rules; fraud or deceit in procuring a license or in the examination; willful failure to display the license; fraud, deception, misrepresentation, dishonest or illegal practices connected with social work; knowingly circulating untrue or deceptive advertising; gross health care liability or a pattern of liability, ignorance, negligence, or incompetence; unprofessional or unethical conduct or violation of the standards of professional conduct; incapacity or impairment that prevents practice with reasonable skill and safety; conduct reflecting unfavorably on the profession; a willful false statement in a required oath or affidavit; revocation by another state, which is conclusive evidence; a felony conviction involving controlled substances; any felony conviction, with the record of conviction sufficient evidence; lending the license to another; practice under a false or assumed name; and employing an unlicensed person to practice social work. The Board's actions range from a letter of warning through formal reprimand, probation, suspension, revocation (no new application for at least a year), conditions, and Type A, B, and C civil penalties of $50 to $1,000 per violation (Rule 1365-01-.11).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductTennessee
No sexual activities with current or former clients, with no time limit
Engaging in sexual activities with current or former clients is unethical conduct under the Board's rule, which names no waiting period after termination (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(b)). The NASW Code, incorporated by the same rule, adds its standards on sexual relationships, physical contact, and sexual harassment, and on supervisees and students (1365-01-.10(1)).
Dual RelationshipsTennessee
Avoid them, and never profit from a client
Failing to make every effort to avoid dual relationships with clients, or relationships that might impair independent professional judgment and the quality of services, is unethical conduct, as is entering any relationship that increases the risk of exploitation to the licensee's advantage, including joint business ventures, co-signing loans, receiving valuable gifts, and landlord-tenant arrangements (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(k), (l)).
ConflictsTennessee
Tell the client when your interests, or your employer's, conflict
Failing to inform clients when a conflict of interest exists between the licensee and the client, or between the licensee's employer and the client, is unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(h)); the advertising rule adds an affirmative duty to make reasonable efforts to advance the welfare and best interests of the client (1365-01-.10(5)(a)1).
CompetenceTennessee
Scope, ignorance, and the NASW competence standards
Promoting services you know or should know are beyond your scope of practice is prohibited advertising (Rule 1365-01-.10(5)(b)3), and a pattern of ignorance, negligence, or incompetence in practice is a statutory ground (T.C.A. 63-23-108(a)(6)). The scope itself is fixed by license: an LBSW may not diagnose, treat mental illness, or provide psychotherapy, an LMSW does clinical work only under LCSW supervision, and no social worker prescribes medication or interprets psychological tests (63-23-102(a); 63-23-103(a)).
ImpairmentTennessee
Addiction that incapacitates, and impairment that prevents safe practice
Becoming addicted to the habitual use of intoxicating liquors, narcotics, or other stimulants so as to be incapacitated from professional duties is unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(c)), and incapacity or impairment that prevents practice with reasonable skill, competence, and safety is a ground for discipline (T.C.A. 63-23-108(a)(8)).
DiscriminationTennessee
Nondiscrimination as an affirmative duty
Licensees must not discriminate against a client on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, mental or physical disability, political affiliation, or social or economic status (Rule 1365-01-.10(5)(a)2).
AdvertisingTennessee
No superiority claims, testimonials, or pressure
Prohibited advertising includes unsubstantiated claims of superior services, personnel, or equipment, false or misleading claims about your degree, communication that intimidates or exerts undue pressure, excessive appeals to anxiety, unverifiable personal testimonials, past-performance data that creates unjustified expectations, misrepresenting a material fact, implying that one licensee performs services another provides, and any referral fee to or from a third party (Rule 1365-01-.10(5)(b)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityTennessee
Disclosure is unethical conduct; the limits are explained up front
Disclosing confidential information and failing to inform clients about the limits of client-social worker confidentiality are unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(d), (e)). The statutory privilege places client communications on the same basis as a psychologist's and does not reach mandatory child abuse report proceedings (T.C.A. 63-23-109). The duty to warn has its own statute for qualified mental health professionals, which includes LCSWs and LMSWs with two years of mental health experience; more in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsTennessee
Access on request, consent before recording
Provide a complete copy or a summary of the record on written request from the client or authorized representative unless other law prohibits it; denying a reasonable request for access, and taping, recording, or allowing observation without informed consent, are unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(4), (3)(f), (g)).
ReportingTennessee
Report your own convictions and large settlements
Licensees report to the Board malpractice judgments, awards, or settlements over $10,000 and felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions involving sex, alcohol or drugs, physical injury or threats, abuse or neglect of a minor, spouse, or elder, or fraud or theft (Rule 1365-01-.14). Applications and renewals ask for convictions other than traffic violations, licensing discipline anywhere, and civil judgments or adverse settlements (Rule 1365-01-.04). The Board's rules impose no general duty to report other licensees; the NASW Code's standards on colleagues' impairment and unethical conduct apply through the conduct rule.
Continuing EducationTennessee
Six ethics hours and one Tennessee-law hour every cycle; false certification is a violation
Every two-calendar-year cycle includes at least six hours of social work ethics and one hour on the Tennessee statute and Board rules, at 30 hours for an LCSW or LAPSW, 24 for an LMSW, and 18 for an LBSW, plus the two-hour suicide prevention training once every four years (Rule 1365-01-.09(3) to (6)). Falsely certifying attendance, or failing to substantiate hours on audit within 15 working days, may bring discipline after a 30-day notice to comply, and hours ordered as discipline do not count toward renewal (1365-01-.09(8), (12)).
Name and AddressTennessee
Thirty days, in writing
Notify the Board office in writing within 30 days of any change of address or name, citing your name, license category, and license number (Rule 1365-01-.13).
DisciplineTennessee
Modifying an order, and proving compliance
A disciplined licensee may petition to modify an order only by proving compliance is impossible, not merely inconvenient, and may petition for an Order of Compliance once every term has been met, including to lift a probation or suspension; both go to Board staff first on the forms the rule prescribes (Rule 1365-01-.11(2), (3)).
IN
Where the Indiana rules come from. IC 25-1-9-4 (the standards of practice and grounds for discipline that apply to every profession the PLA's health boards license), IC 25-23.6-6-1 (privileged communications), IC 25-23.6-7 (disclosure of credentials), and the Board's rules at 839 IAC 1-3-4 (standards for the competent practice of social work and clinical social work), 1-6-3 and 1-6-4 (continuing education and audits), and 1-7-4 (convictions of concern), read from codes.findlaw.com and the Indiana Register in September 2026. Indiana's Board writes its own short list of ethical principles and points to the profession's generally accepted ethical principles and guidelines beyond it; the NASW Code is not adopted by reference.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
IN
IC 25-1-9-4(a) lists the grounds on which a board may sanction a practitioner after a hearing: fraud or material deception to obtain a license, including cheating on the exam; fraud or material deception in professional services; false or misleading advertising; a conviction or civil penalty for fraudulent billing under Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, or insurance; a conviction for a crime with a direct bearing on the ability to practice competently or harmful to the public; knowingly violating a state or federal law or rule regulating the profession; continuing to practice while unfit through professional incompetence, including undertaking activities one is not qualified for, failure to keep abreast of current theory or practice, physical or mental disability, or addiction to or abuse of alcohol or drugs that endangers the public; a course of lewd or immoral conduct in delivering services; allowing one's name or license to be used by someone practicing beyond their training; discipline in another jurisdiction on similar grounds; diverting drugs; prescribing to an addict; failing to comply with a sanction; sexual contact with a patient under one's care or using the relationship to solicit it; collecting from an HMO enrollee sums the HMO owes; assisting another in a sanctionable act; and failing to report suspected child abuse to DCS or law enforcement as IC 31-33-5 requires. A certified record of another state's discipline is conclusive (25-1-9-4(c)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductIndiana
Under no circumstances with a client
The social worker or clinical social worker shall under no circumstances engage in sexual activities with clients (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(8)), and sexual contact with a patient under the practitioner's care, or using the practitioner-patient relationship to solicit it, is a statutory ground for discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(11)). Neither the rule nor the statute names a waiting period after termination; the Board's rule points to the profession's generally accepted ethical principles for the rest (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)).
Dual RelationshipsIndiana
Positions of trust, and acts detrimental to a client
Relationships with clients shall not be exploited for personal gain, and a social worker shall not violate positions of trust and dependency by committing any act detrimental to a client (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(6)). Referrals are always based solely on the client's best interest and never on personal gain (1-3-4(b)(4)).
CompetenceIndiana
Within your competence, current with the field, with timely referrals
Competent practice requires remaining current with generally accepted developments in the area of specialization and exercising judgment about when to apply specific procedures; a social worker may not practice beyond the practitioner's competence and must make appropriate, timely referrals when a client's needs exceed it (839 IAC 1-3-4(a), (b)(3)). Undertaking activities you are not qualified for by training or experience, and failing to keep abreast of current theory or practice, are statutory grounds (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(4)(A), (B)).
ImpairmentIndiana
No services under the influence
A social worker or clinical social worker shall not provide services while under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering or mood-altering drugs that impair the delivery of those services (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(5)); addiction to or severe dependency on alcohol or drugs that endangers the public, and physical or mental disability that leaves a practitioner unfit, are grounds for discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(4)(C), (D)).
HonestyIndiana
Credentials presented factually
A social worker shall not misrepresent qualifications, training, or experience, and any advertising must present credentials factually (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(2)); the credentials disclosure statute requires telling every counseling client, before services begin, whether your degree is in counseling or a related field, what degree it is, and which institution issued it (IC 25-23.6-7-6).
ScopeIndiana
Diagnosis and psychotherapy belong to the LCSW
The practice of social work does not include psychotherapy or diagnosis (IC 25-23.6-1-8(b)), so an LSW or LBSW who diagnoses or provides psychotherapy outside supervised clinical experience is practicing beyond the license; knowingly violating the licensing statute is itself a ground (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(3)).
DelegationIndiana
Your name and license are not for lending
Allowing your name or license to be used in connection with an individual who renders services beyond the scope of that individual's training, experience, or competence, and assisting another person in committing a sanctionable act, are grounds for discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(6), (13)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityIndiana
A statutory privilege with eight exceptions
Client communications are privileged and may not be disclosed except in a criminal homicide proceeding, where the communication reveals the contemplation or commission of a crime or a serious harmful act, where a minor or incompetent adult client was the victim of abuse or a crime, in a mental competency proceeding, in a malpractice action against the counselor, with the client's or legal representative's express consent, to the client's treating physician, or where Indiana law otherwise abrogates the privilege (IC 25-23.6-6-1). The duty to warn statute adds its own immunity for required disclosures; more in Crisis & Safety.
RecordsIndiana
Documentation the article requires
The article requires documentation of every action taken under the physical examination referral rule in the patient's medical record (IC 25-23.6-5-17(c)) and directs the Board to adopt retention rules (IC 25-23.6-2-8(a)(5)); the Board's published rules set no fixed retention period for social workers, so follow the profession's standards and any payer or federal requirements.
ReportingIndiana
Child abuse reports are a licensing duty, and applications ask for everything else
Failing to report suspected child abuse to the Department of Child Services or law enforcement as IC 31-33-5 requires is a ground for discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(14)), on top of the criminal penalty. Applications and renewals ask for positive responses on convictions and discipline with full explanations and court documents (Board); a conviction that bears on competent practice, or discipline elsewhere for endangering the public, disqualifies an applicant (IC 25-23.6-5-2(3), (4)), and the Board's list of convictions of concern runs from sexual and violent offenses through fraud, battery, neglect of an endangered adult, and drug dealing (839 IAC 1-7-4).
Continuing EducationIndiana
One ethics hour a year, four years of records, and a fine for shortfalls
Each licensure year includes at least one Category I hour on ethics and professional conduct, including boundary issues, within the 20 hours per year (839 IAC 1-6-3(c)). Records are kept four years after the renewal period, the Board audits at random, and the licensee bears the burden of proving the hours were from approved sources (1-6-3(f); 1-6-4). Missing hours on audit must be made up and draw a fine on the Board's schedule, from $100 for one or two hours to $1,000 for 21 to 40 (Board). Waivers require a written request 45 days before expiration and proof of extreme hardship such as military service or a verified disability (1-6-5).
Name and AddressIndiana
Keep the PLA current
It is the practitioner's responsibility to notify the PLA of an address change, and a renewal notice mailed to the last known address is notice enough (839 IAC 1-2-2(c), (d)).
DisciplineIndiana
Probationary licenses, and sanctions that follow you
The Board may issue a license on probation when a conviction of concern or other history warrants it (839 IAC 1-7-3), and failing to comply with a sanction order is itself a ground for further discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(10)). A certified copy of another state's disciplinary record is conclusive evidence of that action (IC 25-1-9-4(c)).
WI
Where the Wisconsin rules come from. Wis. Stat. 457.26 (disciplinary proceedings and the statutory grounds), 457.25 (mandatory reports about credential holders), 457.24 (liability insurance), and 905.04 (privilege), and the Examining Board's rules at MPSW 20.01 to 20.03 (gross negligence, the thirty-one items of unprofessional conduct, and telehealth), MPSW 19 (continuing education), and MPSW 1.08 (renewal and reinstatement), read on docs.legis.wisconsin.gov in September 2026. Wisconsin writes its own conduct code in MPSW 20 and does not adopt the NASW Code by reference; the statutory ground for unethical conduct points to the code of ethics in the Board's rules (457.26(2)(f)).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
WI
Wis. Stat. 457.26(2) lists the grounds on which the Section may reprimand a credential holder or deny, limit, suspend, or revoke a credential or a multistate authorization: a material misstatement in an application for a credential or renewal; conviction of an offense whose circumstances substantially relate to the practice, subject to the Fair Employment Act; false, deceptive, or misleading advertising; advertising or practicing under another's name; practicing while impaired by alcohol or other drugs; unprofessional or unethical conduct in violation of the code of ethics in the Board's rules; performing social work services in violation of the rules or conduct that evidences a lack of knowledge or ability to apply professional principles or skills; violating specified informed consent requirements in 253.10(3)(c); and violating the subchapter or any rule under it (457.26(2)(a) to (h)). The Section investigates and holds hearings under the department's rules (457.26(1)). Signing a false statement of emergency detention is separately a Class H felony (51.15(12)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductWisconsin
No sexual, romantic, or exploitative conduct with a client, a former client ever, or a supervisee
Engaging in sexual contact, sexual conduct, or any other behavior that could reasonably be construed as seductive, romantic, harassing, or exploitative with a client, with a former client regardless of the amount of time since services ended, or with a person receiving teaching, supervision, or other instruction from you is unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(11)). Wisconsin sets no waiting period after which a former client becomes permissible; the rule says regardless of time.
Dual RelationshipsWisconsin
Employers, employees, supervisees, close friends, relatives, and a two-year bar after termination
Failing to avoid dual relationships that may impair objectivity or create a conflict of interest is unprofessional conduct; the prohibited relationships include treating your own employers, employees, supervisors, supervisees, close friends, relatives, and any other person with whom you share an important continuing relationship (MPSW 20.02(13)). Developing a personal relationship with a former client that would affect your objectivity is barred for two years after the professional relationship ends (20.02(13g)), and taking unfair advantage of any professional relationship or exploiting clients, students, or supervisees is its own item (20.02(13r)).
CompetenceWisconsin
Only what your education, training, and experience qualify you for
Performing or offering services you are not qualified for by education, training, or experience is the first item of unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(1)), and continuing to practice after a court has adjudged you incompetent is the third (20.02(3)). Gross negligence in a single instance, or negligence in more than one, is a ground on its own; gross negligence means services that fail an accepted standard of practice significantly related to protecting health, safety, or welfare, performed with indifference to or disregard of that standard (20.01; 20.02(22)). Failing to assess, evaluate, or diagnose as the basis for treatment is another (20.02(14)).
ImpairmentWisconsin
Practicing while impaired
Practicing or attempting to practice while impaired by alcohol or other drugs, or by an illness that impairs the ability to carry out the credential's functions safely for clients or the public, is unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(9)), and practicing while impaired by alcohol or drugs is a statutory ground subject to the Fair Employment Act (457.26(2)(e)).
DiscriminationWisconsin
Service provided or denied on a protected basis
Discriminating on the basis of age, race, color, biological sex, gender, gender identity, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation by means of service provided or denied is unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(8)). Employing or promoting any intervention that has the purpose of attempting to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity is listed as well, with an exception for counseling that supports a client's identity exploration or gender transition (20.02(25)); the Board's note records that the item is the subject of ongoing litigation after Chiles v. Salazar was remanded to the Tenth Circuit, so read the rule and the note together before relying on either.
HonestyWisconsin
Fraud in the application, in advertising, in billing, and in practice
Fraud or deception in applying for a credential, false or misleading advertising, false or misleading billing, and reporting distorted, false, or misleading information or making false statements in practice are each unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(4) to (7)); a material misstatement in an application is a statutory ground (457.26(2)(a)). Failing to tell a client about a financial interest that is not obvious and could accrue to you from a referral or from a service, product, or publication is listed too (20.02(17)).
ResearchWisconsin
Consent and protection in research
In research, failing to obtain a participant's informed consent, failing to protect participants from physical or mental discomfort, harm, or danger, or failing to detect and remove undesirable consequences of the procedures is unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(16)). Case material may be used for teaching, therapeutic, or research purposes or in publications only with proper precautions to conceal the client's identity (20.02(10)(e)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityWisconsin
The rule's exceptions, and the privilege's
Revealing what a client told you in a professional capacity is unprofessional conduct except with informed consent, with prior notice of the use and distribution, when necessary to prevent injury to the client or another person or to report suspected or threatened child abuse or neglect, under a court order, as concealed case material, or when a statute requires it (MPSW 20.02(10)). The psychotherapist-patient privilege in 905.04 covers all four social work credentials and falls away in commitment, guardianship, and protective proceedings, court-ordered examinations, cases where the patient puts the condition at issue, homicide trials, child abuse reports under 48.981(3), and school threat reports (905.04(1)(g), (4)). The elder and adult-at-risk reporting statutes add their own required reports (46.90(4); 55.043(1m)).
RecordsWisconsin
Seven years, and consent before recording
Clinical records are kept at least seven years after the last service unless another law says otherwise, and failing to keep adequate records is unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(18)); recording or filming a client without written informed consent is another item (20.02(28)).
ReportingWisconsin
48 hours for a conviction, 30 days for discipline elsewhere, and the child abuse duty
Notify the Section in writing within 48 hours after a judgment of conviction for a felony or misdemeanor, with the date, place, nature, the judgment, and the complaint (MPSW 20.02(24)); notify the Board within 30 days that a credential in any profession or jurisdiction has been revoked, suspended, limited, denied, or surrendered under investigation (20.02(20)); and having a social work or related credential disciplined elsewhere is itself a ground (20.02(23)). Failing to comply with mandatory child abuse reporting under state or federal law is unprofessional conduct (20.02(27)) on top of the statute's own penalty of up to $1,000 or six months for an intentional failure (48.981(6)). Refusing to cooperate in a timely manner with a Section investigation is listed, and a response taking more than 30 days puts the burden on you (20.02(30)).
Continuing EducationWisconsin
30 hours a biennium, four in ethics and boundaries, in an interactive format
Every social work credential holder completes at least 30 approved continuing education hours per two-year credential period, at least four in professional ethics and boundaries, and social workers take the ethics hours in an interactive learning format (MPSW 19.02(1), (2)); the first renewal after the initial credential is exempt (19.02(3)). Hours ordered as discipline do not count toward the general requirement, and hours completed late to cure a shortfall do not count for the period in which they are earned (19.02(4)). Keep certificates showing your name, the date, provider, hours, and title for four years and produce them on request (19.05). Someone who fails to meet the requirement by the deadline must stop using the title unless granted a postponement or waiver (19.02(1)).
Supervising subordinates, and aiding unlawful practice
Failing to exercise an adequate degree of supervision over subordinates and knowingly aiding, assisting, or advising in the unlawful practice of social work are each unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(26), (29)), and the whole list applies to engaging in, attempting, or aiding or abetting the conduct (20.02 intro.). Withholding a supervisee's clinical hours documentation or approval is the last item on the list (20.02(31)).
DisciplineWisconsin
What the Section can do, and how reinstatement works
After investigation and hearing, the Section may reprimand a credential holder or deny, limit, suspend, or revoke the credential or a multistate authorization to practice (457.26(2)). A credential holder with unmet disciplinary requirements who fails to renew within five years, or whose credential was surrendered or revoked, applies for reinstatement with evidence of completed disciplinary requirements, rehabilitation or changed circumstances, and, if the credential has not been active in five years, the late renewal showing of an active credential elsewhere or 60 hours including eight in ethics (MPSW 1.08(3), (4)).
Where the Arizona rules come from. A.R.S. 32-3251(16) (the statutory definition of unprofessional conduct, forty-one items lettered (a) through (oo)), 32-3275 (the basic requirements every applicant and licensee must keep meeting), 32-3281 and 32-3282 (investigations, hearings, and sanctions), 32-3283 (privilege), and the Board's rules at R4-6-208 (felony and prior discipline factors), R4-6-801 through R4-6-803 (renewal and continuing education), R4-6-1001 (the disciplinary process), and R4-6-1101 through R4-6-1106 (standards of practice), read on azleg.gov and the Legal Information Institute in September 2026. Arizona writes its conduct code into the statute itself and adds a short set of practice standards by rule; the NASW Code is not adopted by reference, though conduct contrary to recognized standards of ethics in the profession is its own statutory ground.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
AZ
A.R.S. 32-3251(16) defines unprofessional conduct, in Arizona or elsewhere, to include: a felony conviction; fraud or deceit in services or in establishing qualifications; misrepresentation to obtain or renew a license, in an investigation, or about your skills or the value of treatment; false or misleading advertising; active habitual intemperance in alcohol or substance abuse, or using a controlled substance not prescribed; obtaining a fee by fraud; aiding an unlicensed person to pose as licensed; gross or repeated negligence; conduct contrary to recognized standards of ethics in the profession or dangerous to a client; any condition that impairs safe practice; practicing beyond your education, training, or experience; violating the chapter, the rules, or a Board order; failing to furnish information to the Board or to allow access to records; failing to meet the Board's minimum practice standards; inadequate records; clinically unjustified or unsafe services; terminating services without a referral when care is still indicated; disclosing a confidence without a release; sexual conduct with a client or former client; serving anyone you have had sexual contact with; exploiting a client, former client, or supervisee; dual relationships; harmful physical contact; sexual harassment; harassment or retaliation against clients, supervisees, coworkers, witnesses, or complainants; failing to warn potential victims and authorities of a clear and imminent danger; ignoring another jurisdiction's telehealth licensing law; referral kickbacks; failing to report another licensee; violating confidentiality law; failing to retain records under 12-2297; failing to make records available; discipline or adverse action in another jurisdiction, including failing to report it; federal payment sanctions; and breaching exam security (32-3251(16)(a) to (oo)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductArizona
No sexual conduct with a client or former client, ever, and no clients you have had sexual contact with
Engaging in any sexual conduct between a licensee and a client or former client is unprofessional conduct, with no time limit after which a former client becomes permissible (32-3251(16)(v)), and providing behavioral health services to any person with whom you have had sexual contact is a separate item (32-3251(16)(w)). Sexually harassing a client, former client, research subject, supervisee, or coworker, meaning sexual advances, solicitation, requests for favors, unwelcome comments or gestures, or any other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, is listed as well (32-3251(16)(aa)).
Dual RelationshipsArizona
Dual relationships, exploitation, and physical contact
A dual relationship is a licensee simultaneously engaging in a professional and a nonprofessional relationship with a client that is avoidable and not incidental; engaging in one that could impair your objectivity or professional judgment or create a risk of harm to the client is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(y)). Exploiting a client, former client, or supervisee, meaning taking advantage of the professional relationship for your benefit or profit, is its own item (32-3251(16)(x)), as is physical contact with a client where there is a reasonable possibility of physical or psychological harm from it (32-3251(16)(z)). Giving or receiving anything of value for a referral is listed too (32-3251(16)(ee)).
CompetenceArizona
Only what your education, training, and experience support
Engaging or offering to engage as a licensee in activities that are not congruent with your professional education, training, or experience is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(m)), as is gross negligence or repeated negligence as the Board determines it (32-3251(16)(j)), failing to conform to the minimum practice standards the Board develops (32-3251(16)(p)), and providing services that are clinically unjustified, unsafe, or otherwise unprofessional by current standards of practice (32-3251(16)(r)). The Board's standards of practice in R4-6-1101 through R4-6-1106 are those minimum standards.
ImpairmentArizona
Impairment, and the agreement that can defer discipline
Active habitual intemperance in alcohol, active habitual substance abuse, using a controlled substance not prescribed for you, and any conduct, practice, or condition that impairs your ability to practice safely and competently are unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(f), (g), (l)). The Board may require mental, physical, or psychological examinations, biological fluid testing, and assessment by an approved program at your expense once it finds reasonable cause (32-3281(B)), and it may defer action against an impaired licensee who voluntarily signs an agreement accepting practice restrictions, treatment, and monitoring (32-3281(Q)).
HonestyArizona
Fraud in the application, in practice, and in the exam room
Fraud or deceit in rendering services or establishing qualifications, oral or written misrepresentation to secure or renew a license, in an investigation, or about your skills or treatment, false or deceptive statements connected with the practice, securing a license by taking advantage of another's mistake, obtaining a fee by fraud, and using fraud or violating security in a licensure examination are each unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(b) to (e), (h), (nn), (oo)). The application itself is signed under a certification that everything submitted is true (R4-6-301(1)).
RetaliationArizona
Witnesses and complainants are protected
Harassing, exploiting, or retaliating against a client, former client, research subject, supervisee, coworker, witness, or a complainant in a disciplinary investigation or proceeding is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(bb)). Any person who reports to the Board in good faith is protected from civil damages (32-3281(A)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityArizona
An attorney-client privilege, with three doors out
The confidential relationship is the same as between an attorney and client, and a licensee shall not divulge information received by reason of it unless the client waives the privilege in writing or in court testimony (32-3283(A)). The privilege does not extend to the duty to inform victims and authorities of a clear and imminent danger, to reports required by law, or to information the Board requires in an investigation (32-3283(B), (C)). Disclosing a professional confidence except as required by law or allowed by a legally valid written release is unprofessional conduct, and so is failing to follow federal and state law on storing, using, and releasing identifiable client information (32-3251(16)(t), (gg)). The Board's rule spells out the written authorization and requires each competent family member in family treatment to authorize their own release (R4-6-1105).
RecordsArizona
Six years for adults, and longer for minors
Failing to keep adequate records of services, failing to retain them as 12-2297 requires, and failing to make them available to the client, a minor's parent, a guardian, or another professional on proper authorization are each unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(q), (hh), (jj), (kk)). Retention is at least six years after an adult's last service and, for a child, three years past the eighteenth birthday or six years after the last service, whichever is later (12-2297(A)). Supervision records are kept seven years by the supervisor (R4-6-212(C)(5)).
ReportingArizona
Report other licensees, report your own discipline, and answer within 30 days
A licensee shall report to the Board in writing information that would cause a reasonable licensee to believe another licensee is guilty of unprofessional conduct or physically or mentally unable to provide services competently or safely; failing to do so is unprofessional conduct, except where the information is privileged and shows no clear and imminent danger (32-3251(16)(ff); 32-3281(A)). Adverse action on a professional license in another jurisdiction, including revocation, suspension, surrender, or any other sanction, is a ground in itself, and failing to report it to the Board is part of the ground (32-3251(16)(ll)). When the Board sends notice of a complaint, the written response is due within 30 days of service (R4-6-1001(A)); failing to furnish information the Board legally requests within the time specified is listed (32-3251(16)(o)).
Continuing EducationArizona
30 clock hours every two years, ethics or law, cultural competency, and the tutorial
Between the date the Board received your last renewal and the next expiration, complete 30 clock hours related to the scope of your license, including at least three in behavioral health ethics or mental health law and three in cultural competency and diversity from an approved source, and the three-hour Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial (R4-6-801(B); R4-6-802(C), (D)). No hours carry over (R4-6-801(B)). Keep the certificates and transcripts for 24 months after renewal; the Board audits (R4-6-801(D); R4-6-803). The Board may also order continuing education without discipline after an investigation, and a licensee returning from inactive status must show competence (32-3281(D)(3), (H)(5); R4-6-305(F)).
Unlicensed practice, supervision, and subordinates
Aiding or abetting a person who is not licensed under the chapter to purport to be a licensed behavioral health professional is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(i)), and conspiring with or aiding another in unauthorized practice is a class 6 felony (32-3286(D)). A licensee must ensure that employees, supervisees, clerical assistants, and volunteers keep client confidentiality (R4-6-1103(G)), and a supervisor who fails to monitor a supervisee's safe, competent practice cannot certify the hours (R4-6-212(C)(2)).
DisciplineArizona
What the Board can do, from a letter of concern to revocation
After investigation the Board may dismiss, issue a nondisciplinary letter of concern (a public document you may answer within 30 days), or order continuing education; if the information may be true it may seek a consent agreement or a formal interview, after which it may issue a decree of censure, set probation of up to twelve months' suspension with restrictions, restitution, or education at your expense, or refer the matter to a formal hearing where censure, probation, suspension, revocation, and a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation are available, with the costs of the investigation and hearing charged to a licensee found in violation (32-3281(D) to (L)). Summary suspension is available when public safety imperatively requires it, with a hearing within 60 days (32-3281(C), (G)). The Board weighs prior actions, motive, patterns, obstruction, false evidence, refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing, and the victim's vulnerability (R4-6-1001(D); 32-3281(P)), and it must refer possible crimes to prosecutors (32-3281(M)).
Where the Maryland rules come from. Health Occupations 19-311 (the twenty-one grounds for discipline), 19-311.1 (fines), 19-312 and 19-313 (hearings, costs, and judicial review), 19-315 (the social worker rehabilitation process), 19-317 (examinations during an investigation), and 19-407 (penalties for unlicensed practice), and the Board's regulations at COMAR 10.42.03 (the code of ethics), 10.42.06 (continuing education), and 10.42.09 (disciplinary sanctions, monetary penalties, and civil fines), read on the General Assembly's statute site and the Library of Maryland Regulations in September 2026. Maryland's Board writes its own code of ethics into regulation, governing conduct whether services are delivered in person, by telephone, or electronically; the NASW Code is not adopted by reference.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
MD
Health Occupations 19-311 lists the grounds on which the Board, after an opportunity for a hearing, may deny a license, fine, reprimand, place on probation, or suspend or revoke: obtaining or attempting to obtain a license through fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation; fraudulently or deceptively using a license; mental or physical incompetence to practice; any act of gross negligence, incompetence, or misconduct in practice; a course of conduct inconsistent with generally accepted professional standards; violating the title or the Board's regulations; conviction of or a guilty or nolo contendere plea to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude, appeal or not; providing services under the influence of alcohol or while using a narcotic, controlled dangerous substance, or other drug beyond prescribed amounts or without medical indication; discipline by any licensing authority, state, country, armed service, or the Veterans' Administration for conduct that would be a ground here; practicing with, supervising, or aiding an unauthorized person; making or filing a false report or record; failing to file a report required by law or impeding one; submitting a false statement to collect a fee; failing to report suspected child abuse or neglect under Family Law 5-704; refusing, withholding, denying, or discriminating in services on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, ethnic origin, or HIV status; failing to cooperate with a lawful investigation; intimidating or influencing witnesses or people giving information to the Board; failing to report suspected abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult under Criminal Law 3-604 or 3-605; failing to comply with a Board order, including costs; failing to maintain adequate patient records; and failing to comply with the medical records provisions in Health-General Title 4 (19-311(1) to (21)). A fine of up to $10,000 may accompany or replace the sanction (19-311.1).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductMaryland
No sexual misconduct with current or former clients, ever, and none with anyone under your authority
The licensee may not engage in sexual misconduct with either current or former clients, or with a client, supervisee, student, trainee, or colleague over whom the licensee exercises professional authority (COMAR 10.42.03.05D, E). Sexual misconduct means inappropriate sexual language, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, sexual behavior, or therapeutic deception, and therapeutic deception is representing that sexual contact or activity is consistent with or part of the client's treatment (10.42.03.02B(5) to (11)). The licensee may not provide professional services to anyone with whom the licensee previously engaged in sexual behavior, and may not end services in order to begin a social or sexual relationship with the client or someone close to the client (10.42.03.05F, G). No time limit ever makes a former client permissible.
Dual RelationshipsMaryland
No dual relationship with a client or anyone close to the client
A dual relationship is one in which the licensee is involved with a client professionally and in any other capacity, and the licensee may not enter one with a client or with an individual with whom the client has a close personal relationship (COMAR 10.42.03.02B(3); .05A). The only exception is a licensee seeking to adopt a former client in what the Board deems extraordinary circumstances after an investigation (10.42.03.05B). A nonsexual relationship is permitted with someone whose prior professional contact with the licensee was brief, peripheral, or indirect and not a therapeutic relationship (10.42.03.05C). A licensee may not exploit a relationship with a client for personal advantage or satisfaction, and may not undertake or continue a professional relationship where objectivity is or could be impaired by a present or previous familial, social, sexual, financial, supervisory, or other relationship with the client or someone connected to the client (10.42.03.03B(3); .06B).
CompetenceMaryland
Practice limited to proven proficiency, with consultation when learning something new
The licensee limits practice to areas of proficiency gained through education, training, and experience; acquires specialized education and training to provide culturally informed services; uses interventions and assessment techniques only when the circumstances justify them and monitors their effectiveness; engages in ongoing consultation when developing competence in a new service or technique; documents and maintains accurate records of service, supervision, and research; represents qualifications accurately; and seeks competent professional assistance to decide whether to suspend, terminate, or limit practice when aware that competence is impaired (COMAR 10.42.03.06A). Gross negligence, incompetence, or misconduct, and conduct inconsistent with generally accepted professional standards, are statutory grounds (19-311(4), (5)).
ImpairmentMaryland
Impairment, the Board's examination, and the rehabilitation process
A licensee may not undertake or continue a professional relationship when competence or objectivity is or could reasonably be expected to be impaired by mental, emotional, physiological, pharmacological, substance abuse, or personal problems (COMAR 10.42.03.06B(1)(a)); providing services under the influence of alcohol or misused drugs, and mental or physical incompetence, are statutory grounds (19-311(3), (8)). While investigating, the Board may require an examination by a health care provider it designates and at its cost if it has reason to believe the licensee may cause harm; refusal is prima facie evidence of inability to practice (19-317). The Board's social worker rehabilitation process can evaluate and assist a licensee with alcoholism, substance dependency, or other conditions, on referral by the Board or the licensee, with its records shielded from civil discovery (19-315).
HonestyMaryland
Fraud in the application, in practice, and in billing
The licensee may not participate in or condone dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, misrepresent professional qualifications, education, experience, or affiliation, or engage in solicitation amounting to fraud, intimidation, or undue influence (COMAR 10.42.03.03B(1), (2), (4)). Obtaining a license by fraud, fraudulently using a license, filing a false report or record, and submitting a false statement to collect a fee are statutory grounds (19-311(1), (2), (11), (13)); intentionally giving the Board false information to obtain a license is a prohibited act with the misdemeanor penalty (19-404; 19-407). Fraudulently attesting to continuing education brings discipline under the hearing rules (COMAR 10.42.06.07A).
DiscriminationMaryland
Discrimination in services, and the client's civil rights
Refusing, withholding, denying, or discriminating against an individual in professional services on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, ethnic origin, or HIV status is a statutory ground (19-311(15)); the code bars practicing, condoning, facilitating, or collaborating with discrimination on those bases, socioeconomic status, or any basis proscribed by law, and any action that violates or diminishes a client's civil or legal rights (COMAR 10.42.03.03B(5), (6)). Three Category I units each renewal must be in anti-oppressive social work practice (10.42.06.03A(1)(d)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityMaryland
Consent, danger, or a compelling professional reason
The licensee may not share a confidence revealed by a client without the client's consent, except if there is danger to self or to another individual, or for a compelling professional reason (COMAR 10.42.03.03B(7)), and must ensure that no confidential information is disseminated and identities are protected when technology is used (10.42.03.03A(5)(g)). The medical record is confidential and disclosed only as the Confidentiality of Medical Records Act or other law provides (Health-General 4-302), and the social worker privilege in Courts 9-121 has its own list of exceptions, from placement for mental illness to child abuse proceedings. Child abuse and vulnerable adult reports are made notwithstanding any law on privileged communications (Family Law 5-704(a); 14-302(a)).
RecordsMaryland
Seven years, and adequate content
Records are legible, accurate, dated and timed, limited to relevant information, sufficient for continuity, and kept accessible for the period in Health-General 4-403, which bars destruction for seven years, or for a minor until the age of majority plus seven, unless notice is given (COMAR 10.42.03.03A(5); Health-General 4-403). Failing to maintain adequate records and failing to comply with the records law are statutory grounds (19-311(20), (21)). Supervisors and supervisees keep supervision session records for five years (COMAR 10.42.08.07C(4); .08A(4)).
ReportingMaryland
Report abuse, report colleagues, and cooperate
Failing to report suspected child abuse or neglect under Family Law 5-704, and failing to report suspected abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult under Criminal Law 3-604 or 3-605, are statutory grounds (19-311(14), (18)). A licensee informs the Board of unethical conduct by a licensed social worker and of an unlicensed person representing themselves as a social worker, takes reasonable measures to help an impaired or incompetent colleague, and reports the colleague when the problem is not addressed or a client's welfare appears in danger (COMAR 10.42.03.04A, C). Failing to cooperate with a lawful investigation, and intimidating or influencing a witness or anyone giving the Board information, are grounds (19-311(16), (17)). Discipline by any other licensing authority is a ground here (19-311(9)).
Continuing EducationMaryland
40 units every two years, three in ethics, three anti-oppressive
An LMSW, LCSW, or LCSW-C completes 40 continuing education units each two-year period from November 1 through October 31, at least 20 from Category I programs by Board-authorized sponsors, with three units in ethics and professional conduct including boundaries or Maryland's standards and laws, three Category I units in anti-oppressive practice, and, for Board-approved supervisors, three on supervision; an LBSW completes 30 with 15 Category I (COMAR 10.42.06.03). No carryover; keep documentation three years after the renewal date; the Board audits a percentage each period, and a licensee short of the units is not renewed and may face discipline (10.42.06.03B(2), .06, .07). A six-month extension is available for documented illness, military service, absence abroad, a declared emergency, or financial hardship if requested before October 1 (10.42.06.10).
Practicing social work with an unauthorized person, or supervising or aiding an unauthorized person in the practice of social work, is a statutory ground (19-311(10)), and a licensee may not sexually harass, verbally abuse, or intimidate supervisees, students, trainees, or colleagues (COMAR 10.42.03.04B). A Board-approved supervisor ensures that the supervisee practices within the scope of the supervisee's license and determines the skill level at which the supervisee may practice (10.42.08.07C(1), (2)).
DisciplineMaryland
What the Board can do, and how it decides
After notice and a hearing under the Administrative Procedure Act, the Board may deny, fine, reprimand, place on probation, or suspend or revoke, and a licensee found in violation pays the costs of the hearing (19-311; 19-312). Fines run up to $10,000 per the Board's sanctioning guidelines, which set a range for each violation and let the Board go outside it on mitigating factors such as no prior record, self-reporting, cooperation, remediation, and restitution, or aggravating factors such as prior history, deliberateness, serious harm, a pattern, financial motive, client vulnerability, lack of insight, and violations committed under the guise of treatment (19-311.1; COMAR 10.42.09.04, .05). Unpaid penalties block renewal or reinstatement (10.42.09.06C). A suspended or revoked license is reinstated only on the order's terms (19-314), a licensee under investigation may not surrender the license without the Board's agreement (19-310), and appeal goes directly to court rather than to the Secretary (19-313). The Board may also seek an injunction against unauthorized practice or conduct that is a ground for discipline (19-316).
Where the Colorado rules come from. C.R.S. 12-245-224 (prohibited activities, the Act's conduct code), 12-245-225 (Board actions and fines), 12-245-226 (disciplinary proceedings, examinations, and the duties to report), 12-245-223 (confidential agreements to limit practice), 12-245-231 (the peer health assistance program), and 12-245-410 (continuing professional competency), and the Board's Rules 1.6 (information to be reported), 1.18 (continuing professional competence), 1.20 (administrative fines), and 1.21 (confidential agreements), read on leg.colorado.gov and the Legal Information Institute in September 2026. Colorado writes its conduct code into the statute; the generally accepted standards of the profession, which may include the standards of state and national social work associations at the Board's discretion, are incorporated by reference through the standards-of-practice ground (12-245-224(1)(g)).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
CO
C.R.S. 12-245-224(1) lists the prohibited activities that violate the Act: a felony conviction, plea, or deferred sentence, or any crime related to the practice; violating or abetting a violation of the Act, the rules, or a Board order; misleading, deceptive, or false advertising; health insurance abuse; habitual or excessive use of alcohol, a habit-forming drug, or a controlled substance; failing to notify the Board of a physical illness, condition, or behavioral, mental health, or substance use disorder that affects safe practice, failing to act within its limitations, or breaching a confidential agreement; failing to meet the generally accepted standards of the professional discipline, which a malpractice judgment conclusively shows; performing services outside one's training, experience, or competence; relationships with clients likely to impair judgment or invite exploitation, such as treating employees, supervisees, close colleagues, or relatives; undue influence for financial gain; failing to terminate a relationship that is not benefiting the client; failing to refer or consult when the problem is beyond one's competence or the standard of care requires; inadequate supervision of supervisees; accepting or giving remuneration for referrals; failing the mandatory disclosure; sexual contact, intrusion, or penetration with a client during the therapeutic relationship or for two years after; fraud in applying for licensure or in an examination; demonstrably unnecessary tests or treatment, treatment contrary to accepted standards without clinical justification, rebirthing, or conversion therapy with a client under eighteen; falsified or repeatedly missing essential record entries; a fraudulent insurance act; selling or fraudulently obtaining a license; and failing to respond to a complaint as the Board requires (12-245-224(1)(a) to (x)). Discipline elsewhere for substantially similar conduct is prima facie grounds (12-245-224(2)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductColorado
No sexual contact with a client during the relationship or for two years after
Engaging in sexual contact, sexual intrusion, or sexual penetration, as the criminal code defines them, with a client during the period in which a therapeutic relationship exists or for up to two years after it ends is a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(r)). The mandatory disclosure tells every client that sexual intimacy is never appropriate in a professional relationship and should be reported to the Board (12-245-216(1)(d)(III)). Separately, the criminal code addresses sexual assault by a psychotherapist on a client (18-3-405.5, preserved by 12-245-217(3)), and a licensee with a sexual misconduct conviction or probation must disclose it to every patient (12-30-115; Rule 1.23).
Dual RelationshipsColorado
Employees, supervisees, close colleagues, relatives
Maintaining relationships with clients that are likely to impair the licensee's professional judgment or increase the risk of client exploitation, such as treating employees, supervisees, close colleagues, or relatives, is a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(i)), as is exercising undue influence on a client, including promoting the sale of services, goods, property, or drugs in a way that exploits the client for the licensee's or a third party's financial gain (12-245-224(1)(j)). The supervision rule requires supervisors to assure that no inappropriate relationships exist between supervisor and supervisee or supervisor and client (Rule 1.7C(7)).
CompetenceColorado
Within your training, and up to the generally accepted standard
Acting or failing to act in a manner that does not meet the generally accepted standards of the professional discipline is a prohibited activity, and the Board may look to the standards of practice generally recognized by state and national associations in the field; a certified malpractice judgment is conclusive evidence, but evidence is not limited to one (12-245-224(1)(g)). Performing services outside one's area of training, experience, or competence, failing to refer a client whose problem is beyond it, failing to consult or refer when the standard of care requires, and administering demonstrably unnecessary treatment or treatment contrary to accepted standards are each listed (12-245-224(1)(h), (l), (m), (t)). Rebirthing and conversion therapy with a minor are named outright (12-245-224(1)(t)(IV), (V)).
ImpairmentColorado
Impairment, the duty to tell the Board, and the confidential agreement
Habitual or excessive use of alcohol, habit-forming drugs, or controlled substances is a prohibited activity, and so is failing to notify the Board of a physical illness or condition or a behavioral, mental health, or substance use disorder that affects the ability to treat clients with reasonable skill and safety, failing to act within its limitations, or failing to comply with a confidential agreement to limit practice (12-245-224(1)(e), (f)). A licensee who can practice safely within limits may enter a confidential agreement under 12-30-108 rather than face discipline (12-245-223; Rule 1.21). The Board may require mental or physical examinations on reasonable cause and may suspend a licensee who refuses without good cause; every licensee is deemed to have consented (12-245-226(2)(d)). A peer health assistance program is funded through licensing fees (12-245-231).
HonestyColorado
Fraud in the application, in advertising, in billing, and in the exam
Fraud, misrepresentation, or deception in applying for or securing licensure or in taking an examination, misleading or false advertising, health insurance abuse under 18-13-119, a fraudulent insurance act under 10-1-128, falsified or repeatedly missing essential record entries, and selling or fraudulently obtaining a license are each prohibited activities (12-245-224(1)(c), (d), (s), (u), (v), (w)). Claiming continuing competence through a state program that does not qualify, or falsifying deem status, brings discipline (Rule 1.18G(3)).
Conversion TherapyColorado
Conversion therapy with a minor is a prohibited activity, and reportable
Conversion therapy with a client under eighteen years of age is a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(t)(V)), and the Board's reporting rule names it among the violations a social worker with direct knowledge must report to the Board (Rule 1.6A). Rebirthing, meaning reenactment of birth through restraint that risks injury or death, is likewise prohibited, and a parent cannot consent to it (12-245-224(1)(t)(IV)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityColorado
The statute's exceptions, and the school-threat disclosure
Confidential communications and advice are not disclosed without consent, except when the client sues or complains about the care, in a consultation tied to such a suit, in Board investigations and hospital or professional review, and when a client makes an articulable and significant threat against a school or exhibits behavior that creates one, in which case disclosure is limited to school personnel and law enforcement and the licensee is immune for disclosing or not (12-245-220(1), (2)). The section does not apply in delinquency or criminal proceedings and does not prohibit disclosures required by law (12-245-220(4), (5)). The school-threat provision expressly preserves the duty to warn under 13-21-117 (12-245-220(2)(d)(III)).
RecordsColorado
Seven years, the written notice, and adequate entries
Records are kept seven years from the later of termination or last contact, with the contents Rule 1.16 lists, stored securely, and destroyed by obliterating identifying data (Rule 1.16A, B, D, G); the client is told in writing within 180 days after treatment ends that records may not be kept past seven years (12-245-226(1)(a)(II)(A)). Falsifying or repeatedly making incorrect essential entries, or repeatedly failing to make them, is a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(u)).
ReportingColorado
Report other licensees within 60 days, and your own settlements and conditions
A licensee with direct knowledge that another licensee, registrant, or certificate holder has violated the prohibited activities or practiced without authorization has a duty to report it to the Board as soon as possible and no later than 60 days, in writing with the specifics, unless reporting would breach client confidentiality; when the knowledge came from the client, inform the client, encourage the client to report, and obtain informed consent first (12-245-226(8); Rule 1.6). Report a malpractice settlement or judgment within 60 days (12-245-226(7)), and notify the Board of any condition affecting safe practice (12-245-224(1)(f)). Failing to respond to a complaint in the manner the Board requires is a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(x)).
Continuing EducationColorado
40 professional development hours every renewal cycle, on a plan
Continuing professional competence is met through the Board's Continuing Professional Development program: the Professional Practice Rubric, a Personal Learning Plan, and 40 Professional Development Hours per two-year renewal cycle from allowed activities (volunteer service, consultation, supervision, presenting, coursework, publication, independent learning), prorated at 1.66 hours a month for a mid-cycle license, with coursework from an accredited institution or recognized professional organization creditable for all 40, any other single activity for no more than 20, and up to five hours carried forward (12-245-410; Rule 1.18). Keep documentation five years from the cycle's expiration date; audits follow each renewal (Rule 1.18E(6); DORA). Assessment records are confidential and used only by the Board (12-245-410(2)).
Failing to render adequate professional supervision of persons practicing under one's supervision according to generally accepted standards is a prohibited activity, as is assisting or abetting any violation of the Act, and selling or aiding the fraudulent obtaining of a license (12-245-224(1)(b), (n), (w)). An administrative supervisor may be accountable for not reporting a supervisee's misconduct the supervisor knew or should have known of (Rule 1.7B(3)).
DisciplineColorado
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
For a violation the Board may send a letter of admonition, place the licensee on probation with examinations, therapy or training, practice review or supervision, and restrictions, deny, revoke, or suspend the license, issue a confidential letter of concern, seek an injunction, or issue a cease-and-desist order, and may fine an administrative violation up to $5,000 under its schedule of $1,000, $2,500, and $5,000 for first, second, and later violations (12-245-225; 12-245-226(3); Rule 1.20). Proceedings follow the State Administrative Procedure Act, often before an administrative law judge, and no title may be revoked or probation imposed without a hearing except by summary suspension in an emergency, after a court adjudication of incapacity, or for refusing a required examination (12-245-226(2)). Dismissed complaints stay out of the open records law; a notice of formal complaint or final action is public (12-245-226(4)). Unpaid fines are themselves a violation of a Board order (Rule 1.20D).
Where the South Carolina rules come from. S.C. Code 40-63-110 (the fifteen grounds for discipline), 40-63-120 (sanctions and fines), 40-63-90 (investigations and hearings), 40-63-130 through 40-63-180 (denial, criminal records, surrender, appeal, and costs), 40-63-190 (confidentiality), and 40-63-200 (penalties), and the Board's Regulations 110-1 (continuing education) and 110-20 (the Principles of Professional Ethics), read on scstatehouse.gov and llr.sc.gov in September 2026. South Carolina writes its own seventeen principles of professional ethics into regulation, and a violation of them is a statutory ground for discipline; the Board's FAQ points to the NASW Code for questions the rules do not answer.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
SC
S.C. Code 40-63-110(B) defines misconduct for which the Board may revoke, suspend, publicly reprimand, restrict, or otherwise discipline a licensee: a false, fraudulent, or forged statement or document, or a fraudulent, deceitful, or dishonest act, in connection with a license requirement; conviction of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, with bond forfeiture or a nolo contendere plea counting as conviction; violating a regulation, directive, or order of the Board; knowingly assisting a person to practice social work illegally; publishing or circulating a fraudulent, false, or misleading statement about a social worker's skill or methods; practicing while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to a degree that affects the ability to practice, or using them to that degree; a physical or mental impairment that makes further practice dangerous to the public; violating the principles of professional ethics or standards of conduct in the Board's regulations; obtaining fees under deceptive, false, or fraudulent circumstances; an intentionally false or fraudulent statement in any document connected with the practice; lack of professional competence as the Board finds; sexual contact with a current client or with a former client within three years after the therapeutic relationship ends; compromising the validity or security of licensure examinations; and unprofessional conduct as the Board determines (40-63-110(B)(1) to (15)). A licensee adjudged mentally incompetent is automatically suspended until adjudged competent (40-63-110(C)). The Board may add a fine of up to $5,000 per violation and the costs of investigation and prosecution (40-63-120; 40-63-170).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductSouth Carolina
No sexual contact with a client, or a former client for three years
Sexual contact with a current client, or with a former client during the three years after the therapeutic relationship ends, is misconduct under the statute, and the ethics regulation bars any sexual act with a client or with a person who was a client within the past three years (40-63-110(B)(13); Reg. 110-20(4)). The client relationship is presumed to continue for six months after the last service unless circumstances such as a new therapist show otherwise (110-20(6)). A social worker shall not exploit professional relationships with clients or former clients, supervisors, students, employees, or research participants, sexually or otherwise, and does not engage in sexual harassment, meaning deliberate or repeated unwanted comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature (110-20(5)).
Dual RelationshipsSouth Carolina
Exploitation, conflicts of interest, and soliciting your agency's clients
The social worker shall not exploit relationships with clients for personal or business advantage beyond the proper, reasonable, agreed compensation; shall not solicit the clients of the employing agency for private practice; and will inform clients of any possible or apparent conflict of interest and terminate service and the relationship when a conflict arises, in a manner that does not endanger the client's life (Reg. 110-20(1) to (3)). Financial interests yield to professional responsibility, and no fee may be divided or anything of value given or taken for a referral (110-20(7), (9)).
CompetenceSouth Carolina
Competence the Board can judge, and unprofessional conduct it defines
Lack of professional competence to practice social work, as the Board finds it, and unprofessional conduct as the Board determines, are each grounds for discipline (40-63-110(B)(12), (15)), and violating the Board's principles of ethics or standards of conduct is another (40-63-110(B)(9)). The scopes draw the lines: an LBSW may not diagnose or treat mental illness or provide psychotherapy, an LMSW does clinical work only under supervision in an agency, and an LISW-AP may not practice clinical social work independently (40-63-20(23), (24), (26); Reg. 110-30).
ImpairmentSouth Carolina
Impairment, and the Board's authority over it
Practicing while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to a degree that adversely affects the ability to practice, using alcohol or drugs to that degree, and sustaining a physical or mental impairment or disability that renders further practice dangerous to the public are each misconduct (40-63-110(B)(6) to (8)). The Board may promulgate regulations pertaining to the practice of impaired licensees (40-63-280), and a licensee adjudged mentally incompetent by a court is automatically suspended until adjudged competent (40-63-110(C)).
HonestySouth Carolina
Fraud in the application, in advertising, in fees, in documents, and in the exam
A false, fraudulent, or forged statement in connection with a license requirement; a fraudulent, false, or misleading statement about a social worker's skill or methods; obtaining fees under deceptive, false, or fraudulent circumstances; an intentionally false or fraudulent statement in any practice document; and compromising the validity or security of licensure examinations are each misconduct (40-63-110(B)(1), (5), (10), (11), (14)). The ethics regulation bars committing fraud, representing that services were performed that were not, and misrepresenting qualifications, education, experience, affiliations, or services (Reg. 110-20(8), (11)). Knowingly submitting false information to the Board to obtain a license is also a misdemeanor (40-63-200(A)).
DiscriminationSouth Carolina
No discrimination in the work
In connection with the work, a social worker shall not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief, mental or physical handicap, or any other preference or personal characteristic, condition, or status (Reg. 110-20(12)). A social worker shall not repeatedly fail to keep scheduled appointments (110-20(13)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialitySouth Carolina
The Practice Act's list, and the regulation's compelling reasons
A licensee, employee, or associate discloses information acquired during service only as the child abuse and vulnerable adult statutes mandate, to prevent a clear and immediate danger to the client or others, as a defendant in an action arising from the service, where the client puts their mental condition at issue, under a written waiver signed by every competent client in conjoint services, or where law or a judge's order requires (40-63-190). The social worker respects the privacy of clients and holds in confidence all information from professional service except for compelling reasons, which include consultation with another professional on the client's behalf, the duty to warn, child abuse and sexual molestation, and statutory requirements (Reg. 110-20(15)). The mental health confidences statute adds its own permissions and duties for LMSWs and LISWs (19-11-95).
RecordsSouth Carolina
No retention period in the Act, and honesty in every document
The Practice Act and Chapter 110 set no record retention period and no record content list; the duties that attach to records are the bar on fraud and on representing services not performed, the ban on intentionally false statements in any document connected with the practice, and the informed consent required before taping, recording, or third-party observation (Reg. 110-20(8), (16); 40-63-110(B)(11)). Consent to release must be in writing, with each competent client in conjoint services agreeing (40-63-190(5)).
ReportingSouth Carolina
Report unethical practice, report abuse, and cooperate
The social worker shall report to the appropriate authorities any incident, of which they have personal knowledge, of unethical social practice by any individual or organization (Reg. 110-20(17)). Child abuse and neglect and vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation are reported notwithstanding confidentiality, and a knowing failure carries a criminal penalty in each statute (40-63-190(1); 63-7-410; 43-35-85(A)). In a Board matter, the licensee has 30 days' notice of the hearing with the accusation attached, the right to be present, present evidence, cross-examine, and have counsel at the licensee's expense, and complainants' communications are privileged unless malicious (40-63-90).
Continuing EducationSouth Carolina
40 contact hours every two years, one in suicide assessment
A minimum of 40 contact hours of accepted professional continuing education per biennial renewal period, including one hour in suicide assessment, treatment, and management, which may be completed virtually, is the prerequisite for renewal (Reg. 110-1B; 40-63-250(E)). Only student class hours count, a lecturer earns two hours per hour presented once per course per period, and repeated courses earn nothing except in unusual circumstances (110-1C). Approval comes from the Board's designees, and sponsors bear the risk of disapproval (110-1D). Hours are reported and tracked through CE Broker, and the deadline is December 31 of even years (Board).
Assisting illegal practice, and supervising within scope
Knowingly performing an act which in any way assists a person to practice social work illegally is misconduct (40-63-110(B)(4)); an LISW who supervises an LMSW's clinical work in an agency is responsible for the nature and quality of the services and bills for them (Reg. 110-30C), and an LISW who supervises for licensure must hold the Board's supervisor approval (40-63-240(D)). Practicing without a license is a misdemeanor of up to $1,000 or a year, with civil penalties and injunctions available to the Board (40-63-200; 40-63-210).
DisciplineSouth Carolina
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
On a written complaint or its own belief, the Department may investigate and present the results to the Board, which may act under the Administrative Procedures Act through a hearing officer or panel; the licensee receives at least 30 days' written notice with the accusation attached (40-63-90(A), (B)). Sanctions include suspension, restriction, revocation, public reprimand, and other discipline under the general licensing provisions, a fine of up to $5,000 per violation, and the costs of investigation and prosecution, all collected under 40-1-180 (40-63-110(A); 40-63-120; 40-63-170; 40-63-180). The Board may deny a license on the same grounds, may not deny solely for a prior criminal record, may issue cease and desist orders and seek injunctions, and its final order is public, though investigations are confidential (40-63-100; 40-63-130; 40-63-140; 40-63-90(E)). A final action is reviewable under 40-1-160 (40-63-160).
Where the Alabama rules come from. Ala. Code 34-30-4 (the statutory grounds and the $500 fines), 34-30-5 (hearings and appeals), 34-30-33 (title violations), 26-14-3 and 26-14-13 (child abuse reporting and its penalty), and 38-9-8 (adult protective services reporting), with the Board's rules 850-X-8-.01 (continuing education), 850-X-9-.01 (the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics), 850-X-10-.01 (the additional grounds), and 850-X-10-.13 (sanctions and the factors), read on Justia and Cornell's Legal Information Institute in September 2026. Alabama writes its own Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics into rule, a violation of them is a ground for discipline, and every applicant subscribes to the Board's code of ethics before licensure.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute and rule list them
AL
Ala. Code 34-30-4 lets the Board deny an application or, after a hearing, refuse to renew, suspend, or revoke a license on proof that the person engaged in unprofessional conduct within the last five years, including conviction of a felony; habituation or addiction to habit-forming drugs that impairs the ability to work; conviction of fraud or deceit in services rendered as a licensed social worker or in establishing qualifications; aiding or abetting an unlicensed person who falsely represents licensure; failing to be relicensed and continuing to represent oneself as licensed after expiration; and being found guilty of unprofessional conduct under the Board's rules, with administrative fines of up to $500 per violation for serious violations (34-30-4(a), (b)). Rule 850-X-10-.01 adds twenty-five specific offenses: cheating on or subverting the examination; fraud in applying for or renewing a license; conviction of a felony or a misdemeanor of moral turpitude, including a guilty or no-contest plea; dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public; false or misleading statements about skills or the value of treatment, including advertising; violating confidentiality except as law requires or permits; failing to manage, maintain, and preserve records; failing to transfer records on request; fees or rebates for services not personally rendered; a court finding of mental incompetence; behavior demonstrating incapacity or incompetence; an adverse civil or criminal judgment on conduct that would be a ground; dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients that risk exploitation or harm, or boundary violations; sexual abuse, misconduct, or exploitation related to practice; addiction to a chemical substance that impairs practice; aiding the practice of an unlicensed, incompetent, or impaired person; letting anyone use your license; discipline in another jurisdiction on matching grounds; failing to report out-of-state adverse actions or surrenders; failing to cooperate with the Board; breaching a probation or settlement; aiding false reports; failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws; and violating the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics (850-X-10-.01(1)(a) to (y)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductAlabama
Never with a current client; with a former client the burden is yours
The social worker shall under no circumstances engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with current clients, whether consensual or forced; shall not engage in sexual activities or contact with a client's relatives or others close to the client where there is a risk of exploitation or harm; and should not engage in sexual activities or contact with former clients because of the potential for harm, and a social worker who does so or claims extraordinary circumstances bears the full burden of demonstrating that the former client has not been exploited, coerced, or manipulated (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)5. to 7.). Clinical services are not provided to anyone with whom the social worker had a prior sexual relationship, clear and culturally sensitive boundaries govern any physical contact, and sexual harassment of clients, including advances, solicitation, requests for favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, is barred (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)8. to 10.). Any act of sexual abuse, misconduct, or exploitation related to practice is a ground for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(n)).
Dual RelationshipsAlabama
No exploitation, no risky dual relationships, no derogatory language
The social worker shall not exploit relationships with clients for personal advantage, shall not condone or engage in any dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm, and is responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)2., 4.). Professional relationships are not exploited for personal gain, and the social worker resists influences and pressures, including personal beliefs, that interfere with impartial judgment (850-X-9-.01(1)(d)). Derogatory language to or about clients is barred; communications are accurate and respectful (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)11.). Dual relationships with risk of harm, and boundary violations, are grounds for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(m)).
CompetenceAlabama
Take work you are competent to do, and do not lend your license
The social worker accepts responsibility or employment only on the basis of existing competence or the intention to acquire it, does not misrepresent qualifications, licensure, certification, education, experience, or affiliations, does not knowingly allow another person to use the license, and does not impersonate another licensee (850-X-9-.01(1)(b)1., 2., 5., 6.). The social worker retains ultimate responsibility for the quality and extent of the service assumed, assigned, or performed (850-X-9-.01(1)(c)1.). Behavior demonstrating incapacity or incompetence to practice is a ground for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(k)).
ImpairmentAlabama
Personal problems, substance use, and the duty to step back
The social worker shall not allow personal problems, psychosocial distress, substance abuse, or mental health difficulties to interfere with professional judgment and performance or jeopardize the interests of those served, and one whose difficulties do interfere should immediately seek consultation and take remedial action, whether professional help, workload adjustments, terminating practice, or other steps to protect clients (850-X-9-.01(1)(b)3., 4.). Habituation or addiction to habit-forming drugs that impairs the ability to work is a statutory ground, and addiction or habituation to any chemical substance that impairs competent practice, and a court finding of mental incompetence, are grounds under the rule (34-30-4(a)(2); 850-X-10-.01(1)(j), (o)).
HonestyAlabama
Fraud in the application, in advertising, in fees, and in the exam
The social worker shall not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or criminal activity, and distinguishes clearly between statements made as a private individual and as a representative of the profession (850-X-9-.01(1)(a)2., 3.). Cheating on or subverting the licensing examination, fraud in applying for or renewing a license, false or misleading statements about skills or the efficacy of treatment, and fees for services not personally rendered are each grounds for discipline, and conviction of fraud or deceit in services rendered or in establishing qualifications is a statutory ground (850-X-10-.01(1)(a), (b), (e), (i); 34-30-4(a)(3)). False or misleading statements during the Board's investigation of an application bring denial and a one-year bar on reapplying (850-X-4-.01(5)).
DiscriminationAlabama
No discrimination, and self-determination as the aim
The social worker shall not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, political belief, mental or physical handicap, or any other preference or personal characteristic, condition, or status, and acts to prevent inhumane or discriminatory practices against any person or group (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)3.; (1)(c)2.). Every effort is made to foster maximum self-determination; when acting for a client adjudged incompetent, the social worker safeguards that client's interests and rights, and deals with a legally authorized representative always with the client's best interest in mind (850-X-9-.01(2)(b)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityAlabama
Confidence except as required by law, shared only for compelling reasons
The social worker respects the privacy of clients and holds in confidence all information obtained in professional service except as required by law; shares confidences without consent only for compelling professional reasons or as required by law; informs clients fully about the limits of confidentiality, the purposes for which information is obtained, and how it may be used; and releases identifying records to third parties only with written consent, a court order, a disclosure required by Alabama or federal law, where other individuals' confidentiality is not compromised, or on the Board's subpoena (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)). Confidences shared by colleagues are respected unless law requires otherwise (850-X-9-.01(3)(a)2.). Violating confidentiality except as required or permitted by law is a ground for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(f)).
RecordsAlabama
Three years at least, access for the client, transfer on request
Records detailing problems, treatment plans, scope of services, and the dates and content of client contacts are kept for a minimum of three years after services end, securely, with reasonable client access and due care for the confidences of others in the file, and consent is obtained before taping, recording, or third-party observation (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)3. to 6.). Failing to properly manage, maintain, and preserve client records, and failing to transfer pertinent and necessary records when the client or the client's legally designated representative requests, are grounds for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(g), (h)).
ReportingAlabama
Report abuse, report unethical conduct, and cooperate with the Board
Social workers and mental health professionals are mandatory reporters of known or suspected child abuse or neglect, orally and immediately to a duly constituted authority, with a written report to follow; a knowing failure is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months or a $500 fine (26-14-3(a); 26-14-13). Physicians, other practitioners of the healing arts, and caregivers report abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a protected adult immediately by telephone and then in writing, and a knowing failure is a Class C misdemeanor (38-9-8(a), (e)). Failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws is itself a ground for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(x)). The social worker takes action through appropriate channels against unethical conduct by any other member of the profession and acts to prevent unauthorized and unqualified practice, and failing to provide information the Board requests or to cooperate with a lawful investigation is a ground for discipline (850-X-9-.01(5)(a)2., 3.; 850-X-10-.01(1)(u)).
Continuing EducationAlabama
30 contact hours every two years, 10 live, 3 ethics, with clinical and DSM hours by level
Each level submits proof of 30 contact hours per renewal, 10 of them a live classroom event and 3 in ethics; the clinical LMSW adds 3 clinical hours; the LICSW's 30 include 3 ethics and 6 clinical, 3 of which are a comprehensive review of the current DSM; a licensee supervising under an approved contract adds 3 hours in supervision (850-X-8-.01(4)(a) to (d)). A contact hour is a sixty-minute clock hour of organized learning without breaks, and the Board recommends the mandatory child abuse and neglect reporter training once for every licensee and applicant (850-X-8-.01(3), (4)(e)). Documentation is submitted on the Board's form with the renewal, the Board may ask for verification, and hours must be complete before the license expires, not during the 60-day grace (850-X-8-.01(6), (7); Board FAQ).
Aiding unlicensed practice, and the title an agency may not hand out
Aiding or abetting a person not licensed who falsely represents licensure is a statutory ground, and aiding and abetting the practice of social work by an unlicensed, incompetent, or impaired individual, or allowing any person or organization to use your license, are grounds under the rule (34-30-4(a)(4); 850-X-10-.01(1)(p), (q)). No public or private agency, organization, or health facility may use the title "social worker" or the licensed titles for an unlicensed person, and a knowing violation is a misdemeanor with a $100 to $500 fine, with injunctions available to the Board (34-30-33(b), (d)). A Board-approved supervisor who supervises without current status, or who keeps supervising after the status lapses, faces discipline (850-X-3-.02(j), (n)).
DisciplineAlabama
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
On a finding that the respondent violated 34-30-4 or any Board rule, including the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics, the Board may refuse to renew, suspend, or revoke a license or certification, impose a private or public censure, order probation, and levy administrative fines of not more than $500 for each violation, weighing the severity of the offense, the danger to the public, repetitions, time elapsed, the number of complaints, length of practice, actual damage, deterrence, the effect on the respondent's livelihood, rehabilitation, and other mitigating or aggravating circumstances (850-X-10-.13). Hearings are before a five-person panel of the Board on at least 20 days' notice served personally or by registered mail, with a stenographic record and the rights to counsel at your expense, cross-examination, witnesses, and subpoenas; any person affected by a Board action may appeal within 30 days to the circuit court of the county of residence or of Montgomery County, which sets aside a decision not based on substantial evidence, arbitrary or capricious, contrary to statute, or reached without due process (34-30-5). The Board may seek injunctions, and recommends prosecutions only after the alleged violator has had 90 days' notice to disclaim, amend, and rectify (34-30-5(6); 34-30-57(2)).
Where the Kentucky rules come from. KRS 335.150 (the ten grounds for discipline, admonishments, agreed orders, sexual contact, and Compact reports), 335.155 (hearings under KRS Chapter 13B and appeals to Franklin Circuit Court), 335.070(8) (the sanctions), 335.990 (penalties), 620.030 and 209.030 (child and adult reporting), and 202A.400 (the duty to warn), with 201 KAR 23:075 (continuing education), 23:080 (the Code of Ethical Conduct), and 23:150 (the complaint procedure), read on the Legislative Research Commission's site and bsw.ky.gov in September 2026. Kentucky writes its own Code of Ethical Conduct into regulation, a violation of it is a statutory ground for discipline, every applicant affirms having read it, and every renewal requires a three-hour course on it.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
KY
KRS 335.150(1) lets the Board revoke, suspend, or refuse to issue or renew a license, impose probationary or supervisory conditions, impose an administrative fine, issue a written reprimand or admonishment, or combine them, on proof that the applicant or licensee has committed any act of dishonesty or corruption under the standards of KRS Chapter 335B, where a conviction, including on a no-contest plea, creates a rebuttable presumption of guilt but is not required; misrepresented or concealed a material fact in obtaining or reinstating a license; committed any unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice; been incompetent or negligent in the practice of social work; violated any statute or regulation governing social work or a social worker's activities; failed to comply with a Board order or an assurance of voluntary compliance; violated any aspect of the Code of Ethical Conduct; been legally declared mentally incompetent; aided or abetted another in falsely procuring a license; or aided or abetted an unlicensed person in the practice of social work (335.150(1)(a) to (j)). Sexual contact with a client during the professional relationship may bring revocation or suspension with mandatory treatment, and the Board may order the social worker to pay for the client's resulting mental health services; conviction of a Chapter 510 sexual offense involving a client, or a finding of sexual contact with a client, supports revocation (335.150(6), (7)). Adverse actions reported through the Compact data system are grounds for identical action here (335.150(8)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductKentucky
No sexual intimacy with a client or former client, and a client stays a client for five years
A social worker shall not engage in sexual intimacy or contact with a client or former client, and shall not engage in a personal relationship or sexual intimacy or contact with a member of a client's immediate family or an intimate of the client (201 KAR 23:080 Section 11(4), (5)). A person who directly receives services is deemed to continue as a client for five years after the last date of service (Section 1(2); Section 2(3)). The social worker is solely responsible for acting appropriately; a client's or former client's initiation of a personal, sexual, or business relationship is no justification, excuse, or defense (Section 11(8)). Sexual intimacy or contact with a student or supervisee is barred as well (Section 6(5)). The statute adds mandatory treatment, payment for the client's care, and revocation for Chapter 510 offenses (KRS 335.150(6), (7)).
Dual RelationshipsKentucky
Avoid the dual relationship, or take precautions where it cannot be avoided
A dual relationship is a social, business, or personal relationship with a client that coexists with the professional relationship (201 KAR 23:080 Section 1(3)). A social worker shall not enter one if it might impair professional judgment, incur a risk of exploitation, or otherwise violate the code; where it cannot be avoided and does none of those, the social worker takes appropriate professional precautions; the social worker does not obtain or engage a client's services on the same tests, does not use the professional relationship with a client or former client for personal interest or gain, and does not take on an immediate family member, intimate, or personal friend as a client unless the relationship poses no risk of harm (Section 11(1) to (3), (6), (7)). Terminating or referring a client to enter a personal, financial, political, or religious relationship is barred (Section 12(4)).
CompetenceKentucky
Within scope, within competence, and honest about credentials
A social worker shall not provide a service outside the scope of practice in 201 KAR 23:060, refers a client whose need exceeds the social worker's competency, refers and delegates only to providers believed qualified, and does not permit a student or supervisee to perform or hold themselves out as competent to perform beyond their training, experience, or competence (23:080 Sections 3(3), (7), 6(7), 12(1)). Incompetence or negligence in the practice of social work is a statutory ground (KRS 335.150(1)(d)). Services, education, credentials, qualifications, and license level are presented accurately (23:080 Section 7(1)).
ImpairmentKentucky
Impairment, incompetence, and the Board's program
A social worker shall not provide a social work service while under the influence of alcohol, another mind-altering or mood-altering drug, or a physical or psychological illness that impairs delivery of the service (201 KAR 23:080 Section 5(1)). Being legally declared mentally incompetent is a ground for discipline, and the Board may contract with an organization to run a social work impairment program (KRS 335.150(1)(h); 335.070(11)).
HonestyKentucky
Fraud in the application, in advertising, in billing, and toward the Board
Misrepresenting or concealing a material fact in obtaining or reinstating a license, any unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice, and aiding another in falsely procuring a license are statutory grounds (KRS 335.150(1)(b), (c), (i)); a fraudulent, dishonest, or deceitful misstatement or omission in the application is a ground for denial (201 KAR 23:025 Section 2(2)(c)). The code bars false, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive professional identification, billing for services not provided, improperly provided, provided by someone unnamed, or unnecessary, possessing or distributing the Board's examination material, and interfering with a Board investigation by misrepresentation, undue influence of a witness, threats, or harassment (23:080 Sections 5(2), (3), 7(3), 8(2)).
DiscriminationKentucky
No illegal discrimination, respect for culture, and no abuse of anyone in the room
A social worker shall not illegally discriminate against an individual, provides services in a manner respectful and appreciative of the client's culture, and shall not verbally abuse or harass or physically threaten or assault a client, supervisee, employee, Board member, or agent of the Board (201 KAR 23:080 Sections 3(2), (6), 5(4)). The social worker promotes the client's well-being and, where the law requires, the safety and well-being of an individual whose life might be affected by the client's behavior (Section 3(1)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityKentucky
Four permitted disclosures, and the minimum necessary
Communications with a client are held in confidence, and client information is disclosed only with the client's signed authorization, where the law requires disclosure of essential information out of a duty to protect, warn, or report, where the social worker is a defendant in a civil or criminal action or a respondent in a disciplinary process, or where the client has raised their mental condition in a civil action and the court has ordered release; no more is disclosed than the law requires; identifying information is stripped from teaching and writing; and a deceased client's confidentiality is protected (201 KAR 23:080 Section 9). Research subjects give written consent that covers the scope, the confidentiality protections, the right to refuse or withdraw without consequence, and the risks and benefits (Section 13).
RecordsKentucky
Five years, or until the client is twenty, and never altered
A client record is maintained for at least five years from the termination of service or until the client reaches the age of twenty, whichever is longer, retained and secured to maintain confidentiality, destroyed only in a manner that ensures it, and never deceptively altered (201 KAR 23:080 Section 10). Written informed consent is obtained before audiotaping or videotaping a client, and each telehealth service is documented in the record with any technical difficulties (Section 4(2); KRS 335.158(2)(f)).
ReportingKentucky
Report abuse, warn when the statute says, and report ethical violations to the Board
Any person, including a social worker or mental health professional, who knows or has reasonable cause to believe that a child is dependent, neglected, or abused immediately reports to law enforcement, the Kentucky State Police, the cabinet, or a prosecutor, immediately notifies their supervisor, and files a written report within 48 hours if asked; an intentional violation is a Class B misdemeanor the first time, Class A the second, and a Class D felony after that (KRS 620.030(2), (9)). Any person, including a social worker, with reasonable cause to suspect that an adult has suffered abuse, neglect, or exploitation reports immediately to the cabinet, and a knowing or wanton failure is a Class B misdemeanor for each violation (209.030(2), (3); 209.990(1)). The duty to warn arises on an actual threat against an identifiable victim or of a specific violent act and is discharged by warning the victim and police, or police alone, or seeking commitment (202A.400). A social worker with personal knowledge of a violation of the Code of Ethical Conduct reports the social worker's name and the violation to the Board, without client identifiers absent consent (201 KAR 23:080 Section 14).
Continuing EducationKentucky
30 hours every three years, with the ethics course, suicide training, and abuse courses inside them
A CSW or LCSW completes at least 30 continuing education hours in the three-year renewal period and an LSW 15, in person or by technology-mediated learning, relevant to the license level (201 KAR 23:075 Section 2(1) to (3)). Inside those hours: a Board-approved three-hour course on the Kentucky Code of Ethical Conduct every renewal, on topics such as boundaries, dual relationships, self-disclosure, confidentiality, mandatory reporting and the duty to warn, documentation, technology, and practicing across state lines; a six-hour suicide assessment, treatment, and management program every six years; a three-hour domestic violence and elder abuse course in the first renewal period after initial licensure; 1.5 hours on pediatric abusive head trauma every six years; and, under the 2026 amendment to KRS 335.130, one hour every three years on pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances (23:075 Section 2(4) to (8); KRS 335.130(5)). The statutory courses cannot be waived or extended; the rest can be, for documented medical disability, illness, or undue hardship, for up to a year (23:075 Section 9).
Aiding unlicensed practice, and supervising within the rules
Aiding or abetting an unlicensed person in the practice of social work, and aiding another in falsely procuring a license, are statutory grounds (KRS 335.150(1)(i), (j)). A CSW practices clinical social work only under a Board-approved contract with an LCSW who assumes responsibility for it, the supervisor of record answers to the Board for the care of the CSW's clients, and an LCSW supervising without the six-hour course, or with more than six supervisees, is outside the regulation (335.080(3); 201 KAR 23:070 Sections 4 and 5(9)(a)). Unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor with a $50 to $500 fine or up to six months, and the Board may enjoin it in Franklin Circuit Court (335.990; 335.160).
DisciplineKentucky
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
A complaint may come from an individual, an employer's representative, a government agency, or the Board itself, on the Board's complaint form or online; a certified conviction record is a valid complaint by itself; the respondent receives a redacted copy and has 20 days to respond in writing, and failing to respond is itself a ground for discipline (201 KAR 23:150 Sections 3 and 4). The complaint committee may recommend dismissal, investigation with the Attorney General's help, an agreed order or assurance of voluntary compliance, mediation, a formal complaint and hearing under KRS Chapter 13B, referral to another agency, or an injunction (23:150 Section 5). Before revoking, suspending, imposing conditions or a fine, or issuing a reprimand the Board holds a Chapter 13B hearing; after a denial, refusal to renew, or written admonishment the licensee may request one within 30 days; a written admonishment for a minor violation goes in the permanent file with a right to respond within 30 days; and a final order is appealable to Franklin Circuit Court (KRS 335.155; 335.150(3)). A revoked licensee may petition for reinstatement five years after revocation (335.150(2)). A motion to reconsider is due within 30 days of the final disposition (23:150 Section 7).
Where the Oregon rules come from. ORS 675.540 (the grounds, sanctions, and civil penalties), 675.545 and 675.550 (the effect of revocation and reissuance), 675.583 and 675.585 (the duty to report and investigations), 419B.010 and 124.060 (child and elder abuse reporting), and 430.765 (adults with developmental disabilities or mental illness), with OAR 877-025 (continuing education), 877-030 (the Code of Ethics for regulated social workers), and 877-040 (complaints), read on the Legislature's and Secretary of State's sites in September 2026. Oregon writes its own Code of Ethics into rule, unprofessional conduct under the recognized standards of the profession is a statutory ground, and every applicant's fitness is judged against division 30 before licensure.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
OR
ORS 675.540 lets the Board, after a contested case hearing under ORS chapter 183, deny, suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew any authorization, place a regulated social worker on probation with conditions or limits on the scope of practice, and impose a civil penalty of up to $3,000 for each violation, on proof that the regulated social worker has been convicted in any state of a crime that is a felony in Oregon or of a felony in federal court; is unable to practice by reason of physical illness; has an impairment as defined in ORS 676.303; has been grossly negligent or has engaged in unprofessional conduct in the practice of social work; has violated ORS 675.510 to 675.600 or any Board rule; or has been convicted of a sex crime under ORS 163A.005 or its equivalent elsewhere (675.540(1), (2)). Unprofessional conduct includes any conduct contrary to the recognized standards of ethics of the profession or that constitutes or might constitute a danger to the health or safety of a client or the public (675.510(8)). Expiration or surrender of the authorization does not end the Board's jurisdiction; practicing clinical social work or using the title after revocation carries up to $5,000; and the Board may not discipline for a conviction or license action resulting solely from lawful reproductive or gender-affirming care unlawful elsewhere (675.540(3), (5), (8)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductOregon
Nothing sexual, seductive, or sexually demeaning, for three years after the last service
Regulated social workers may not, under any circumstances, engage in or solicit sexual acts or engage in any conduct, verbal behavior, or other communication with or toward a client that may reasonably be interpreted as sexual, seductive, or sexually demeaning; the prohibition covers current clients and clients served at any time within the previous three years, and the client's consent to, initiation of, or participation in sexual behavior does not change its prohibited nature (OAR 877-030-0070(1)(g)). A clinical social worker in the role of administrator, supervisor, or teacher may not, under any circumstances, engage in a sexual relationship with a supervisee or student (877-030-0080(2)). Conviction of a sex crime is a statutory ground for discipline (ORS 675.540(1)(g)).
Dual RelationshipsOregon
No relationship that conflicts with the client's benefit, impairs judgment, or risks exploitation
Regulated social workers must not violate their position of power, trust, and dependence; may not enter a relationship with a client that conflicts with the client's ability to benefit from social work, may impair professional judgment, or increases the risk of exploitation for the social worker's advantage; may not provide services to an employee, supervisee, close colleague, relative, or anyone else where the service would impair judgment or risk exploitation; and may not enter an employer, supervisor, or other relationship with potential for undue influence, including selling services or goods that might exploit a client, for current clients and anyone served in the previous year (OAR 877-030-0070(1)(a) to (f)). Supervisors and teachers may not enter a therapeutic relationship with any employee, supervisee, or student (877-030-0080(3)).
CompetenceOregon
Within competence, training, and qualifications, with consultation and referral
Regulated social workers may not attempt to provide professional services outside their area of competence, training, and qualifications, may not provide inappropriate or unnecessary services, must serve with professional skill, cultural awareness, and language competency, and must seek consultation or make referrals whenever it may improve the service and is in the client's best interest (OAR 877-030-0070(2), (3), (5), (6)). Gross negligence in the practice of social work is a statutory ground (ORS 675.540(1)(e)).
ImpairmentOregon
Impairment, the duty to report it, and the Board's evaluation power
An impairment as defined in ORS 676.303, and inability to practice by reason of physical illness, are grounds for discipline (ORS 675.540(1)(c), (d)). An impaired professional is a regulated social worker unable to practice with professional skill and safety by reason of habitual or excessive use or abuse of drugs, alcohol, or other substances or by reason of a mental health disorder, and every regulated social worker must report to the Board information showing that a colleague is or may be impaired, unless confidentiality law forbids it and to the extent it does not conflict with client confidentiality; good-faith reporters are immune (675.583; OAR 877-030-0040(2)(c)). On complaint or its own motion the Board may require an evaluation and a release to the evaluator (877-040-0019). Becoming a psychiatric inpatient or day-treatment patient must be reported to the Board within 10 days (877-030-0040(2)(a)(D)).
HonestyOregon
No dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, and honesty with the Board
Regulated social workers may not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, and may not misrepresent their professional qualifications, education, experience, or affiliations (OAR 877-030-0040(1)(b), (c)). A false statement about criminal history makes an applicant unfit and is a ground for denial or discipline, and refusing the records check means revocation for a licensee or an incomplete application for an applicant (877-022-0005(6)(a), (b)). A regulated social worker must cooperate with the Board, its investigators, and its committees and fully comply with a final order (877-030-0090).
DiscriminationOregon
Clients' legal rights, and services with cultural awareness
Regulated social workers may not violate the legal rights of their clients, must provide services with professional skill, cultural awareness, and language competency with respect to each client's needs, and, when acting for a client adjudged legally incompetent, must safeguard that client's interests and rights while dealing with any legally authorized representative with the client's best interests in mind (OAR 877-030-0070(2), (10) to (12)). Cultural competence continuing education meeting the Oregon Health Authority's standards is required every renewal (877-025-0011(3), (9)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityOregon
The statute's seven exceptions, and the reporter's release
Client communications given to enable the social worker to aid the client stay confidential except with consent, when the client sues or complains to the Board, on the Board's request in an investigation, when the communication reveals a clear intent to commit a crime reasonably expected to cause physical injury, when it reveals that a minor was the victim of a crime, abuse, or neglect, when disclosure is necessary to obtain further professional assistance for the client, or when the elder, child, or adult abuse statutes require it (ORS 675.580). The Code of Ethics adds that regulated social workers must respect privacy except as ORS 675.580 and the evidence code allow, must inform clients fully of the limits of confidentiality, and when making reports must obtain a release and present only the client data pertinent to the report's purpose (OAR 877-030-0070(13), (15), (18)).
RecordsOregon
Seven years from the last session, and a custodian named with the Board
A client record for clients served outside an agency contains at least an assessment, a treatment or intervention plan, and concurrent progress notes, is kept legible, secure, safe, and retrievable, and is retained for seven years from the date of the last session (OAR 877-030-0100(2), (3)). A private practitioner names a qualified custodian of record with the Board for death or incapacity, an LCSW, another licensed mental health professional, a certified alcohol and drug counselor, or a records management company (877-030-0100(4), (5)). Informed consent precedes taping, recording, or third-party observation (877-030-0070(17)).
ReportingOregon
Abuse of children, elders, and vulnerable adults, colleagues' conduct, and your own events
A regulated social worker is a public or private official who must immediately report reasonable cause to believe that a child the official has contact with has suffered abuse, or that a person the official has contact with has abused a child, to the Department of Human Services hotline or law enforcement, personally and regardless of employer procedures, with a Class A violation for failing (ORS 419B.005(6); 419B.010; 419B.015). The same duty covers abuse of a person 65 or older, reported orally and immediately to the local DHS office or law enforcement, a Class A violation, and abuse of adults with developmental disabilities, severe and persistent mental illness in community treatment, or in facilities (124.050; 124.060; 124.065; 124.990; 430.735; 430.765). The Code of Ethics requires reporting impaired or unprofessional regulated social workers to the Board and prohibited or unprofessional conduct by any health licensee to that licensee's board within 10 working days, and reporting your own convictions, felony arrests, practice-related lawsuits, psychiatric admissions, and regulatory actions within 10 days (OAR 877-030-0040(2)).
Continuing EducationOregon
40 hours every two years for an LCSW, 6 in ethics and 6 in cultural competence
After the first renewal, a two-year report includes 40 creditable hours for an LCSW with at least 6 in ethics and 6 in cultural competence, 30 with 4 and 4 for an LMSW, and 20 with 3 and 3 for an RBSW; a CSWA reports none; up to 10 hours carry over; and the Board may reduce the hours for circumstances beyond the licensee's control (OAR 877-025-0001; 877-025-0011). The Board's page points ethics courses toward professional boundaries, confidentiality, dual relationships, law, and mandatory reporting, and cultural competence courses toward the Oregon Health Authority's standards (Board CE page; 877-025-0011(9)). Hours are reported with the renewal by the birth-month deadline, later hours count only toward the next period, and records are kept 24 months for audit (877-025-0021).
Responsibility for the unregulated, and the limits of supervision
A clinical social worker as employer, administrator, supervisor, or teacher bears the ethical responsibility for persons practicing under direct supervision who are not regulated by registration, certification, or license, must explicitly define the conditions of the professional relationship, and must support policies that safeguard clients' rights (OAR 877-030-0080(1), (4) to (6)). Supervising an associate requires Board approval, two years of practice, the supervision training, and the laws exam; supervision given without the courses is not approved (877-020-0012(1), (2)). A person who is not an LCSW or CSWA and practices clinical social work faces a civil penalty of up to $5,000, and one who uses the title without any authorization up to $3,000 (ORS 675.540(6), (7)).
DisciplineOregon
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
Any person may file a complaint identifying the complainant and respondent, the Board may initiate its own, and a client complainant signs a confidentiality waiver so the Board can see the records (OAR 877-040-0010; 877-040-0000(4), (6)). The Consumer Protection Committee oversees the investigation, may write the respondent for a reply within 30 days, may require an impairment evaluation, and may negotiate a stipulated agreement the Board approves, rejects, or sends back (877-040-0015; 877-040-0019; 877-040-0045). If the Board finds reasonable cause to believe a respondent committed a criminal act against a client or one creating a risk of harm to a client, it presents the facts to law enforcement within 10 working days (877-040-0016). Sanctions come after a contested case hearing under ORS chapter 183, investigative information is confidential under ORS 676.175 until final action, and disciplinary actions are posted in the Board's directory and sent to NASW Oregon, the Oregon Society of Clinical Social Workers, and ASWB's reporting system (ORS 675.540; 675.585; 877-040-0050). A revoked or surrendered authorization may be reapplied for after three years under the rules, and a good-faith complainant or witness is immune (877-020-0036; 877-015-0136; 675.585(3), (5)).
Where the Connecticut rules come from. CGS 20-195p (the grounds and the examination order), 19a-17 (the Department's sanctions), 20-195u (continuing education), 52-146q (confidentiality), 17a-101 through 17a-101o (child abuse reporting), and 17b-451 (elder abuse reporting), read on cga.ct.gov in September 2026. Connecticut has no social work board and no code of ethics regulation of its own; the standard the statute enforces is the accepted standards of the social work profession, and the Department of Public Health applies the general sanctions in 19a-17.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
CT
CGS 20-195p lets the Commissioner deny an application or take any action in 19a-17 if the license holder fails to conform to the accepted standards of the social work profession, including but not limited to conviction of a felony, with any action based on the nature of the conviction and its relationship to the ability to safely and competently perform the duties of the license, information on the degree of rehabilitation, and the time elapsed since the conviction or release; fraud or deceit in obtaining or seeking reinstatement of a license; fraud or deceit in the practice of social work; negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct in professional activities; emotional disorder or mental illness; physical illness, including deterioration through the aging process; abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics, or chemicals; wilful falsification of entries in any hospital, patient, or other record pertaining to social work; and violation of any provision of the chapter or regulation under it. The Commissioner may order a physical or mental examination when capacity to practice safely is under investigation, enforceable in the Superior Court for the judicial district of Hartford, and notice and an opportunity for hearing precede any action (20-195p). Under 19a-17 the Department may revoke or suspend the license, censure, reprimand, restrict practice, impose probation with reporting, limits, and education, assess a civil penalty of up to $25,000, act on another jurisdiction's discipline, summarily suspend a practitioner who is a clear and immediate danger, and resolve a matter by voluntary surrender or agreement not to renew; social workers are excepted from summary action on a felony conviction (19a-17(a), (c), (d), (f)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Department enforces them
Sexual MisconductConnecticut
Judged under the accepted standards of the profession
Chapter 383b names no sexual misconduct rule of its own; a licensee who fails to conform to the accepted standards of the social work profession, including wrongful conduct in professional activities, is subject to denial or any sanction in 19a-17 (CGS 20-195p). The Department may rely on the findings of another jurisdiction's disciplinary agency and may summarily suspend a practitioner who represents a clear and immediate danger to the public health and safety (19a-17(c), (f)). Sexual assault counselors and domestic violence counselors are themselves mandated reporters of child abuse (17a-101(b)(29)).
Dual RelationshipsConnecticut
Fraud, deceit, and wrongful conduct
Fraud or deceit in the practice of social work and negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct in professional activities are express grounds (CGS 20-195p). The privilege statute bars disclosing a client's communications for any purpose outside its five exceptions, so a business or personal use of client information is both a standards violation and a confidentiality breach (52-146q(b), (c)). The accepted standards of the profession, which the Department applies, are the measure of any dual relationship.
CompetenceConnecticut
Negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct, and the scope lines
Negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct in professional activities is a ground for discipline (CGS 20-195p). The scope lines are statutory: an LMSW practices clinical social work only under professional supervision and offers a diagnosis only in consultation with a listed professional, and independent practice belongs to the LCSW (20-195s). Probation under 19a-17 may require continued or renewed professional education until skill is satisfactory (19a-17(a)(6)).
ImpairmentConnecticut
Emotional disorder, illness, substance abuse, and the examination order
Emotional disorder or mental illness, physical illness including deterioration through the aging process, and abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics, or chemicals, are grounds for discipline, and the Commissioner may order a reasonable physical or mental examination when a licensee's capacity to practice safely is the subject of an investigation (CGS 20-195p). The Department may summarily suspend a license before final adjudication where the practitioner is a clear and immediate danger, and may reinstate a suspended or revoked license after a hearing on a showing of ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety (19a-17(c), (e)).
HonestyConnecticut
Fraud in the application, in practice, and in the record
Fraud or deceit in obtaining or seeking reinstatement of a license, fraud or deceit in the practice of social work, and wilful falsification of entries in any hospital, patient, or other record pertaining to social work are each grounds (CGS 20-195p). A conviction predetermination the Commissioner gives does not bind the Department if the conviction differs from what was presented (20-195o(e)(4), 2026 Supp.). Continuing education certificates must be genuine and kept for three years, and noncompliance with the continuing education requirement is itself a ground for discipline (20-195u(c)).
DiscriminationConnecticut
Cultural competency, every year
Every registration period's 15 hours must include at least one contact hour of training or education on cultural competency (CGS 20-195u(b)). The chapter contains no separate antidiscrimination provision for licensees; conduct that falls short of the accepted standards of the profession is the ground the Department applies (20-195p).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityConnecticut
Written consent with four elements, or one of five exceptions
All communications and records between a person and a licensed clinical social worker relating to evaluation or treatment are confidential, and disclosure takes the person's written consent specifying the recipient, the scope, the purpose, and the expiration date, with a copy of the consent accompanying the disclosure and withdrawal available by written notice (CGS 52-146q(b)). No consent is needed, within limits, for treatment-team and referral disclosures with notice to the person, for a substantial risk of imminent physical injury by the person to self or others or a disclosure mandated by statute, for court-ordered evaluations with prior warning, where the person puts their mental condition in issue, or for fee collection after 30 days' written notice (52-146q(c)).
RecordsConnecticut
No retention period, and falsification as a ground
Chapter 383b sets no retention period or record contents; wilful falsification of entries in any hospital, patient, or other record pertaining to social work is a ground for discipline, and the privilege statute treats records the same as communications, released only by written consent or exception, with no redisclosure after consent is withdrawn (CGS 20-195p; 52-146q(a)(3), (b)). Continuing education certificates are kept for three years after the renewal date they satisfy (20-195u(c)).
ReportingConnecticut
Twelve hours for a child, twenty-four for an elder, and the penalties
A social worker and a mental health professional are mandated reporters who, in the ordinary course of employment or profession, having reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a child under eighteen has been abused or neglected, has suffered nonaccidental injury, or is placed at imminent risk of serious harm, must make an oral or electronic report as soon as practicable but not later than 12 hours to the Commissioner of Children and Families or a law enforcement agency, and a written or electronic report within 48 hours, with a copy to the head of any institution or school where the reporter works (CGS 17a-101(b)(10), (24); 17a-101a; 17a-101b; 17a-101c). Failure to report or to report on time is a class A misdemeanor, and a class E felony for a subsequent violation, a wilful or intentional or grossly negligent one, or actual knowledge of abuse; intentionally interfering with a report is a class D felony (17a-101o(d)). A social worker with reasonable cause to suspect that a person 60 or older has been abused, neglected, exploited, or abandoned, or needs protective services, reports to the Commissioner of Social Services not later than 24 hours after the suspicion arose; a first failure means retaking the mandatory training, later failures a fine of up to $500, and an intentional failure a class C misdemeanor, then class A (17b-450; 17b-451(a)). Good-faith reporters are immune, and employers may not retaliate (17a-101e; 17b-451(d), (e)).
Continuing EducationConnecticut
15 hours every year, 5 live, one on cultural competency, two on veterans' mental health every six years
Each 12-month registration period requires 15 hours of continuing education related to the practice of social work, at least 5 in person or through synchronous online education with live interaction and no more than 10 asynchronous, distance, or home study, including one contact hour on cultural competency each period and two contact hours on mental health conditions common to veterans and family members, covering screening for post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide risk, depression, and grief and suicide prevention training, in the first period continuing education is required and every six years after (CGS 20-195u(a), (b)). Courses must be offered or approved by ASWB, NASW, or a CSWE-accredited school or department of social work, the Department does not approve courses itself, the first renewal is exempt, and certificates are kept three years (20-195u(b), (c), (e); DPH CE page).
The LMSW's supervised scope, and the titles others may not use
An LMSW practices clinical social work only under professional supervision by a licensed physician, APRN, psychologist, LMFT, LCSW, or LPC, with a diagnosis offered in consultation, and may not practice independently; the supervising LCSW's professional supervision is face to face, at least monthly, with written evaluations (CGS 20-195s(a); 20-195m(7), (8)). No person may use the licensed titles without the license or the title "social worker" without the degree (20-195q). The chapter has no aiding-and-abetting provision; wrongful conduct in professional activities is the ground the Department would apply (20-195p).
DisciplineConnecticut
What the Department can do, and how it proceeds
The Department's Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section investigates complaints against licensees, and the Commissioner may deny an application or, on good cause and after notice and an opportunity for hearing, revoke, suspend, censure, reprimand, restrict, or place on probation, assess a civil penalty of up to $25,000, rely on another jurisdiction's findings, or resolve the matter by voluntary surrender or an agreement not to renew (CGS 20-195p; 19a-17(a), (d), (f)). Summary suspension is available for a clear and immediate danger, with formal proceedings to follow, and a revoked or suspended license may be reinstated after a hearing with corrective conditions (19a-17(c), (e)). Notice of contemplated action, its cause, and the hearing date is given under the Department's regulations, and the Commissioner may petition the Superior Court in Hartford to enforce an order (20-195p).
Where the Louisiana rules come from. R.S. 37:2717 (grounds, sanctions, and hearings), 2714 (continuing education), 2718 (privileged communications), Children's Code Articles 603, 609, and 610 with R.S. 14:403 (child abuse reporting), R.S. 15:1503 through 1505 with R.S. 14:403.2 (adult abuse reporting), and the Board's Standards of Practice and Code of Conduct in LAC 46:XXV Chapter 1 with 323 (publication of discipline), 701 through 705 (the Recovering Professional Program), and Chapter 13 (continuing education), read on legis.la.gov and doa.la.gov in September 2026. Louisiana's ethics code is the Board's own regulation, and every violation of it is unprofessional or unethical conduct under the statute (LAC 46:XXV.105; R.S. 37:2717(A)(11)).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
LA
R.S. 37:2717(A) lets the Board deny, revoke, or suspend a license, certificate, or registration, or otherwise discipline a social worker, for a final felony conviction on a plea or verdict of guilty or nolo contendere; incapacity or impairment from drugs or intoxicating beverages that prevents practice with reasonable skill, competence, and safety; obtaining or attempting to obtain a credential by fraud or deception; willfully or repeatedly violating the Practice Act; violating any Board order, rule, or regulation; being adjudged mentally incompetent; practicing in a manner detrimental or potentially detrimental to the client by deliberate, intentional, or negligent act or omission; failing to report to the Board knowledge of a violation of the Act, rules, or ethical standards; giving false testimony or false sworn information to the Board; deceiving or defrauding the public or submitting false or deceptive claims, reports, or opinions about a client or service to obtain payment; unprofessional or unethical conduct as the Board's rules define it; conduct showing a loss of good moral character; and practicing with a lapsed credential. The Board may refuse to issue or renew, issue a public or private letter of reprimand or concern, require restitution to a client or of the Board's enforcement costs, impose probationary conditions, fine up to $1,000 for each violation, suspend or revoke including summary suspension when public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires emergency action, restrict the scope of practice, and recover its hearing costs and legal fees within 30 days of a final decision; no credential is suspended or revoked without a hearing on at least 30 days' notice by registered mail, with the right to counsel, testimony, and a record, and the decision is reviewable in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court within 30 days (2717(B) through (F)). The Board also issues cease and desist orders, seeks injunctions, and requires a revoked or suspended credential to be returned within 10 days (2717(G), (H); 2721).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductLouisiana
No sexual intimacy or contact with a client, the client's family, a supervisee, or a student, and five years after
A social worker shall not engage in or request sexual intimacy or contact with a client, a client's spouse or former spouse, any member of the client's immediate family, or any person with whom the client has a sexual relationship, and the prohibition extends to supervisees and students while the supervisory or teaching relationship exists (LAC 46:XXV.113(B)(3)). Sexual intimacy or contact is any contact or conduct, verbal or nonverbal, that reasonably could lead to sexual arousal, including phone sex, cyber-sex, and electronic or printed communication (113(B)(5)). A social worker who provided clinical or therapeutic services is prohibited from sexual intimacy or contact with a former client within five years of documented termination, and after five years only after a consultation from an independent and unrelated LCSW documenting the absence of exploitative potential or harm on seven listed factors; for nonclinical former clients the test is whether a reasonable, prudent social worker would find an unacceptable risk of harm (113(B)(4)). A client's initiation is no defense (113(B)(9)).
Dual RelationshipsLouisiana
Exploitation defined by example, and business relationships barred
It is a breach of duty to use the professional relationship to advance the social worker's emotional, financial, sexual, or personal needs, including inappropriately disclosing personal problems, seeking a client's advice on financial or business matters, hiring or bartering for personal services, entering a sale, lease, or joint venture, encouraging planned social meetings, inappropriate touching, and exchanging inappropriate gifts (LAC 46:XXV.113(A)). A social worker shall not engage in a personal relationship with a clinical or therapeutic client, and where one cannot be avoided must take protective measures such as informed consent, consultation, or supervision (113(B)(1)). No business relationship with a client, supervisee, or student is allowed other than the provision of social work services, apart from ordinary purchases of goods or services offered to the public, and the duty to safeguard a former client's interests continues (113(B)(6), (7)). Caution is required before taking on a client from a prior personal or business relationship (113(B)(8)).
CompetenceLouisiana
Within the credential, within your training, and referred when beyond
Social workers represent themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, credential, consultation, supervised experience, or other relevant experience, use new techniques only after study, training, consultation, and supervision, exercise careful judgment in emerging areas, maintain continued competence, limit practice to the credential's scope, refer promptly and solely in the client's interest when services are beyond their competence, and never delegate a task to someone they know is not credentialed or competent for it (LAC 46:XXV.109). Practicing in a manner detrimental or potentially detrimental to the client by deliberate or negligent act or omission is a statutory ground (R.S. 37:2717(A)(7)).
ImpairmentLouisiana
No practice while impaired, and a Recovering Professional Program
A social worker shall not practice while impaired by medication, alcohol, drugs, or other chemicals, or under a mental or physical condition that impairs the ability to practice safely; no social worker dispenses medication or controlled substances to a client, accepts them from a client, or offers a client alcohol or mood-altering substances (LAC 46:XXV.117(A), (B)). Incapacity or impairment from drugs or intoxicating beverages is a statutory ground (R.S. 37:2717(A)(2)). When verifiable information questions a licensee's or applicant's ability to practice without risk, the person must submit to the examination, evaluation, test, or drug and alcohol screen the Board requests, and the Board's Social Work Recovering Professional Program provides monitoring for up to five years, random screening, treatment, supervision, and confidential agreements, entered by self-disclosure or Board determination (701 through 705).
HonestyLouisiana
Fraud in the application, false claims, false testimony, and misrepresented credentials
Obtaining a credential by fraud or deception, giving false testimony or sworn information to the Board, and submitting false or deceptive claims, reports, or opinions to obtain payment are statutory grounds (R.S. 37:2717(A)(3), (9), (10)). A social worker provides accurate information about credentials, education, training, and experience, does not misrepresent a license, degree, or qualifications or permit others to, and presents advertising factually (LAC 46:XXV.119(B), (C)). No one may sign for work not personally done through direct contact with the client, and Board forms, testimony, and reports must be accurate and timely (111(G)(2), (5)).
DiscriminationLouisiana
Eleven protected grounds, and a referral duty when you cannot serve
A social worker shall not discriminate against a client, colleague, student, or supervisee on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, political affiliation, or social or economic status; a social worker unable to offer services because of a concern about potential discrimination makes an appropriate and timely referral, and when referral is not possible obtains supervision or consultation (LAC 46:XXV.107(D)). The Board itself may not deny a credential or otherwise discriminate on race, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, or differing abilities, and the Practice Act bars denying a credential on race, religion, creed, national origin, sex, or a physical impairment that does not interfere with professional duties (329; R.S. 37:2719). Freedom from discrimination is one of the rights on the disclosure statement every client receives (107(E)(9)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityLouisiana
Written consent, six exceptions, and the limits you must explain
Client information, including the social worker's personal knowledge and the record, is disclosed only with written informed consent stating the recipient, purpose, and time frame, or where law requires it, where the duty to warn arises, where a Code of Evidence Article 510 exception applies and testimony is compelled, in defense of a malpractice claim, in a disciplinary hearing on the client's own complaint, or on the Board's subpoena (LAC 46:XXV.115(A), (B)). The statute adds the written consent of the client or a representative, testimony where a minor client was the victim or subject of a crime, disclosure of an intended crime or harmful act to protect against clear, imminent risk of serious harm, and waiver by a public charge against the social worker (R.S. 37:2718(B)). Clients are told the limits, including the reporting laws and the duty to warn, and minors are told at the outset of any law limiting their privacy (115(D), (E)).
RecordsLouisiana
Six years, and the record stays with the agency
Records with at least the assessment or diagnosis, plan, revisions, fees and billing, and every release and legal form are kept by the social worker or employing agency for at least six years after the last date of service, or longer if law requires, and for a minor six years after majority (LAC 46:XXV.111(G)(1)). No copies of client records leave an agency with a departing social worker without the agency's written consent, and no one accesses the records of a person they are not treating without a legitimate purpose (111(G)(6), (7)). Written informed consent precedes any taping, recording, or third-party observation (115(H)).
ReportingLouisiana
Immediately for a child, to DCFS or law enforcement depending on who is suspected; any adult to APS or police
A social worker is a mental health/social service practitioner and a mandatory reporter who, notwithstanding any claim of privilege, must report immediately on cause to believe that a child's physical or mental health or welfare is endangered by abuse or neglect: to the Department of Children and Family Services through the hotline for cases needing immediate assistance or the Mandated Reporter Portal for nonemergencies when the suspected perpetrator is a parent, caretaker, a person in a relationship with or living with the parent or caretaker or the child, or a child care operator or employee, and to state or local law enforcement when the suspected perpetrator is anyone else; dual reporting is permitted, suspected human trafficking always goes to the hotline, and an employer may not block or retaliate (Ch.C. arts. 603(18)(b), 609(A), 610(A)). Knowing and willful failure is a fine of up to $500, up to six months, or both, and up to $3,000 and three years with or without hard labor when the unreported abuse was sexual or caused serious bodily injury, neurological impairment, or death (R.S. 14:403(A)(1)). Any person, including a social service practitioner, with cause to believe an adult's health or welfare has been or may be further adversely affected by abuse, neglect, or exploitation reports to any adult protection agency or law enforcement, with immunity for good-faith reports; knowing and willful failure is up to $500, six months, or both (R.S. 15:1503 through 1505; 14:403.2). The Board's rule adds the health care facility reporting law, R.S. 40:2009.20, to the limits of confidentiality (LAC 46:XXV.115(D)(3)).
Continuing EducationLouisiana
20 hours every year, 3 of ethics every two years, 10 clinical for an LCSW, 10 asynchronous at most
Twenty clock hours of Board-approved continuing education before each renewal, including three hours of ethics every two years and, for an LCSW, at least ten clock hours of clinical content including diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders (R.S. 37:2714(A)(2)). The collection period is September 1 through August 31, up to ten surplus hours carry over except ethics and BACS supervision hours, the two-year ethics period ends in even-numbered years, no more than ten hours may be asynchronous with synchronous webinars counting as in person, and the first year is prorated by the month the credential issued (LAC 46:XXV.1311; 1313; 1315). Approval runs through Board-designated approval organizations and the criteria in Chapter 13, and the Board may waive hours in a declared emergency or extend the deadline for extenuating circumstances (1303; 1305; 2714(F), (G)). A BACS adds three hours in clinical supervision every two years, and telesupervision takes a one-time 1.5 hours (507(B)(3); 509(D)(1)).
No task to the uncredentialed, no cover for unlicensed practice, and a duty to report it
A social worker shall not assign, oversee, or supervise a task by someone the social worker knows is not credentialed or competent to perform it (LAC 46:XXV.109(E)). No social worker may knowingly participate, by hiring, supervising, or concealing, in an activity or practice by which someone practices social work in violation of R.S. 37:2709 or aids a violation of 2720, and one who becomes aware of it reports to the Board at the earliest opportunity (117(D)). Failure to report knowledge of a violation of the Act, the rules, or the ethical standards is itself a statutory ground, and all social workers cooperate with Board investigations (R.S. 37:2717(A)(8); 117(C)). An LMSW or CSW under your supervision practices within an agency, and you list each of them on your renewal (303(D); 311).
DisciplineLouisiana
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
Disciplinary action follows R.S. 37:2717, the Board's rules, and the Administrative Procedure Act: written notice of the grounds at least 30 days before a hearing by registered mail, the right to appear in person or by counsel, to produce testimony, and to testify, a preserved record, and a decision by a majority of the Board to suspend, revoke, or impose probationary conditions, with the Board's hearing costs and legal fees recoverable and no credential issued, reinstated, or renewed until they are paid (2717(C), (D); LAC 46:XXV.323(A)). Summary suspension is available when public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires emergency action, and the Board may issue cease and desist orders enforceable in court (2717(B)(6), (G)). Judicial review lies in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court within 30 days of the final decision (2717(F)). The Board notifies the professional community within 30 days of any disciplinary action, naming the social worker, location, offense, and sanction, and publishes it in its newsletter (323(B)).
Where the Oklahoma rules come from. 59 O.S. 1256.1 (the Board's powers, including the examination order), 1256.2 (the duty to report), 1261.1a (continuing education), 1261.6 (confidentiality), 1266.1 (grounds, sanctions, and the impaired licensee program), 1267 (notice and hearing), 1270 (penalties), and 1271.1 (temporary suspension); 10A O.S. 1-2-101 (child abuse reporting, as amended in 2025) and 43A O.S. 10-103 and 10-104 (vulnerable adult reporting, as amended in 2025); and the Board's rules in OAC 675:3-1-3 through 3-1-4 (complaints and hearings), 10-1-6 and 15-1-2 through 15-1-3 (continuing education), and 20-1-1 through 20-1-6 (the Code of Professional Conduct), read on oscn.net, law.justia.com, and rules.ok.gov in September 2026. The Board's own code is brief and adopts the NASW Code of Ethics, as revised in 2017, in its entirety as an addition (20-1-6).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
OK
59 O.S. 1266.1(A) lets the Board refuse to issue or renew, suspend, revoke, censure, reprimand, restrict or limit, or fine a licensee for unprofessional conduct as determined by the Board; practicing outside the scope the Act authorizes; conduct violating the Act or its rules; incapacity or impairment preventing practice with reasonable skill, competence, and safety; conviction of or a plea to a felony that substantially relates to the occupation and poses a reasonable threat to public safety; violations of Oklahoma, other states', or federal laws and rules pertaining to social work practice; misrepresentation of a material fact in seeking a license or in statements about skills or the value of treatment, including false or misleading advertising; fraud in practice including improper or fraudulent billing and Medicare, Medicaid, or state medical assistance violations; engaging in or aiding unlicensed practice or false use of the title; failing to comply with a probation or settlement agreement or a Board order; violating the Act or rules; violating examination security; discipline, surrender, or other adverse action on a social work or related license in any jurisdiction, including failing to report it; and adjudication as incapacitated, mentally incompetent, chemically dependent, mentally ill and dangerous, or a psychopathic personality. No license is suspended or revoked without notice by registered mail stating the time, place, and grounds and a hearing before the Board with the right to counsel and testimony, at which the State appears through the Attorney General, and a majority finding may suspend or revoke (1267). The Board may temporarily suspend a license for up to 60 days without a hearing when continued practice would create an imminent risk of harm, with a hearing within 30 days; may order a mental or physical examination or chemical dependency evaluation on probable cause, with a show-cause hearing within 30 days for a refusal; issues cease and desist orders; may condition reinstatement on a new examination; and requires a revoked, suspended, or nonrenewed license returned within 10 days, with judicial review under the Administrative Procedures Act (1271.1; 1256.1(A)(6); 1266.1(D) through (G)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductOklahoma
No sexual act or personal relationship with a client or anyone who has been a client
A social worker shall not engage in any sexual act or personal relationship with a client or with a person who has been a client, with no time limit in the rule (OAC 675:20-1-4(d)). Social workers shall not exploit their professional relationships with clients, former clients, supervisees, students, employees, or research participants, sexually or otherwise, for personal or business advantage, and shall not condone or engage in sexual harassment, defined as deliberate or repeated comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature unwanted by the recipient (20-1-4(a)). Sexual contact or conduct with a client or former client is a reportable event to the Board, reported only when the client consents (59 O.S. 1256.2(A)(1)), and a conviction related to sexual misconduct disqualifies a licensee from the impaired-licensee deferral (1266.1(B)(1)).
Dual RelationshipsOklahoma
Exploitation for personal or business advantage, and the six-month presumption
The code's exploitation rule reaches any use of the professional relationship for personal or business advantage, with clients, former clients, supervisees, students, employees, and research participants (OAC 675:20-1-4(a)). A social worker gives precedence to professional responsibility over personal interests, terminates when a conflict of interest arises, does not solicit the agency's clients for private practice, and does not divide fees or take anything of value for a referral (20-1-4(b), (c), (f), (h)). For continuity of care the client relationship is presumed to continue for six months after termination unless circumstances such as selection of a new therapist show otherwise (20-1-4(e)). The NASW Code's conflict-of-interest standards apply in full (20-1-6).
CompetenceOklahoma
Scope, negligence, and the NASW standard
Practicing outside the scope of practice the Act authorizes is a statutory ground, and the Board holds a hearing on negligence or wrongful actions in the performance of a social worker's duties (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(2); OAC 675:3-1-4(a)(5)). The scope lines are in the licenses: only an LCSW practices clinical social work privately, only an LCSW, LSW, or LSW-ADM practices independently, and an LMSW or LSWA practices within an agency (1261.1(E), (F); 10-1-5). Standardized assessment instruments are used only after appropriate specialized training (1250.1(3); 10-1-5(a)(3)), and the NASW Code's competence standards are the Board's own (20-1-6).
ImpairmentOklahoma
Impairment as a ground, an evaluation order, and a deferral program
Incapacity or impairment that prevents practice with reasonable skill, competence, and safety is a ground for discipline, and the Board may require a mental or physical examination or chemical dependency evaluation on probable cause, suspending the license until the results are reviewed (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(4); 1256.1(A)(6)). A licensee impaired by mental illness or addiction who voluntarily signs an agreement not to practice and enters a Board-approved treatment and monitoring program may have discipline deferred and ultimately waived if the public is not endangered and the licensee progresses and complies; the suspension or revocation is stayed while the licensee stays in the program, the treating professional reports progress and any failure, and practice resumes only when the Board is satisfied from the program's reports; felony, controlled substance, and sexual misconduct convictions are excluded (1266.1(B)). Any social worker with substantial evidence of a licensee's untreated active addiction, diversion of a controlled substance, or incompetence must report it (1266.1(C)).
HonestyOklahoma
Fraud in the application, in advertising, in billing, and in the record
Misrepresentation of a material fact in securing a license or renewal, false or deceptive statements connected with practice including advertising, fraud in practice including improper billing, fraud in the licensure process, and false statements to the Board are grounds and reportable events (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(7), (8); 1256.2(A)(4), (5)). The code bars participating in or condoning fraud or any misrepresentation of qualifications, education, experience, affiliations, or services performed, and representing that services were performed that were not (OAC 675:20-1-4(g); 20-1-5(a)). Violating the security of examination materials is its own ground, and a renewal obtained by misrepresentation brings Board action (1266.1(A)(12); 10-1-6(b)(5)).
DiscriminationOklahoma
Eleven named grounds and an open-ended clause
The social worker shall not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, political belief, mental or physical handicap, or any other preference or personal characteristic, condition, or status (OAC 675:20-1-5(b)). Continuing education providers may not select participants by gender, age, race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, physical abilities, or other characteristics (15-1-5(a)(3)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityOklahoma
The attorney-client standard, four statutory exceptions, and the code's compelling reasons
Communications between a licensee and client are on the same basis as attorney and client, and no licensee or person working under one may disclose or be compelled to disclose information acquired from persons consulting the social worker professionally, except with the client's written consent or a representative's after death or disability, as to information pertaining to criminal acts or violations of law, where a minor client was the victim or subject of a crime, or where the client brings charges against the licensee; testimony on adoption, child abuse, neglect, and children's welfare and consultation with colleagues are permitted (59 O.S. 1261.6). The code requires privacy and confidence in all information from professional service except on voluntary consent, a representative's written consent, waiver by public charges, and compelling reasons including consultation on the client's behalf, the duty to warn, child abuse and sexual molestation, and other statutory situations (OAC 675:20-1-5(e)). Disclosing confidential information without proper authority is a hearing ground (3-1-4(a)(8)).
RecordsOklahoma
No retention period, and no claiming services not performed
The Act and Title 675 set no retention period or record contents. They prohibit fraud, representing services not performed, and fraudulent billing, and require informed consent before any taping, recording, or third-party observation (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(7), (8); OAC 675:20-1-4(g); 20-1-5(f)). The NASW Code's documentation standards apply through 20-1-6.
ReportingOklahoma
Every person reports a child immediately; social workers report a vulnerable adult as soon as aware
Every person having reason to believe that a child under 18 is a victim of abuse or neglect shall report the matter immediately to the Department of Human Services through its statewide hotline, and no privilege or contract relieves anyone of the duty; employers may not interfere or retaliate and are liable for damages, costs, and fees (10A O.S. 1-2-101(B)). Knowingly and willfully failing to report promptly, or interfering with a report, is a misdemeanor, and knowingly and willfully failing to report with prolonged knowledge, meaning at least six months of ongoing abuse or neglect, is a Class D1 felony; a knowingly false report is a misdemeanor (1-2-101(C), (D)). Any person having reasonable cause to believe that a vulnerable adult is suffering abuse, neglect, or exploitation shall report as soon as aware to the Department of Human Services, the Office of Client Advocacy in the State Department of Health, or the local police or sheriff, and social workers and mental health professionals are named among those required to report; knowing and willful failure is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, good-faith reporters are immune, and employers may not sanction a reporter (43A O.S. 10-104(A), (B), (E), (F), (K)). The hotline for both is 1-800-522-3511.
Continuing EducationOklahoma
16 hours every calendar year, 3 of ethics, waived the year you pass the exam
Sixteen clock hours of Board-approved continuing education per license during each January through December renewal period, at least three of them ethics training as the Board defines it, with six additional hours for each additional license held, waived for the calendar year in which the licensee passed the licensure exam and subject to hardship exemptions and random audit (59 O.S. 1261.1a(B); OAC 675:10-1-6; 15-1-3). The Board recognizes ASWB and ASWB-accredited providers, NASW national and state chapters, NBCC, the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, other state social work boards, academic institutions, Board-approved providers, the Oklahoma boards for behavioral health and alcohol and drug counseling, and other reputable providers it approves (15-1-2). A certificate must show the program name, instructor, date, clock hours, and format; ethics credit shows on the certificate, in the title, or in the description (15-1-5(b); OSBLSW FAQ). Supervisors for licensure add the Board's supervisor training every three years (12-1-6(c)(9)).
No aiding unlicensed practice, and supervision only under the rules
Engaging or aiding and abetting an individual to engage in the practice of social work without a license, or falsely using the title of social worker, is a statutory ground, and no person may participate in the delivery of social work services except under the supervision of a licensee (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(9); 1251(A)). Employment supervision is not licensure supervision, a supervisee may not practice independently or under contract, and a supervisee seeking clinical licensure may not assign a diagnosis independent of the clinical supervisor or a qualified practitioner in the agency (1250.1(17); OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(1), (2)). Exploiting supervisees, students, or employees is a code violation (20-1-4(a)).
DisciplineOklahoma
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
Complaints are filed online, may be anonymous if detailed enough to verify, and go to a Complaint Committee of the Board Chair or designee, a current or former Board member, and the Attorney General liaison, which decides whether the allegation could result in denial, revocation, or suspension (OAC 675:3-1-3(a), (b)). Lesser matters go through an informal process ending in a consent decree that may include a letter of education, a tutorial under a Board Approved Supervisor, or a letter of censure, with a review within six months; such a decree is not a disciplinary action, is not posted, and is not reported to a national databank (3-1-3(c)). Serious matters go to a contract investigator and then to the Board, which may dismiss, refer to the informal process, hold a hearing under the Administrative Procedures Act, or accept a consent decree that is disciplinary, posted, and reported (3-1-3(d); 3-1-4). Licensees must cooperate with the investigation (3-1-3.1). Sanctions run from censure and reprimand through restriction, probation at $100 a month, fines, suspension, and revocation, with Board fines of up to $500 per offense for unlawful practice and each violation also a misdemeanor (59 O.S. 1266.1(A); 1-1-9; 1270(B)(5)).
Where the Iowa rules come from. Iowa Code 147.55 (grounds), 147.83 and 147.86 (injunctions and penalties), 272C.3 (sanctions and the licensee review committee), 154C.5 (confidentiality), 232.69, 232.70, and 232.75 (child abuse reporting), and 235B.2, 235B.3, and 235B.16 (dependent adult abuse reporting), with the Board's rules in IAC 481-882.3 (grounds for social workers), 884.4 (the rules of conduct), 881.2 (continuing education), and 880.13(3) (mandatory reporter training), read on legis.iowa.gov in September 2026. The Board's rules of conduct incorporate selected sections of the NASW Code of Ethics, and a social worker is disciplined for violating the Board's rules (884.4(18)).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
IA
Iowa Code 147.55 requires the Board to revoke, suspend, or otherwise discipline a licensee guilty of fraud in procuring a license; professional incompetence; knowingly making misleading, deceptive, untrue, or fraudulent representations in practice or engaging in unethical conduct or practice harmful or detrimental to the public, with no proof of actual injury needed; habitual intoxication or addiction to drugs; fraud in representations as to skill or ability; untruthful or improbable statements in advertisements; willful or repeated violations of chapter 147, chapter 272C, or the Board's enabling statute; sexual abuse in the fourth degree; fraud in assisted reproduction; or other acts specified by Board rule. The Board's rule adds violation of a regulation, rule, or law of this state, another state, or the United States that relates to the practice of social work, including the rules of conduct in 481-884.4, and the Department's model grounds in 481-Chapter 504 (IAC 481-882.3). Under 272C.3(2) the Board may revoke or suspend the license, revoke or suspend the privilege to engage in specified procedures or acts, impose probation, require additional education, training, or reexamination as a condition of reinstatement, and impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 by rule; it may petition the district court to enforce its authority, and practicing without a license or on an inactive one is a serious misdemeanor and subject to injunction (147.83; 147.86). Complaints, investigations, and contested cases follow the Department's model rules in 481-Chapters 503 and 506, with a hearing fee of at most $75 (507.19(8)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductIowa
Never with a client, not for five years after, and never with the vulnerable
A social worker will not engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with a client, whether consensual or not; will not do so with a former client within the five years following termination of the client relationship; and will never do so, regardless of time elapsed, if the client has a history of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, has ever been diagnosed with any form of psychosis or personality disorder, or is likely to remain in need of therapy because of the intensity or chronicity of a problem (IAC 481-884.4(9)(a), (b)). The bar extends to a client's or former client's spouse or significant other, to a relative within the second degree where there is a risk of exploitation or harm, and to providing clinical services to anyone with whom the social worker has had prior sexual contact (884.4(9)(c) through (e)). Sexual activities or contact with a supervisee, student, trainee, or colleague over whom the social worker has authority are barred, and sexual harassment of a client, student, or supervisee is a violation (884.4(3)(e), (16)(b)). Physical contact with a client is avoided where there is a possibility of psychological harm (884.4(10)).
Dual RelationshipsIowa
None with a current client, none for five years after, and the burden is on you
A dual relationship means assuming a secondary role with a client, including a social, emotional, employment, or business relationship, and a social worker will not engage in one with a current client or with a former client within five years of termination, nor at any time where there is a risk of exploitation or harm; if a dual relationship is unavoidable the social worker takes steps to protect the client and sets clear boundaries, and bears the burden of showing it was unavoidable, with the Board weighing the size of the community, the nature of the relationship, and the risk (IAC 481-884.4(8)(a)). A social worker avoids conflicts that interfere with impartial judgment, ends a professional relationship when emotional involvement destroys objectivity, informs the client of any conflict and resolves it in the client's interest, never exploits a professional relationship for personal, religious, political, or business interests, and clarifies who is the client when serving people in a relationship with each other (884.4(8)(b)). Solicitation of colleagues' clients and abandonment of an agency without notice are also violations (884.4(15)(a), (b)).
CompetenceIowa
Within your training, and within the license
A social worker provides services and represents themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, license, certification, consultation, supervised experience, or other relevant experience; uses new interventions only after appropriate study, training, consultation, and supervision; and in emerging areas without recognized standards exercises careful judgment and takes responsible steps to ensure competence and protect clients (IAC 481-884.4(2)). Practicing outside the scope of a license and practicing without supervision as needed given one's level, experience, and need are violations, and professional incompetence is a statutory ground (884.4(12)(s), (17)(a); Iowa Code 147.55(2)). Delegation to someone the social worker knows is not qualified by training, education, experience, or classification is barred (884.4(15)(e)).
ImpairmentIowa
No practice while impaired, and a confidential review committee
A social worker will not practice in a professional relationship while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs not prescribed by a physician, while experiencing a mental or physical impairment that adversely affects the ability to practice competently and safely, or if involuntarily committed for treatment of mental illness, drug addiction, or alcoholism (IAC 481-884.4(13)(a)). Habitual intoxication or addiction to drugs is a statutory ground (Iowa Code 147.55(4)). A social worker who self-reports an impairment or suspected impairment may be eligible for confidential monitoring by the impaired practitioner review committee, which the Board establishes under 272C.3(1)(k) to evaluate and monitor licensees impaired by substance use or a mental or physical disorder who self-report or are referred (884.4(13)(b)).
HonestyIowa
No false statements, no borrowed licenses, no credit for others' work
A social worker will not knowingly make a materially false statement or omit a material fact in a reference, application, referral, report, or other document; knowingly let another person use their license or credentials; aid a person misrepresenting credentials; impersonate anyone or misrepresent an affiliation; recommend for licensure someone known to be unqualified; engage in any professional activity involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation; fail to distinguish personal statements from those made for an employer; take credit for work not personally performed; or permit another to use the license for any purpose (IAC 481-884.4(12)). Deliberately falsifying client records and failing to submit required reports on time to the client's detriment are violations (884.4(15)(c), (d)). Fraud in procuring a license and fraudulent representations in practice are statutory grounds (Iowa Code 147.55(1), (3)).
DiscriminationIowa
Thirteen named grounds, including diagnosis
A social worker will not practice, condone, or facilitate discrimination against a client, student, or supervisee on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, mental or physical disability, diagnosis, or social or economic status (IAC 481-884.4(16)(a)). Information is provided in a manner that is understandable and culturally appropriate for the client, and boundaries are culturally sensitive (884.4(1)(b), (8)(a)(3)). Physical or verbal abuse of a client or colleague is a violation (884.4(17)(c)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityIowa
The statute's five exceptions, the rule's six, and the least amount necessary
A licensee or a person working under a licensee's supervision shall not disclose or be compelled to disclose information from persons consulting them professionally except if it reveals the contemplation or commission of a crime, if the client waives the privilege by bringing charges, with written consent, to testify in a court hearing on the welfare of children, or to seek collaboration or consultation on the client's behalf (Iowa Code 154C.5). The Board's rule permits disclosure to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to the client or another specific identifiable person, on waiver by charges, with written informed consent stating recipient, purpose, and time frame, to testify on the welfare of children, for consultation, or under a valid subpoena or court order, always disclosing the least amount necessary, and requires informing clients of the limits early and often, with special rules for family, couple, and group work, third-party payers, media, teaching, and deceased clients (IAC 481-884.4(4)). Informed consent precedes any recording or observation (884.4(1)(f)).
RecordsIowa
Seven years, reasonable access, secure storage and disposal
Clinical records include subjective and objective data, assessment or diagnosis, a treatment plan, and revisions, and are kept under applicable law and employer guidelines or, absent other provisions, for a minimum of seven years following termination of services (IAC 481-884.4(5)). Clients get reasonable access, limited only in exceptional circumstances on compelling evidence of serious harm, with the request and rationale documented (884.4(6)). Records and transmissions are stored and transferred securely, disposed of in a manner protecting confidentiality, and protected on termination of practice, incapacity, or death (884.4(4)(j) through (m)). Termination is documented in the clinical record, or the relationship is treated as ongoing (884.4(11)(g)(1)).
ReportingIowa
Twenty-four hours for a child; a dependent adult reported, immediately if you are staff
A social worker, and a counselor or mental health professional, who in the scope of professional practice or employment examines, attends, counsels, or treats a child and reasonably believes the child has suffered abuse shall make a report within twenty-four hours, orally by telephone or otherwise to the Department of Health and Human Services, and also to law enforcement if immediate protection for the child is advisable; the report gives the child's and caretakers' names and address, the child's whereabouts and age, the injuries and prior injuries, other children in the home, anything helpful, and the reporter's name and address, and no employer policy may interfere (Iowa Code 232.69(1)(b); 232.70). A knowing and willful failure to report is a simple misdemeanor, a knowing failure or interference brings civil liability for the damages caused, and a knowingly false report is a simple misdemeanor (232.75). A social worker who, in the course of employment, examines, attends, counsels, or treats a dependent adult and reasonably believes the adult has suffered abuse shall report to the Department; a staff member or employee immediately notifies the Department and the person in charge, employers may not interfere or retaliate on pain of a simple misdemeanor, good-faith reporters are immune, and knowing and willful failure is a simple misdemeanor with civil liability for a knowing failure (235B.3(2), (3), (11) through (13)). Both reports go to 1-800-362-2178, 24 hours a day. Mandatory reporter training is required within six months of starting and every three years, using the Department's curriculum (232.69(3); 235B.16(5); IAC 481-880.13(3)).
Continuing EducationIowa
27 hours every two years, 3 in ethics, 50 percent carryover
Each biennium, January 1 of the odd year through December 31 of the even year, every social worker completes at least 27 hours of Board-approved continuing education, including a minimum of three hours in social work ethics (IAC 481-881.2(3), (12)(b)). Activities must be organized programs by qualified presenters that relate to practice and provide proof of attendance, in the content areas the rule lists or an area the licensee shows relates to their own practice; academic credit converts at 15 hours per semester hour and 10 per quarter hour; ASWB ACE and NASW CEU programs count; pre-approved pro bono service, teaching, presenting, and authorship earn up to three hours each; practicum supervision earns one hour per 100 hours up to six; and LISW supervisors take three hours in supervision (881.2(9), (12)). Up to half the requirement may be carried over from excess hours, first-time licensees are exempt at the first renewal, and the mandatory reporter training runs on its own three-year cycle (881.2(7); 880.13(2)(b), (3)).
No assigning licensed work to the unlicensed, and a duty to report other professionals
A social worker will not employ, assign, or supervise an individual in services that require a license if the individual has no license or has a suspended, revoked, lapsed, or inactive one, and will not delegate professional responsibilities to a person known to be unqualified (IAC 481-884.4(3)(f), (15)(e)). A social worker exercises appropriate supervision over persons practicing under their supervision, and will not fail to notify the appropriate licensing authority of any human services professional practicing or teaching in violation of their discipline's laws or rules (884.4(3)(a), (12)(f)). Aiding a person misrepresenting credentials is barred (884.4(12)(c)).
DisciplineIowa
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
The Board reviews or investigates complaints and its own evidence, decides whether a disciplinary proceeding is warranted, and prosecutes it, and its decision not to investigate is not subject to judicial review (Iowa Code 272C.3(1)). It may revoke or suspend the license, revoke or suspend the privilege to perform specified procedures or acts on a finding of lack of qualifications, impose probation with conditions, require additional education, training, or reexamination before reinstatement, and impose civil penalties of up to $1,000 by rule; it may refer a complaint to a peer review committee and a self-reporting impaired licensee to the licensee review committee (272C.3(1)(i), (k), (2)). Complaints, investigations, informal settlements, and contested cases follow the Department's model rules in 481-Chapters 503 and 506, with a hearing fee of at most $75, and a revoked, suspended, or surrendered license is reinstated under 481-506.31 and then reactivated (IAC 481-507.19(8); 880.15). Board orders are posted by the Department (DIAL Board page).
Where the Utah rules come from. Utah Code 58-1-401, 501, and 502 (the Division's grounds, the general definitions of unlawful and unprofessional conduct, and penalties), 58-60-108 through 112 (discipline, unlawful and unprofessional conduct, penalties, and reporting for mental health professionals), 58-60-114 (confidentiality), 80-2-602 and 609 (child abuse reporting), and 26B-6-205 (vulnerable adult reporting), with the Division's rule R156-60e-402.1 (professional development) and 502.1 and 502.2 (unprofessional conduct), read on le.utah.gov and adminrules.utah.gov in September 2026. Utah's social work ethics are the NASW Code of Ethics as revised in 2021 and the 2017 technology standards, incorporated by reference into the rule, plus the statutory and rule lists below (R156-60e-502.2(1)).
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
UT
Utah Code 58-1-401 lets the Division refuse to issue or renew, or revoke, suspend, restrict, place on probation, publicly reprimand, or otherwise act on a license for unprofessional conduct as statute or rule defines it, unlawful conduct, a court's determination of mental incompetence, or inability to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of a mental or physical condition or substance use, and it may issue cease and desist orders and administrative penalties. Unprofessional conduct under 58-1-501(2) includes violating any statute, rule, or order regulating the profession; violating or aiding a violation of any generally accepted professional or ethical standard; a conviction or plea for a crime bearing on the profession; discipline by another licensing authority; conduct including use of intoxicants that impairs the ability to practice safely; practicing while physically or mentally unfit; gross incompetence, gross negligence, or a pattern of either; false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent practice; practicing beyond competence or beyond the license; inhibiting a client's complaint to a regulator; verbal, physical, mental, or sexual abuse or exploitation of any person through the practice; acting as a supervisor without the qualifications; and violating an order governing the license. Chapter 60 adds failing to confine practice to competence and scope, disclosing or refusing to disclose confidential communications, and patterns of failing to give clients the required information (58-60-110). The Division must immediately suspend a licensee a court finds incapacitated or mentally ill and unable to practice safely, may petition on reasonable cause of impairment, may order an immediate mental or physical examination with a majority of the Board, and may not act on a license solely because the licensee seeks or participates in treatment (58-60-108). Unlawful conduct under 58-60-109 is a third degree felony, the general act makes unlawful conduct a class A misdemeanor, and the director may assess an administrative fine of up to $1,000 for each instance of unprofessional or unlawful conduct (58-60-111; 58-1-502). Discipline must begin within four years of a report and ten years of the conduct (58-1-401(6)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Division enforces them
Sexual MisconductUtah
Sexual exploitation is a statutory ground, and the NASW Code sets the client rule
Verbally, physically, mentally, or sexually abusing or exploiting any person through conduct connected with the licensee's practice is unprofessional conduct under the general act (Utah Code 58-1-501(2)(a)(xii)). The rule adds engaging in, aiding, or abetting sexual harassment or any conduct that is exploitive or abusive toward a student, trainee, employee, or colleague under the licensee's supervisory or management responsibility; physical contact with a client where there is a risk of exploitation or harm; and knowingly engaging in sexual activity or contact with a client's relative or another individual with whom the client maintains a relationship in violation of the profession's code (R156-60e-502.1(6)(c), (d), (8)). The NASW Code's prohibitions on sexual relationships with current clients, former clients, and their relatives are incorporated in full, and the notice every client receives must state that a romantic or sexual relationship with a provider is never appropriate and should be reported to the Division (502.2(1); 58-60-110(1)(e)(iii)).
Dual RelationshipsUtah
Dual relationships by the Code, exploitation by the rule, and impartiality in custody matters
Engaging in a dual relationship or multiple relationships with a client or former client in violation of the standards set by the licensee's professional code of ethics, exploiting a client, a former client, or an individual who has a personal relationship with a client for personal gain, and failing to establish and maintain professional boundaries with a client or former client are unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.1(7), (9), (10)(a)). A licensee must exercise the professional discretion and impartial judgment the work requires and provide impartial, objective, and informed services, recommendations, or opinions on custodial or parental rights, divorce, domestic relationships, adoption, mental competency, mental health, or other civil or legal rights, and must follow the AFCC Model Standards of Practice for Child Custody Evaluation (502.1(10)(b), (c), (h)). A therapist appointed by a court in a domestic case has protection from complaints by the parties while the case is pending (Utah Code 58-60-112(3)).
CompetenceUtah
Within education, training, and experience, and within the scope laws
Failure to confine practice conduct to acts in which the individual is competent by education, training, and experience and which are within the chapter's scope of practice laws is unprofessional conduct, as are practicing beyond one's competency, abilities, or education, beyond the license, or through gross incompetence, gross negligence, or a pattern of either (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(b); 58-1-501(2)(a)(vii), (ix), (x)). Using or employing any individual to assist in a manner not in accordance with the profession's recognized practices, standards, or ethics is a ground (58-60-110(1)(a)). A licensee must obtain a thorough working knowledge of the Code of Ethics for their own practice and, as a supervisor, for the supervisee's (R156-60e-502.1(10)(j), (k)).
ImpairmentUtah
An examination on demand, immediate suspension for refusal, and no penalty for seeking treatment
Conduct including use of intoxicants, drugs, narcotics, or chemicals that impairs or might reasonably impair the ability to perform licensed duties safely, and practicing while physically or mentally unfit, are unprofessional conduct (Utah Code 58-1-501(2)(a)(v), (vi)). Every licensee consents to submit to an immediate mental or physical examination, at the licensee's expense by a Division-approved practitioner of the licensee's choosing, when directed in writing by the Division and a majority of the Board on reasonable cause to believe the licensee is unable to practice safely and immediate action is needed, and to the admissibility of the report; refusal permits immediate suspension, with an appeal within 10 days (58-60-108(4), (5)). A licensee found incapacitated or mentally ill by a court is suspended immediately, and a licensee restricted for impairment may present evidence of change at reasonable intervals; the Division may not act on a license solely because the licensee seeks or participates in mental health or substance abuse treatment (58-60-108(3), (6), (7)).
HonestyUtah
Fraud with the Division, in practice, and in billing
Obtaining a passing score, a license, or anything else from the Division through fraud, forgery, or intentional deception, misrepresentation, misstatement, or omission, impersonating another licensee, and letting another use one's authority to practice are unlawful conduct (Utah Code 58-1-501(1)(b), (d), (e)). Practicing through any false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent action or communication is unprofessional conduct, and the rule adds engaging in, aiding, or abetting dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent conduct or billing (58-1-501(2)(a)(viii); R156-60e-502.1(6)(a), (b)). Directing one's supervisor, or a supervisee, to violate a statute, rule, or ethical standard is unprofessional conduct (502.1(3), (4)).
DiscriminationUtah
Through the NASW Code, and Utah's religious-belief carve-out
The chapter and rule contain no separate antidiscrimination provision for licensees; the NASW Code of Ethics as revised in 2021, incorporated by reference, supplies the standard on discrimination, and a violation of any generally accepted professional or ethical standard is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.2(1); Utah Code 58-1-501(2)(a)(ii)). The general act separately lists a health care provider's violation of the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs or Conscience provisions as unprofessional conduct (58-1-501(2)(a)(xviii)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityUtah
Express written consent, or a law, a Rule 506 exemption, or a recognized standard
A mental health therapist may not disclose any confidential communication with a client without the express written consent of the client, a minor's parent or guardian, or a person the client authorized in a signed, verifiable document, except where state or federal law permits or requires the disclosure, including the vulnerable adult, child abuse, duty-to-warn, and communicable disease reporting laws; where the disclosure is part of a proceeding under an exemption from privilege in Rule 506; or where a generally recognized professional or ethical standard authorizes or requires it (Utah Code 58-60-114). Disclosing, or refusing to disclose, a confidential communication in violation of the section is unprofessional conduct, and so is failing to protect the confidences of anyone named in a client record or to obtain informed consent before recording or third-party observation (58-60-110(1)(c); R156-60e-502.1(10)(f), (g)).
RecordsUtah
Ten years, on request, and secured
Failing to maintain client records, including assessment, treatment, progress notes, and billing information, for at least ten years from the documented termination of services, and failing to provide records in a reasonable time on the client's or guardian's written request, are unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.1(10)(d), (e)). Clients are entitled on request to know who has had access to their confidential data, including recordings and observations (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(f)(iv)). Electronic confidential data must be secured, stored, and disposed of appropriately (502.1(11)).
ReportingUtah
Immediately for a child or a vulnerable adult, to the division or the police
If a person has reason to believe that a child is or has been the subject of abuse or neglect, or observes a child being subjected to conditions that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, the person shall immediately report to the Division of Child and Family Services or the nearest peace officer or law enforcement agency, and each notifies the other (Utah Code 80-2-602(1), (2)). A person who willfully fails to report is guilty of a class B misdemeanor, and if DCFS has substantial grounds to believe a mental health therapist knowingly failed to report it files a complaint with the Division of Professional Licensing (80-2-609(1), (3)). If an individual has reason to believe that a vulnerable adult is or has been the subject of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, the individual shall immediately report to Adult Protective Services or the nearest peace officer or law enforcement agency; willful failure is a class B misdemeanor, APS files a complaint with the Division against a mental health therapist who knowingly fails to report, good-faith reporters are immune, and threatening a reporter or the adult is a class B misdemeanor (26B-6-205(1), (7) through (10)). DCFS takes reports at 1-855-323-3237, 24 hours a day, and APS at 1-800-371-7897 on weekdays or online at any time.
Continuing EducationUtah
40 hours every two years, 6 in ethics or law, 2 in suicide prevention, and a supervisor's 6 more
Each two-year cycle a licensee with a master's degree or higher completes 40 hours of ongoing professional development, and a bachelor's-level SSW 20, including six hours of professional ethics, law, or ethics of technology and two hours of suicide prevention in a course meeting the rule's content and format standards (Utah Code 58-60-105; R156-60e-402.1(1); 302.1). Qualifying courses come from accredited institutions, government agencies, professional associations, or mental health agencies, in the listed formats with caps of ten hours each on asynchronous learning, clinical readings, supervising, volunteer service, peer consultation, and peer observation and six on board or leadership service, verified by a certificate; up to ten hours carry over; hours are prorated by licensure date; documentation is kept two years; and the Division audits randomly (402.1(2) through (8)). A Division-approved clinical supervisor adds six hours specific to clinical supervision each cycle (402.1(9)).
No unlicensed employees, no unqualified supervisors, and a ten-day duty to report
Knowingly employing a person to practice a licensed profession without a license, permitting one's authority to be used by another, and aiding or abetting any violation of a licensing statute, rule, or order are unlawful conduct, and acting as a supervisor without meeting the statutory or rule qualifications is unprofessional conduct (Utah Code 58-1-501(1)(c), (d), (g), (2)(a)(xiii)). Using or employing any individual to assist a licensee in a manner not in accordance with the profession's practices, standards, or ethics is a chapter ground (58-60-110(1)(a)). Every licensee reports to the Division within 10 days an act of unlawful or unprofessional conduct by a licensee or an unlicensed person that results in discipline by a facility, group, or society or in a significant adverse impact on public health, safety, or welfare, and a supervisor notifies the Division within ten days of a supervisee's scope violation (58-60-112(1); R156-60e-308.1(2)(c)(iv)).
DisciplineUtah
What the Division can do, and how it proceeds
The Division, with the Board advising and its Background and Investigations Advisory Committee reviewing, investigates complaints, may issue citations with fines, negotiate stipulated settlements, or bring adjudicative proceedings under the Administrative Procedures Act, and may refuse, revoke, suspend, restrict, place on probation, publicly reprimand, or otherwise act on a license, issue cease and desist orders, and assess administrative fines of up to $1,000 per instance (Utah Code 58-1-401; 58-1-502; 58-60-102.5). A licensee whose license was suspended, revoked, or disciplined applies for reinstatement at reasonable intervals and may be asked to meet with the Background and Investigations Advisory Committee and accept a three- or five-year probationary license with conditions (58-1-401(3); R156-60e-403.1(6)). Formal discipline immediately revokes a clinical supervisor's approved status (306.1(3)). Disciplinary actions and citations are published in the Division's online search, and no action may be taken more than four years after the conduct is reported or ten years after it occurred, with the one-year exception after a civil or criminal judgment (58-1-401(6); DOPL).
Where the Kansas rules come from. K.S.A. 65-6310 (unlawful acts), 65-6311 (grounds, sanctions, and procedure), 65-6313 (continuing education), 65-6315 (confidentiality), 38-2223 (child abuse reporting), and 39-1430 and 39-1431 (adult abuse reporting), with the Board's regulations K.A.R. 102-2-1a (dual relationship and merits the public trust defined), 102-2-4a and 102-2-5 (continuing education), 102-2-7 (unprofessional conduct), and 102-2-11a (audit), read on ksrevisor.gov and rules.ks.gov in September 2026. Kansas has no separate ethics code regulation; the unprofessional conduct regulation, with its 56 items, is the code the Board enforces.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
KS
K.S.A. 65-6311 lets the Board refuse to issue, renew, or reinstate a license, condition, limit, revoke, or suspend it, publicly or privately censure a licensee, or impose a fine of up to $1,000 per violation on finding that a licensee or applicant is incompetent to practice social work, meaning one or more instances of gross negligence, repeated ordinary negligence, or a pattern of manifest incapacity; has been convicted of a felony, or a misdemeanor against persons, without demonstrating rehabilitation sufficient to merit the public trust; is currently listed on a child abuse or adult protective services registry on a substantiated finding without demonstrating rehabilitation; has violated the act or a regulation; obtained or attempted to obtain a license or renewal by bribery or fraudulent representation; knowingly made a false statement on a Board form; failed to obtain required continuing education; engaged in unprofessional conduct as the regulations define it; had a professional credential disciplined or an application denied by another jurisdiction, with a certified record as conclusive evidence; or violated a Board order. A new or reinstated license for a licensee with a felony conviction takes a two-thirds vote, proceedings follow the Kansas administrative procedure act, and review follows the Kansas judicial review act (65-6311(b), (c)). Obtaining a license by bribery or fraud and knowingly making false statements on applications or Board forms are class B misdemeanors, as are unlicensed practice and unauthorized private clinical practice; title misuse is a class C misdemeanor (65-6310; 65-6303(d); 65-6308(b); 65-6307(b)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductKansas
No sexual advances or intimacies with a client, supervisee, or student, and none for 24 months after
Making sexual advances toward or engaging in physical intimacies or sexual activities with one's client, supervisee, or student is unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-7(y)). Making sexual advances toward, engaging in physical intimacies or sexual activities with, or exercising undue influence over any person who, within the past 24 months, has been one's client is likewise unprofessional conduct (102-2-7(z)). A dual relationship, defined to include a present or previous sexual relationship that impairs the licensee's objectivity, is separately barred with a client, supervisee, or student without time limit (102-2-1a(j); 102-2-7(tt)). Treating any client, student, or supervisee in a cruel manner is a violation (102-2-7(k)).
Dual RelationshipsKansas
Seven kinds of impaired objectivity, and undue influence for gain
A dual relationship means a professional relationship with a client, student, or supervisee in which the licensee's objectivity is impaired or compromised because of a present or previous familial, sexual, social, emotional, financial, supervisory, or administrative relationship, and engaging in one is unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-1a(j); 102-2-7(tt)). Exercising undue influence over any client, supervisee, or student, including promoting sales of services or goods, in a manner that exploits them for the financial gain, personal gratification, or advantage of oneself or a third party is a violation, as are referral fees, fee sharing outside the firm, and soliciting or assuming responsibility for another agency's or colleague's clients without coordinating continuity of care (102-2-7(aa) through (dd)). A supervisor may not have a dual relationship with a supervisee (102-2-8).
CompetenceKansas
Incompetence as a statutory ground, and scope lines in the regulation
Incompetence to practice social work is gross negligence in one or more instances, repeated ordinary negligence, or a pattern demonstrating manifest incapacity, each as the Board determines, and practicing social work in an incompetent manner is unprofessional conduct (K.S.A. 65-6311(a)(1); K.A.R. 102-2-7(xx)). Offering to perform or performing services clearly inconsistent or incommensurate with one's training, education, and experience and with accepted professional standards is a violation, as is engaging in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, or directing others who do, except as 65-6306 and 65-6319 permit, and engaging in independent private practice without authorization (102-2-7(j), (bbb) through (ddd)). Continuing or ordering tests, procedures, or treatments not warranted by the client's condition, best interests, or preferences is a violation (102-2-7(hh)).
ImpairmentKansas
A duty to recognize your own impairment, and no alcohol or drugs on duty
Failing to recognize, seek intervention, and otherwise appropriately respond when one's own personal problems, psychosocial distress, or mental health difficulties interfere with or negatively affect professional judgment, performance, or the ability to act in the client's best interests is unprofessional conduct, as is using alcohol or illegally using any controlled substance while performing the duties or services of a licensee (K.A.R. 102-2-7(h), (x)). Merits the public trust, which every applicant and licensee must satisfy, is the high standard of good moral character and fitness required to practice social work (102-2-1a(p); K.S.A. 65-6306).
HonestyKansas
Fraud in licensing, in practice, and in reports
Obtaining or attempting to obtain a license for oneself or another by fraud, bribery, deceit, misrepresentation, or concealment of a material fact, knowingly allowing another to use one's license, impersonating another licensee, furthering the application of a person known to be unqualified, and aiding anyone not credentialed by the Board to represent that they are, are unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-7(a), (c), (d), (f), (g)). Professional activities including billing and advertising involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, taking credit for work not personally performed, and making or filing a report one knows to be distorted, erroneous, incomplete, or misleading are violations (102-2-7(w), (jj), (ll)). Bribery, fraudulent representation, and knowingly false statements on applications and Board forms are class B misdemeanors and statutory grounds (K.S.A. 65-6310; 65-6311(a)(6), (7)).
DiscriminationKansas
Six named grounds
Discriminating against any client, student, or supervisee on the basis of color, race, gender, religion, national origin, or disability is unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-7(l)). A licensee explains to each client the rights, responsibilities, and duties in the social work relationship and provides a description of services and what the client can expect (102-2-7(m), (n)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityKansas
Three exceptions, written consent for release, and the statutory privilege
Revealing a client's information, confidence, or secret, or failing to protect a client's records, is unprofessional conduct except where disclosure is required or permitted by law, where failure to disclose presents a clear and present danger to the health or safety of an individual or the public, or where the licensee is party to a civil, criminal, or disciplinary action arising from the practice, limited to that action (K.A.R. 102-2-7(s)). Written informed consent precedes recording, third-party observation, or release of information to a third party except as law requires or permits, and clients must be told the limits of confidentiality (102-2-7(r), (t)). LMSW and LSCSW communications are on the attorney-client basis, LBSW and staff disclosures are limited to consent, minor-victim testimony, and waiver by charges, and there is no privilege for information required to be reported to a public official (K.S.A. 65-6315).
RecordsKansas
Nine minimum contents, kept two years, protecting others named in them
A record owner keeps for each client a legible record with identification, the initial reason for seeking services, pertinent information about the condition, a summary of interventions and services with findings, progress, the date and nature of each service, comprehensible terms and abbreviations, and how the relationship ended, retained for at least two years after termination unless law provides otherwise (K.A.R. 102-2-7(ii), (qq)). When a client is given access to the record, the confidences of other persons in it are protected (102-2-7(u)). Continuing education records are the licensee's own and are produced on audit (102-2-4a(g); 102-2-5).
ReportingKansas
Promptly for a child, promptly for an adult, to DCF or to law enforcement after hours
Licensed social workers are among the persons who, having reason to suspect that a child has been harmed as a result of physical, mental, or emotional abuse or neglect or sexual abuse, shall report the matter promptly to the Secretary for Children and Families, orally with a written report if requested, or to the appropriate law enforcement agency when the Department is not open; willful and knowing failure to report is a class B misdemeanor, as are intentionally preventing a report and knowingly making a false one, and it is no defense that another mandatory reporter reported (K.S.A. 38-2223(a), (c), (e)). Persons licensed by the Board to provide mental health services, including bachelor's, master's, and clinical social workers, who have reasonable cause to suspect or believe that an adult, a person 18 or older unable to protect their own interest, is in need of protective services or is being harmed by abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation shall promptly report to the Department, or to law enforcement when it is closed, and knowing failure is a class B misdemeanor (39-1430; 39-1431). Both reports go to the Kansas Protection Report Center, 1-800-922-5330, staffed 24 hours, or through the Department's electronic intake system for mandatory reporters, and failing to make either report is unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-7(uu), (ww)).
Continuing EducationKansas
40 units every two years, 3 of ethics, 3 of diagnosis and treatment for clinical licensees, no carryover
Each two-year renewal period requires 40 units of documented, Board-approved continuing education oriented to social work practice, values, ethics, skills, or knowledge, with excess units not carried over, including a program on professional ethics of not less than three units, and for LMSWs and LSCSWs units on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, which the statute set at three hours from July 1, 2025 while the regulation still reads six (K.S.A. 65-6313(b); K.A.R. 102-2-4a(a) through (c); BSRB). A unit is 50 minutes of classroom instruction or an hour of another acceptable activity; academic credit counts at 15 units per credit hour; self-study without a posttest, cross-disciplinary offerings, self-directed projects, and authorship are capped at 10; practicum supervision at four a semester and 16 total; presenting at 20; and organization service at 12 (102-2-4a(d), (e)). Six hours of social worker safety awareness training are required at the first renewal at any level, and the Board audits 10 percent of expiring licenses each month (65-6313(b)(3); 102-2-11a).
Adequate supervision, four hours a month for unlicensed staff, and no borrowed licenses
Failing to exercise adequate supervision over anyone with whom the licensee has a supervisory or directory relationship, and failing to inform a client that services are provided under supervision or direction, are unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-7(rr), (ss)). A licensee supervising nonlicensed persons who participate in delivering social work services delineates their duties, keeps a written agreement with goals and session documentation, provides no fewer than four hours of supervision a month per supervisee, and has no dual relationship with them (102-2-8(a)). Knowingly allowing another to use one's license, aiding an uncredentialed person to hold out as credentialed, and directing diagnosis and treatment by anyone the statute does not permit are violations (102-2-7(c), (g), (bbb)).
DisciplineKansas
What the Board can do, and how it proceeds
The Board may refuse to issue, renew, or reinstate, condition, limit, suspend, or revoke a license, publicly or privately censure, and fine up to $1,000 per violation, with administrative proceedings under the Kansas administrative procedure act and judicial review under the Kansas judicial review act (K.S.A. 65-6311(a), (c)). A licensee must cooperate with any Board request for a response, non-confidential information, or assistance in an investigation of any report against oneself or another licensee, and one who takes longer than 30 days bears the burden of showing timeliness (K.A.R. 102-2-7(i)). Complaints are filed with the Board, which posts its unprofessional conduct guidance and disciplinary information on its site, and a certified record of another jurisdiction's discipline is conclusive evidence of that ground (65-6311(a)(10); BSRB). Out-of-state clinical licensees practicing on a temporary permit without complying face a cease and desist order and a fine of up to $1,000 per day (65-6309a(f)).
Where the Nevada rules come from. NRS 641B.260 (grounds for refusing a license), 641B.400 (grounds for discipline), 641B.410 through 641B.450 (complaints, subpoenas, sanctions, and reinstatement), 641B.500 through 641B.530 (unlicensed practice and titles), 432B.220 and 432B.240 (child abuse reporting), and 200.5093 (older and vulnerable person reporting), with the Board's regulations NAC 641B.029 (dual relationship defined), 641B.187 and 641B.188 (continuing education), 641B.200 (professional responsibility), 641B.205 (responsibility to the client), 641B.210 (confidentiality), 641B.215 (research), 641B.220 (unprofessional conduct), and 641B.225 (professional incompetence), as amended by R103-23, read on leg.state.nv.us and socwork.nv.gov in September 2026. Nevada has no separate ethics code regulation; the standards of practice in NAC 641B.200 through 641B.225 are the code the Board enforces, and a violation of any of them is unprofessional conduct.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
NV
NRS 641B.400 makes the grounds unprofessional conduct; conviction of a felony relating to the practice of social work, any offense involving moral turpitude, or a violation of a federal or state law regulating the possession, distribution, or use of a controlled substance or dangerous drug; fraud or deception in applying for a license, in the initial licensing examination, or in rendering services as a social worker; allowing unauthorized use of a license; professional incompetence, which the Board interprets as a lack of knowledge, skill, or ability in discharging a professional obligation and includes malpractice, gross negligence, and, under R103-23, impairment; practicing social work without a license; having an alcohol or other substance use disorder that impairs the ability to practice; and operating a medical facility while its license is suspended or revoked (641B.400; NAC 641B.225 as amended). If the Board finds a person guilty in a disciplinary proceeding it may place the person on probation, administer a public reprimand, limit the practice to or by exclusion of specified branches of social work, suspend or revoke the license, and impose a fine of not more than $5,000, with any other proper terms; the Board shall not administer a private reprimand, and an order imposing discipline with its findings and conclusions is a public record (641B.430). The Board, its members and staff, and review panel members must file a complaint on becoming aware of grounds, anyone else may, and complaints are kept at least 10 years; after revocation a licensee may apply for reinstatement under chapter 622A and the Board may require an examination (641B.410; 641B.450). Unprofessional conduct also includes any violation of the standards of practice, any act that would support refusing a license, a violation of Nevada or federal law other than a minor traffic violation whether or not convicted, discipline by any other state on a professional license, and failure to comply with a Board stipulation, agreement, advisory opinion, or order, and the Board may act on conduct that occurred while a license was in effect or between expiration and restoration (NAC 641B.220).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductNevada
No sexual activity with a client during services or for three years after
A licensee shall not engage in sexual activity with a client during the time the client is receiving professional services and for three years after the termination of the professional relationship (NAC 641B.205(12)). Separately, a licensee shall not influence or attempt to influence a client, a person with significant personal ties to the client, or the client's legal representative in any manner that could reasonably be anticipated to result in the licensee deriving benefits of an unprofessional nature during services and for two years after (641B.205(11)). A licensee is responsible for setting and maintaining professional boundaries with each client, each person with significant personal ties to a client, each legal representative, each intern, and each person supervised (641B.200(6)). Exploitation of clients and sexual harassment are among the ethics topics the continuing education rule names (641B.187(1)).
Dual RelationshipsNevada
None with a client, intern, or supervisee, and none for two years after
A licensee shall not solicit or enter into a dual relationship with a client, intern, or person supervised by the licensee during the time the client is receiving services or the intern or person is being supervised, and for at least two years after the professional relationship, internship, or period of supervision ends (NAC 641B.205(13)). The regulation defines a dual relationship as a relationship between a licensee and a client, intern, or supervisee that includes another professional, social, or business relationship with that person (641B.029). A licensee shall not use the relationship with a client, a person with significant ties to the client, or the client's representative to further personal, religious, political, or business interests (641B.200(5)). An internship supervisor may not live with, be intimate with, or be related to the intern, or have been the intern's client or supervisor (641B.155(3)).
CompetenceNevada
Practice within your competence, or under a written plan to acquire it
A licensee shall practice social work with professional skill and competence and shall not attempt to diagnose, prescribe for, treat, or advise on any problem outside his or her field of competence (NAC 641B.205(1); 641B.200(10)). A licensee shall not assume duties within the practice of social work that he or she cannot perform competently, except under a reasonable written plan demonstrating how the competence will be acquired, completed under the supervision or consultation of a professionally qualified person who can demonstrate competency in the area, with a copy to the Board on request; certifying legal holds under NAC 641B.093 is excluded from that route and requires the Board's authorization (641B.200(10)). Practice rests on recognized knowledge relevant to social work, critically examined and kept current, and a licensee seeks the advice of colleagues and supervisors whenever it is in the client's interest (641B.200(11), (12); 641B.205(7)). Professional incompetence includes malpractice, meaning conduct below the standard of care that proximately damages a client, and gross negligence, an extreme departure from it (641B.225).
ImpairmentNevada
No practice while impaired, and notice to the Board on entering treatment
A licensee shall not engage in the practice of social work while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or any other chemical, or by a mental or physical condition that prevents safe practice, and R103-23 adds impairment, meaning the failure to act in a manner consistent with the established or customary standard of care, with or without good cause, due to the licensee's physical, mental, or emotional condition, to the definition of professional incompetence (NAC 641B.200(4) and 641B.225 as amended). An alcohol or other substance use disorder that impairs the ability to practice is a statutory ground for discipline, and a licensee who enters a program for the treatment of a substance use disorder or other behavioral disorder affecting the ability to deliver essential social work services notifies the Board in writing within 30 days (NRS 641B.400(7); NAC 641B.200(22)(f) as amended). Managing job stress and impaired professionals are among the approved ethics topics (641B.187(1)).
HonestyNevada
No misrepresentation, no false records, no obstruction, and a duty to report others
A licensee shall not misrepresent, directly or by implication, professional qualifications, competency, affiliations, or licenses, or those of associated institutions, and shall not let the license support any claim, promise, or guarantee of successful service or misrepresent the efficacy of services to a client (NAC 641B.200(1), (2); 641B.205(5)). A licensee shall not inaccurately record, falsify, alter, or destroy records, falsify billing, bill for services not rendered or supported, or refuse to release a client's records on request; shall not knowingly obstruct a Board investigation; shall report to the Board any unlicensed, unauthorized, unqualified, or unethical practice of social work; and shall not disparage a colleague's qualifications except in such a report (641B.200(9), (13), (15), (25)). Fraud in applying, in the examination, or in rendering services, and allowing unauthorized use of a license, are statutory grounds (NRS 641B.400(3), (4)). A licensee cooperates with Board requests and completes required reports in a timely manner (641B.200(17)).
DiscriminationNevada
No discrimination on any listed basis, and six hours of cultural competency every two years
A licensee shall not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, social, economic, health, or marital status, political belief, diagnosis, mental or physical disability, or any preference or personal characteristic, condition, or status (NAC 641B.205(4)). A licensee who must act on behalf of a client declared incompetent safeguards that client's interests and rights and deals with any legally authorized representative according to the client's best interests (641B.205(2), (3)). A supervisor ensures that an intern provides services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate (641B.160(2)(h)). Every two years each licensee completes at least six hours of instruction on cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion, based on research from diverse sources and addressing persons of different gender, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, LGBTQ persons, children and senior citizens, veterans, persons with mental illness, and persons with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities (NRS 641B.280(2)).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityNevada
Written consent, a Board subpoena or investigation, or law, and a clear and immediate danger
Confidential records and information obtained from or about a client, including the licensee's personal knowledge of the client, may not be released except by the client's written consent, under a Board subpoena, pursuant to a Board investigation, or as otherwise provided by law, and must be maintained in a manner that ensures security and confidentiality (NAC 641B.210(1)). A licensee informs each client of the licensee's confidentiality policies, the applicable laws, and the limits of confidentiality (641B.210(2)). Confidential information must not be communicated to others without the client's consent unless there is clear and immediate danger to some person or to society, and then only to the appropriate family members, professional workers, or public authorities, or to the specific person or persons in danger (641B.210(3)). The client's privilege in NRS 49.252 covers confidential communications with any 641B licensee, with the exceptions in NRS 49.254, and NRS 629.550 protects a mental health professional who discloses a threat with reasonable care.
RecordsNevada
A timely record for every client, and research on informed consent
Based on recognized knowledge and standards of practice, a licensee prepares and maintains in a timely manner a record for each client with the assessment, the course of treatment or plan of care, the scope of services including interventions, consultations, and mandated reporting, all informed consent documents, all releases, a dated and timed record of each contact, and all other legally required documents, maintained in accordance with NRS 629.051 (NAC 641B.200(14), (16)). Before engaging in research a licensee obtains the voluntary and informed consent of participants without any implied deprivation or penalty for refusal, protects participants from unwarranted discomfort, distress, harm, danger, or deprivation, treats research information as confidential, and takes credit only for work actually done (641B.215). Training recordings of sessions require the client's written informed consent on the Board's form and may not contain personally identifiable information without specific consent (NRS 641B.355).
ReportingNevada
Children within 24 hours, and older or vulnerable persons within 24 hours
A person licensed under chapter 641B who, in a professional or occupational capacity, knows or has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected reports it to an agency which provides child welfare services or a law enforcement agency as soon as reasonably practicable and not later than 24 hours, and to law enforcement when the suspected abuse involves someone at a facility where the child receives care outside the home; a knowing and willful failure is a misdemeanor for the first violation and a gross misdemeanor for each subsequent one (NRS 432B.220(1), (2), (4)(a); 432B.240). Every social worker who, in a professional or occupational capacity, knows or has reasonable cause to believe that an older person, meaning 60 or older, or a vulnerable person, meaning an adult with an incapacitating condition or limitations restricting daily activities, has been abused, neglected, exploited, isolated, or abandoned reports it within 24 hours to the Aging and Disability Services Division's local office, a police department or sheriff's office, or the Division's toll-free line; a knowing and willful violation is a misdemeanor (200.5093(1), (4)(k), (9); 200.5092). Mandated reporting is an ethics topic for continuing education, and the record must show any mandated report (NAC 641B.187(1); 641B.200(14)). The numbers are in Crisis & Safety.
Four hours of ethics, two of suicide prevention, and six of cultural competency in every 30 or 36
During each two-year reporting period an LCSW or LISW completes at least 36 continuing education hours and an LASW, LSW, or LMSW at least 30, in Board-approved programs, including four hours on ethics in the practice of social work, two hours of evidence-based suicide prevention and awareness that the Board will not waive and without which it will not renew, six hours of cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion, and 12 or 10 hours in the licensee's field of practice, with no program repeating material taken in the preceding period (NAC 641B.187 as amended by R103-23; NRS 641B.280(2)). The renewal at the end of each cycle carries an affidavit and the suicide prevention certificate, the Board audits the mandated certificates in full and the rest at random, documentation is kept three years, and failing to provide information within 30 days of a request, or providing false information, is grounds for discipline (641B.187(5); 641B.188). Since June 2024 programs approved by ASWB ACE, any Nevada behavioral board, any other state's behavioral board, or any national behavioral association are accepted automatically (641B.189 as amended; BESW).
Supervisees within their level, honest supervised billing, and no treating your own interns
A licensee shall not authorize a person under supervision to perform services outside that person's level of licensure, training, or experience, or allow that person to claim expertise he or she lacks; shall not order or knowingly allow a supervisee to engage in an illegal or unethical act related to social work; and shall not supervise anyone practicing social work who has not satisfied the licensure requirements (NAC 641B.200(20), (21), (23) as amended). When a licensee supervises the work of an intern or employee, any billing or documentation must clearly show that the licensee supervised the work and did not personally render the service, and no fee may be received for services not personally rendered except as the law provides (641B.200(7)). A licensee shall not provide diagnosis, therapeutic counseling, therapy, or other clinical services to an intern or anyone over whom the licensee has administrative, educational, or supervisory authority (641B.200(24)). A supervisor of interns is responsible for the intern's practice, keeps the internship record five years, and may not take more than four interns without approval (641B.160(1); 641B.155(3)(d), (6)).
DisciplineNevada
From complaint to hearing, and the 30-day notices that keep you out of it
A complaint specifying the relevant facts and charging one or more grounds is filed with the Board, which may investigate, issue subpoenas enforceable in district court, and proceed to a hearing under its procedural regulations, with hearing officers, discovery, and rehearing provisions in NAC 641B.245 through 641B.415 (NRS 641B.410; 641B.425). Discipline by any other state on a professional license, and failure to comply with a Board stipulation, agreement, advisory opinion, or order, are themselves unprofessional conduct, and the Board may impose discipline for a violation of state or federal law found during an investigation whether or not there was a conviction (NAC 641B.220). Within 30 days a licensee notifies the Board in writing of any action against a license in any state or territory, any sanction or disciplinary action filed by an insurer, third party, or regulatory entity, any arrest, charge, or conviction other than a misdemeanor traffic offense including DUI, any civil action including malpractice relating to the practice, any settlement or judgment in such an action, and entering treatment for a substance use or behavioral disorder affecting essential services (641B.200(22) as amended by R103-23). Holders of provisional licenses are subject to discipline too, and an invalidated or revoked provisional license cannot be restored (641B.112).
Where the Arkansas rules come from. A.C.A. 17-103-105 and 17-103-106 (violations and penalties), 17-103-305 (grounds, sanctions, and mandatory revocation), 17-103-306 and 17-103-307 (the qualifications and the background check), 17-103-107 (privilege), 12-18-402 with 12-18-201 and 12-18-202 (child maltreatment reporting and the two failure offenses), and 12-12-1708 with 12-12-1720 (adult maltreatment reporting and its penalties), with the Board's Rule II.E (criminal history waivers), Rule IX (continuing education), Rule X (the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, eight standards), Rule XI (unprofessional conduct, 20 items), and Rule XII (complaints, investigations, and hearings), read on healthy.arkansas.gov and Justia in September 2026. Violations of the standards are grounds for discipline under 17-103-305, and violating the code is itself listed as unprofessional conduct.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
AR
A.C.A. 17-103-305 lets the Board refuse to issue or renew a license, revoke or suspend it, or impose other appropriate restrictions or additional impositions, including supervision, probation, counseling, reporting, drug screening, and additional continuing education, for a violation of a provision of the chapter; gross negligence in the practice of social work; engaging in a course of unprofessional conduct as defined by the Board's rules or violating the Board's code of ethics; or failing to meet one of the qualifications for issuance of a license under 17-103-307, the background check section (17-103-305(a)). The Board shall refuse to issue, and shall revoke, the license of a person found guilty of a felony listed under 17-3-102 or a criminal offense involving violence, dishonesty, fraud, deceit, breach of client trust, or abuse of the vulnerable unless the person requests and the Board grants a waiver, weighing the age at the offense, the circumstances, the time since, work history, references, the relevance of the offense to the license, and other evidence that licensure poses no threat to the public (17-103-305(b); Rule II.E). The Board conducts hearings, decides by majority vote, and proceeds under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act (17-103-305(c)). Representing oneself as a social worker or practicing without a license, private independent clinical practice without the LCSW, obtaining a license by bribery or fraud, and knowingly making a false statement on a Board form are Class A misdemeanors (17-103-105; 17-103-106). The Board publishes the names of licensees found in violation and the findings, conclusions, and orders (17-103-203(b)(2)).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductArkansas
No inappropriate relationship or sexual activity with a client, or a former client within two years
A social worker must not engage in an inappropriate relationship or sexual activity with a client or with a former client within two years after termination of the professional relationship, and must not violate client-therapist boundaries (Rule X, Standard G.3, G.5). Relationships with clients, former clients, students, and supervisees must not be exploited for personal gain, and a social worker must not violate those positions of trust and dependency by committing any act detrimental to a client, former client, student, or supervisee (Standard G.1, G.2). Intentionally or recklessly causing physical or emotional harm to any client or former client is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.G).
Dual RelationshipsArkansas
Avoid any relationship that could impair objectivity or harm the other party, and resolve one that arises
The code recognizes that in many communities social or other nonprofessional contacts with clients, students, or supervisees cannot be avoided; a social worker must always be sensitive to their potential harmful effects, must refrain from entering into or promising a relationship that might impair objectivity or the ability to perform social work functions, or that might harm or exploit the other party, and, whenever possible, must refrain from taking on professional obligations when preexisting relationships would create such a risk (Rule X, Standard G.4.a, G.4.b). If a potentially harmful dual relationship arises from unforeseen factors, the social worker must attempt to resolve it with due regard for the affected person's best interest and maximum compliance with the code (Standard G.4.c). Offering medication, controlled substances, or alcoholic beverages to a client, or accepting them from a client, is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.S).
CompetenceArkansas
Practice within your competence and refer when a client's needs exceed it
A social worker may not practice beyond his or her competence and must make appropriate and timely referrals when the client's needs exceed the social worker's competency level (Rule X, Standard E.1). Negligence in the practice of social work and practicing fraudulently or incompetently, and ordering or providing excessive or unnecessary tests or services, are unprofessional conduct, and gross negligence is a statutory ground (Rule XI.B, XI.J; A.C.A. 17-103-305(a)(2)). Every applicant must be physically and mentally competent to provide social work services with reasonable skill and safety and free of a mental or physical disease or condition that would impair that competency (17-103-306). Providing or recommending any treatment via telemedicine without first establishing a proper social worker-client relationship is both gross negligence and unprofessional conduct (Rule XIV.B; Rule XI.T).
ImpairmentArkansas
No practice under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or an impairing illness
A social worker must not provide social work services while under the influence of alcohol, other mind-altering or mood-altering drugs, or physical or psychological illness which impairs delivery of such services (Rule X, Standard E.2). An applicant must not use drugs or alcohol to an extent that affects professional competency (A.C.A. 17-103-306(a)(1)(G), (b)(1)(H), (c)(1)(I)). The Board's sanctions include counseling, reporting, and drug screening as conditions on a license (17-103-305(a)).
HonestyArkansas
No misrepresentation, no impersonation, no lending your license, and honest applications
A social worker must not misrepresent qualifications, training, experience, or professional affiliations, and advertising must be factual (Rule X, Standard D). Misrepresenting the type or status of education, training, expertise, licensure, or professional affiliations, impersonating another licensee or allowing anyone else to use one's license, and permitting, aiding, or abetting an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a license are unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.D, XI.E, XI.F). Obtaining or attempting to obtain a license or renewal by bribery or fraudulent representation, and knowingly making a false statement on a Board form, are violations of the chapter and Class A misdemeanors, and fraud or deceit in the application disqualifies an applicant (A.C.A. 17-103-105(3), (4); 17-103-106; 17-103-306). The supervision plan is signed under penalty of perjury (plan form).
DiscriminationArkansas
No refusal of services on race, religion, creed, color, disability, age, or national origin
Refusing to provide professional services to a person on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, disability, age, or national origin is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.C). The Board itself is composed by statute with no fewer than two African-American members among its nine (A.C.A. 17-103-201(c)). Arkansas has no separate cultural competency continuing education requirement; the 30 hours may cover it (Rule IX).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityArkansas
Written consent, law or court order, and supervision or consultation, with the statute's exceptions
Except when required by law or judicial order or for the purpose of professional supervision or consultation, a social worker must obtain the client's informed written consent before releasing confidential information, and failing to maintain confidentiality of information received in confidence and information obtained from tests or other means, except as required or permitted by law, is unprofessional conduct (Rule X, Standard A; Rule XI.H). The statute bars disclosure by the licensee and staff without written consent, but does not require confidentiality for a communication revealing the intended commission of a crime or a harmful act, may require testimony about a crime against a minor client, allows disclosure when the client sues or files charges against the licensee, and allows disclosure in supervision and consultation with recipients bound to the privilege (A.C.A. 17-103-107(a)). Confidentiality precautions apply to technology used for supervision, consultation, or other confidential meetings (Rule XIV.I).
RecordsArkansas
Seven years after the last service, with consent, assessment, plan, billing, releases, and legal forms
Records of services contain at a minimum a consent form signed and dated by the client, the assessment or diagnosis, the plan, any revisions, fees and billing, copies of all releases, and any legal forms, and are maintained by the licensee or the employing agency for at least seven years after the last date of service or longer if federal or state law requires (Rule X, Standard H). Failing to keep proper records and documentation of services is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.I). Research on clients requires the client's or guardian's informed written consent after an explanation of the research, its risks and potential consequences, and the right to withdraw at any time (Standard C). Continuing education documentation is kept for two years after the renewal date for audit (Rule IX.B.3, B.4).
ReportingArkansas
Children immediately to the Child Abuse Hotline, and endangered or impaired adults immediately to the Adult Maltreatment Hotline
A social worker, and a mental health professional or paraprofessional, is a mandated reporter who shall immediately notify the Child Abuse Hotline on reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been subjected to child maltreatment, has died as a result of it, or has died suddenly and unexpectedly, or on observing a child subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in maltreatment; no privilege or contract prevents the report, no employer may require permission first, and a good-faith reporter is immune (A.C.A. 12-18-402(a), (b)(16), (b)(25), (c), (d)). Knowingly failing to notify is failure to notify in the first degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and recklessly failing is the second degree, a Class C misdemeanor (12-18-201; 12-18-202). A social worker, case manager, or mental health professional who observes or has reasonable cause to suspect that an endangered or impaired adult has been subjected to adult maltreatment shall immediately report it to the Adult Maltreatment Hotline, or for a long-term care resident immediately to local law enforcement and the Office of Long-Term Care; knowingly failing to report is a Class B misdemeanor, failing to report in the required manner and time a Class C, and a purposeful failure carries civil liability (12-12-1708; 12-12-1720). Failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws is unprofessional conduct before the Board (Rule XI.Q). The numbers are in Crisis & Safety.
30 hours every two years, 3 in professional ethics, no more than 15 independent
Each licensee completes 30 clock hours of social work continuing education during each two-year licensure period, at least three in professional ethics and no more than 15 by independent home study or online courses, with live and interactive webinars counting as face-to-face, in activities oriented to the enhancement of social work practice, values, skills, and knowledge; hours do not carry over, a course may not be repeated in a period, and the Board does not pre-approve programs (Rule IX; FAQ). The renewal carries a summary sheet listing the hours with the ethics hours first, the licensee keeps documentation for two years after renewal, the Board audits a percentage of renewals after each period, and hours the Board disallows must be replaced within three months without counting in the next period (Rule IX.B, IX.D; renewal packet). Deployed uniformed service members and their spouses are exempt until 180 days after return (Rule II.G.5). The Board's page posts examples of acceptable activities (ASWLB).
No unlicensed practice under your roof, and responsibility for supervisees
Permitting, aiding, or abetting an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a license is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.D). The LMSW's scope includes supervision of nonclinical baccalaureate-level social workers and nonlicensed master's-level employees, and the LCSW's includes supervision of employees and consultation, which only an LCSW may provide (A.C.A. 17-103-103(1), (2); 17-103-301(c)). An LCSW supervising toward the LCSW accepts professional responsibility for the social work services the supervisee provides, is accountable for ethical standards, client care, the agency, and legal and regulatory requirements, and must not exploit or act to the detriment of a student or supervisee (ASWLB supervision guidelines; Rule X, Standard G). Giving or receiving compensation for services not personally rendered is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.M).
DisciplineArkansas
From a signed complaint to a hearing on 20 days' notice, and the duty to report discipline elsewhere
The Board receives written, signed complaints from any person and may initiate its own on reasonable cause; it investigates a complaint that states a prima facie violation through one or more Board members or an outside investigator, mails the complaint to the licensee by certified and standard mail for a written response within the time the Board sets, and then decides whether to hold a hearing, dismiss, or take other action, notifying all interested parties (Rule XII.A, XII.B). Hearings follow the Administrative Procedure Act with testimony under oath, 20 days' certified-mail notice absent exceptional circumstances or an emergency order, a hearing officer who administers oaths, issues subpoenas, and rules on evidence, a written order of findings and conclusions, and appeal under the Act (Rule XII.C, XII.D; A.C.A. 17-103-305(c)). Being disciplined in another jurisdiction on the same or substantially the same grounds, failing to report to the Board an adverse action or the surrender of a license elsewhere, and failing to comply with a Board stipulation, probation, or settlement are each unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.N, XI.O, XI.P). The Board posts its disciplinary action list (ASWLB).
Where the Mississippi rules come from. Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-11(1)(j) (the Board adopts a code of ethics that includes the NASW Code of Ethics), 73-53-17 (grounds for disciplinary action), 73-53-19 (complaints), 73-53-21 (notice and hearing), 73-53-23 (sanctions), 73-53-25 and 73-53-27 (appeal and evidence), and 73-53-29 (confidential communications), with the Board's Rule 1901-2.1 (moral character), Rule 1901-3.1 (standards of conduct, 28 items), Rule 1901-3.2 (complaints), Rule 1901-3.3 (disciplinary sanctions), Rule 1902-3.3 (standards of ethical conduct, 11 items), and Rule 1902-4.1 (continuing education), read on swmft.ms.gov and Justia in September 2026, together with Miss. Code Ann. 43-21-353 (child abuse reporting) and 43-47-7 (vulnerable person reporting). A violation of the NASW Code of Ethics is itself a statutory ground for discipline in Mississippi.
Grounds for discipline, as the statute lists them
MS
Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17 lists the grounds: negligence in the practice or performance of professional services; engaging in dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public; perpetrating or cooperating in fraud or material deception in obtaining or renewing a license; violating the Board's rules; violating the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics; conviction of a crime substantially related to the licensee's services or an essential element of which is misstatement, fraud, or dishonesty; conviction of any felony under state or federal law; engaging in or permitting unacceptable services through deliberate or grossly negligent acts or failures to act, regardless of whether damage is established; continued practice although unfit due to failure to keep abreast of current professional theory or practice, physical or mental disability, or addiction or severe dependency that may endanger the public; continued practice on a lapsed license; discipline in another state; differential, detrimental treatment of any person because of race, color, creed, sex, religion, or national origin; lewd conduct in connection with professional services; false or misleading advertising; contracting with, assisting, or permitting unlicensed persons to perform services requiring a license; violating probation requirements; revealing confidential information except as required by law; failing to inform clients that they no longer need the licensee's services; and charging excessive or unreasonable fees or using unreasonable collection practices. The Board may order a physical or mental examination when capacity to practice safely is at issue, and failure to comply exposes the licensee to summary suspension (73-53-17(2), (3)). Sanctions run from revocation, suspension, censure, and a letter of reprimand to a monetary penalty of $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second, and $5,000 for a third and each later one, probation with reporting and additional education, refusal to issue or renew, restriction of the license, and acceptance of a voluntary surrender; the Board may also summarily suspend with a hearing beginning within 20 days, assess the costs of investigation and prosecution, and issue an advisory letter where a complaint does not merit discipline (73-53-23). The Board's own rule caps its monetary penalty at $200 (Rule 1901-3.3 B.5).
Boundaries and relationships, as the Board enforces them
Sexual MisconductMississippi
Lewd conduct is a statutory ground, and the NASW Code supplies the rest
Engaging in lewd conduct in connection with professional services or activities is a ground for discipline, as is dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(m), (b); Rule 1901-3.1 B.10, B.2). Because the Board adopts a code of ethics that includes the NASW Code of Ethics and makes a violation of that code a ground, the Code's prohibitions on sexual activity with current clients, on sexual contact with former clients, and on sexual harassment of clients, supervisees, students, and colleagues are enforceable in Mississippi (73-53-11(1)(j); 73-53-17(1)(e)). The social worker must not exploit professional relationships for personal gain (Rule 1902-3.3 J).
Dual RelationshipsMississippi
Failure to follow the code on dual relationships is itself a violation
Failure to comply with the ethical codes of the applicable profession regarding dual relationships with clients, former clients, supervisors, or supervisees that could compromise the well-being or increase the risk of exploitation of clients or supervisees, or impair the objectivity and judgment of the client, supervisee, supervisor, or licensee, is a standards violation; the rule names providing therapy to close friends, former sexual partners, employees, or relatives and engaging in business relationships with clients, and requires licensees to set clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries when dual and multiple relationships are unavoidable (Rule 1901-3.1 B.23). A licensee must also distinguish clearly between statements and actions made as a private individual and those made as a representative of the profession (Rule 1902-3.3 G).
CompetenceMississippi
Stay within your competencies and keep current
The license does not permit a licensee to offer or attempt to provide services beyond the level of competency attained through education, training, supervision, or clinical experience, even where other licensees routinely provide the service, and each licensee is legally and ethically responsible for limiting practice to those parameters (Rule 1901-2.2 A, B; Rule 1902-3.3 H). The social worker must strive to become and remain proficient in professional practice and must retain ultimate responsibility for the quality and extent of the services performed (Rule 1902-3.3 F, I). Continued practice although the licensee has become unfit through failure to keep abreast of current professional theory or practice is a statutory ground, as is negligence in the practice or performance of professional services (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(i)(i), (a)).
ImpairmentMississippi
Addiction or disability that endangers the public, and the Board's examination
Continued practice although the licensee has become unfit due to physical or mental disability, or due to addiction or severe dependency upon alcohol or other drugs which may endanger the public by impairing the ability to practice, is a ground for discipline; a court order or judgment that a licensee is in need of mental treatment or is incompetent constitutes mental disability (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(i)). The Board may order a licensee to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination where capacity to practice safely is at issue in a disciplinary proceeding, all licensees consent to that procedure as a condition of licensure, and failure to comply renders the licensee subject to summary suspension (73-53-17(2), (3); Rule 1901-3.3 C). Applicants must be currently free from dependency on alcohol, drugs, other substances, or any other type of addiction (Rule 1902-2.2 B.8).
HonestyMississippi
No fraud in licensure, no impersonation, no false advertising
Perpetrating or cooperating in fraud or material deception in obtaining or renewing a license, or attempting the same, is a ground for discipline, and so is engaging in false or misleading advertising (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(c), (n)). Making false representations or impersonations, acting as a proxy for another person, or allowing anyone to impersonate the licensee in connection with any application, examination, or renewal, in any Board procedure, or in practice, is a standards violation (Rule 1901-3.1 B.19). The social worker must uphold and advance the values, ethics, knowledge, and mission of the profession and must distinguish clearly between private statements and professional ones (Rule 1902-3.3 D, G). Good moral character is a continuing requirement for licensure, not only an entry test (73-53-13(d)(ii)).
DiscriminationMississippi
No detrimental treatment by race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin
Making differential, detrimental treatment against any person because of race, color, creed, sex, religion, or national origin is a statutory ground for discipline, and the Board's standards of conduct name the same list and add sexual orientation (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(l); Rule 1901-3.1 B.9). Two hours of cultural diversity, multicultural issues, or cultural competency awareness are required in every renewal period, and those hours may not be carried over as unused hours (Rule 1902-4.1 C.4, C.6). The social worker must also assist the profession in making social services available to the general public (Rule 1902-3.3 E).
Confidentiality, records, and what you must report
ConfidentialityMississippi
Written consent, six statutory exceptions, and four waiver situations in the rules
No licensee or employee of a licensee may disclose information acquired from clients or persons consulting the licensee for professional services except with written consent or under one of the statute's exceptions: communications revealing the contemplation of a crime or a harmful act; information involving a minor who was the victim or subject of a crime, where the licensee may be required to testify fully; waiver by a person bringing charges against the licensee; testimony in court or administrative hearings on adoption, adult abuse, child abuse, child neglect, or other matters pertaining to the welfare of clients; and collaboration or consultation with professional colleagues or an administrative superior on the client's behalf (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-29). The social worker must respect the privacy of clients and hold in confidence all information obtained in the course of professional services except as required by law, and revealing confidential information except as required by law is a ground for discipline (Rule 1902-3.3 B; 73-53-17(1)(q)). Mississippi Rule of Evidence 503 defines psychotherapist as a physician or psychologist, so a social worker's client relies on the licensing statute rather than that rule.
RecordsMississippi
Secure records, informed staff, and technology safeguards
Failure to maintain client records securely or to inform all employees of the confidentiality requirements is a standards violation; client records or other confidential information may not be revealed except with express written consent or as mandated by law, and the rule provides that client records must be maintained after the date of termination of the clinical relationship (Rule 1901-3.1 B.20). Licensees providing electronic social work services must use proper safeguards including encryption, secure firewalls, and passwords for information transmitted and stored, adhere to the secure-use statutes and regulations of Mississippi and of the client's location, advise clients not to disclose or post communications from the social worker without proper consent, and develop and disclose policies for notifying clients as soon as possible of any breach of confidential information (Rule 1902-3.4 C). The Board may inspect and copy records pertaining to clients or the practice of a licensee under investigation (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-11(1)(t)).
ReportingMississippi
Children immediately by phone, then in writing; vulnerable persons immediately
Any social worker, along with attorneys, physicians, dentists, interns, residents, nurses, psychologists, family protection workers and specialists, child caregivers, ministers, law enforcement officers, and public or private school employees, having reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a neglected child, an abused child, or a victim of commercial sexual exploitation or human trafficking shall cause an oral report to be made immediately by telephone or otherwise, followed as soon thereafter as possible by a report in writing to the Department of Child Protection Services (Miss. Code Ann. 43-21-353(1)). Anyone who willfully violates the section may be fined up to $5,000, jailed up to one year, or both (43-21-353(7)). Separately, any person, including a social worker and any health or mental health professional, who knows or suspects that a vulnerable person has been or is being abused, neglected, or exploited shall immediately report to the Department of Human Services or the county department where the person is located, or to Child Protection Services if the vulnerable person is a minor; a licensee must give their name, address, and telephone number in the report, and a knowing failure to comply is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $5,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with the conviction reported to the licensing board (43-47-7(1)). Failing to comply with mandatory reporting is also unprofessional conduct before the Board, and one hour of mandated reporting training is required every renewal period (Rule 1902-4.1 C.7). The numbers are in Crisis & Safety.
40 hours, half of them in person, with three mandated content areas
Forty approved continuing education hours are required each renewal period, including four hours of professional ethics, two hours of cultural diversity or cultural competency awareness, and one hour of mandated reporting training for all client populations; at least 20 hours must be in-person learning, with live interactive webinars counting as in person, and no more than 20 hours may be remote learning, including prerecorded webinars and self-directed projects (Rule 1902-4.1 C.5 through C.10). Offerings must be approved: programs from the national NASW office or any chapter, AAMFT and its state chapters, state chapters of CSWE-accredited schools of social work actively involved in planning and presenting, ASWB and affiliated state licensing boards, and the international social work associations and schools listed in the rule are automatically approved, while other providers must hold Designated Provider status or obtain approval at least 60 calendar days before the event, with no retroactive approvals (Rule 1902-4.1 B.2, D, E). Academic courses count at five hours per graduate semester hour with a grade of B or better, publication of a professional paper at 20 hours, and presenting, panel participation, field instruction, and supervision each carry their own capped credit (Rule 1902-4.1 D).
No unlicensed practice under your roof, and no unacceptable work by your assistants
Contracting with, assisting, or permitting unlicensed persons to perform services for which a license is required is a ground for discipline, and engaging in or permitting the performance of unacceptable services personally or by assistants working under the licensee's supervision, through the licensee's deliberate or grossly negligent act or failure to act, is another, whether or not damage to the public is established (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(o), (h); Rule 1901-3.1 B.12, B.6). Title protection allows social work services to be provided by a person working under the supervision of a licensed certified social worker as the Board's rules provide, which is the narrow path for unlicensed staff (73-53-7(1)). A licensee retains ultimate responsibility for the quality and extent of the services performed (Rule 1902-3.3 I).
DisciplineMississippi
A sworn written complaint, a 20-day response, and 30 days' notice of hearing
Any person, firm, corporation, Board member, or public officer may complain, but only written, signed complaints submitted under oath on the Board's form are formally addressed, anonymous complaints are not investigated, and the Board may act on its own motion with reasonable cause (Rule 1901-3.2 B; Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-19). The Executive Director logs the complaint, assigns a number, and sends a copy to the licensee, who has 20 calendar days to respond in writing with supporting documents; a Complaint Committee of the investigating Board member and the Executive Director oversees the investigation, may retain experts or investigators, and presents a case summary to the Board, which decides whether reasonable cause exists for a notice of hearing (Rule 1901-3.2 C, D, E). A licensee facing formal charges receives notice at least 30 days before the hearing, which the Board or its designee conducts, and all proceedings are public records; a voluntary surrender during an investigation does not stop it absent an order limiting practice, and appeal runs under the statute (73-53-21; 73-53-25; Rule 1901-3.2 B.3). Failure to notify the Board of discipline on any license in any health care field, in this or another state, is itself a violation (Rule 1901-3.1 B.18).
The explanatory frameworks for why people, families, and systems behave the way they do. Theories explain; modalities, further down this page, intervene. Most of these originated decades ago and remain the field's standard reference today, that's expected of a foundational theory, not a sign it's outdated.
Theories
Modalities
The structured interventions and treatment approaches applied in session.
SRC
Trauma-informed care's six principles are from SAMHSA's 2014 concept paper, reaffirmed and expanded in SAMHSA's 2023 Practical Guide for Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach. The principles themselves are unchanged, only the implementation guidance is newer.
Groups
Running skills-based groups: a session structure that holds, the dynamics worth anticipating, and five ready-to-run session plans built around the handouts already in the Printables section.
TIP
Each session plan names the printable it uses. Print the blank version for members and keep the reference version for yourself; the sorting or filling-in is where the learning happens, so resist completing it for the group.
Assessment Cheat Sheets
Instruments kept fixed
Quick-reference scoring and structure for the tools used most in intake and ongoing assessment.
Does not reach the provisional threshold. Clinical judgment still governs.
31–33
Cutoff range
Research supports 31–33 as indicative of probable PTSD. Warrants fuller assessment.
34–80
Above cutoff
Probable PTSD; refer for diagnostic interview and trauma-focused treatment.
USE
20 items, each rated 0–4 for the past month, total 0–80. There is also a provisional diagnosis rule that does not depend on the total: count any item rated 2 (moderately) or higher, then require at least 1 from items 1–5, 1 from 6–7, 2 from 8–14, and 2 from 15–20. Cutoffs are population-dependent, with published values ranging widely, so treat 31–33 as a starting point rather than a rule. Public domain, free, and no formal training required, though intended for qualified professionals.
Brief intervention. 8 is the standard threshold for acting.
15–19
Likely dependence
Brief intervention plus referral for further evaluation.
20–40
Likely severe
Refer for diagnostic evaluation and specialist treatment.
SRC
Developed by the WHO. 10 items scored 0–4, total 0–40. At the cutoff of 8 the original WHO collaborative study reported 92% sensitivity and 94% specificity for hazardous and harmful use. Compare with CAGE-AID and TAPS below; AUDIT gives you consumption quantity as well as consequences, which the others do not.
Many settings act at 10 to catch more people who need support.
13+
Probable depression
Traditional threshold. Refer for full assessment.
!
Item 10 overrides the total. Question 10 asks about thoughts of harming oneself. Any score of 1, 2, or 3 on item 10 requires evaluation before the person leaves, regardless of how low the total is. A woman can score 6 overall and still need immediate attention. Screens for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and after birth; 10 items, 0–3 each, total 0–30.
Seven or more “yes” answers among the 13 symptom items
2
and “yes” that several of those occurred during the same time period
3
and problems rated “moderate” or “serious”
USE
All three conditions must be met for a positive screen; seven “yes” answers alone is not one. Reported sensitivity around 0.73 and specificity around 0.90 at that threshold. A positive screen prompts formal assessment and does not establish a diagnosis, and a negative screen does not rule out bipolar disorder, particularly bipolar II. If clinical suspicion persists, refer for structured diagnostic assessment regardless of the result.
Other quick-reference tools
SRC
PHQ-9 and GAD-7 cutoffs per the validated instruments (Kroenke et al.; Spitzer et al.). These screen for severity; they don't replace a full clinical interview.
Crisis & Safety
Safety plan kept fixed
The Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention, one of the most widely used evidence-based safety planning tools, walks through six steps with the client, in order, on paper. Get the official form & translations ↗
1
Warning Signs
Personal thoughts, images, moods, or behaviors that signal a crisis may be building.
2
Internal Coping Strategies
Things the client can do alone to take their mind off problems, without contacting another person.
3
People & Social Settings for Distraction
People and places that can provide distraction, without necessarily discussing the crisis.
4
People to Ask for Help
Family or friends the client can reach out to during a crisis and ask directly for help.
5
Professionals & Agencies
Clinicians, crisis lines, and services to contact, including after-hours contact information.
6
Making the Environment Safer
A concrete, specific plan for reducing access to lethal means: who will hold or store what, and for how long. Named on the form as “plan for lethal means safety.”
Additional considerations
Safety planning, de-escalation, and the warm handoff apply everywhere. Choose a state for its emergency detention, mandated reporting, and duty-to-warn law. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
STATE
Pick your state above. Who can detain someone and for how long, how fast a report is due and to whom, and whether a threat creates a duty to warn are all state law. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
TX
The mandated-reporting and duty-to-warn entries in this block reflect Texas law specifically, current as of Groundwork's last legal check. Duty-to-warn rules vary widely by state. Most states impose some version of the Tarasoff duty that Texas does not. If you practice outside Texas, confirm your own state's statute before relying on anything above. A state-by-state directory is a natural next addition to Groundwork.
SRC
Emergency detention: Tex. Health & Safety Code ch. 573, §§573.001 (apprehension without warrant), 573.011 (application), 573.012 (magistrate's warrant), 573.021 (preliminary examination and time limits), 573.023 (release). Quoted criteria and hour counts are taken from the statute text. Local practice varies on where an application is filed and which facility receives the person, so confirm your county's process before you need it.
SRC
Sources: Tex. Fam. Code §261.101 (as amended by S.B. 571, 89th Leg., R.S., eff. June 20, 2025); Tex. Hum. Res. Code §48.051; Tex. Health & Safety Code §611.004; Thapar v. Zezulka, 994 S.W.2d 635 (Tex. 1999). Statutes and hour counts change, so confirm current text before relying on exact numbers.
SRC
Sources: Welfare and Institutions Code §5150 and §5150.05; Penal Code §11166; Welfare and Institutions Code §15630; Civil Code §43.92; Business and Professions Code §4992.3(x), (y). Read from the California Legislative Information site in September 2026. County procedures for who may initiate a 5150 vary; confirm designation with your county.
SRC
Sources: Florida Statutes §394.463 (involuntary examination), §39.201 (child abuse reporting), §415.1034 (vulnerable adults), §491.0147 (confidentiality and the duty to warn), §491.009(1)(i). Read from the Florida Legislature's site in September 2026. Florida Abuse Hotline 1-800-962-2873.
SRC
Sources: RCW 71.05.153 (emergency detention), RCW 26.44.030 (child abuse reporting), RCW 74.34.020 and 74.34.035 (vulnerable adults), RCW 71.05.120(3) (duty to warn), WAC 246-809-040; Volk v. DeMeerleer, 187 Wn.2d 241 (2016). Read from the Legislature's site in September 2026.
SRC
Sources: Mental Hygiene Law §§9.39, 9.41, 9.45, 9.46, and 33.13(c); Social Services Law §§413, 415, and 473; OCFS publication 1159 (mandated reporter guidance). Read from the New York State Senate's statute site and OCFS in September 2026. Statewide Central Register mandated reporter line 1-800-635-1522.
SRC
Sources: Mental Health Procedures Act §§301 to 303 (50 P.S. §§7301 to 7303); Child Protective Services Law, 23 Pa.C.S. §§6311, 6319, as restated in 49 Pa. Code §§47.52 and 47.57; the Department of Aging and DHS Adult Protective Services reporting pages; Emerich v. Philadelphia Center for Human Development, 720 A.2d 1032 (Pa. 1998). Read from the General Assembly's site, pacodeandbulletin.gov, and pa.gov in September 2026. ChildLine 1-800-932-0313; statewide adult abuse helpline 1-800-490-8505.
SRC
Sources: Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, 405 ILCS 5/1-119, 1-122, 3-600 to 3-611, 6-103, and 6-103.3; Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, 325 ILCS 5/4, 5/4.02, and 5/7, with the DCFS Manual for Mandated Reporters; Adult Protective Services Act, 320 ILCS 20/2 and 20/4; Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act, 225 ILCS 20/16; Eckhardt v. Kirts, 179 Ill. App. 3d 863 (1989). Read from ilga.gov, dcfs.illinois.gov, and ilaging.illinois.gov in September 2026. DCFS hotline 1-800-252-2873; Adult Protective Services 1-866-800-1409.
SRC
Sources: Ohio Revised Code 5122.10 (emergency hospitalization), 2151.421 (child abuse reporting), 5101.63 (adult protective services reporting), 2305.51 (mental health professional duty), 2317.02(G) (privilege), and 4757.43 and 4757.44; OAC 4757-5-10. Read from codes.ohio.gov, childrenandyouth.ohio.gov, and the Department of Aging in September 2026. Child abuse 855-642-4453; adult protective services 1-855-644-6277.
SRC
Sources: Mental Health Code, MCL 330.1100b, 330.1401, 330.1423, 330.1426, 330.1427, 330.1429, 330.1430, 330.1434, 330.1438, 330.1750, and 330.1946; Child Protection Law, MCL 722.623, 722.631, and 722.633; Social Welfare Act, MCL 400.11a; Public Health Code, MCL 333.18513. Read from legislature.mi.gov, michigan.gov/mdhhs, and mcedsv.org in September 2026. Child and adult abuse 855-444-3911; VOICES4 855-864-2374.
SRC
Sources: M.G.L. c. 123, §§ 1, 12, and 36B; c. 112, §§ 135, 135A, and 135B; c. 119, §§ 21 and 51A; c. 19A, § 15; c. 19C, § 10; c. 111, § 72G; 258 CMR 22.04. Read from malegislature.gov, mass.gov (DCF, Aging and Independence), janedoe.org, and masshelpline.com in September 2026. Child abuse 800-792-5200; elder abuse 800-922-2275; DPPC 800-426-9009; SafeLink 877-785-2020; Behavioral Health Help Line 833-773-2445.
SRC
Sources: N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.2, 30:4-27.5, 30:4-27.6, 30:4-27.9, 30:4-27.10, and 30:4-27.12; N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10 and 9:6-8.14; N.J.S.A. 52:27D-407 and 52:27D-409; N.J.S.A. 2A:62A-16; N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-13; N.J.A.C. 13:44G-12.3. Read from codes.findlaw.com, law.cornell.edu, nj.gov/dcf, and the Division of Aging Services in September 2026. Child abuse 1-877-652-2873; domestic violence 1-800-572-7233.
SRC
Sources: G.S. 122C-3, 122C-261, 122C-262, 122C-263, 122C-263.1, 122C-266, and 122C-268; G.S. 7B-301; G.S. 108A-101 and 108A-102; G.S. 8-53.7; 21 NCAC 63 .0504 and .0507; Gregory v. Kilbride, 150 N.C. App. 601, 565 S.E.2d 685 (2002). Read from ncleg.gov, the Office of Administrative Hearings, ncdhhs.gov, nccadv.org, and the opinion as published on FindLaw in September 2026. Reports go to the county DSS; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233.
SRC
Sources: O.C.G.A. 37-3-1, 37-3-41, 37-3-42, and 37-3-43; O.C.G.A. 19-7-5; O.C.G.A. 30-5-3 and 30-5-4; O.C.G.A. 24-5-501; Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-7-.03; Bradley Center v. Wessner, 250 Ga. 199, 296 S.E.2d 693 (1982); Ermutlu v. McCorkle, 203 Ga. App. 335 (1992). Read from codes.findlaw.com, rules.sos.ga.gov, dfcs.georgia.gov, aging.georgia.gov, dbhdd.georgia.gov, and gcadv.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-855-422-4453; APS 1-866-552-4464; GCAL 1-800-715-4225; domestic violence 1-800-334-2836.
SRC
Sources: Va. Code §§ 37.2-808 and 37.2-809; § 63.2-1509; § 63.2-1606; § 54.1-2400.1; § 8.01-400.2; 18VAC140-20-150. Read from law.lis.virginia.gov, dss.virginia.gov, dbhds.virginia.gov, and vacsb.org in September 2026. Child abuse 800-552-7096; APS 888-832-3858; domestic and sexual violence 1-800-838-8238; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: Minn. Stat. 253B.051 and 253B.02; 245I.04; 260E.06, 260E.08, 260E.09, and 260E.10; 626.557 and 626.5572; 148.975; 148E.230 and 148E.240. Read from revisor.mn.gov, dcyf.mn.gov, mn.gov/dhs, and dayoneservices.org in September 2026. MAARC 1-844-880-1574; Day One 1-866-223-1111; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: RSMo 632.005, 632.305, 632.310, and 632.315; 210.115, 210.135, and 210.165; 192.2400, 192.2405, 192.2410, and 192.2475; 565.188; 337.636; 20 CSR 2263-3.040 and 2263-3.100; Bradley v. Ray, 904 S.W.2d 302 (Mo. App. W.D. 1995). Read from revisor.mo.gov, sos.mo.gov, dss.mo.gov, health.mo.gov, dmh.mo.gov, mocadsv.org, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Child abuse 1-800-392-3738; adult abuse 1-800-392-0210; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: T.C.A. 33-1-101, 33-3-206, 33-6-401 through 33-6-406, 33-6-427, and 33-6-501; 37-1-403, 37-1-410, and 37-1-412; 71-6-102, 71-6-103, and 71-6-110; 63-23-109; Rule 1365-01-.10. Read from codes.findlaw.com, tn.gov (DCS, DHS, TDMHSAS), and tncoalition.org in September 2026. Child abuse 877-237-0004; APS 1-888-277-8366; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: IC 12-26-5-0.5, 12-26-5-1, 12-26-5-2, and 12-26-5-11; 12-7-2-53 and 12-7-2-96; 31-33-5-1, 31-33-5-4, 31-33-6-1, and 31-33-22-1; 12-10-3-2, 12-10-3-9, 12-10-3-10, and 12-10-3-11; 35-46-1-13; 34-30-16-1 through 34-30-16-3; 25-23.6-6-1; 25-1-9-4; 839 IAC 1-3-4. Read from codes.findlaw.com, iar.iga.in.gov, in.gov (DCS, FSSA), and icadvinc.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-800-800-5556; APS 800-992-6978; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: Wis. Stat. 51.15, 51.20, 51.61, and 55.135 (emergency detention and commitment); 48.981 (child abuse reporting); 46.90, 55.01, and 55.043 (elder adults and adults at risk); 905.04 (privilege); MPSW 20.02; Schuster v. Altenberg, 144 Wis. 2d 223, 424 N.W.2d 159 (1988). Read from docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, dcf.wisconsin.gov, dhs.wisconsin.gov, endabusewi.org, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Child abuse: county or tribal agency, Milwaukee 414-220-7233; APS: county agency; National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233; crisis 988 or the county crisis line.
SRC
Sources: A.R.S. 36-501, 36-520, 36-524 through 36-527, and 36-529 (emergency admission and court-ordered evaluation); 36-517.02 (duty to warn); 13-3620 (child abuse reporting); 46-451, 46-453, and 46-454 (vulnerable adults); 32-3251(16)(cc) and 32-3283. Read from azleg.gov, des.az.gov, azahcccs.gov, and acesdv.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-888-767-2445; APS 1-877-767-2385; ACESDV helpline 602-279-2980; National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233; crisis 988 or 1-844-534-4673.
SRC
Sources: Health-General 10-620 through 10-626 (emergency evaluation); Family Law 5-701, 5-704, 5-705.2, and 5-708 (child abuse reporting); Family Law 14-101, 14-302, 14-303, and 14-309 (vulnerable adults); Courts and Judicial Proceedings 5-609 (duty to warn) and 9-121 (privilege); Health Occupations 19-101 and 19-311; COMAR 10.42.02 and 10.42.03. Read from mgaleg.maryland.gov, regs.maryland.gov, dhs.maryland.gov, mnadv.org, and 988.maryland.gov in September 2026. Child and adult abuse 1-800-917-7383; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: C.R.S. 27-65-102 and 27-65-106 (emergency mental health hold); 19-3-304, 19-3-307, and 19-3-309 (child abuse reporting); 18-6.5-102 and 18-6.5-108 (at-risk elders and adults with IDD); 26-3.1-101 and 26-3.1-102 (at-risk adults); 13-21-117 (duty to warn); 12-245-216 and 12-245-220. Read from leg.colorado.gov, co4kids.org, cdhs.colorado.gov, 988colorado.com, and violencefreecolorado.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-844-264-5437; APS: county intake; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: S.C. Code 44-17-410 through 44-17-450 and 44-23-10 (emergency admission); 63-7-310, 63-7-315, 63-7-390, 63-7-410, and 63-7-420 (child abuse reporting); 43-35-10, 43-35-25, 43-35-75, and 43-35-85 (vulnerable adults); 40-63-190 and 19-11-95 (disclosure); Regulation 110-20; Bishop v. South Carolina Department of Mental Health, 331 S.C. 79, 502 S.E.2d 78 (1998); Doe v. Marion, 373 S.C. 390, 645 S.E.2d 245 (2007). Read from scstatehouse.gov, dss.sc.gov, bhdd.sc.gov, sccadvasa.org, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Child and adult abuse 1-888-227-3487; Long Term Care Ombudsman 1-800-868-9095; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988 or Mobile Crisis 1-833-364-2274.
SRC
Sources: Ala. Code 22-52-1.1, 22-52-1.2, 22-52-7, 22-52-8, 22-52-10.2, 22-52-10.4, 22-52-10.5, 22-52-90, and 22-52-91 (commitment and emergency custody); 26-14-1, 26-14-3, 26-14-5, 26-14-9, 26-14-10, and 26-14-13 (child abuse reporting); 38-9-2, 38-9-5, 38-9-8, and 38-9-9 (adult protective services); Rules 850-X-9-.01 and 850-X-10-.01; Ala. R. Evid. 503; Morton v. Prescott, 564 So. 2d 913 (Ala. 1990); King v. Smith, 539 So. 2d 262 (Ala. 1989). Read from law.justia.com, law.cornell.edu, judicial.alabama.gov, dhr.alabama.gov, mh.alabama.gov, acadv.org, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Child abuse: county DHR or law enforcement; adult abuse 1-800-458-7214; Alabama domestic violence hotline 1-800-650-6522; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: KRS 202A.011, 202A.026, 202A.028 (both the current text and the text effective October 1, 2026 under 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 92), 202A.031, 202A.041, 202A.051, 202A.400, and 202A.991 (hospitalization and the duty to warn); 620.030 (child reporting); 209.020, 209.030, and 209.990 (adult reporting); 335.150 and 335.158; 201 KAR 23:075 and 23:080; KRE 507. Read from apps.legislature.ky.gov, chfs.ky.gov, bsw.ky.gov, and zerov.org in September 2026. Child and adult abuse (877) 597-2331 or (800) 752-6200; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988 or the regional center's 24-hour line.
SRC
Sources: ORS 426.005, 426.070, 426.074, 426.130, 426.131, 426.165, 426.228, 426.231, 426.232, 426.233, and 426.237 (custody, admission, and commitment, as amended by 2025 Or. Laws ch. 559); 419B.005, 419B.010, 419B.015, 419B.025, and 419B.040 (child abuse reporting); 124.050, 124.060, 124.065, and 124.990 (elder abuse); 430.735 and 430.765 (adults with disabilities or mental illness); 675.510, 675.540, and 675.580; 40.250 and 40.252; 179.505; OAR 877-030-0040 and 877-030-0070. Read from oregonlegislature.gov, secure.sos.state.or.us, oregon.gov/odhs, oregon.gov/oha, and ocadsv.org in September 2026. Child and adult abuse 855-503-7233; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: CGS 17a-495, 17a-497, 17a-498, 17a-502, 17a-503, and 17a-506 (emergency certificates and commitment); 17a-101, 17a-101a, 17a-101b, 17a-101c, 17a-101e, and 17a-101o (child abuse reporting); 17b-450 and 17b-451 (elder abuse reporting); 52-146q (confidentiality and privilege); Fraser v. United States, 236 Conn. 625, 674 A.2d 811 (1996); Kaminski v. Fairfield, 216 Conn. 29 (1990). Read from cga.ct.gov, portal.ct.gov (DCF, DSS, DMHAS), ctsafeconnect.org, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Child abuse 1-800-842-2288; elder abuse 1-888-385-4225 or 2-1-1; CT Safe Connect 888-774-2900; crisis 988 or 2-1-1.
SRC
Sources: R.S. 28:2, 28:53, 28:53.2, 28:54, and 28:55 (emergency certificates, orders for custody, and judicial commitment); Children's Code Articles 603, 609, and 610 and R.S. 14:403 (child abuse reporting); R.S. 15:1503, 15:1504, 15:1505, and 14:403.2 (adult abuse reporting); R.S. 37:2718 (privileged communications); R.S. 9:2800.2 (duty to warn); LAC 46:XXV.115. Read from legis.la.gov (updated through the 2025 First Extraordinary Session for Titles 28 and 37), doa.la.gov, dcfs.louisiana.gov, ldh.la.gov (Adult Protective Services and the 988 helpline), goea.louisiana.gov, and lcadv.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-855-452-5437; adults 18 to 59 1-800-898-4910; adults 60 and older 1-833-577-6532; domestic violence 1-888-411-1333; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: 43A O.S. 1-103, 1-109, 5-206, 5-207, 5-208, 5-410, 5-411, 5-412, and 5-415 (protective custody, emergency detention, and civil commitment); 10A O.S. 1-2-101 (child abuse reporting, 2025); 43A O.S. 10-103, 10-104, and 10-105 (vulnerable adult reporting, 2025); 59 O.S. 1261.6 (confidentiality) and 1376 (the psychologists' duty to warn); OAC 675:20-1-5 and 20-1-6. Read from law.justia.com (2025 Oklahoma Statutes), oscn.net, rules.ok.gov, oklahoma.gov (OKDHS, Attorney General, OSBLSW), and 988oklahoma.com in September 2026. Child and adult abuse 1-800-522-3511; Safeline 1-800-522-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: Iowa Code 229.1, 229.5A, 229.6, 229.8, 229.10, 229.11, 229.12, and 229.22 (emergency and involuntary hospitalization); 228.1, 228.2, and 228.7A (mental health information and disclosures to law enforcement); 232.69, 232.70, and 232.75 (child abuse reporting); 235B.2, 235B.3, and 235B.16 (dependent adult abuse reporting); 154C.5 (confidentiality); 622.10 (privilege); IAC 481-884.4(4). Read from legis.iowa.gov (2026 Iowa Code and the September 2026 IAC), hhs.iowa.gov, survivorshelpline.org, and yourlifeiowa.org in September 2026. Child and dependent adult abuse 1-800-362-2178; victim services 1-800-770-1650; crisis 988 or 855-581-8111.
SRC
Sources: Utah Code 26B-5-301, 26B-5-331, and 26B-5-332 (temporary and involuntary commitment); 80-2-602, 80-2-603, and 80-2-609 (child abuse reporting); 26B-6-205 (vulnerable adult reporting); 78B-3-502 (limitation of therapist's duty to warn); 58-60-113 and 58-60-114 (privilege and confidentiality); R156-60e-502.2. Read from le.utah.gov, adminrules.utah.gov, dcfs.utah.gov, daas.utah.gov, and udvc.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-855-323-3237; vulnerable adults 1-800-371-7897; LINKLine 1-800-897-5465; crisis 988 or 801-587-3000.
SRC
Sources: K.S.A. 59-2946, 59-2953, 59-2954, 59-2957, 59-2958, 59-2959, 59-2960, 59-2965, and 59-2966 (emergency observation and involuntary commitment); 38-2223 (child abuse reporting); 39-1430 and 39-1431 (adult abuse reporting); 65-6315 (confidentiality); K.A.R. 102-2-7(s); Boulanger v. Pol, 258 Kan. 289, 900 P.2d 823 (1995); Durflinger v. Artiles, 234 Kan. 484, 673 P.2d 86 (1983). Read from ksrevisor.gov, rules.ks.gov, dcf.ks.gov, kcsdv.org, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Child and adult abuse 1-800-922-5330; Kansas Crisis Hotline 1-888-363-2287; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: NRS 433A.0175, 433A.0195, 433A.150, 433A.155, 433A.160, 433A.162, 433A.165, 433A.170, 433A.195, 433A.200, 433A.220, and 433A.310 (mental health crisis holds and court-ordered admission); 432B.220 and 432B.240 (child abuse reporting); 200.5092 and 200.5093 (older and vulnerable person reporting); 49.251 through 49.254 (privilege); 629.550 (duty to warn); NAC 641B.093 and 641B.210. Read from leg.state.nv.us, socwork.nv.gov, dcfs.nv.gov, adsd.nv.gov, cssnv.org, and ncedsv.org in September 2026. Child abuse 702-399-0081 (Clark), 833-900-7233 (Washoe), 833-571-1041 (all other counties); older and vulnerable persons 888-729-0571; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: A.C.A. 20-47-202, 20-47-205, 20-47-207, 20-47-209, 20-47-210, 20-47-213, 20-47-214, 20-47-215, and 20-47-227 (involuntary admission and immediate confinement); 12-18-201, 12-18-202, 12-18-301, 12-18-302, and 12-18-402 (child maltreatment reporting); 12-12-1703, 12-12-1707, 12-12-1708, and 12-12-1720 (adult maltreatment reporting); 17-103-107 (privileged communications); Rules X and XIV of the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board. Read from law.justia.com, healthy.arkansas.gov, humanservices.arkansas.gov, and domesticpeace.com in September 2026. Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-482-5964; Adult Maltreatment Hotline 1-800-482-8049; National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233; crisis 988.
SRC
Sources: Miss. Code Ann. 41-21-61, 41-21-65, 41-21-67, 41-21-69, 41-21-71, 41-21-73, 41-21-81, 41-21-103, and 41-21-105 (civil commitment and emergency holds); 43-21-353 (child abuse reporting); 43-47-5 and 43-47-7 (vulnerable person reporting); 73-53-29 (confidential communications); Rule 1901-3.1 B.20 of the Board's rules. Read from law.justia.com, swmft.ms.gov, mdcps.ms.gov, mdhs.ms.gov, and mcadv.org in September 2026. Child abuse 1-800-222-8000; Vulnerable Person Abuse Hotline 844-437-6282; care facility abuse 800-227-7308; MCADV 1-800-898-3234; crisis 988.
USE
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 (US), 24/7. Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741. Keep these, plus your local mobile crisis team's number, on hand for every client contact.
Documentation
Structure for case notes that hold up clinically and legally.
Clinician Wellbeing
The work asks something of the person doing it, too. Recognizing the signs early keeps you effective and keeps you in the field.
Trainings
Continuing education, starting with what your state actually requires. Most of what is here is free; each entry says plainly whether it carries CE credit, issues a certificate only, charges for the paperwork, or costs money outright, because “free training” and “free CEUs” are not the same thing.
The free national courses apply everywhere. Choose a state for what its board requires each renewal and which of these it accepts. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
STATE
Pick your state above. Every state sets its own renewal hours, mandatory topics, and rules for which providers count. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
TX
Hours are only worth what your board accepts. Before counting anything toward renewal, confirm the provider is acceptable to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council for your license type, and keep your completion certificates. You, not the provider, are responsible for producing them if audited.
CA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. California takes continuing education from accredited schools of social work, regionally accredited or BPPE-approved colleges, and providers approved by a Board-recognized approval agency (BPC §4996.22(e); 16 CCR §1887.4.1 to 1887.4.3). The free national courses here carry credit only where the provider holds that approval; check the certificate before you count it.
FL
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Florida credits Board-approved providers, accredited clinical graduate courses, and programs approved by NASW, ASWB, APA, NBCC, ACA, and the other bodies in 64B4-6.002(1)(e) F.A.C.; distance courses must include a test with a passing score. Certificate-only trainings on this page do not count.
WA
Hours are only worth what the Department accepts. Washington credits activities under WAC 246-809-610 from the industry-recognized organizations and institutions listed in WAC 246-809-620, and the suicide training must come from the Department's model list (WAC 246-809-615). Keep documentation as WAC 246-809-650 requires.
NY
Hours are only worth what the Department accepts. New York credits only courses and self-study from providers the State Education Department has approved for social work continuing education, plus approved teaching and presenting (Education Law §7710; Part 74.10). Free national courses count only if the provider holds New York approval; the approved-provider list is on the Office of the Professions site.
PA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Pennsylvania credits only Board-approved providers, and the preapproved list in 49 Pa. Code §47.36 includes ASWB and its ACE program, NASW and its chapters, APA, NBCC, ACA, CSWE-accredited programs, and accredited colleges; the 2 child abuse hours must come from an Act 31 approved provider that reports to the Board electronically. Up to 20 of the 30 hours may be home study. Free national courses count only where the provider holds one of those approvals; check the certificate before you count it.
IL
Hours are only worth what the Department accepts. Illinois credits only approved sponsors under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.95(c): NASW, ASWB, and AAMFT and their affiliates, Illinois-licensed hospitals, accredited colleges, State and federal agencies, sponsors approved for the counselor, psychologist, or MFT professions, and sponsors IDFPR approves directly. A remote or self-study course counts only from an approved sponsor and only if it includes an examination; a course taken in another state from anyone else needs prior approval and a $25 fee. Free national courses count only where the provider holds one of those approvals; check the certificate before you count it.
OH
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Ohio credits continuing professional education programs approved under OAC 4757-9-05, delivered in the formats in 4757-9-06 (institutes, seminars, conferences, staff development, workshops, accredited courses, teleconferences, distance learning, and video conferencing), plus limited credit for first-time presentations, refereed articles, and books under 4757-9-04. A program approved for any Board license counts for every Board license. Free national courses count only where the provider holds Board approval; check the certificate before you count it.
MI
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Michigan credits programs approved or offered by ASWB, NASW, or an NASW state chapter, academic courses from a Board-approved social work program, programs approved by another state's social work board, and limited credit for presenting and publishing (R 338.2963(4)). Half of the 45 must be live and synchronous, so a fully self-paced plan will not renew a Michigan license. Free national courses count where the provider is ASWB- or NASW-approved; check the certificate before you count it.
MA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Massachusetts credits programs approved by a recognized entity: a CSWE-accredited school, ASWB ACE, another state's social work board, NASW or NABSW or their chapters, or another Board-authorized approver, without limit; APA, NBCC, ANCC, ACCME, and nursing home administrator approvals count for no more than a quarter of the hours (258 CMR 31.04(2), (5)). Free national courses count where the provider holds one of those approvals; check the certificate for the authorization number before you count it.
NJ
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. New Jersey credits programs from ASWB and NASW and their approved providers, DCF's Child Welfare Training Academy, social work association conferences, accredited institutions and CSWE programs, other states' social work boards, the counseling, marriage and family therapy, and addiction counselor boards, and Board-recognized approval entities, with agency in-service training capped at half (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c)). Free national courses count where the provider holds ASWB or NASW approval; check the certificate for the category, since ethics, clinical, and cultural competence credits are counted separately.
NC
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. North Carolina pre-approves nothing and audits at renewal: live courses count when they are oriented to social work practice, values, skills, and knowledge, and distance courses count only when the provider is approved by ASWB or by NASW and its chapters, up to 20 of the 40 hours (21 NCAC 63 .0401(c)). A live webinar with real-time interaction is face-to-face, not distance. Free national courses count within those limits; check the certificate for the ASWB or NASW approval before you count an online one.
GA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Georgia counts core hours from social work associations, academic social work departments, and other states' social work boards, and related hours from the allied professions, government agencies, and licensed hospitals, with ethics only synchronous, asynchronous capped at 10 of 35, and independent study at 5 (135-9-.01(2)). The Board approves no providers and audits at renewal, so keep every certificate with its synchronous or asynchronous label. Free national courses count within those caps; check the certificate before you count an online one.
VA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Virginia takes Category I hours from accredited colleges, CSWE-accredited universities, government social service agencies, public schools, licensed hospitals and health facilities, and providers approved by CWLA, NASW, NABSW, the Family Service Association of America, the Clinical Social Work Association, ASWB, or any state social work board, and Category II hours from your own professional activities up to 10 of 30 (or 5 of 15) (18VAC140-20-105(B)). Free national courses count when the provider is on that list; check the certificate's sponsor before you count an online one.
MN
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Minnesota requires no preapproval: coursework, workshops, conferences, live webinars, employer training, and independent learning all count when they promote the standards of practice and contribute to social work, and anything from a Board-approved, ASWB-approved, or NASW-approved provider or program qualifies automatically (148E.130, subd. 8, 9). Independent learning, including recorded online courses, is capped at half of the 40 hours, so free national courses count within that cap; keep the certificate for a year past the license expiration date.
MO
Hours are only worth what the Committee accepts. Missouri counts workshops and live webinars from NASW, agency and hospital staff development units, the listed human services associations, ASWB ACE providers, and accredited colleges without preapproval, plus self-study with a certificate, publications, and a one-time presentation credit; any other sponsor must apply to the Committee 30 days ahead (20 CSR 2263-2.082(6), (9)). Free national courses count when the provider is on that list; keep every certificate four years.
TN
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Tennessee preapproves nothing and leaves the judgment to the licensee: seminars and workshops with written learning objectives, association and college events, employer in-service training, college courses up to 15 hours, first-time teaching up to 75 percent, and remote or multimedia courses with verified completion up to two thirds of the total (Rule 1365-01-.09(7)). Free national courses count within the two-thirds multimedia cap; keep the certificate four years from the end of the year you earned it.
IN
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Indiana deems programs from the 86 sponsors in 839 IAC 1-6-2(f) approved without review, including NASW, ASWB, accredited universities, government agencies, and any program approved by another state's social work board; anything else needs a Board-approved sponsor. Half the hours must be Category I, and accredited home study counts there, so free national courses from listed sponsors fit; keep the certificate four years past the renewal period.
WI
Hours are only worth what the Section accepts. Wisconsin approves programs from the organizations in MPSW 19.03(1) without review, including ASWB, NASW and its chapters, CSWE, BPD, APA-approved sponsors, and any accredited college or university, so free national courses from those sponsors count; in-house agency training is capped at 15 of the 30 hours, and the four ethics and boundaries hours must be interactive, live with discussion or asynchronous from a listed provider. DSPS does not pre-approve anything; keep the certificate four years.
AZ
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Arizona accepts activities sponsored or approved by any national, regional, or state professional association in social work or the allied behavioral health professions, programs from regionally accredited colleges, and in-service training from government social service agencies, school systems, and licensed health facilities, so free national courses from NASW, ASWB, or a university count; the three ethics-or-law hours and three cultural competency hours must come from those sources too, and the three-hour Arizona tutorial is separate. Keep the certificate 24 months past renewal.
MD
Units are only worth what the Board accepts. Maryland's authorized sponsors include accredited academic institutions, social work licensing boards, ASWB, NASW, and other professional membership organizations with relevant programs, so free national courses from those sponsors count, in Category I if live and certificated or in Category II if online or home study; the three ethics units may be either category, but the three anti-oppressive units must be Category I. Keep the certificate three years past the renewal date.
CO
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Colorado runs a portfolio program rather than a course count: the rubric and learning plan come first, and coursework from an accredited institution or a nationally or regionally recognized professional organization such as NASW or ASWB can then supply all 40 hours, while any other single activity type is capped at 20. Free national courses fit under coursework if they are relevant to the plan; keep the certificate and the portfolio five years past the cycle's expiration.
SC
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. South Carolina counts programs approved by its Board, by ASWB, or by NASW, and programs from sponsors on the Board's pre-approved list, so free national courses from ASWB or NASW count, including home study and online; check that the presenter holds a social work degree if you need the hours to count as social work hours, and log everything in CE Broker before December 31 of the even year.
AL
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Alabama counts academic courses, university social work programs, Board-approved conferences and agency staff development, approved independent workshops, publications and presentations, and approved self-directed projects, and its site lists approved programs and providers, so check a national course against that list or ask the sponsor whether it holds Alabama approval before counting it; ten of your thirty hours must be live and interactive, and all thirty must be done before the license expires, not during the 60-day grace.
KY
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Kentucky approves ASWB, NASW, NABSW, NACSW, and CSWA programs, APA, ACA, NBCC, and American Psychiatric Association programs, Kentucky's CSWE programs, and related academic courses without review, so free national courses count, but the three-hour Kentucky ethics course and any supervision course must carry the Board's own approval number; check the Board's approved lists before you sit, keep every certificate for a year after renewal, and remember that the suicide, abusive head trauma, domestic violence, and pediatric ingestion courses cannot be waived.
OR
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Oregon credits events from credentialing bodies on its accepted list without review and lets you ask approval for up to 10 unlisted hours a period, so check the list before you sit, keep in-service and study-group hours under half, remember that nothing is due for the first renewal or for a CSWA, and enter each certificate in the portal as you go, because hours finished after the last day of your birth month roll into the next period.
CT
Hours are only worth what the Department accepts. Connecticut counts courses, workshops, and conferences offered or approved by ASWB, NASW, or a CSWE-accredited school of social work, and the Department reviews nothing in advance, so check the sponsor before you sit, keep at least five of your fifteen hours live or synchronous, keep the certificates three years, and remember the cultural competency hour every year and the veterans' mental health hours every six.
LA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Louisiana counts programs approved through its designated approval organizations, so check the approval before you sit, keep no more than ten of your twenty hours asynchronous, finish the three ethics hours before the even-year deadline, keep ten clinical hours inside the twenty if you hold the LCSW, and submit the proof with the renewal by August 31.
OK
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Oklahoma counts ASWB, NASW, NBCC, APA, AMA, other state boards, academic institutions, and Board-approved providers, so check the sponsor before you sit, get an unlisted program approved on Form 505 for $40, keep three of your sixteen hours in ethics, remember the six extra hours for a second license, and keep certificates that show the title, presenter, date, clock hours, and format for the audit.
IA
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Iowa counts organized programs in its listed content areas, academic credit, ASWB ACE and NASW CEU programs, and capped credit for pro bono work, teaching, presenting, writing, and practicum supervision, so check the sponsor before you sit, keep three of your 27 hours in ethics, carry over no more than half, keep every certificate for the audit, and keep the child and dependent adult abuse training current every three years.
UT
Hours are only worth what the Division accepts. Utah counts courses from accredited institutions, government agencies, professional associations, and mental health agencies in the listed formats, so check the sponsor before you sit, keep asynchronous learning to ten hours, keep six of your forty in ethics, law, or technology ethics and two in suicide prevention, keep certificates two years for the random audit, and add six hours in supervision if you hold approved supervisor status.
KS
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Kansas counts academic courses, workshops, approved-provider programs, single programs the Board approves, and capped credit for self-study, cross-disciplinary offerings, practicum supervision, presenting, writing, and organization service, with no carryover, so check the sponsor before you sit, keep three of your 40 units in ethics and three in diagnosis and treatment if you hold the LMSW or LSCSW, do the six safety hours at your first renewal, and keep the originals for the monthly audit.
NV
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Nevada takes programs approved by ASWB ACE, any Nevada behavioral board, any other state's behavioral board, or any national behavioral association, and anything else needs a paper approval request, so check the certificate's approval line before you sit, keep four of your 36 hours in ethics, two in suicide prevention, six in cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion, and 12 in your field of practice, never repeat a program from the last cycle, upload the mandated certificates at your collection-cycle renewal, and keep the rest for three years.
AR
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Arkansas does not pre-approve programs and leaves the judgment to you, so choose activities that plainly develop social work knowledge and skills, keep three of your 30 hours in professional ethics and no more than 15 in home study or recorded online courses, remember that live interactive webinars count as face-to-face, never repeat a course in a period, list the ethics hours first on the summary sheet, and keep the certificates for two years in case of audit.
MS
Hours are only worth what the Board accepts. Mississippi approves social work offerings separately from marriage and family therapy ones, so check the social work list, remember that anything outside the automatically approved providers needs approval 60 days ahead and never retroactively, keep four of your 40 hours in ethics, two in cultural diversity, and one in mandated reporting, add two more in supervision if you are a Board-approved supervisor, keep at least 20 hours in person with live interactive webinars counting, and hold your certificates for four years in case of audit.
NOTE
If you have an old bookmark for the MHTTC Network, it is no longer running: the SAMHSA-funded network ended in September 2024. Its successor for implementation training is the National Center on Mental Health Dissemination, Implementation, and Sustainment.
Licensure
Every exam, every fee, and the order they happen in. Social work licensing is set state by state: the license names, the exams beyond ASWB, the supervised hours, the fees, and the renewal rules all differ, and a rule from one state is worth nothing in another. What holds everywhere comes first. Pick your state for the rest.
What holds in every state comes first. Choose a state for its exams, fees, hours, and renewal rules. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
What holds in every state
DegreeNational
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
Every state board licenses from a degree accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a program in candidacy for it. A degree from a non-accredited program will not qualify you at any license level anywhere, and there is no workaround later.
The Association of Social Work Boards writes and administers the licensing exams every state uses: Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical. Your state decides which one you take and when you may sit for it. Fees are paid to ASWB: $230 for Bachelors or Masters, $260 for Advanced Generalist or Clinical, each attempt.
If you fail
ASWB requires a 90-day wait between attempts, waivable only if you were within 10 correct answers of passing and your board allows it. Whether there is a cap on attempts is a state rule, not an ASWB one.
There is no national social work license. Each state, plus the District of Columbia and the territories, has its own board, its own license titles, and its own rulebook. Texas licenses at three levels; California licenses at one. The same letters can mean different things across a state line, and continuing education accepted in one state may not be accepted in the next.
PortabilityNational
The Social Work Licensure Compact, not yet issuing licenses
Thirty-three states have enacted the Compact as of 24 October 2026, and it has reached activation, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued; the Compact itself puts implementation at 12 to 24 months from activation. Washington, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Alabama, Kentucky, Connecticut, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Iowa, Utah, Kansas, Arkansas, and Mississippi are members; Texas, California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, Indiana, Oregon, and Nevada are not, and South Carolina, which enacted the Compact in 2025, was not yet on the Commission's list, as of that date. Until a multistate license exists, practicing in another state means holding that state's license.
The Social Work Licensing Exams follow ASWB's 2026 blueprint: 122 questions (110 scored, 12 unscored) across three content areas, a mix of three-option and four-option multiple choice, and a four-hour limit, taken at a Pearson test center. The same structure applies to the Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical exams. The ASWB Examination Guidebook is a free download and holds the content outlines, a study plan template, suggested references for each content area, and what exam day looks like.
Watch for
Prep material written for the exam as it was before the 2026 blueprint drills you on a different test. Anything you buy should say it is updated for the 2026 exam.
The only practice test built from questions previously used on the real exams. US$85, one sitting with a four-hour timer, then 30 days from launch to review every question, answer, and rationale. One version per exam category (Bachelors, Masters, Clinical; Associate candidates take the Bachelors version), and there is no practice test for the Advanced Generalist exam.
When you can buy it
Only after your board approves you and ASWB issues your Authorization to Test number. That means the order is board application, then ASWB registration, then this test; it cannot be your first study step.
A full structured program rather than a question bank: a ten-step study plan, audio lectures, handouts, quizzes, practice exams, and coaches who answer questions while you study. $295 for the Clinical exam program, $275 for the Masters program, both marked as updated for the August 2026 exam. Access continues until you pass with no charge to extend or repeat.
Also here
A separate $295 program for the California LCSW Law and Ethics Exam, which no national prep covers.
Full-length online practice exams by exam level, written to mirror the real test, with a built-in exam coach and free extensions until you pass. Priced per exam, under $40 each at the time of writing, with a discount for buying several. Signing up brings a free study guide by email.
Audio and video courses for the Bachelors, Masters, and Clinical exams from an LICSW instructor, with more than 50 hours of lessons, practice questions, test-taking strategy, and iOS and Android apps. Access lasts until you pass. Ten free questions with rationales are available for signing up, which is enough to see whether the teaching style fits you before paying.
Start with the free guidebook and the content outline for your exam category, and build the study plan from the outline rather than from a prep company's table of contents. Choose one paid program or question bank, not three; the value is in repetition and rationales. Save the ASWB practice test for two to three weeks before your date, when it tells you something. Your state's own steps, including any jurisprudence or law and ethics exam that sits outside ASWB, are in the state block below.
STATE
Pick your state above. The license names, the exams beyond ASWB, the supervised hours, every fee, and the renewal rules are set by each state's board. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
TX
Where the Texas figures come from. Every Texas figure below is quoted from the Behavioral Health Executive Council's consolidated social work rulebook dated 25 March 2026, or from ASWB directly.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish an accredited degree
Your degree has to come from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or one in candidacy for accreditation. This is not a formality you can work around later; a degree from a non-accredited program will not qualify you at any license level.
This is the step most guides leave out, and it comes before you register for the exam. Texas requires you to be preapproved through ASWB before you can sit for it.
Which exam depends on the license you want: Bachelors for LBSW, Masters for LMSW, Clinical for LCSW. You must have a passing score before the date of your license application, so this cannot run in parallel with applying.
An open-book online exam on the Texas laws and rules governing social work practice. Timing matters: rule 882.5 requires you to take and pass it no more than 6 months before submitting your application. Pass it too early and you will have to take it again.
Bonus
Passing it lets you claim 1 hour of ethics continuing education.
Applications go to the Council with proof of your jurisprudence exam, your transcript, and your ASWB score. A fingerprint-based criminal history record check is part of the process, billed separately by the Council's fingerprint vendor rather than included in the application fee.
Renewal is every two years, due the last day of your birth month. You can renew up to 60 days early. See Keeping the license below for what renewal actually requires beyond paying.
You can get a ruling before you spend years on the degree
This is the single most useful provision in the rulebook and almost nobody knows it exists. Under rule 882.41, if you are enrolled or planning to enroll in a program leading to licensure, and you have reason to believe a conviction or deferred adjudication might make you ineligible, you can request a criminal history evaluation letter and get an answer in advance.
How it works
Submit the request form, the $150 fee, and certified copies of court documentation for every conviction, deferred adjudication, or other final disposition that might be a problem. You then get a fingerprint check. The Council responds in writing within 90 days unless a deeper investigation is needed.
Why it is worth the $150
Subsection (g) makes the ruling binding on the Council as to the grounds it addresses, unless you withheld something or new evidence appears. It converts a career-defining uncertainty into a written answer before you spend two to six years and tens of thousands of dollars on a degree.
Criminal HistoryTexas
What can actually disqualify you
A conviction is not automatically disqualifying. Under rule 882.42 the Council may deny, revoke, or refuse to examine you if the offense is listed in Article 42A.054 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, was a sexually violent offense under Article 62.001, or directly relates to the duties of a licensee.
Your part in it
Where an offense does relate to practice, the agency weighs the factors in Occupations Code §53.023, and the rule places responsibility on you to supply documentation and explanation for each factor. Silence is not neutral here; unaddressed factors are simply weighed without your input.
Service MembersTexas
Military spouses can practice without a Texas license
Under rule 882.61, a service member or military spouse holding a license in good standing in another jurisdiction may practice social work in Texas without obtaining a Texas license. Given the military presence around San Antonio, this comes up more often in the Hill Country than people expect.
What it requires
Notify the Council on its form of your intent to practice, provide verification of your out-of-state license in good standing in a similar scope, submit proof of location in Texas such as PCS orders, and wait for the Council's written confirmation that it verified your license. The confirmation is not optional; practice is authorized once the Council confirms.
Foreign DegreeTexas
Degrees earned outside the US
An official transcript plus a certified English translation, from the issuing institution, an American Translators Association certified translator, a reputable translation service, or a US college official.
Evaluation
The degree must be evaluated for comparability by a service belonging to NACES or AICE. For social work applicants specifically, the Council also accepts the International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service. Evaluations must reach the Council directly from the service or arrive in the sealed envelope. The Council keeps final authority over comparability regardless of what the evaluator says.
Watch ForTexas
Child support arrears will stop the license
Under rule 882.12 and Family Code §232.0135, if a child support agency notifies the Council that you are six months or more behind on a support order and asks it to deny you, the Council shall refuse to issue the license. Not may; shall.
And
Nothing moves until the child support agency notifies the Council that you have met one of the statutory conditions, and the Council may charge you a fee equal to the application fee for the refusal itself. If this could apply to you, resolve it before you apply rather than after.
The three licenses
LicenseTexas
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
The entry-level license, and the one most BSW graduates start with. No post-degree supervised hours are required for the license itself.
You need
A bachelor's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program (or one in candidacy), a passing score on the ASWB Bachelors exam, and the Texas jurisprudence exam.
LicenseTexas
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
The master's-level license. Like the LBSW, it requires no post-degree supervised hours on its own; supervision enters the picture only when you go for LCSW or independent practice recognition.
You need
A master's or doctoral degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program (or one in candidacy), a university transcript documenting a completed field placement, a passing score on the ASWB Masters exam, and the jurisprudence exam.
LicenseTexas
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The clinical license, and the one that allows independent clinical practice. This is where supervised hours come in, and where most of the timeline lives.
You need
A master's or doctoral degree plus field placement, 3,000 hours of supervised professional clinical experience over at least 24 full months, a minimum of 100 hours of supervision within those 3,000 hours, a passing score on the ASWB Clinical exam, and the jurisprudence exam.
Three rules people get caught by
Hours worked in a non-clinical setting can still count, as long as you provide at least 4 hours per week of clinical social work.
Finishing 3,000 hours early does not shorten the clock; supervision must still run a full 24 months.
No more than 10 hours of supervision count in any single 30-day period, so you cannot compress supervision into a few intensive months.
Specialty recognitions
RecognitionTexas
Independent Practice Recognition (IPR)
Lets an LBSW or LMSW practice independently in non-clinical social work. It is the non-clinical parallel to the LCSW, and it carries the same experience structure.
You need
A current Texas LBSW or LMSW, 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience over a minimum two-year period, and at least 100 hours of supervision within those hours. Rule 781.406.
RecognitionTexas
Supervisor status (the “-S”)
What lets you supervise others toward their own licensure, as in LCSW-S. Worth planning for early if you want to supervise students or associates.
You need
An active LBSW, LMSW, or LCSW in good standing, two years of practice in that license category, and a 40-hour supervisor training program acceptable to the Council, completed within 90 days. The 40 hours have a fixed breakdown: 3 hours on models of supervision, 3 on the supervisory relationship, 12 on methods and techniques, 12 on ethics and legal issues, and 3 on administrative tasks. Rule 781.404.
Then
Supervisor status renews alongside your license, and adds 6 hours of continuing education in supervision each renewal period.
DiscontinuedTexas
LMSW-AP is no longer offered
The Advanced Practitioner recognition still appears in a lot of third-party licensing guides and older study material. Texas no longer accepts LMSW-AP applications, and the Council's own fee chart says so directly. Existing holders still renew, but it is not a path you can start today.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
ASWB exam preapproval (required first)
$60
ASWB
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam
$260
ASWB
Texas jurisprudence exam
$39
Council's designee
LBSW or LMSW application
$109
BHEC
LCSW application
$120
BHEC
Upgrade from LBSW to LMSW
$24
BHEC
Upgrade from LMSW to LCSW
$24
BHEC
Independent Practice Recognition
$20
BHEC
Supervisor status application
$54
BHEC
Temporary license application
$30
BHEC
Fingerprint criminal history check
vendor fee
Fingerprint vendor
LBSW or LMSW renewal (every 2 years)
$108
BHEC
LCSW renewal (every 2 years)
$108
BHEC
Added renewal fee, Independent Practice Recognition
$20
BHEC
Added renewal fee, supervisor status
$50
BHEC
Late renewal, expired 90 days or less
1.5× base renewal
BHEC
Late renewal, expired 91 days to under 1 year
2× base renewal
BHEC
Request for inactive status
$106
BHEC
Inactive status renewal (every 2 years)
$106
BHEC
Reactivate from inactive status
current renewal fee
BHEC
Reinstatement of an expired license
$510
BHEC
Criminal history evaluation letter
$150
BHEC
State-to-state verification of licensure
$50
BHEC
$
What it adds up to. Starting from scratch, an LBSW or LMSW runs about $438 ($60 preapproval, $230 exam, $39 jurisprudence, $109 application), plus the fingerprint vendor's fee. Moving from a Texas LMSW to LCSW runs about $383 ($60, $260, $39, and the $24 upgrade fee). Applying for an LCSW without already holding a Texas LMSW uses the $120 application fee instead, so about $479. Renewal is $108 every two years, plus continuing education costs.
TX
If they sit on your application, you may be owed your fee back. Rule 882.9 requires the Council to publish its minimum, maximum, and median processing times annually. If your application exceeds 90 days or the published maximum, whichever is greater, you may file a written complaint with the Executive Director. If the Council cannot show good cause for the delay, the rule says it shall refund your application fee. Two limits worth knowing: there is no appeal of the Executive Director's determination, and the complaint is waived entirely if you do not file it within 30 days of licensure. So if your application dragged, file before that window closes rather than after you have moved on.
Keeping the license
RenewalTexas
30 hours of CE every two years
The 30 hours must include 6 hours in ethics and 3 hours on serving a distinct population, which the rule defines as a group sharing a common attribute or characteristic of your choosing. You pick the population.
Also
You may carry a maximum of 10 unused hours forward into the next renewal period. Supervisors add 6 hours in supervision, which count toward the 30 rather than on top of it.
RenewalTexas
The 50 percent provider rule
At least half your hours have to come from a defined list of providers: professional associations, school districts and education service centers, government entities, accredited institutions of higher education, religious or charitable behavioral health organizations, Council-approved supervisors, hospitals and hospital systems, or anyone those providers approve or endorse. Rule 781.501(e).
Why it matters
A stack of certificates from unaffiliated online providers can technically total 30 hours and still fail an audit.
RenewalTexas
Human trafficking prevention training
Not optional and not just a CE topic. Demonstrating completion of a training course on human trafficking prevention under Occupations Code §116.002 is a stated condition of renewal. Completing it also earns 1 hour of CE credit.
Where to take it
The free HEART course listed in the Trainings section is built to satisfy this requirement.
RenewalTexas
Supervising students earns CE
If you take field or practicum students, you can claim one hour of continuing education for each hour of college credit awarded to the student, up to 10 hours per renewal period. Those hours cannot be counted toward the ethics or distinct population requirements.
Watch ForTexas
Your first renewal may come after one year, not two
Everyone assumes the first cycle is two years like every cycle after it. Rule 883.2 says otherwise, and the difference turns on your birthday.
The rule
Licenses expire the last day of your birth month. If your license is issued more than 180 days before that date, your first renewal falls on the next expiration date after one year. If it is issued within 180 days of it, you get the full two years. After that first cycle you join the standard schedule. If you hold more than one license from a member board, the new license is aligned to your existing renewal date instead.
Watch ForTexas
Five percent of licensees are audited every month
Not every renewal cycle. Every month, an automated process selects 5% of all licensees for a continuing education audit under rule 882.50. There are also individualized audits, which the Council can run at any time it has grounds to believe someone is out of compliance.
What this means practically
Being audited is an ordinary event rather than a sign you are suspected of something. Keep every certificate for the full renewal period, and check your hours against the 50 percent provider rule before you attest to compliance rather than after a notice arrives.
StatusTexas
Inactive, delinquent, and the clocks on each
Two different statuses with two different consequences, and people mix them up.
Inactive
A deliberate choice, renewed and paid for each period. You cannot go inactive with a pending complaint. To reactivate you must show completed CE for that renewal period, and if the license sat inactive for four years or more you must retake the jurisprudence exam. Reactivating within 60 days of your renewal date counts as having met renewal for the next period.
Delinquent
What happens when you simply fail to renew. You may not practice on a delinquent license. After 12 consecutive months delinquent it cannot be renewed at all and expires, leaving reinstatement at $510 as the only route back.
SafetyTexas
Thirty days to update your details, and one privacy trap
Rule 882.32 requires you to update your name, main address, business address, email, and phone in the Council's online system within 30 days of any change. Official correspondence goes to your main address, so a stale one means missing notices you are still accountable for.
The part that matters for DV work
The street portion of your main address is redacted from public licensee search and is not released under the Public Information Act. A business address, if you enter one, is displayed publicly with no redaction. If you work with people fleeing violence, think carefully about what you put in that field, because it is a public record by design.
TX
You get three attempts, and then a gate rather than a wall. Rule 882.6 limits an applicant to three attempts at an examination administered or required by the Council, and a third failure means automatic denial of the application. That is not the end of it. Under 882.6(b) you may reapply for licensure, but you will not be authorized to sit for the exam again until you submit a detailed study plan addressing your known or suspected areas of deficiency, and the relevant member board approves it. So the path back exists, and it runs through showing the board specifically what you intend to do differently.
One limit on the rule itself: under 882.6(c), examinations that do not require pre-authorization by the Council are not subject to the three-attempt cap.
ADA
Testing accommodations. Rule 882.7 commits the Council to reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including for dyslexia. The burden is on you to request them in advance, with enough notice for the Council to arrange them. A request has to include a written description of the disability and the functional limitations it causes, the specific accommodations you are asking for, and a description of accommodations you have received previously. If you may need accommodations, start this before you register for anything, because a late request can simply be declined for insufficient notice.
NOTE
All Council fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The rulebook goes further and warns that attempting a chargeback on fees paid may itself result in a complaint being opened against you. If a license has been expired for a year or more you cannot renew it at all; the only route back is reinstatement.
SRC
Fees, hour counts, and rule numbers verified against the BHEC consolidated social work rulebook dated 25 March 2026, and exam fees against ASWB. Fees change. Confirm current amounts with the Council before you send money.
CA
Where the California figures come from. The Board of Behavioral Sciences' Statutes and Regulations (January 2026 edition), its Handbook for Future LCSWs (May 2024), the ASW and LCSW application packets (revised August and June 2026), and the fee amendment to 16 CCR §§1816 to 1816.4 approved by the Office of Administrative Law on 4 February 2026. ASWB figures come from ASWB directly. Section numbers are from the Business and Professions Code (BPC) unless marked 16 CCR.
CA
Fees are half price until mid-2030. Because the Board's reserve exceeded the legal limit, its fees for registration, exams, application, issuance, and renewal are cut by 50 percent for the period 1 July 2026 through 30 June 2030 (16 CCR §§1816 to 1816.4, OAL matter 2025-1222-02). Every Board fee below is the reduced amount, with the standard amount in parentheses. ASWB and Live Scan fees are not Board fees and are not reduced.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
California licenses social work at one level only, the clinical level, and the only way in is a master's degree from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (BPC §4996.2(b)). There is no bachelor's license and no non-clinical master's license to fall back on.
Register as an ASW, ideally within 90 days of graduating
You cannot count a single supervised hour until you are registered as an Associate Clinical Social Worker, with one exception. Under the 90-Day Rule (BPC §4996.23(b)), hours between graduation and the issue date of your ASW number count if the Board receives your application within 90 days of the degree date on your transcript, your employer had you Live Scan fingerprinted before you started gaining hours, and the setting is not a private practice or professional corporation. Keep the completed Live Scan form; it goes in with your licensure application years later.
Cost
$75 application ($150 standard), plus Live Scan: $32 DOJ, $17 FBI, and the operator's own service charge.
Out-of-state degree
Complete a 12-hour California law and ethics course before you can register (BPC §4996.18(b)(3)).
Take the California Law and Ethics Exam in your first year
A Board-administered exam, separate from ASWB. You must take it before your registration's first expiration date and at least once in every renewal cycle until you pass (16 CCR §1877.3(b)); the Board will not renew an ASW registration that has not participated (BPC §4996.28(a)(4)). The Board's own advice is to schedule it as soon as your number is issued, because a lapsed registration means hours that do not count.
If you fail
Retakes carry a 90-day wait. Fail during a renewal cycle and you must complete a 12-hour California law and ethics course before you can retake in the next cycle (16 CCR §1877.2(a)(1)).
Cost
$75 per attempt ($150 standard), paid to the Board.
Earn 3,000 supervised hours over at least 104 weeks
All post-master's, all within the six years before the Board receives your licensure application (BPC §4996.23(d)(4)). At least 1,700 hours under an LCSW, at least 2,000 clinical, at least 750 of those face-to-face psychotherapy, no more than 1,000 nonclinical, no more than 40 hours in any seven days. Every hour is tied to a weekly supervision requirement. The full rules are in Supervision & Practicum.
Submit the Application for Licensure with your Experience Verification forms (original signatures, one per supervisor and employer), your signed Supervision Agreements, W-2s for every year of experience claimed, proof of the required coursework, and your passed Law and Ethics Exam. The Board evaluates the application and tells you what is missing; you have one year to answer a deficiency letter before the application is abandoned (16 CCR §1806(a)).
You register with ASWB only after the Board approves your application, and you must take the exam within one year of that approval or the application closes and you start over, losing any hours older than six years. Fail, and you may retake after ASWB's 90-day wait without a new application, but only within one year of the failure notice (BPC §4996.4).
After both exams are passed you request initial license issuance online through BreEZe and pay the issuance fee, within one year of passing the clinical exam. You may not practice independently until the license is actually issued. Renewal is every two years with 36 hours of continuing education; see Keeping the license below.
Cost
$100 initial issuance ($200 standard). Renewal $100 ($200 standard) plus a fixed $20 Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund fee (BPC §4996.65).
Eight courses the Board checks before it lets you sit the clinical exam
Most California MSW programs build these in; some do not, and out-of-state programs usually do not. Keep every syllabus. Hours are contact hours, and each one may be satisfied inside the degree or as a separate course from an acceptable provider.
Everyone
Child abuse assessment and reporting, 7 hours (BPC §4996.2(h), 16 CCR §1807.2). Human sexuality, 10 hours (§4996.2(g)). Alcoholism and chemical substance dependency, 15 hours (§4996.2(e), 16 CCR §1807.3). Spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention, 15 hours (§4996.2(f)). Aging and long-term care including elder and dependent adult abuse, 10 hours (§4996.25). Suicide risk assessment and intervention, 6 hours of coursework or supervised applied experience (§4996.27). Telehealth including its law and ethics, 3 hours (§4996.27.1).
Out-of-state degrees only
Add 12 hours of California law and professional ethics and one semester unit or 15 hours on California cultures and the social and psychological implications of socioeconomic position (BPC §4996.17.2).
Fingerprints at registration, and one absolute bar
Live Scan fingerprinting runs a DOJ and FBI check at ASW registration; a conviction is reviewed under BPC §480, which turns on whether the offense is substantially related to the profession. One rule has no discretion in it: the Board shall not register or license anyone convicted of a crime involving sexual abuse of children, or anyone required to register under Penal Code §290 (BPC §4996.2(d)).
How it is judged
The Board applies the substantial-relationship criteria in 16 CCR §1812 and considers evidence of rehabilitation. Disclose everything; an undisclosed conviction is its own problem.
Already LicensedCalifornia
Coming from another state: two doors
By credential (BPC §4996.17.1): if your out-of-state clinical license has been current, active, and unrestricted for at least two years, you skip the ASWB Clinical exam. You still need the California Law and Ethics Exam, 12 hours of California law and ethics, 15 hours on California cultures, 7 hours child abuse, 6 hours suicide risk, and fingerprints.
By education and experience
(§4996.17.2) Out-of-state supervised hours count if substantially equivalent to California's. If you come up short of 3,000, each month you held an active independent clinical license elsewhere is credited at 100 hours per month, up to 1,200 hours.
An ASW registration expires one year from the last day of the month it was issued, renews yearly, and can be renewed a maximum of five times. Nothing extends it past six years (BPC §4996.28(c)). If you are not licensed by then you may apply for a subsequent registration number, but only if you have passed the Law and Ethics Exam, and a subsequent number cannot be used in a private practice or professional corporation at all.
TitleCalifornia
Tell every client you are unlicensed, before you start
Not a courtesy. BPC §4996.18(g) requires every ASW and applicant to inform each client, before performing any professional service, that they are unlicensed and under the supervision of a licensed professional.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
ASW registration application
$75 ($150 standard)
BBS
Live Scan fingerprinting, DOJ and FBI processing
$32 + $17 + operator fee
Live Scan operator
Fingerprint hard cards, out-of-state applicants only
$49
BBS
California Law and Ethics Exam, each attempt
$75 ($150 standard)
BBS
12-hour law and ethics course after a failed exam cycle
provider's price
CE provider
ASW annual renewal
$75 ($150 standard)
BBS
LCSW application for licensure
$125 ($250 standard)
BBS
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Initial LCSW license issuance
$100 ($200 standard)
BBS
LCSW renewal, every 2 years
$100 ($200 standard) + $20 education fund
BBS
Renewal delinquency fee
half the renewal fee
BBS
Inactive status renewal, every 2 years
half the renewal fee
BBS
Retired license
$40
BBS
Replacement license or registration
$20
BBS
Certificate or letter of good standing
$25
BBS
Exam rescoring
$20
BBS
$
What it adds up to. From ASW registration to a license in hand, at today's reduced rates: $75 registration, $75 Law and Ethics Exam, $125 application, $260 ASWB Clinical exam, and $100 issuance, so $635 if you pass everything first time, plus $75 for each yearly ASW renewal along the way (two years of hours means at least one) and the Live Scan charges. At standard rates the same path is $1,010. Renewal thereafter is $120 every two years plus continuing education.
Keeping the license
RenewalCalifornia
36 hours of CE every two years, 6 of them law and ethics
BPC §4996.22(a)(1) sets the 36 hours; 16 CCR §1887.3(c) requires six of them to be in law and ethics, and a law and ethics course a supervisor takes for supervisor training does not satisfy those six. Keep completion records for at least two years; the Board audits.
Credit rules
Teaching an approved course earns the same hours as taking it, capped at 18 per cycle. A course cannot be claimed twice in one cycle, and a course taken as a probation condition earns nothing (16 CCR §1887.3).
RenewalCalifornia
One-time requirements that ride on your first renewal
Suicide risk assessment and intervention, 6 hours, by the first renewal after 1 January 2021 (BPC §4996.27(b)). Telehealth including law and ethics, 3 hours, by the first renewal after 1 July 2023 (§4996.27.1(b)). HIV and AIDS assessment and treatment, 7 hours, one time for every licensee (16 CCR §1887.3(b)). If you completed these for licensure you certify it; you do not repeat them.
RenewalCalifornia
No grace period, and a three-year cliff
Renewals postmarked after the expiration date pay a delinquency fee of half the renewal fee (BPC §4996.3(a)(8)). An expired license can be renewed for up to three years by paying that. After three years it cannot be renewed, restored, or reinstated; the only route is a new application and both exams again (§4996.6(d)).
StatusCalifornia
Inactive costs half and needs no CE
Under BPC §4997 an inactive licensee pays half the renewal fee and is exempt from continuing education, but may not practice. Coming back mid-cycle means paying the other half, plus 18 hours of CE if the license expires within a year, or 36 hours if later.
SupervisorsCalifornia
Supervising adds six hours to your cycle
Anyone supervising associates must complete at least six hours of professional development in supervision during each renewal period they supervise (16 CCR §1871(c)). Those hours count toward the 36 but not toward the six law and ethics hours.
ASWCalifornia
Registrants renew every year with their own three hours
To renew, an ASW pays the yearly fee, certifies three hours of continuing education in California law and ethics for that year (BPC §4992.09(e)), and has taken the Law and Ethics Exam in the cycle if not yet passed. The three hours are required every year even after the exam is passed.
CA
The two bodies you will deal with. The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) registers ASWs, administers the Law and Ethics Exam, approves licensure applications, and issues and renews the LCSW. ASWB runs the Clinical exam. License and registration numbers post to the state's BreEZe system before the paper certificate arrives.
Where the Florida figures come from. Chapter 491, Florida Statutes (2026), the rules of the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling in Chapter 64B4 of the Florida Administrative Code as published on flrules.org (rule effective dates run through July 2026), and the Board's own applicant pages at floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov. ASWB figures come from ASWB directly. Citations read F.S. for statute and F.A.C. for rule.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with a clinical concentration
Florida licenses social work at one level, the clinical level, and there is no bachelor's license. The degree must come from a CSWE-accredited program, or a Canadian-accredited or CSWE-evaluated equivalent, and it must have emphasized direct clinical services: a supervised field placement in your advanced direct-practice concentration, and 24 semester hours (32 quarter hours) of clinically oriented coursework including at least one course in psychopathology and no more than one in research (F.S. 491.005(1)(c)). Bachelor's-level courses do not count unless the graduate program certifies in writing that they waived a graduate requirement.
Register as an intern before your first supervised hour
You must be a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern before any post-master's experience counts; time spent before registration is lost (F.S. 491.0045(1), (4)). The application needs a letter from a Board-approved qualified supervisor agreeing to supervise you, and the Board will not issue the number until it has that letter (64B4-3.0085 F.A.C.). Hours under a supervisor the Board has not yet approved do not count either.
Cost
$150 application, nonrefundable (64B4-4.015 F.A.C.), plus background screening.
Missing coursework
If your program was not clinically focused you may register after 15 semester (22 quarter) hours of the required coursework and finish the rest before exam approval (F.S. 491.005(1)(d)).
Two years, 100 supervised weeks, 1,500 hours of psychotherapy
At least two years of post-master's clinical experience under a licensed clinical social worker who is a Board-qualified supervisor (F.S. 491.005(1)(d)). The rule turns that into three numbers: at least 100 hours of supervision spread over no fewer than 100 weeks, at least 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients, and at least one hour of supervision every two weeks (64B4-2.002(1) F.A.C.). The details are in Supervision & Practicum.
Sit the ASWB Clinical exam after 18 months of experience
Florida's exam is the ASWB Clinical exam, and since 1 January 2023 you are eligible to take it once you have documented 18 months of experience in clinical settings, not counting your practicum (64B4-3.003(2)(a) F.A.C.). You can therefore pass the exam before your two years are finished. Fail, and ASWB's 90-day wait applies.
Before the license issues you must show an approved 8-hour Florida laws and rules course with an 80 percent test score, covering Chapters 456, 491, 394, 397, 39 and 415, section 90.503, and the Board's rules, and a 3-hour HIV/AIDS course (64B4-3.0035 F.A.C.; F.S. 491.0065). The HIV/AIDS course can be finished within six months after applying if you file an affidavit showing good cause.
The Application for Licensure by Examination goes in with the Verification of Clinical Experience form signed by your supervisor, your transcript, your course certificates, and both fees. The intern registration runs out five years after issue and cannot be renewed, so the application has to land inside that window (F.S. 491.0045(5), (6)). Renewal thereafter is every two years.
Cost
$100 application plus $75 initial license fee (64B4-4.002 F.A.C.), and a $5 unlicensed activity fee the Department adds; the Board's page totals it at $180.
The registration is good for five years and does not renew
Any intern registration issued after 31 March 2017 expires 60 months after issue, and there is no renewal (F.S. 491.0045(6)). If you are not licensed by then you have four routes: apply for licensure if you have everything, request the one-time hardship extension, apply for a provisional license if only coursework or the exam remains, or apply for a new intern registration. A third registration goes before the full Board.
The hardship extension
One time only, 24 months, and only if you have already passed the ASWB exam, finished all coursework and practicum hours, and file the Exception Request Form at least 30 days before expiry with a written statement of the circumstance beyond your control. Not passing the exam does not qualify as a hardship (64B4-3.0085(10), (11) F.A.C.).
ProvisionalFlorida
Finished your hours but not the exam? The provisional license
If your supervised experience is complete but coursework or the exam is not, or you are coming in by endorsement, you must hold a provisional license to practice while you finish (F.S. 491.0046). It costs $100 (64B4-4.014 F.A.C.), lasts 24 months, cannot be renewed or reissued, and requires supervision by a Florida-licensed clinician with at least one face-to-face hour a month until the full license arrives (64B4-3.008(2) F.A.C.). Once you have held one, you cannot go back to an intern registration in the same profession.
Already LicensedFlorida
Coming from another state: endorsement under MOBILE
Florida's licensure-by-endorsement path runs through section 456.0145, Florida Statutes, using the Board's MOBILE application (64B4-3.0031 F.A.C.). Its terms are set in the general health-professions statute rather than in Chapter 491, so read 456.0145 itself before relying on it. Everyone licensed by endorsement still owes the laws and rules course, the HIV/AIDS course, and the domestic violence course within six months.
Five titles are reserved, and "psychotherapy" is one of the words
Only an active LCSW may use "licensed clinical social worker," "clinical social worker," "licensed social worker," "psychiatric social worker," or "psychosocial worker," and only a Chapter 491 or 490 licensee (or a psychiatric APRN) may describe services as "psychotherapy," "clinical social work," or "psychiatric social work" (F.S. 491.012). Using them without the license is a first-degree misdemeanor. Interns use "registered clinical social worker intern"; provisional licensees use "provisional clinical social worker licensee."
Also ExistsFlorida
The Certified Master Social Worker, a certificate that is not a license
Florida also certifies a Certified Master Social Worker for administrative and non-clinical practice: an MSW, three years of experience with two post-master's under supervision, and an exam (F.S. 491.0145). It does not authorize clinical social work. It exists in the statute; ask the Board before planning around it.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Registered intern application
$150
Florida DOH
Background screening (Live Scan)
vendor fee
Screening vendor
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
8-hour laws and rules course
provider's price
Approved provider
3-hour HIV/AIDS course
provider's price
Approved provider
LCSW application
$100
Florida DOH
Initial license fee
$75
Florida DOH
Unlicensed activity fee, with the application
$5
Florida DOH
Provisional license application
$100
Florida DOH
LCSW renewal, every 2 years
$115
Florida DOH
Delinquent status fee
$105
Florida DOH
Change of status mid-cycle
$105
Florida DOH
Inactive status, and its 2-year renewal
$50
Florida DOH
Reactivation from inactive
$50
Florida DOH
Retired status
$50
Florida DOH
Limited license for retired clinicians serving critical-need areas
$25
Florida DOH
$
What it adds up to. Intern registration $150, the ASWB Clinical exam $260, and $180 at application, so $590 in registration, exam, and licensing fees if you pass first time, plus the two required courses and the background screening. There is no yearly intern renewal in Florida; the registration is a single five-year fee. Renewal thereafter is $115 every two years plus continuing education.
Keeping the license
RenewalFlorida
30 hours every two years, and none at all for the first renewal
No continuing education is required for your first renewal. Every renewal after that needs 30 approved hours including 2 hours on prevention of medical errors and 3 hours on professional ethics and boundaries or telehealth, with the same course not repeated in consecutive cycles (64B4-6.001(2) F.A.C.). Up to 6 of the 30 may be administrative or office-management courses.
RenewalFlorida
The every-third-renewal courses
A 2-hour domestic violence course within six months of initial licensure and then every third renewal, and 3 hours of laws and rules every third renewal after initial licensure (64B4-6.001(3), (4) F.A.C.; F.S. 456.031). Qualified supervisors add 4 hours of supervisory training every third renewal (64B4-6.0025(4)).
RenewalFlorida
What earns credit, and what never does
Courses from Board-approved providers, graduate courses from accredited clinical programs, and programs approved by NASW, ASWB, APA, NBCC, ACA, and the other bodies listed in 64B4-6.002(1)(e). Presenting earns up to 10 hours a cycle; attending one full day of a Board disciplinary meeting earns 3 hours in risk management. No credit for your regular job, committee work, self-directed study, personal therapy, writing, or receiving supervision (64B4-6.002(6)). Keep certificates two years; the Board gives 21 days to produce them on request.
StatusFlorida
Delinquent means one cycle to fix it, then the license is void
Miss the renewal and the license becomes delinquent. You must apply for active or inactive status within the same biennium, paying the status fee, the $105 delinquency fee, and the missed continuing education; fail to do that before the biennium ends and the license is null and void with no further action by the Board (64B4-6.0012 F.A.C.).
StatusFlorida
Inactive and retired, and the ten-year line
Inactive costs $50 a cycle; coming back means the $50 reactivation fee, the current renewal fee, and the continuing education for every cycle you were inactive (64B4-6.0011). Retired status is $50; return within ten years by making up the CE and back fees, but after ten years you retake the ASWB exam and the laws and rules course (64B4-6.0014). Military spouses absent from Florida because of a service member's duties are exempt from renewal requirements while away (64B4-6.0013).
DutyFlorida
Display it, and put LCSW on everything
The license, or a true copy, must be displayed at every location where you practice, and "licensed clinical social worker" or "LCSW" must appear on all promotional material naming you: cards, brochures, stationery, advertisements, and signs (F.S. 491.0149). Interns and provisional licensees carry the same duty with their own titles.
FL
The two bodies you will deal with. The Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance, receives applications and fees and issues the registration and license; the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling sets the rules and certifies that you qualify. ASWB runs the Clinical exam. Florida is not a member of the Social Work Licensure Compact.
Where the Washington figures come from. Chapter 18.225 RCW (the statute, as amended through the 2025 session) and Chapter 246-809 WAC (the Department of Health's rules; the fee schedule effective 1 April 2026, the continuing education and supervision rules effective 2025), both read from the Legislature's own site, plus the Department of Health's licensing requirements page. ASWB figures come from ASWB directly. Washington has no board; the Department of Health issues, renews, and disciplines, advised by a committee.
The two licenses, and the two associates under them
LicenseWashington
LASW · Licensed Advanced Social Worker
Assessment, case management, consultation, and psychotherapy under the supervision of an LICSW, psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychiatric nurse practitioner (RCW 18.225.010(1)). It is a full license with its own exam, the ASWB Advanced Generalist, but it is not an independent clinical license.
LicenseWashington
LICSW · Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders, independently, for individuals, couples, families, groups, or organizations (RCW 18.225.010(7)). The ASWB Clinical exam. This is the license a private practice runs on.
AssociateWashington
LSWAA and LSWAIC · the associate licenses
An MSW graduate working toward either license holds a Licensed Social Worker Associate credential, Advanced or Independent Clinical, and declares which license they are working toward (RCW 18.225.145(1)). Associates may not provide social work independently for a fee and must work under an approved supervisor (18.225.145(2)). The associate license renews yearly with no cap on renewals; the old six-renewal limit was repealed in 2024 (18.225.145(6)).
No Bachelor's TierWashington
Nothing below the MSW
Every one of the four credentials requires a CSWE-accredited master's or a social work doctorate (RCW 18.225.090(1)(a); WAC 246-809-320). Chapter 18.225 has no bachelor-level license; students in an approved program and employees of the state or federal government practicing within their duties are outside the chapter (RCW 18.225.030(2), (3)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
Or a social work doctorate from a recognized accredited university (RCW 18.225.090(1)(a)). There is no coursework checklist beyond the degree itself.
Apply for the associate license, and start on the pending application
Apply to the Department of Health as a Licensed Social Worker Associate, Advanced or Independent Clinical, with a declaration that you are working toward that license. Since 1 October 2025 you may practice under an approved supervisor for up to 120 days from the day the Department receives your completed application, until the license is issued or denied, whichever comes first; the 120 days cannot be extended (RCW 18.225.145(2); WAC 246-809-097).
Cost
$35 application plus a $16 HEAL-WA online library fee (the surcharge applies to the independent clinical associate) (WAC 246-809-990).
Before supervision begins, your approved supervisor must give you a signed declaration on the Department's form that they meet the requirements of WAC 246-809-334. Keep it. The supervisor must have been licensed and in good standing for the previous two years, have 15 clock hours of supervision training, 25 hours of experience supervising, and two years of post-licensure clinical experience. Details in Supervision & Practicum.
Both licenses need 3,000 supervised hours. LASW: 800 hours of direct client contact and 90 hours of supervision, 40 of them one-to-one. LICSW: over at least two years, 1,000 hours of direct client contact supervised by an LICSW, and 100 hours of supervision, 70 with an LICSW and 60 one-to-one (RCW 18.225.090(1)(a); WAC 246-809-330). Three years as a substance use disorder professional within the last ten cuts the total to 2,880 or 2,600 hours (WAC 246-809-330(1)(b), (2)(b)).
Advanced Generalist for the LASW, Clinical for the LICSW (WAC 246-809-340; Department of Health licensing requirements). The Department accepts ASWB's passing score. You register with ASWB only after the Department accepts your license application and sends registration instructions.
Cost
$260, paid to ASWB, each attempt. ASWB's 90-day wait applies between attempts.
The license fee covers application and initial issue together. Renewal is yearly on your birthday, not every two years, though the continuing education cycle is two years (WAC 246-809-990(1); 246-809-630(3)).
Cost
$170 application and initial license, plus $16 HEAL-WA. Renewal $70 plus $16 each year (WAC 246-809-990).
An applicant who has held an active advanced or independent clinical social worker license in another state for the past year or more, with no disciplinary record or disqualifying criminal history, is deemed to have met Washington's supervised experience requirement (WAC 246-809-330(1)(a), (2)(a)). The exam and education requirements still apply.
PortabilityWashington
Washington is a Compact state
Washington has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact. As of September 2026 the Compact is activated but not yet issuing multistate licenses, so for now a Washington license is a Washington license. When multistate licenses arrive, Washington licensees will be eligible to apply for one; Texas and California are not member states.
An ABECSW Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, or NASW's DCSW or QCSW, is accepted as meeting the education and postgraduate experience requirements for the exam, with documentation sent directly by the certifying body (WAC 246-809-321).
TitlesWashington
The titles the Department protects
No one may represent themselves as a licensed advanced social worker, licensed independent clinical social worker, or either associate without holding that license from the Department (RCW 18.225.020). "Social worker" on its own is not on that list; the protected titles are the licensed ones.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Associate application (LSWAA or LSWAIC)
$35 + $16 HEAL-WA
Washington DOH
Associate renewal, every year
$25 + $16 HEAL-WA
Washington DOH
Associate late renewal penalty
$25
Washington DOH
Associate expired license reissuance
$40
Washington DOH
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
LASW or LICSW application and initial license
$170 + $16 HEAL-WA
Washington DOH
LASW or LICSW renewal, every year
$70 + $16 HEAL-WA
Washington DOH
Late renewal penalty
$50
Washington DOH
Expired license reissuance
$72.50
Washington DOH
Retired active renewal, every year
$65 + $16 HEAL-WA
Washington DOH
Duplicate license
$10
Washington DOH
Verification of license
$25
Washington DOH
$
What it adds up to. Associate application $51, two or three yearly associate renewals at $41 each, the ASWB exam $260, and $186 for the license: roughly $580 to $620 to reach either license if you pass first time. The HEAL-WA fee is a University of Washington online library subscription bundled into every application and renewal (WAC 246-809-990). Renewal thereafter is $86 a year plus continuing education.
Keeping the license
RenewalWashington
32 hours every two years, renewed every year
Licensed social workers complete 32 hours of continuing education every two years: at least 6 in professional ethics and law, at least 2 in professional roles and boundaries taken separately from the ethics hours, and 2 in health equity every four years (WAC 246-809-630(3), effective 1 October 2025). The license itself renews yearly on your birthday.
RenewalWashington
Six hours of suicide assessment training every six years
At least once every six years, six hours of training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management from the Department's model list, the first during your first full CE period after licensure and counted inside the 32 hours (WAC 246-809-630(3)(d); 246-809-615). The second and later trainings must include advanced or treatment-modality content. Training taken within six years before licensure defers the first one; employees of state or local government or of licensed behavioral health agencies are covered by employer training of the same length.
AssociatesWashington
Associates: 16 hours a year, and suicide training before the first renewal
Every associate completes 16 CE hours each year, 6 hours of ethics and law every two years, 2 hours in roles and boundaries, and 2 hours of health equity every four years. Social work associates must also finish the six-hour suicide assessment training after initial licensure and before the first renewal, then again within six years (WAC 246-809-632, effective 1 October 2025).
StatusWashington
Retired active: 90 days a year of practice
A retired active license lets you practice no more than 90 days a year in Washington, or in declared emergencies, for a $65 yearly renewal. It still requires 18 hours of CE every two years including six in ethics and law (WAC 246-809-730).
DutyWashington
The disclosure statement, signed by both of you
At the start of treatment every client gets a written disclosure: practice name, address, phone, your license number and name, your methods and therapeutic orientation, your education and training, the course of treatment where known, the cost per session and billing practices, the client's right to refuse treatment and choose a practitioner, and the Department of Health's complaint contact details. Client and licensee both sign and date it (RCW 18.225.100; WAC 246-809-710). Failing to provide it is grounds for discipline (246-809-720).
WA
Read the rule, not the summary sites. Washington's hours were rewritten in 2023 and 2025 and older guides still show the previous 3,200 and 4,000-hour figures. The current text is RCW 18.225.090 and WAC 246-809-330.
Where the New York figures come from. Education Law Article 154 (sections 7701 to 7710), Part 74 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, and the State Education Department Office of the Professions' own requirement pages for the LMSW and LCSW, all read from op.nysed.gov in September 2026. New York has no separate board issuing licenses; the State Education Department licenses, advised by the State Board for Social Work, and the Board of Regents disciplines.
The two licenses, and the R
LicenseNew York
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
The entry license: MSW, the ASWB Masters exam, and no experience requirement (Education Law §7704(1)). An LMSW may practice clinical social work, including diagnosis and psychotherapy, only under the supervision of an LCSW, licensed psychologist, or psychiatrist in an acceptable setting (Part 74.6).
LicenseNew York
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning, independently. Requires the LMSW-level education plus 12 semester hours of clinical coursework, three years of supervised post-MSW clinical experience, and the ASWB Clinical exam (§7704(2)).
PrivilegeNew York
LCSW-R · the psychotherapy privilege
A notation added to an LCSW license after a further three years of supervised psychotherapy practice after licensure as an LCSW: 36 months and 2,400 client contact hours, at least 400 in any twelve-month period, under an LCSW-R, a qualified psychologist, or a psychiatrist, with at least two hours of consultation a month (Part 74.5; Office of the Professions Appendix A). Insurers use the R to decide whom they will reimburse for psychotherapy; the practice authority is the same as any LCSW.
No Bachelor's TierNew York
Nothing below the MSW
New York has no bachelor-level social work license. The titles "licensed master social worker" and "licensed clinical social worker" and the designations LMSW and LCSW are restricted to licensees (§7702), and the practice of both professions is restricted to licensed or exempt persons.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a registered MSW
A master's in social work from a program registered by the Department or found substantially equivalent: two years of full-time study, at least 60 semester hours, with no more than half as advanced-standing credit, including a field practicum of at least 900 clock hours (Part 74.1; Office of the Professions). For the LCSW the program must also include 12 semester hours of clinical coursework in diagnosis and assessment, clinical treatment, and practice with general and special populations; missing clinical hours can be completed after the degree, but not through continuing education.
Every applicant for the LMSW, the LCSW, or a limited permit must complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse from a New York State approved provider (Education Law §6507(3)(a)). It is a one-time requirement and the certificate goes in with the application.
Apply for the LMSW, then sit the ASWB Masters exam
File the Application for Licensure (Form 1) with the fee, have the school send Form 2 directly, and wait: an applicant may not register for the exam until the Office of the Professions approves the education and notifies ASWB. The LMSW requires the ASWB Masters examination (Part 74.2; Office of the Professions). Be at least 21 and of good moral character as the Department determines.
Cost
$294 for licensure and first registration, paid to the State Education Department (the statute sets $115 for the license and $155 for the triennial registration, §7704). $230 to ASWB for the exam.
Three years of supervised clinical experience as an LMSW
At least 36 months of supervised experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning after the MSW, full-time or the part-time equivalent, over a continuous period of not more than six years, with at least 2,000 client contact hours and at least 100 hours of individual or group clinical supervision distributed across the period (§7704(2); Part 74.3, 74.6). Experience in New York must be gained as an LMSW or limited permit holder in an acceptable setting. Providing more than 2,000 hours faster does not shorten the three years.
Form 1 with the fee, Form 2 from the school, and Form 4B from each supervisor with proof the setting was authorized. The Department must approve the education and experience before you may register with ASWB for the Clinical exam (Part 74.2; Office of the Professions). Scores from another state's exam go from ASWB directly to the Department.
Cost
$294 for licensure and first registration; $260 to ASWB.
Register every three years, and keep the license for life
A New York license is for life; to practice or use the title you must be currently registered, and registration runs three years, with the second period prorated to move you to your birth month (Office of the Professions). Each registration carries the triennial fee and a $45 continuing education fee (Part 74.10(i)). Not practicing in New York? Inactive registration is free, but you may not use the title while inactive.
Everything but the exam: the one-year limited permit
An applicant who has met every requirement except the examination may hold a limited permit to practice as an LMSW (under an LMSW or LCSW) or as an LCSW (under an LCSW) for a specific employment setting, valid for not more than twelve months and not renewable (§7705; Part 74.4). A private practice you own or operate is never an acceptable setting for a permit holder, and no supervisor may supervise more than five permit holders at once. Permits are not issued for public school employment.
Cost
$70, nonrefundable, on top of the $294 licensure application.
SettingsNew York
Where clinical hours may legally be gained
New York restricts who may employ licensed professionals. Acceptable settings for supervised clinical experience are professional entities (PC, PLLC, LLP, a licensee's sole proprietorship or partnership), programs operated, regulated, funded, or approved by the Office of Mental Health, OCFS, DOCCS, OTDA, the Office for the Aging, the Department of Health, a local governmental unit or social services district, entities holding an Education Department waiver, federal facilities such as the VA, and public schools (Part 74.6(a)). A general business corporation or a not-for-profit without authority may not employ you to provide restricted services; the supervisor must file the setting's certificate or operating authority with Form 4B.
Already LicensedNew York
Endorsement needs ten years of practice
Licensure by endorsement is available to a clinical social worker licensed elsewhere with at least 10 years of licensed clinical practice in the 15 years before applying, where the original license rested on an MSW with clinical content, supervised post-MSW experience, and the ASWB Clinical exam (Part 74.9; Office of the Professions). Otherwise you apply as a new applicant; experience from another state counts if it was post-MSW, in an authorized setting, under a qualified supervisor (Part 74.3).
TitlesNew York
Exempt persons and the title line
Physicians, psychologists, nurses, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and other Article 163 licensees may practice within their own scope without a social work license, but none of them may use the titles LMSW or LCSW (§7706(1)). Employees of state-regulated programs were long exempt from licensure under a sunset provision that has been repeatedly extended; ask the Office of the Professions before relying on it.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
LMSW licensure and first registration
$294
NYS Education Department
ASWB Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
Child abuse identification course
provider's price
Approved provider
Limited permit (LMSW or LCSW)
$70
NYS Education Department
Plan for supervised experience review (Form 6)
$10
NYS Education Department
LCSW licensure and first registration
$294
NYS Education Department
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Triennial registration (statutory fee)
$155
NYS Education Department
Continuing education fee, each registration
$45
NYS Education Department
Conditional registration for CE shortfall
registration fee again + $45
NYS Education Department
Inactive registration
free
NYS Education Department
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $294 plus the $230 exam, so $524. LCSW on top of an existing LMSW: another $294 application and the $260 exam, so $554 more, plus whatever the three years of supervision cost you. The Office of the Professions bills $294 for licensure and first registration; the statute itemizes the license at $115 and the registration at $155, and the CE fee is $45 at each registration after the first.
Keeping the license
RenewalNew York
36 hours every three years, none in your first period
Since 1 January 2015 each LMSW and LCSW completes 36 hours of continuing education per triennial registration period, prorated at one hour per month for shorter periods, and none at all for the registration period in which you were first licensed (§7710; Part 74.10). Someone holding both licenses owes 36 hours total, not 72. Hours cannot carry over between periods.
RenewalNew York
Approved providers only, and self-study capped at twelve
Courses count only from a Department-approved provider. Self-study may make up no more than 12 hours in a three-year period. Teaching an approved course or presenting at an approved conference earns instructional time plus up to two hours of preparation per hour presented, once per topic unless the material is new (Part 74.10(c)). Independent study and study groups earn nothing.
Short on hours? Conditional registration, once, for up to a year
A licensee who has not met the CE requirement may not be registered and may not practice, unless the Department issues a conditional registration on a plan to make up the deficiency; the fee is the registration fee again on top of the regular one, and it lasts no more than a year (§7710(3)). Practicing after a denial is a disciplinary matter.
StatusNew York
Inactive is free; coming back has conditions
If you are not practicing or using the title in New York you may register inactive at no charge. Resuming practice means re-registering and meeting any resumption CE the regulations require (Part 74.10(e)). The Department may also adjust the CE requirement for certified health reasons, extended active military duty, or other good cause.
DutyNew York
Keep the certificates; failing to produce them is misconduct
Licensees must maintain adequate documentation of completed continuing education and provide it on the Department's request; failure to do so is an act of misconduct subject to discipline (§7710(2)(d)).
Where the Pennsylvania figures come from. The Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act (63 P.S. §1901 and following), the Board's regulations at 49 Pa. Code Chapter 47, and the State Board's own licensure snapshots, licensure guide, and 2025 renewal guide, all read from pa.gov and pacodeandbulletin.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors inside the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs; applications go through the PALS portal.
The three licenses
LicensePennsylvania
LBSW · Licensed Bachelor Social Worker
A CSWE-accredited bachelor's degree in social work or social welfare and the ASWB Bachelors exam (49 Pa. Code §47.12e; §47.11(b)). The practice of bachelor social work is basic generalist, nonclinical practice: interviewing, planning, case management, supportive counseling, information and referral, advocacy, community organization (Act §3).
LicensePennsylvania
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A CSWE-accredited master's in social work or social welfare, or a doctorate in social work, and the ASWB Masters exam; no experience requirement (§47.12a; §47.11(a)). An LSW may provide clinical services inside an affiliated practice or agency, but may not engage in the independent practice of clinical social work, which the Act reserves to the LCSW (Act §3, §16.1).
LicensePennsylvania
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The LSW license first, then 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience after the master's degree over no less than two and no more than six years, and the ASWB Clinical exam (§47.12c). Only an LCSW may advertise or engage in the independent practice of clinical social work or use the letters L.C.S.W. (Act §16.1, as amended by Act 76 of 2018).
TitlesPennsylvania
A title act with one practice restriction
Pennsylvania's Act protects the licensed titles and restricts one thing: independent clinical practice. It is unlawful to hold yourself out as a licensed bachelor social worker, licensed social worker, or licensed clinical social worker without the license (Act §4, §§16, 16.1, 16.4). The Act defines "social worker" as a person who holds a license or has received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from an accredited social work program (§3), so a degree holder may use the plain title; the word "licensed" and the letters are what the Board polices.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
Every Pennsylvania social work license rests on a degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education: a bachelor's for the LBSW, a master's or doctorate for the LSW and LCSW (49 Pa. Code §§47.12a, 47.12c, 47.12e). Graduates of programs in candidacy may apply once the program obtains accreditation (§47.12a(b)).
Every applicant completes at least three hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting before a license issues (§47.58(a); §47.12(6)). The provider reports your completion to the Bureau electronically; you do not upload the certificate. Tell the provider you are applying for Pennsylvania licensure so the report is sent.
Free option
The University of Pittsburgh Child Welfare Resource Center's online course, Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Mandated and Permissive Reporting in Pennsylvania, is free, carries 3 continuing education credits, and is approved for Act 31.
Apply on PALS, get fingerprinted, then register with ASWB
Apply through the Pennsylvania Licensing System with the fee, two Certificates of Recommendation on the Board's forms, transcripts sent directly by the school, and license verifications from every jurisdiction where you have held any health-related license (§47.12; licensure guide). Every new applicant completes a fingerprint-based FBI background check through IdentoGO using the service code from the application. When the Board finds you eligible it emails an approval letter with instructions to register with ASWB; eligibility lasts six months.
Final semester
A student in the final semester may be made eligible for the ASWB Masters exam before the degree is conferred, on an Education Verification form from the school; the official transcript follows at conferral.
Cost
$75 application and original license for the LBSW or LSW (§47.4(1)); $230 to ASWB for the Bachelors or Masters exam; the IdentoGO fingerprint fee is paid to the vendor.
After the master's degree, 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in a setting organized to prepare you for clinical practice, over at least two years and at most six, with at least 500 and no more than 1,800 hours credited in any twelve months (§47.12c(a)(5), (b)(9)). At least half the hours must be in assessment, psychotherapy, other psychosocial-therapeutic interventions, consultation, family therapy, or group therapy. The rules on supervisors, pace, and setting are in Supervision & Practicum.
A second PALS application with the verification of experience form your supervisor signs, attesting to compliance with the supervision standards (§47.12d). The Board approves you for the Clinical exam the same way it did for the Masters exam.
Cost
$90 application and original license for the LCSW (§47.4(5)); $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam.
All Board licenses expire together on the last day of the renewal month of every biennium, February 28 of odd-numbered years on the current schedule; renewals open on PALS 60 days before (§47.15; 2025 renewal guide). $95 to renew, a $5 late fee for each month or part of a month you are late, and no renewal without the continuing education below. See Keeping the license.
Pennsylvania deleted its provisional social worker license in 2014 (Act 179; §47.12b reserved). Because the Act protects titles rather than practice, a graduate may work under an employer's supervision while the LSW application is pending, as long as no licensed title is used. The LSW is itself a condition of the LCSW (§47.12c(a)(3)), and clinical hours count only after the master's degree and only under a supervisor who meets §47.1a (§47.12c(a)(5)).
Good Moral CharacterPennsylvania
The felony rule, and the ten-year door
Every applicant must be of good moral character and must not have been convicted of a felony under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act or its equivalent elsewhere, unless ten years have passed and the applicant shows significant rehabilitation such that licensure would not create a substantial risk to clients or of further offenses (§47.12(1), (2)). The fingerprint check is how the Board looks.
Already LicensedPennsylvania
Endorsement for the LCSW, and Act 41 portability
An LCSW licensed in good standing elsewhere may be licensed by endorsement without re-examination on a letter from the other state, a CSWE degree, a passed clinical exam the Board accepts, and 3,000 supervised clinical hours that met the other state's rules (§47.16). Separately, Act 41 lets every Pennsylvania board endorse licensees from states with substantially equivalent requirements who have practiced actively for two of the last five years without discipline (Board snapshot).
TitlesPennsylvania
Who may call themselves what
Only licensees may use "licensed bachelor social worker," "licensed social worker," or "licensed clinical social worker," or the letters L.B.S.W., L.S.W., or L.C.S.W. (Act §§16, 16.1, 16.4). Using a licensed title without the license is a third-degree misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and 90 days, and the Board may add a civil penalty of up to $10,000 (Act §17). Because the Act defines "social worker" to include anyone with an accredited social work degree, the unlicensed graduate may say social worker; the unlicensed graduate may not say licensed.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
LBSW or LSW application and original license
$75
State Board (PALS)
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
Child abuse recognition and reporting course (3 hours)
free to provider's price
Approved provider
Fingerprint-based FBI background check
vendor's fee
IdentoGO
LCSW application and original license
$90
State Board (PALS)
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, any license
$95
State Board (PALS)
Late renewal, per month or part of a month
$5
State Board
Verification of licensure
$15
State Board
Certification of license, scores, or hours
$25
State Board
$
What it adds up to. LSW: $75 plus the $230 exam, so $305, plus the fingerprint fee and the child abuse course if you pay for one. LCSW on top of an existing LSW: another $90 application and the $260 exam, so $350 more, plus whatever the two-plus years of supervision cost you. Fees are in 49 Pa. Code §47.4 and on the Board's snapshots; ASWB fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalPennsylvania
30 hours every two years: 3 ethics, 2 child abuse, 1 suicide prevention
Each biennium requires 30 clock hours of continuing education from Board-approved providers, including at least 3 in ethics and at least 2 in child abuse recognition and reporting from an Act 31 approved provider (§47.32; §47.58(b)), plus at least 1 hour in the assessment, treatment, and management of suicide under Act 74 of 2016 (renewal guide). Up to 20 of the 30 may be home study (§47.33(e)); since 19 November 2019 there is no live-hours requirement. Nothing in office management or practice building counts (§47.33(d)). Hours do not carry over.
A licensee first licensed during the current biennium is exempt from the 30-hour requirement at the first renewal, except that the 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting are still required of everyone (2025 renewal guide). Keep certificates for four years; the Board audits randomly and asks only then (§47.37, §47.38).
RenewalPennsylvania
Short on hours? Six months to make it up, and it costs you twice
A licensee found deficient on audit faces discipline or a citation and must make up the missing hours within six months of the warning letter, citation, or discipline; hours used to cure a deficiency cannot also count toward the current biennium (§47.37(c), (d)).
StatusPennsylvania
Inactive by letter; lapsed means the title stops
Tell the Board in writing that you do not intend to use the title in Pennsylvania and the license goes inactive with no late fees accruing; reactivation means paying the current fees and a sworn statement of the period you did not practice (§47.15(b), (c)). A licensee who simply fails to renew must stop using the licensed title at once, and using it while lapsed is prosecutable under §16 of the Act (§47.15(a)(2), (7)).
DutyPennsylvania
Address changes: ten days
A licensee who changes the mailing address of record must notify the Board in writing within 10 days (§47.15(a)(3)); the conduct rules separately require notice of name or mailing changes within 30 days (§47.79(c)). Meet the shorter one.
Where the Illinois figures come from. The Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act (225 ILCS 20), the Department's rules at 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1470 and the uniform continuing education rules in Part 1130 Subpart E, and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's own qualification sheets and continuing education fact sheet, all read from ilga.gov and idfpr.illinois.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), advised by the Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board; applications go through the CORE portal. One warning up front: Public Act 104-702 rewrites the experience rules on 1 January 2027, and both versions are given below.
The two licenses
LicenseIllinois
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
The supervised-practice license, and since 1 January 2022 there is no exam for it (Public Act 102-326; 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.70(a)). Two doors: a CSWE-accredited master's in social work with no experience requirement, or a CSWE-accredited bachelor's plus three years of supervised professional experience, which becomes 3,000 hours within four years on 1 January 2027 (225 ILCS 20/9A). An LSW may provide clinical social work services, but only under the order, control, and full professional responsibility of an LCSW, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a psychiatrist, never in independent practice (20/10(c); 1470.97).
LicenseIllinois
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The independent-practice license: a master's in social work plus 3,000 hours of supervised clinical professional experience after the degree (2,000 after a social work doctorate), and either the ASWB Clinical exam or, for someone who has attempted it since 2019 and not passed, an examination alternative of 3,000 further supervised hours (225 ILCS 20/9, 20/8.2). From 1 January 2027 the clinical hours count only if earned as an LSW or while lawfully practicing under a pending LSW application (20/9 as amended by P.A. 104-702).
No Bachelor's LicenseIllinois
The BSW leads to the LSW, three years later
Illinois has no bachelor-level license. A BSW graduate reaches the LSW through three years of supervised professional experience under an LSW, an LCSW, or another supervisor the Board accepts, with at least four hours of supervision a month (1470.20(b)); after 1 January 2027, 3,000 hours within four years (20/9A(3)(b) as amended).
TitlesIllinois
"Social worker" itself is a protected title here
Without a current LSW, no one may claim to be a social worker to the public, use the title "social worker" or "licensed social worker," or describe services as social work; without an LCSW, the same for "clinical social worker" (225 ILCS 20/10(a), (b)). Trainees accruing hours are exempt if their title clearly shows training status, and students in a supervised course of study are exempt (20/4(1)(c), (d)). Practicing or claiming to practice without a license carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense (20/10.5).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
Every Illinois social work license rests on a social work degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; a degree in a related field is not accepted, and a foreign degree needs a CSWE International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service equivalency (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.30; IDFPR qualification sheets).
File the LSW application in IDFPR's CORE portal with proof of education, a Certification of Education form from the school or an official final transcript, and, for BSW applicants, a VE-SW form from each supervisor and site (1470.10(b); LSW qualification sheet). There is no examination. The application stays active for three years.
Cost
$50 application fee (1470.55(a)(1)). Nothing to ASWB.
Practice under supervision while the application is pending
Since 1 January 2026 an applicant may practice under supervision while the license application is pending, once IDFPR has acknowledged receipt: show the employer the CORE screen that says the application is pending and authorize IDFPR to release its status (225 ILCS 20/9B). The authority ends the moment IDFPR finds you ineligible or issues the license.
Step 4Illinois
Earn 3,000 supervised clinical hours
After the master's degree, 3,000 hours of supervised clinical professional experience under an LCSW, at 30 to 40 hours a week full time or up to 29 part time, with an average of at least four hours of supervision a month (1470.20(a)). Until 31 December 2026 the hours need only follow the degree; from 1 January 2027 they must be earned as an LSW or under a pending application that is ultimately granted, and hours earned before that date under the old rule still count (20/9 as amended). The rules on supervisors and settings are in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW, and sit the Clinical exam while it is reviewed
File the LCSW application on CORE with the VE-SW form from each clinical supervisor. Since January 2025 IDFPR grants exam approval at the time of application to anyone who applied in good faith, so you register through Continental Testing Services and sit the ASWB Clinical exam while the application is still being evaluated (225 ILCS 20/8(7); IDFPR notice). Scores go from ASWB to IDFPR directly.
Cost
$50 application fee (1470.55(a)(1)); $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam, each attempt.
If you fail
An applicant who attempted the Clinical exam on or after 1 January 2019 and did not pass may instead complete 3,000 additional hours of supervised professional experience, in addition to the clinical hours, within a window running from ten years before the application to three years after it, supervised by an LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or advanced practice psychiatric nurse; since 1 January 2026 those hours must be earned as an LSW or school social worker (20/8.2; 1470.10(a)(2)).
Every Illinois social work license expires on 30 November of odd-numbered years, so the first period may be shorter than two years; renewal opens 60 days before, at $30 a year, so $60 for the biennium (1470.90; 1470.55(b); 225 ILCS 20/11(a)). No continuing education is required for the first renewal; after that, 30 hours with the topics in Keeping the license.
Students in a supervised course of study; people obtaining experience for licensure who use a title that clearly shows training status; employees of the federal government, the State, or a unit of local government acting in their official duties, except that clinical social workers hired by the State after 1994 must hold the LCSW; and out-of-state clinicians providing telehealth to their own nonresident clients for up to 5 days a month and 15 a year, or to a nonresident attending an Illinois college (225 ILCS 20/4). Volunteers and ministers are covered as long as no protected title is used.
Already LicensedIllinois
Endorsement, and the five-year shortcut
IDFPR may license by endorsement, without the exam, anyone licensed elsewhere under substantially equivalent requirements. An LCSW applicant licensed at the independent level in another U.S. jurisdiction for five consecutive years without discipline need not prove the education or the supervised hours at all, only certified verification of licensure (225 ILCS 20/12.5). The endorsement application fee is $200 (1470.55(a)(2)). From 2027 the other state's failure to require licensure during the hours does not bar endorsement (20/12.5 as amended).
Business FormIllinois
Only licensees may own the practice
No business may provide social work or clinical social work services unless every owner and every employee who renders those services is licensed under the Act, and the business must be a professional service corporation, a medical corporation, or a professional limited liability company (225 ILCS 20/10(d)). Hospitals and physicians' entities are carved out (20/10(e), (f)). Details in Private Practice.
TitlesIllinois
The letters on your card
"LSW" and "LCSW" belong to licensees; IDFPR prints the academic degree on the license itself (225 ILCS 20/11(g)). A supervisee's clients must be told the intern's status and the supervisor's name (1470.96(a)(11)). An LSW working in an LCSW's independent practice must be an employee, never an independent contractor (1470.97(c)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
LSW application
$50
IDFPR
LSW exam
none
no exam since 2022
LCSW application
$50
IDFPR
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB, via Continental Testing Services
Application by endorsement (LSW or LCSW)
$200
IDFPR
Renewal, per year (billed for the biennium)
$30
IDFPR
Reinstatement, expired under 5 years
$50 plus lapsed renewals
IDFPR
Restoration, expired over 5 years
$200
IDFPR
Certification of record
$20
IDFPR
Out-of-state CE program approval
$25 (late: plus $10 an hour, max $150)
IDFPR
$
What it adds up to. LSW: $50, full stop, since there is no exam. LCSW on top of an existing LSW: $50 plus the $260 exam, so $310 more, plus whatever the 3,000 hours of supervision cost you. Fees are in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.55 as amended 4 June 2024; ASWB fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalIllinois
30 hours every two years, with five named pieces inside them
Every renewal after the first requires 30 hours of continuing education relevant to practice, including at least 3 in the ethical practice of social work and 3 in cultural competence (1470.95(a)(1)), plus the Department-wide hours that count inside the 30: 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention every renewal (1130.400), 1 hour of implicit bias awareness every renewal (1130.500), and 1 hour on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias every six years for anyone serving adults 26 and older (1130.550). Beginning with the renewal ending 30 November 2027, every LCSW completes a one-time 6 hours of clinical supervision training, at the second renewal after initial licensure for new LCSWs (1470.95(a)(2)).
Approved sponsors, remote courses with a test, and out-of-state paperwork
Hours come from approved sponsors: NASW and its affiliates, ASWB and its affiliates, AAMFT, hospitals licensed in Illinois, Division-approved counselor, psychologist, and MFT sponsors, accredited colleges, State and federal agencies, and sponsors IDFPR approves directly (1470.95(c)(1)). Remote and self-study courses count only from an approved sponsor and only with an examination (1470.95(b)(2)). A course in another state from a non-approved sponsor needs an out-of-state approval form and $25 in advance (1470.95(e)). Teaching earns 1.5 hours per hour taught, once; a published paper or presentation earns 5, once (1470.95(b)(4), (5)).
RenewalIllinois
Mandated reporter training is separate, and it is every three years
As a mandated reporter under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act you must complete initial mandated reporter training, including a section on implicit bias, within three months of starting in a professional capacity, and again at least every three years (325 ILCS 5/4(j)). DCFS's online course is free. This runs on its own clock and is not part of the 30 CE hours.
Inactive by written notice; expired means no practice
A licensee may place the license on inactive status in writing and pay no renewal fees until restoring it; practicing while inactive or lapsed is practicing without a license and a ground for discipline (225 ILCS 20/11(a-5)). Restoration within five years means the current fee, lapsed fees where applicable, and 30 hours of CE from the prior two years; an LCSW with a clean record gets one free pass on the fee and fitness proof (1470.80; 20/11(h)).
DutyIllinois
Keep the certificates; IDFPR audits at random
Renewal is a yes-or-no certification of compliance; IDFPR requires proof only in a random audit, and it is your job to retain the certificates (1470.95(d)). A licensee who cannot show the hours may request a Board interview, and discipline can follow (1470.95(d)(3)). A waiver for military service, documented incapacitating illness, or other extenuating circumstances must be requested before the renewal date (1470.95(f)).
Where the Ohio figures come from. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4757, the Board's rules at Ohio Administrative Code Chapters 4757-1 through 4757-23, and the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board's own LSW and LISW license instructions, all read from codes.ohio.gov and cswmft.ohio.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT), acting through its Social Work Professional Standards Committee; applications go through eLicense Ohio. Ohio has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (ORC 4757.52).
The three credentials
RegistrationOhio
SWA · Social Work Assistant
A certificate of registration, not a license, for someone with an associate degree in social service technology or an equivalent or related bachelor's degree the committee approves (ORC 4757.29). Under direct supervision, an SWA may do intake, screening, crisis intervention, case management, outreach, social assessment, advocacy, and education; an SWA is not authorized to practice social work (4757.26(D)).
LicenseOhio
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A bachelor's, master's, or doctorate in social work and the ASWB exam that matches the degree: Bachelors for the BSW, Masters for the MSW (ORC 4757.28; Board LSW instructions). An LSW may diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders only under the supervision of an independent social worker, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, an LPCC, an IMFT, or a psychiatric nurse with a master's degree, and may not run a private practice (4757.26(A), (C)).
LicenseOhio
LISW · Licensed Independent Social Worker
An MSW, two full years and 3,000 hours of post-MSW, post-LSW social work experience with 150 hours of training supervision from an LISW-S, and the ASWB Clinical exam (ORC 4757.27; OAC 4757-19-02; Board LISW instructions). The LISW may diagnose, treat, and practice privately as an individual, partner, or group member (4757.26(B)). The Advanced Generalist exam stops qualifying for the LISW on 10 July 2026, to align Ohio with the Compact.
Supervision DesignationOhio
LISW-S · the "S" that lets an LISW supervise toward licensure
Since 1 September 2008, hours toward the LISW count only under an LISW who holds the supervision designation. Getting the S requires demonstrated competence in the area supervised, training in supervision theory and practice, and training in legal and ethical issues, and it carries its own continuing education (OAC 4757-23-01(C), (F)(2); 4757-9-01(C)(2)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
The LSW takes a BSW, BSSW, or BASW from an accredited college, or an MSW or MSSA from a CSWE-accredited program; a degree in another field no longer qualifies (ORC 4757.28; Board LSW instructions). The LISW requires the CSWE-accredited master's, and a program in candidacy counts (4757.27(B)(1)).
Apply for the LSW on eLicense, in your final semester if you like
Apply on eLicense Ohio with the fee, pick the exam that matches your degree, and attach a diploma, an unofficial transcript, or a letter of good standing on school letterhead giving your anticipated completion; final-semester students may apply and be approved for the exam before graduation (OAC 4757-19-04(A)(2); Board LSW instructions). Then, in any order: complete the BCI and FBI background checks, which are valid for one year; watch the Board's Laws and Rules video and attest to it; and have the official transcript showing the conferred degree emailed to the Board, since the license cannot issue without it.
Cost
$80 for the LSW plus a $3.50 processing fee (OAC 4757-1-05(D)(4); Board); BCI and FBI fees at the WebCheck location; $230 to ASWB for the Bachelors or Masters exam.
Wait for the pre-approval email, then register with ASWB
Once the Board reviews the application it emails an exam pre-approval; you then register with ASWB and schedule at a Pearson VUE center (OAC 4757-19-04(A)). The approval is valid for twelve months, and a failed attempt does not require re-approval while it lasts; after it expires you request exam re-approval from your license tile. The email often lands in spam; the eLicense dashboard shows "Exam Eligible" either way.
Two full years and 3,000 hours as an LSW, under an LISW-S
At least 24 unique months and 3,000 hours of post-MSW, post-LSW supervised social work experience, with no more than 1,500 hours credited in any twelve months, and at least 150 hours of training supervision averaging one hour per 20 hours of work (OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2); 4757-23-01(F)). Overlapping supervisors add hours but not months. The supervisee keeps the log; the last supervisor submits all unreported hours to the Board online. The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
After your last supervisor files the Professional Employment Reference with the hours and a recommendation, apply for the LISW on eLicense, attach the degree or transcript, complete fresh BCI and FBI checks if the old ones are over a year old, and watch the Laws and Rules video again. The Board's pre-approval email opens ASWB registration for the Clinical exam (Board LISW instructions). Applicants who fail may re-register under ASWB's rules while the twelve-month approval lasts.
Cost
$100 for the LISW plus a $3.50 processing fee (OAC 4757-1-05(D)(3)); $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam.
A license expires two years from the date it was issued or last renewed, not on a fixed calendar (OAC 4757-7-01). Renewal costs the same as the original license, $80 for an LSW and $100 for an LISW, with a $40 late fee, and requires the 30 hours of continuing education in Keeping the license (4757-1-05(D); ORC 4757.32, 4757.33). A lapsed license can be restored for up to two years without retaking the exam (ORC 4757.32).
An applicant who has finished the coursework, passed the exam, and is waiting for the degree to be conferred may hold a temporary LSW for up to 90 days on a letter from the school stating the requirements are met and when the degree will confer; it may be renewed once for another 90 days and costs $20 (ORC 4757.28(C); OAC 4757-19-06; 4757-1-05(D)(6)).
TraineeOhio
SWT registration for practicum students
A master's student enrolled in a practicum, internship, or field course may register as a Social Worker Trainee; the Board does not require it, but a placement agency may. It needs BCI and FBI checks, proof of enrollment naming the course and term, and it lasts the dates of the course plus 60 days, up to twelve months; a graduate who has applied for the LSW may extend it up to six months after the degree confers, at the same site (OAC 4757-1-10; Board trainee instructions). The title must be used exactly as written, and clients must be told you are a student under supervision.
Already LicensedOhio
Endorsement, and thirty days of conditional practice
A social worker licensed elsewhere applies for the LSW or LISW by endorsement with the application, the fee, verification of every license held and its disciplinary history, proof of having passed the required exam, and background checks (OAC 4757-19-07). A nonresident whose home license is equivalent may be granted conditional permission to practice in Ohio for up to 30 days in any six-month period, for $50 (4757-1-09; 4757-1-05(G)). Ohio is also a Compact member; multistate licenses are not yet being issued.
TitlesOhio
"Social worker" is a licensed title, and practice for pay needs the license
No one may practice or claim to practice social work for a fee, salary, or other consideration without an LSW or LISW, and no one may use the title "social worker," "independent social worker," or "social work assistant," or any title or initials incorporating them, without the license or registration (ORC 4757.02(A)(2), (B)(2)). A first offense is a fourth-degree misdemeanor and each later one a third-degree misdemeanor (4757.99). Students in a supervised course of study who do not hold themselves out as licensed are exempt, as are other licensed professions within their own scope (4757.41(A)(3), (6)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
LSW application, two-year license
$80 + $3.50
CSWMFT Board (eLicense)
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
BCI and FBI background checks
vendor's fee
WebCheck location
Temporary LSW, up to 90 days
$20
CSWMFT Board
LISW application, two-year license
$100 + $3.50
CSWMFT Board (eLicense)
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Social work assistant registration
$60
CSWMFT Board
Biennial renewal, LSW / LISW
$80 / $100
CSWMFT Board
Late renewal
$40
CSWMFT Board
Inactive-escrow status, LSW / LISW, two years
$40 / $50
CSWMFT Board
Conditional permission to practice, per six months
$50
CSWMFT Board
Written license verification to another state
$25
CSWMFT Board
$
What it adds up to. LSW: $83.50 plus the $230 exam, so $313.50, plus the background checks. LISW on top of an existing LSW: $103.50 plus the $260 exam, so $363.50 more, plus fresh background checks and whatever two years of supervision cost you. Fees are in OAC 4757-1-05 as amended 18 August 2025 and on the Board's instructions; ASWB fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalOhio
30 clock hours every two years, 3 of them ethics
Every LSW and LISW completes 30 clock hours of continuing professional education in social work during each two-year license period, at least 3 of them in ethics; an LISW-S adds 3 hours in supervision; a social work assistant needs 15 (ORC 4757.33; OAC 4757-9-01(C), (D)). A clock hour is sixty minutes; a semester hour of college coursework is 15 clock hours; first-time presentations earn 1.5 hours per hour up to 10; a published journal article earns up to 10 and a book up to 30 (4757-9-04). Hours must be earned after the license issued or was last renewed (4757-7-01(B)(1)).
Approved providers, and the domestic violence course you are not required to take
Credit comes from programs approved under OAC 4757-9-05 and 4757-9-06, in the formats the rule names: institutes, seminars, conferences, staff development, workshops, accredited courses, teleconferences, distance learning, and video conferencing; a program approved for one Board license counts for all of them (4757-9-06(B)). The Board approves courses on recognizing domestic violence and its relation to child abuse, but the statute says plainly that licensees are not required to take them (ORC 4757.34).
RenewalOhio
Two licenses, two sets of hours
A licensee holding more than one Board license must satisfy the continuing education requirement for each, though a course approved for both and completed inside both renewal periods can be used for both (OAC 4757-7-01(B)(2)). The Board may waive the requirement for military service, illness, residence abroad, or other cause it accepts (ORC 4757.33(C)).
StatusOhio
Inactive-escrow at renewal; coming back costs six ethics hours
At renewal a licensee who will not practice may place the license in inactive-escrow status for $40 or $50, with a signed statement of no active practice (OAC 4757-7-03(A); 4757-1-05(E)). Restoration requires the fee and 30 hours of continuing education from the two years before the application, with 6 hours of ethics instead of 3, and those hours cannot then be reused for the next renewal (4757-7-03(B)). Practicing while inactive is practicing without a license (ORC 4757.321(C)).
DutyOhio
Report a felony at conviction, and address changes at once
Licensees must report to the Board at the time of conviction any felony or judicial action in lieu of a felony conviction (OAC 4757-5-10(B)), keep certificates of completion in the form the Board prescribes for renewal verification (4757-9-07), and keep the address current on eLicense; a knowingly false statement on a renewal is falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor (4757-7-01(A)).
Where the Michigan figures come from. Part 185 of the Public Health Code (MCL 333.18501 to 333.18518), the general provisions of Part 161, the Social Work General Rules (Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2921 to R 338.2965), and the Bureau of Professional Licensing's licensing guides revised 26 January 2026, read from legislature.mi.gov, ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us, and michigan.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the Michigan Board of Social Work inside the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA); applications, renewals, and address changes go through the MiPLUS portal. Michigan has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
The credentials
RegistrationMichigan
SST · Social Service Technician
A registration, not a license, for someone with one year of acceptable social work experience or two years of college with human services coursework, employed in the practice of social work and working only under the supervision of an LMSW or LBSW (MCL 333.18501(1)(h), 333.18507; R 338.2933). A limited SST registration lets a person with 60 semester credits and a job offer earn the 2,000 hours the full registration takes; it lasts one year and renews once (R 338.2931).
Limited LicenseMichigan
LLBSW and LLMSW · the licenses you earn your hours on
Michigan issues a limited license to anyone who has completed the education for the bachelor's or master's license so they can accumulate the two years of post-degree experience the full license requires (MCL 333.18509(2)). A limited licensee practices under the supervision of an LMSW and only in an agency, health facility, institution, or other entity the Board approves (333.18506). The limited license is valid one year and may be renewed no more than six times, with no provision for an extension (R 338.2939(4); R 338.2947(4); Board guide).
LicenseMichigan
LBSW · Licensed Bachelor's Social Worker
A bachelor's degree in social work from a Board-approved program, 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience over at least two years under an LMSW, earned on a limited license, and the ASWB Bachelors exam (MCL 333.18509(1)(a); R 338.2941). Practice at the bachelor's level covers case management, assessment, referral, and intervention, and excludes psychotherapy and the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders (333.18501(1)(f), (4)).
LicenseMichigan
LMSW · Licensed Master's Social Worker, with a clinical or macro designation
A master's or doctorate in social work from a Board-approved program, 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience over at least two years under an LMSW holding the same designation, earned on a limited license, and the ASWB Clinical exam for the clinical designation or the Advanced Generalist exam for the macro designation (MCL 333.18509(1)(b); R 338.2949, R 338.2951, R 338.2953). Michigan does not accept the ASWB Masters exam. The clinical designation is the one that covers assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, and private practice (333.18501(1)(g)(iii)); a second designation can be added later with 2,000 more hours and the other exam (R 338.2949(4)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
The Board approves any social work program accredited by CSWE, or recognized by CSWE as equivalent, and may approve a program it finds substantially equivalent (R 338.2923(2)). The BSW leads to the LBSW; the MSW or DSW leads to the LMSW (MCL 333.18509(1)). An LMSW who works for a school district must also meet the school social worker requirements of the Revised School Code (333.18509(1)(b)).
Apply for the limited license on MiPLUS as soon as the degree is done
Hours count only while you hold a Michigan limited license, so this comes before the first day of work (R 338.2941(3); R 338.2949(3)(a)). Apply on MiPLUS with the fee; have the school send the final official transcript to bpldata@michigan.gov; complete the fingerprint criminal history check from the emailed instructions (MCL 333.16174(3)); and be ready to attest to two hours of implicit bias training taken within the previous five years and to training in identifying victims of human trafficking (R 338.2929; Board guide). Every requirement of an application must be met within two years of its receipt or the fees are forfeited (333.16307(3), as quoted in the Board's guide).
Cost
$44 for the LLBSW or LLMSW, covering the application and the first year (Board guides, January 2026); the fingerprint vendor's fee on top.
Two years and 4,000 hours under an LMSW, on the limited license
At least 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised work experience over not less than two years, no more than 2,080 hours in any twelve months, averaging 16 to 40 hours a week, in a Board-approved setting, with at least four hours a month of supervisory review of which two are individual (R 338.2941(1)(b), (4); R 338.2949(1)(b), (3)). For the LMSW the supervisor must hold the designation you are seeking, clinical or macro, and the experience must be of that kind (R 338.2951, R 338.2953). The limited license renews yearly, at most six times (R 338.2947(4)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Michigan makes you exam-eligible after the hours, not before. When the 4,000 hours are complete, each Michigan supervisor completes the Supervisor's Verification of Social Work Experience form and it goes to bpldata@michigan.gov with "SW Exam Eligibility" in the subject line; the Bureau then clears you to register with ASWB (Board guide). Take the Bachelors exam for the LBSW, the Clinical exam for the clinical LMSW, or the Advanced Generalist exam for the macro LMSW (R 338.2925). Have ASWB send the score directly to the Bureau.
Cost
$230 to ASWB for the Bachelors exam; $260 for the Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam.
Apply for the LBSW or LMSW on MiPLUS with the fee, the transcript and supervisor verifications already on file, the ASWB score, and verification from any other state where you hold or held a license, plus a fresh criminal background check (Board guides; MCL 333.16174). Endorsement applicants licensed ten years or more elsewhere are presumed qualified; those licensed under ten years show 4,000 hours and pass the matching exam (R 338.2943; R 338.2957).
Cost
$99 for the LBSW or LMSW, covering the application and the three-year license (Board guides, January 2026).
A full license is valid three years from the date it was issued and can be renewed on MiPLUS starting 90 days before it expires; the renewal fee is $82.50 and requires the 45 hours of continuing education, the implicit bias hours, and the human trafficking training in Keeping the license (Board guides; R 338.2961). Sixty days after expiry an unrenewed license is void, and relicensure within three years means fees plus the continuing education you would have needed; after three years the relicensure rules add supervised hours and, past seven years, the exam again (MCL 333.16201; R 338.2945; R 338.2955).
"Social worker" belongs to the LBSW and LMSW, and practice needs the license
Only a licensed bachelor's social worker may use "licensed bachelor's social worker," "social worker," or "l.b.s.w.," and only a licensed master's social worker may use "licensed master's social worker," "social worker," or "l.m.s.w." (MCL 333.18503(2)). Practicing or holding yourself out as practicing a health profession without a license, or outside the terms of a limited license, is a felony (333.16294). Students in a Board-approved training program are exempt while performing assigned duties (333.16171(a)).
Already LicensedMichigan
Endorsement from another state or a Canadian province
An applicant with an active license in good standing who has practiced at the relevant level for ten years is presumed to meet Michigan's requirements; under ten years, the applicant passes the matching ASWB exam and documents 4,000 hours of experience at that level (R 338.2943; R 338.2957). Every license ever held must be disclosed and verified by the issuing board as free of pending discipline and sanctions (MCL 333.16174(2), (6)). Michigan is not a Compact state.
TrainingsMichigan
Two trainings before the license issues
Every applicant must have completed training in identifying victims of human trafficking that covers the types and venues of trafficking, identifying victims and warning signs in health care settings, and reporting resources, from a recognized health organization, a state or federal agency, an approved educational program, or a peer-reviewed article (R 338.2929). Since 1 June 2022 every new licensee and registrant also needs two hours of implicit bias training taken within the five years before issuance; keep the certificate six years (Board guides).
CharacterMichigan
Good moral character, fingerprints, and English
Licensees must be 18, of good moral character, have a working knowledge of English, and pay the fees (MCL 333.16174(1)). Every initial applicant submits fingerprints for a state police and FBI criminal history check (333.16174(3)). A prior judgment is weighed under Michigan's good moral character statute for whether you can serve the public in a fair, honest, and open manner (Board guides; MCL 338.41 to 338.47).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Limited license (LLBSW or LLMSW), application plus one year
$44
LARA (MiPLUS)
Limited license yearly renewal, up to six times
$27.50
LARA (MiPLUS)
Fingerprint criminal history check
vendor's fee
Livescan vendor
ASWB Bachelors exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
LBSW or LMSW, application plus three-year license
$99
LARA (MiPLUS)
Three-year renewal, LBSW or LMSW
$82.50
LARA (MiPLUS)
Second LMSW designation
$16.50
LARA (MiPLUS)
Relicensure after a lapse, LBSW or LMSW
$119
LARA (MiPLUS)
Relicensure of a limited license
$64
LARA (MiPLUS)
$
What it adds up to. LMSW from graduation: $44 for the limited license, $27.50 for each yearly renewal you need (one, if you finish in two years), the $260 exam, and $99 for the full license, so $430.50 over two years, plus fingerprinting. LBSW is the same path with the $230 exam, so $400.50. The statute's base schedule is in MCL 333.16348; the totals above are what the Bureau's January 2026 guides say MiPLUS charges, and ASWB fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalMichigan
45 contact hours every three years, half of them live
A licensee renewing after a full three-year cycle needs at least 45 continuing education contact hours approved under R 338.2963, earned in the three years before renewal: at least 5 in ethics, 2 in pain and symptom management, and 2 in human trafficking (MCL 333.18516; R 338.2961(1) to (4)). One half must be completed in person or in a format with live, synchronous contact; hours do not carry forward, and the same course cannot be counted twice in a cycle (R 338.2963(1) to (3)). Keep the documentation five years; renewal is a certification and the Board audits (R 338.2961(5)).
Implicit bias, one hour for every year of the cycle
Since 2022 every renewal requires at least one hour of implicit bias training for each year of the license cycle, so three hours for a three-year license and one for each year of a limited license; since 23 March 2023 those hours also count toward the 45, and acceptable formats include live webinars, live presentations, and asynchronous webinars (Board guides). Human trafficking training must also be certified at every renewal.
RenewalMichigan
What counts
Programs approved or offered by ASWB, NASW, or an NASW state chapter, without limit; academic courses from a Board-approved program, at 15 contact hours per semester credit; programs approved by another state's social work board, without limit; presenting a Board-approved program outside your regular job, at 3 hours per 60 minutes up to 15 a cycle; and publishing a peer-reviewed article or textbook chapter, up to 10 a cycle (R 338.2963(4)). The Bureau partners with CE Broker for tracking.
StatusMichigan
Sixty days of grace, then void
A license not renewed by its expiration date may still be renewed within 60 days with the late fee and the continuing education, and you may keep practicing during those 60 days (MCL 333.16201(2)). After that it is null and void and you may not practice or use the title; relicensure within three years takes the fees and the continuing education that would have been due, and after three years the rules add 480 or 1,000 hours of supervised work on a limited license and, past seven years, the exam again, unless you are actively licensed elsewhere (333.16201(3), (4); R 338.2945; R 338.2955).
DutyMichigan
Thirty days for a new name, address, or conviction
Report any change of name, mailing address, or e-mail address to the Department within 30 days (MCL 333.16192(1)), and any criminal conviction or any disciplinary action by another state within 30 days of the date it happened (333.16222(3), (4)); failing to do either is itself a ground for discipline (333.16221(f), (g)).
Where the Massachusetts figures come from. M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 130 to 137, the Board's regulations at 258 CMR 8.00 through 31.00 (the Mass. Register #1546 edition, April 2025), the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure's fee schedule, and ASWB's Massachusetts application instructions, all read from malegislature.gov, mass.gov, and aswb.org in September 2026. The licensing body is the Board of Registration of Social Workers, inside the Department of Public Health's Bureau of Health Professions Licensure. ASWB processes new applications on the Board's behalf; renewals run through the state's Health Professions Licensing Portal. Massachusetts has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.
The four licenses
LicenseMassachusetts
LSWA · Licensed Social Work Associate
An associate degree or 60 credits in a human services field, a bachelor's in any field, or 1,000 hours of Board-approved social work education, plus the Associate-level passing score on the ASWB Bachelors exam and three references (258 CMR 9.06). An LSWA gathers intake information, connects people to resources, and collects data, always as an employee under a licensed social worker's supervision (12.04).
LicenseMassachusetts
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A CSWE-accredited BSW and the ASWB Bachelors exam, with three references, one from the most recent field placement supervisor or an LCSW or LICSW (258 CMR 9.05(1)(a), (3), (4)). A bachelor's in another field can substitute with 3,500 supervised hours over two years, and the rule runs down to a high school diploma plus ten years (9.05(1)(b) to (f)). The LSW provides non-clinical services and non-clinical case management as an employee under supervision (12.03).
LicenseMassachusetts
LCSW · Licensed Certified Social Worker
A CSWE-accredited MSW or doctorate and the ASWB Masters exam, which the rule calls the Intermediate exam, passed within two years of applying, plus three references (258 CMR 9.04). No post-degree hours. An LCSW may provide clinical services and psychotherapy, but only as an employee of an agency, facility, or unrelated individual under an LICSW's weekly clinical supervision, never as an independent practitioner, and may not clinically supervise anyone (12.02(1), (7)).
LicenseMassachusetts
LICSW · Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
An MSW, a current or past LCSW (or an equivalent license elsewhere), 3,500 hours of clinical social work over at least two years counted from the LCSW's issue date, 100 hours of individual face-to-face clinical supervision from an LICSW, the ASWB Clinical exam within two years of applying, and three references including one from a clinical supervisor (258 CMR 9.03). The LICSW practices autonomously in any setting, supervises, consults, and is the only level that may practice independently (12.01; M.G.L. c. 112, § 133).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
Every level above the LSWA rests on a degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a foreign degree CSWE finds equivalent (258 CMR 9.03(1), 9.04(1), 9.05(1)(a)). Have the school send the official transcript electronically to mass.sw.app@aswb.org when you apply; ASWB will not accept it from you (ASWB instructions).
Apply for the LCSW through ASWB right after the MSW
Massachusetts has no post-degree hours for the LCSW, so the application can go in as soon as the degree confers. File online with ASWB's Massachusetts unit: the transcript sent directly from the school, three references, one of them from your most recent advanced field placement supervisor documenting the placement, a notarized Criminal Offender Record Information acknowledgment form, and a two-inch color photo (258 CMR 9.04; ASWB instructions). You cannot register for the exam until the application is approved, and approval arrives by email.
Cost
$173 application fee, which is ASWB's $105 processing fee plus the Board's $68 application fee, non-refundable (Bureau fee schedule; ASWB).
Once approved, register with ASWB for the Masters exam and schedule it; a passing score is valid for two years from the score report (258 CMR 9.04(2); 9.10(5)). While the application is pending and you are exam-approved, you may work under the direct personal supervision of an LICSW or LCSW as a "social work intern" or "social work trainee," as long as you have not failed the exam more than once (9.02(3)). The license fee is due after the exam and the other requirements are met.
Cost
$230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; then $68 for the LCSW license (Bureau fee schedule; ASWB).
3,500 clinical hours over two years as an LCSW, with 100 hours of LICSW supervision
The LICSW clock starts on the LCSW's issue date: at least 3,500 hours of clinical social work services under 258 CMR 12.02(1) or (2), over not less than two years, with at least 100 hours of individual face-to-face clinical supervision from an LICSW, at one hour for every 35 hours worked and no more than one a week, prorated for part-time work (258 CMR 9.03(3), (4); ASWB instructions). Supervisors must be licensed where the supervision happens, and every hour must be complete on the application date. The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LICSW, pass the Clinical exam, and enroll with MassHealth
Apply through ASWB with the transcript, your LCSW number, two professional references from licensed clinicians and one from the LICSW who supervised the hours, the notarized CORI form, and the photo; the Clinical exam is registered after approval and the score must be under two years old when the license issues (258 CMR 9.03(5), (6); ASWB instructions). Every LICSW must also apply to enroll with MassHealth as a fully participating or non-billing ordering and referring provider, whether or not they bill it; the Board will not issue or renew the license without that attestation (M.G.L. c. 112, § 131; Board).
Cost
$173 application fee, $260 for the Clinical exam, then $82 for the LICSW license (Bureau fee schedule; ASWB).
The first license runs at least 24 months and expires on your next birthday after that; every renewal after is on the second anniversary of that birthday (258 CMR 9.08). Renew on the Health Professions Licensing Portal with the continuing education for your level and the domestic and sexual violence training in Keeping the license; an unrenewed license means you are unlicensed the day after expiry, with a year to reinstate on payment of the late fee (9.09(2), (5)).
Cost
$82 LICSW, $68 LCSW, $54 LSW, $42 LSWA every two years; $57 late fee (Bureau fee schedule).
No one may practice social work without a license, hold themselves out as any licensed level, or engage in or claim the independent practice of clinical social work without the LICSW; the penalty is a fine of up to $500, up to three months, or both (M.G.L. c. 112, § 133). Employees of state, county, or municipal agencies may practice and use the title social worker within their agency's work without a license, and a license cannot be required for civil service exams or public employment (§ 134; 258 CMR 9.02(1)). Students and interns practice under qualified supervision under titles like "social work student" or "social work intern" (§ 134; 9.02(2)).
Already LicensedMassachusetts
Reciprocity without a new exam
A social worker licensed in another ASWB member state may be licensed without re-examination if the other state's education and experience requirements and scope of practice are substantially equivalent to the Massachusetts level sought, the license was obtained by passing the matching ASWB exam, and it is in good standing (258 CMR 9.07; M.G.L. c. 112, § 132). Reciprocity applications cost more, from $229 for an LSWA to $349 for an LICSW including the license fee (Bureau fee schedule). Massachusetts is not a Compact state.
BackgroundMassachusetts
CORI acknowledgment, photo, and references
Every application includes a notarized Criminal Offender Record Information acknowledgment form and a clear two-inch color photo uploaded to the portal (ASWB instructions), and three references on the Board's forms attesting to good moral character and to practice in accordance with generally accepted standards (258 CMR 9.03(6), 9.04(3), 9.05(4), 9.06(3)). An applicant told of a deficiency has 30 days to fix it (9.10(4)).
Protected CareMassachusetts
Reproductive and gender-affirming care cannot cost the license
No one may be denied initial licensure or renewal, and no licensee disciplined, for providing or assisting in reproductive health care or gender-affirming health care, or for any out-of-state complaint, conviction, judgment, or discipline arising from it, so long as the services would have been lawful and consistent with professional standards in Massachusetts (M.G.L. c. 112, § 137; 258 CMR 9.11; 30.03(1)(b)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
New application, any level (ASWB processing $105 + Board application $68)
$173
ASWB, for the Board
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
License fee, due after the exam: LICSW / LCSW / LSW / LSWA
$82 / $68 / $54 / $42
Board
Reciprocity, total including license: LICSW / LCSW / LSW / LSWA
$349 / $309 / $267 / $229
ASWB, for the Board
Biennial renewal: LICSW / LCSW / LSW / LSWA
$82 / $68 / $54 / $42
Board
Late renewal, within a year of expiry
$57
Board
Relicensure after a lapse, total: LICSW / LCSW / LSW / LSWA
$235 / $221 / $207 / $195
ASWB, for the Board
Verification of licensure
$15
Board
Name change
$27
Board
$
What it adds up to. LCSW: $173 plus the $230 exam plus $68, so $471. LICSW on top of an existing LCSW: $173 plus the $260 exam plus $82, so $515 more, plus whatever two years of supervision cost you. Fees are on the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure's schedule and ASWB's Massachusetts page as of September 2026; a card processing charge may be added, and none of it is refundable.
Keeping the license
RenewalMassachusetts
30, 20, 15, or 10 hours every two years, by level
Each licensure period an LICSW completes 30 continuing education hours, an LCSW 20, an LSW 15, and an LSWA 10, in programs meeting 258 CMR 31.04 (31.03(1)). An hour is at least 50 minutes of instruction (31.02). The first period is prorated by the quarter in which the license issued, from 75 percent down to nothing (31.03(3)). Keep records for two consecutive licensure periods, attest under the penalties of perjury at renewal, and produce proof on the Board's request (31.05).
Programs from a CSWE-accredited school, ASWB ACE-approved programs, programs approved by any other state's or province's social work regulator, and programs approved by NASW or a chapter, the National Association of Black Social Workers or a chapter, or another Board-authorized organization count without limit (258 CMR 31.04(2)). Up to 25 percent may come from APA, NBCC, nursing home administrator, ANCC, or ACCME-approved programs; at least 75 percent must come from the recognized entities (31.04(5)). Lectures, presentations, and publications can earn up to half your hours with Board approval requested 60 days before the period ends (31.04(4)). Marketing, business, and computer skills courses do not count (31.04(1)).
RenewalMassachusetts
The domestic and sexual violence training, once
Every applicant and licensee must complete at least one domestic violence and sexual violence training from the Board's list as a condition of licensure, renewal, revival, or reinstatement; a licensee who has completed an approved program is not required to repeat it unless the Board directs otherwise (M.G.L. c. 112, § 264; 258 CMR 31.03(4)). Licensed mandated reporters must also complete training on recognizing and reporting child abuse (M.G.L. c. 119, § 51A(k)).
RenewalMassachusetts
Public employees are exempt; LICSWs attest to MassHealth
A licensee who practices social work exclusively as an employee of state, county, or municipal government is exempt from the continuing education requirement on a sworn affidavit, and loses the exemption for any private or independent work in the period (258 CMR 31.03(2); M.G.L. c. 112, § 136). At renewal every LICSW must attest to having applied to enroll with MassHealth; without it the renewal is not processed (Board).
StatusMassachusetts
Expired means unlicensed; a year to reinstate, two to relicense
The day after the printed expiration date you are unlicensed and may not practice (258 CMR 9.09(5)). Within a year, reinstate with the renewal fee and the $57 late fee; between one and two years, relicense through ASWB with the fee and proof of the continuing education; after two years, retake and pass the exam for your level (9.09(2) to (4)). Nobody renews or reinstates without the continuing education, an extension for hardship, or the public-employee exemption (9.09(6); 31.03(5)).
DutyMassachusetts
Tell the Board when your name or address changes
A licensee must notify the Board in writing or electronically of any change in name or address, and failing to do so does not excuse a late renewal (258 CMR 9.10(7)). A name change on the license costs $27 (Bureau fee schedule).
Where the New Jersey figures come from. The Social Workers' Licensing Act of 1991 (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-1 to 45:15BB-14), the State Board of Social Work Examiners' rules at N.J.A.C. 13:44G, and the Board's own application pages and FAQs, read from njconsumeraffairs.gov, the Legislature's site, and the Administrative Code as published on law.cornell.edu in September 2026. The licensing body is the State Board of Social Work Examiners, inside the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Attorney General's office; applications go through the Division's online licensing portal. New Jersey enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in May 2025 (P.L. 2025, c. 51).
The three credentials
CertificationNew Jersey
CSW · Certified Social Worker
A certification at the bachelor's level: a BSW from a CSWE-accredited program, the application, the fee, and the criminal history background check; no exam (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.3). A CSW provides social work services, meaning assessment, counseling short of psychotherapy, planning, community organization, policy, administration, research, and client-centered advocacy, and may supervise undergraduate students; a CSW shall not engage in clinical social work (13:44G-3.3).
LicenseNew Jersey
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
An MSW or social work doctorate and the ASWB Masters exam, with the background check (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.2). No post-degree hours. An LSW provides all social work services and, under the supervision of an LCSW, clinical social work services including clinical assessment and psychotherapeutic counseling; an LSW may not provide clinical supervision or perform custody evaluations (13:44G-3.2).
LicenseNew Jersey
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
An LSW who has completed 12 graduate credits in clinical methods, 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work over two to four years after the MSW, and the ASWB Clinical exam (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1; N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-6). The LCSW practices clinical social work independently, supervises, performs custody and parenting-time evaluations, and is the only credential that may practice clinical social work for a fee on its own (13:44G-3.1; N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-4(c)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
The LSW and LCSW take a master's degree in social work from a program accredited, or in candidacy for accreditation, by the Council on Social Work Education, or a doctorate in social work from an accredited institution (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-6; N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.2(a)4). For the LCSW, the transcript must also show 12 semester hours of graduate coursework in clinical methods: diagnosis and assessment, models of psychotherapy, clinical supervision and consultation, or intervention with special populations, exclusive of field placement (13:44G-4.1(b)3ii). Choose electives with that list in hand.
Apply for the LSW in your last semester, and sit the Masters exam
New Jersey lets you apply for the LSW while enrolled in the final semester of the MSW, with at least 40 graduate credits on an official transcript sent by the school and a dean's or registrar's letter naming you as a final-semester student (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.2(a)5i; Board). File the online application with the fee and the background-check consent; the Board emails an approval letter with instructions to register with ASWB, valid for one year, extendable by a letter uploaded to your profile. Pass the Masters exam, upload the score report, and the license issues once the conferred-degree transcript arrives. Fingerprinting instructions come by letter once the application is complete.
Cost
$75 application fee; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; $120 for the initial LSW license if issued in the first year of the two-year cycle, $60 in the second (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1); fingerprint vendor's fee.
Two to four years and 3,000 hours as an LSW, under a qualified LCSW
Two years of full-time clinical social work means 3,000 hours under direct supervision after the MSW, completed in no less than two and no more than four years: at least 1,920 hours of face-to-face client contact, half of those in psychotherapeutic counseling, and up to 1,080 hours of supervision or other social work services (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(a)). You must hold the LSW while the hours accrue, and the supervisor must be a New Jersey LCSW licensed at the clinical level for three years who has completed the Board-approved 20-credit supervision course (13:44G-4.1(b)6; 13:44G-8.1(b)). The Board strongly recommends uploading a Proposed Plan of Supervised Clinical Experience before you start; there is no fee. The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Since 1 February 2021 clinical exam applicants must show the hours are complete before the Board approves them to sit (Board). Submit the LCSW application with the Documentation of Supervised Clinical Experience form from every supervisor, for every title and location, with the supervisor's course certificate, the official Human Resources job description on agency letterhead for each title you held, and, for an outside supervisor, the employer's letter consenting to the arrangement (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(b)4; Board). The experience must have been completed within the five years before the application. Once approved, register with ASWB for the Clinical exam and upload the passing score, or request a score transfer if taken elsewhere.
Cost
$75 application fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; $160 for the initial LCSW license in the first year of the cycle, $80 in the second (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1).
Renew every two years, and never let the 30 days pass
Licenses and certificates run on two-year cycles; renew with the application, the fee, the sworn statement that no jurisdiction has revoked or suspended you, and the continuing education attestation before the expiration date (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-7.1; N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-9). Within 30 days after expiry you may still renew with the $100 late fee; after that the license is automatically suspended and any practice is unlicensed practice (13:44G-7.1(c), (d)). Reinstatement within five years takes the $150 fee, every delinquent renewal fee, the continuing education for each missed period, and an affidavit listing every job held meanwhile (13:44G-7.3; Board FAQ).
No one may practice as a certified or licensed social worker, or use any title that includes "social worker" or "social work" or the abbreviations SW, LCSW, LSW, CSW, or SWT, without the matching credential, and no one may practice clinical social work independently for a fee without the LCSW (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-4; N.J.A.C. 13:44G-9.3). Exempt: other licensed professions within their scope, students in a CSWE program practicing as a "social work intern," state and local civil service employees in the course of their jobs, certified school social workers working for a district, clergy, and nonprofit employees or volunteers doing non-psychotherapy social work who use no restricted title (45:15BB-5).
Already LicensedNew Jersey
Reciprocity, and the Compact on the way
A social worker licensed in another state whose education and experience requirements are substantially the same as New Jersey's and who passed a similar exam may be exempted from the exam (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-7; N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.5). For the LCSW there is no separate reciprocity form: file the LCSW application, upload a detailed resume, and the Board reviews your clinical work in the past five years in lieu of the supervision forms; every out-of-state license needs a primary-source verification sent by that board (Board). New Jersey joined the Social Work Licensure Compact by P.L. 2025, c. 51, signed 8 May 2025; the Board has not announced multistate license issuance.
BackgroundNew Jersey
Fingerprints for everyone, no temporary license, no citizenship test
Every applicant signs a consent to a criminal history background check and is fingerprinted once the application is complete; a prior employer fingerprinting does not count (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(b)7, 4.2(a)3, 4.3(a)3; Board FAQ). The Board cannot issue a temporary license. Citizenship and a Social Security number are not required; applicants with undocumented status are eligible (Board FAQ). An application with a year of silence after the Board's last notice is deemed abandoned (13:44G-4.7).
Exam WindowNew Jersey
Exam approval lasts one year
ASWB exam eligibility is issued for one year from the approval date for both the Masters and Clinical exams; to extend it, upload a letter requesting an extension to your online profile and the Board emails a new approval for another year (Board). Take the exam inside the window or ask early.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application fee, any credential
$75
Board (online portal)
Criminal history background check
vendor's fee
fingerprint vendor
ASWB Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Initial CSW certification, first / second year of cycle
$70 / $35
Board
Initial LSW license, first / second year of cycle
$120 / $60
Board
Initial LCSW license, first / second year of cycle
$160 / $80
Board
Biennial renewal: LCSW / LSW / CSW
$160 / $120 / $70
Board
Late renewal, within 30 days of expiry
$100
Board
Reinstatement after suspension
$150 plus delinquent renewals
Board
Endorsement (out-of-state) fee
$75
Board
Verification of licensure / duplicate license
$25 / $25
Board
Proposed Plan of Supervised Clinical Experience
none
$
What it adds up to. LSW: $75 plus the $230 exam plus $60 to $120 for the license, so $365 to $425, plus fingerprinting. LCSW on top of an existing LSW: $75 plus the $260 exam plus $80 to $160, so $415 to $495 more, plus whatever two years of supervision cost you. The Board's fee rule is N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1; the license fee halves when the license issues in the second year of a cycle because it only buys the remaining year. ASWB fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalNew Jersey
40, 30, or 20 credits every two years, with four required topics
An LCSW completes at least 40 continuing education credits per biennial period, 20 of them directly related to clinical practice, and of the rest 5 in ethics and 3 in social and cultural competence; an LSW 30, with 5 ethics and 3 cultural competence; a CSW 20, with the same 5 and 3 (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.2(a)). Since the period beginning 1 September 2018 at least 1 credit must concern prescription opioid drugs (13:44G-6.2(e); N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-11.1). A credit is a 60-minute instructional hour with at least 50 minutes of content; a course counts in only one category (13:44G-6.4(a); 6.2(d)).
Credit comes from ASWB and ASWB-approved providers, NASW and its chapters and NASW-approved providers, the Department of Children and Families' Child Welfare Training Academy, social work association conferences, regionally accredited institutions and CSWE programs, other states' social work boards, the marriage and family therapy, professional counselor, and alcohol and drug counselor boards, Board-recognized approval entities, and limited credit for agency in-service training, publishing, teaching a new course, and presenting (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c)). Personal development and supervisory sessions never count (6.3(c)). Surplus credits carry forward: up to 8 for an LCSW, 6 for an LSW, 4 for a CSW (6.2(a)).
RenewalNew Jersey
Half the credits if you were licensed in the second year
A licensee first licensed during the second year of a biennial period completes half the credits: for an LSW or CSW, 3 in ethics and 2 in cultural competence; for an LCSW, 10 of the 20 in clinical practice with 3 ethics and 2 cultural competence among the rest (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.2(b)). Keep certificates showing the title, category, date, credits, and signer for five years after the renewal period, and produce them on request (6.5).
StatusNew Jersey
Inactive status, and the road back
At renewal you may elect inactive status for the inactive fee and stop practicing (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-7.1(b)). Coming back within five years takes the renewal fee, the continuing education for every period you were inactive, and an employment affidavit; after five years you reapply as a new applicant (7.2). An automatically suspended license is reinstated the same way with the $150 reinstatement fee and all delinquent renewal fees (7.3; Board FAQ).
DutyNew Jersey
Thirty days for an address, a name, or another state's discipline
Notify the Board in writing within 30 days of any change of address, saying whether it is a home or work address; service at the address on file is good service for any disciplinary proceeding (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-9.1(a), (b)). Report a name change with proof, and report any disciplinary action taken against you in another jurisdiction within 30 days of receiving notice of it (9.2; 9.1(c)).
Where the North Carolina figures come from. The Social Worker Certification and Licensure Act (G.S. Chapter 90B, Article 1), the Board's rules at 21 NCAC 63, and the Board's own levels, application, LCSWA, and renewal pages, read from ncleg.gov, the Office of Administrative Hearings' code, and ncswboard.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board, an independent board in Asheboro. North Carolina enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact as Article 2 of Chapter 90B in 2025.
The credentials: one license, three certifications
CertificationNorth Carolina
CSW and CMSW · voluntary certifications
A Certified Social Worker holds a CSWE-accredited BSW and has passed the ASWB Bachelors exam; a Certified Master Social Worker holds an MSW or doctorate and has passed the ASWB Masters exam or the ACSW exam (G.S. 90B-7(b), (c); 21 NCAC 63 .0301(b)). Neither is required to practice: the Act protects clinical practice only, and no public agency or state-funded employer may require a certificate for employment (90B-4(b), (c)). A Certified Social Work Manager adds two years of supervised administrative experience and the Advanced Generalist exam (90B-7(e)).
LicenseNorth Carolina
LCSWA · Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate
The license for an MSW who wants to practice clinical social work before meeting the LCSW requirements: an MSW or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited program, three references, and the application, with no exam (G.S. 90B-7(f); Board). It is issued for two years, renews, and must end in the LCSW within six years of issuance; hours older than six years expire and cannot be reused (90B-7(f)). An LCSWA practices only under an LCSW's supervision with an emergency crisis plan on file (21 NCAC 63 .0210).
LicenseNorth Carolina
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
An MSW or doctorate, 3,000 hours of paid post-MSW clinical social work over two to six years with at least 100 hours of supervision from a qualified LCSW, and the ASWB Clinical exam (G.S. 90B-7(d); 21 NCAC 63 .0211(a), .0301(b)). Since 1992 no one may engage in or offer clinical social work, meaning the biopsychosocial diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of emotional and mental disorders including psychotherapy, without this license (90B-4(b); 90B-3(6)). The LCSW is competent to function independently and to supervise others (90B-3(6a)).
TitleNorth Carolina
"Social worker" belongs to the credentialed and the degreed
No one may use the title "Social Worker" or any variation unless certified, licensed, or associate licensed by the Board, or holding a BSW or MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, or a social work doctorate (G.S. 90B-16). Government employees in positions the state classification system titles "Social Worker" may use the title regardless (90B-10(c)). Violating the Act is a Class 2 misdemeanor (90B-12).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited degree
Every Board credential rests on a social work degree from a program accredited by, or admitted to candidacy with, the Council on Social Work Education; a foreign degree is evaluated by CSWE first (G.S. 90B-7; Board). The LCSWA and LCSW take the master's or doctorate (90B-7(d)(1), (f)). Send the official transcript sealed or have the school email it to transcripts@ncswboard.gov (21 NCAC 63 .0203; Board FAQ).
Apply for the LCSWA before your first clinical hour
Only hours worked under the associate license, as paid clinical employment, count toward the LCSW (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(1); Board). The application asks for three sealed professional references from people who know your practice, one of them a past or present supervisor, the transcript, your employment and disciplinary history, consent to a criminal history record check, and the fee; applications not completed within two years are denied (63 .0202(b); .0204(c); .0208). Before practicing, file the Employment Verification form with a job description on letterhead, a signed Position Statement on Clinical Supervision from your LCSW supervisor, and an Emergency Crisis Plan naming a licensed mental health professional reachable within one hour (63 .0210(b), (c)). The Board does not confirm receipt unless something is missing; send everything with tracking.
Cost
$145 application fee, paid by money order or card, not personal check (21 NCAC 63 .0208).
Two years and 3,000 hours under a qualified LCSW, reported every six months
At least 3,000 clock hours of paid clinical social work over not less than two and not more than six consecutive years, with supervision at least every two weeks and at least one hour for every 30 hours of practice, 100 hours minimum, from an LCSW with an MSW who has two years of post-LCSW clinical experience and is in good standing (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)). Every six months you and your supervisor file the Six-Month Review with practice and supervision hours and the supervisor's ratings, and a case narrative stays on file with the supervisor (63 .0210(e)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Document two years of practice, then request the Clinical exam
Exam eligibility for the Clinical exam requires two years of clinical experience documented with the Board; once the six-month reviews show it, submit the Clinical Exam Request Form with your supervisor's attestation and the $40 processing fee, and the Board sends ASWB registration instructions with an eligibility deadline (21 NCAC 63 .0209(a), (c), (d), (f); .0306). A failed attempt means a 90-day wait and a new request and fee; a waiver of the wait can be sought through ASWB if the score was within ten points (63 .0209(d); Board). Most associates renew the LCSWA once before they reach this step.
Cost
$40 exam processing fee to the Board plus $260 paid directly to ASWB for the Clinical exam (21 NCAC 63 .0306; Board).
With 24 months, 3,000 hours, 100 supervision hours, a passing Clinical score, and your continuing education in hand, submit the LCSW Short-Form Application signed by you and your LCSW supervisor, with the supervisor's recommendation, the final Six-Month Review, the continuing education list, and the fee; review takes at least 30 days (21 NCAC 63 .0202(d); Board). File it, or renew the LCSWA, at least 30 days before the associate license expires so nothing lapses (63 .0210(f)).
Every credential is issued for up to two years and renews before its expiration with the Renewal Affidavit, the fee, and 40 hours of continuing education including 4 in ethics; the Board mails a notice at least 45 days ahead (G.S. 90B-9(a), (b); 21 NCAC 63 .0403). Up to 60 days late costs the $50 late fee; after 60 days the credential is automatically suspended, and reinstatement takes the $155 reinstatement fee plus the renewal fees, a new application, and three new references (90B-9(c); 63 .0403(c); .0404(a)). Nonpracticing status, requested by email, stops fees and continuing education while you are not practicing (90B-9.1).
Substantial equivalency, the five-day rule, and a six-month temporary license
North Carolina grants no automatic reciprocity; an applicant currently credentialed by examination in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent may be certified or licensed without a new exam, with at least one reference from a credentialed social worker (G.S. 90B-8(a); 21 NCAC 63 .0204(d); Board). A nonresident clinical social worker licensed elsewhere may practice in the state up to five days a calendar year, and may hold one six-month, non-renewable temporary license per five years for $25 while completing licensure (90B-8(b); 63 .0213). North Carolina is a Compact member; the Compact Commission has not yet begun issuing multistate licenses.
BackgroundNorth Carolina
Criminal history, and a predetermination you can ask for first
Every applicant consents to a criminal history record check and discloses convictions, pending charges, and any professional discipline (21 NCAC 63 .0202(b)). A conviction is not automatic denial; the Board weighs seriousness, age, time, nexus to practice, rehabilitation, and references, and anyone may petition for a predetermination before applying (63 .0215; Board FAQ). Applicants with a record submit certified court records and a letter of explanation with the application (Board).
StudentsNorth Carolina
Field placement is exempt
A student completing a clinical requirement for graduation in a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program may engage in clinical social work without the LCSW (G.S. 90B-10(b)(2)). Practicum and internship hours never count toward the 3,000 (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(1)).
DisplayNorth Carolina
Hang the license where you practice
A person licensed or certified under the Act shall conspicuously display the license or certificate at the primary place of practice (G.S. 90B-15; 21 NCAC 63 .0509(e)). A printable copy comes from your online profile; a duplicate paper license costs $25 by mail (Board FAQ).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application, any level (per level if applying for more than one)
$145
Board
Criminal history record check
at the Board's direction
vendor
Exam processing, each request
$40
Board
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam, each attempt
What it adds up to. LCSWA to LCSW over two to three years: $145 for the associate license, $140 if you renew it once, $40 plus the $260 Clinical exam, and $145 for the LCSW application, so $590 to $730, plus whatever supervision costs you. The Board's fees are in 21 NCAC 63 .0208, .0306, .0403, and .0404 under the caps in G.S. 90B-6.2; ASWB fees are ASWB's and are paid to ASWB directly.
Keeping the license
RenewalNorth Carolina
40 contact hours every two years, 4 in ethics, 20 at most online
Every credential holder completes 40 contact hours of Board-approved continuing education each two-year cycle, 30 if the first cycle is shorter than two years, with at least 4 hours on ethics and ethical decision-making (21 NCAC 63 .0401(a), (b)). Distance learning, meaning online and home-study courses pre-approved by ASWB or NASW and its chapters, counts for no more than half, up to 20 hours; a live synchronous webinar with real-time interaction counts as face-to-face (.0401(c)(4)). Self-care courses are capped at 6 hours and presenting at 5; supervision, case consultation, job orientation, and repeated programs earn nothing (.0401(d) to (f)).
Academic social work courses at 15 contact hours per credit; agency staff development, seminars, institutes, workshops, and conferences oriented to social work practice; cross-disciplinary offerings from medicine, law, and the behavioral and social sciences related to social work; approved distance learning; and a documented professional study group with topics, materials, facilitator, and attendance (21 NCAC 63 .0401(c)). The Board does not pre-approve courses; it relies on your judgment and audits at renewal (Board FAQ).
RenewalNorth Carolina
The Renewal Affidavit, under audit
Renewal is an affidavit listing every course with its date, length, and whether it was distance learning or ethics, and certifying the hours, that you are not impaired, that you have no new convictions or have explained them and consent to a background check, and that you will comply with an audit; a material misstatement is grounds to refuse renewal (21 NCAC 63 .0403(d)). You may be selected for audit the moment you renew online (Board FAQ).
StatusNorth Carolina
Nonpracticing status, with no clock for most and a hard clock for associates
Written notice to the Board places a credential on nonpracticing status, with no fees or continuing education due and no time limit, and reactivation takes a request plus, if the expiration date has passed, the affidavit, current-cycle continuing education, and the renewal fee (G.S. 90B-9.1; Board FAQ). For an LCSWA the six-year deadline keeps running; an associate who cannot finish inside it will not be reactivated (Board FAQ; 21 NCAC 63 .0404(c)).
DutyNorth Carolina
Thirty days for a new name, address, phone, discipline, or conviction
Report in writing within 30 days any change of name with documentation, home or business address, or phone, and any adverse or disciplinary action by another board or professional body; within 30 days of a criminal disposition, including driving under the influence, send a certified copy of the plea, finding, or deferred judgment (21 NCAC 63 .0405). Failing to report is an ethics violation (.0405(c)).
Where the Georgia figures come from. O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 10A (the Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists Licensing Law), the Board's rules at Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 135, the Board's fee schedule and FAQs, read from the Georgia Administrative Code on rules.sos.ga.gov, the Code as published on codes.findlaw.com, and sos.ga.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists, administered by the Secretary of State's Licensing Division in Macon; applications and renewals go through the GOALS portal, and paper applications are no longer accepted. Georgia enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in May 2024 (SB 195); the Compact Commission had not begun issuing multistate licenses as of September 2026.
The two licenses, and the BSW without one
No LicenseGeorgia
BSW · the title without a license
Georgia issues no bachelor's-level license. A person with a BSW from a CSWE-accredited program may use the title "social worker" and practice social work, but not autonomously: only under direction and supervision from a social worker with an accredited BSW or MSW and at least two years of post-degree practice (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7(b)(15)). An MSW graduate practicing community organization, policy, planning, research, or administration may also use the title without a license, and may do only that (43-10A-7(b)(14)).
LicenseGeorgia
LMSW · Licensed Master's Social Worker
An MSW from a CSWE-accredited program and the ASWB Masters exam, passed before applying (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-12(a)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-3-.03(2)(c)). The first two years of LMSW practice are under direction and supervision; after two years an LMSW may enter private practice, but counseling and psychotherapy stay under supervision until the LCSW (135-5-.03(1)(b), (c)). A new graduate may practice under direction and supervision for up to one year after the degree while preparing for the exam (43-10A-7(b)(5)).
LicenseGeorgia
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
An MSW, three years of full-time supervised social work after the degree, the first two under direction, and the ASWB Clinical exam; a doctorate in a specialty or allied profession can substitute for one year (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-12(a)(2); 135-5-.04(2)). The LCSW provides psychosocial evaluation, diagnosis, counseling, and psychotherapy in any setting including private practice, and supervises (135-5-.04(1)). The Board is a composite board: professional counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists share the statute, the rules, and the fee schedule.
TitlesGeorgia
Practice and title are both protected
No one may practice social work, advertise it, or use "social worker" or any words or letters implying licensure without a license, subject to the exemptions in 43-10A-7(b) (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7(a)); the Board's list of forbidden titles for the unlicensed runs from "Social Worker" and "Clinical Social Worker" to "Medical Social Worker" and "Psychiatric Social Worker" (135-10-.02). The old exemption for social workers employed by state and local agencies and community service boards ended for anyone who began that work on or after 1 January 2022 (43-10A-7(b)(3)(B)); employees of federal agencies and licensed hospitals and long-term care facilities remain exempt while so employed (43-10A-7(b)(2)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW, with a diagnosis course
Both licenses require a master's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, with candidacy, conditional, or full accreditation in effect when the degree was awarded (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-12; 135-5-.03(2)(a)). Everyone licensed after 26 April 2006 must also have completed a graduate-level course, or its equivalent, related to diagnosing, and must have it to renew (43-10A-8(4)). Take it in the program if you can.
Pass the Masters exam within a year of graduating, then apply for the LMSW
Georgia is one of the states where the Masters exam comes before the application: an LMSW applicant must pass the ASWB Masters exam and have ASWB report the score to the Board (135-3-.03(2)(c)). A graduate practicing under direction and supervision must apply to take the exam within one year of the degree; a first failure means retaking it at the next scheduled date, and three failures end practice until it is passed, absent a statutory exemption (135-5-.03(2)(b), (c)). Then apply on GOALS with the transcript sent by the school, at least two references from supervisors or teachers, the fee, and consent to the fingerprint background check, and pay the background-check vendor (135-3-.03(1)(a); 43-10A-8(5)).
Cost
$230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; $100 application fee to the Board, plus a $10 processing fee if mailed (Board fee schedule); fingerprint vendor's fee.
Three years and 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work
At least 3,000 hours of post-MSW supervised experience practicing clinical social work, acquired over not less than 36 and not more than 108 months, the first 2,000 hours under both supervision and direction, with 120 hours of supervision of which no more than half is group and at least half comes from an LCSW who qualifies as a supervisor (135-5-.04(2)(b)). Both of you keep a contemporaneous record of every session (135-5-.04(2)(b)2). An MSW plus a qualifying doctorate with a supervised clinical internship cuts it to 2,000 hours in 24 to 72 months with 80 supervision hours (135-5-.04(2)(c)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW, then take the Clinical exam at the next date
After the experience is complete, apply to the Board; on approval you schedule the Clinical exam directly with ASWB and take the first scheduled exam you qualify for, or the next one for good cause (135-5-.04(4); 135-3-.03(2)(d)). An application, and the Board's exam approval, are valid for one year (135-3-.01(3)(b)). If you fail, your work stays supervised until you pass; three failures bar private psychotherapy practice until the exam is passed (135-5-.04(4)). At least one year of the experience must fall within the two years before applying, or you show the clinical continuing education for the prior year (43-10A-12(a)(2)(B)).
Cost
$100 application fee (plus $10 if mailed); $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam, paid to ASWB directly (Board fee schedule).
Every license expires on 30 September of even-numbered years; renewal takes the application, the fee, and proof of 35 hours of continuing education (135-6-.03). Late renewal runs into the following weeks with a late fee, and a license not renewed by the end of the late period is treated as revoked, with reinstatement at the Board's discretion (135-6-.03(4), (5); 135-6-.04). For the 2026 cycle the Board opened renewals on 1 July, with a late period of 1 October to 15 November (Board).
Cost
$100 renewal; $150 late renewal; $350 reinstatement after the late period, each plus $10 if mailed (Board fee schedule, April 2023).
The Board's endorsement rule covers professional counselors and marriage and family therapists licensed elsewhere; the fee schedule states plainly that endorsement is not applicable to social workers (135-3-.04; Board fee schedule). A social worker licensed in another state applies by examination like anyone else, using the ASWB score already on file where it matches; Georgia enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in May 2024 (SB 195), so a multistate license will be an option once the Compact Commission begins issuing them; the Counseling Compact is already live here for counselors.
BackgroundGeorgia
Fingerprints for everyone
No one is eligible for licensure without satisfactory results from a fingerprint record check by the Georgia Crime Information Center and the FBI; applying is consent, and the applicant pays the vendor (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-8(5)). A felony or a crime of moral turpitude, including first-offender treatment or a withheld adjudication, is a ground for refusal (43-10A-17(a)(3), (4)).
StudentsGeorgia
Trainees and interns are exempt while supervised
Students of a recognized institution preparing to practice a specialty are exempt while their services are under supervision and direction and their status is clearly shown by the title "trainee" or "intern" (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7(b)(4)).
DisplayGeorgia
The license on the wall, and every change reported
Licensees display the license and evidence of renewal conspicuously at their office or place of employment (135-6-.01), and report any change of name, with legal documentation, or address in writing, address changes within 30 days through GOALS (135-6-.02; Board FAQ).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application, LMSW or LCSW (add $10 if mailed)
$100
Board (GOALS)
Fingerprint background check
vendor's fee
vendor
ASWB Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, any license
$100
Board
Late renewal
$150
Board
Reinstatement of a lapsed, revoked, or long-inactive license
$350
Board
Inactive status / reactivation within five years
none / $150
Board
License verification to another state
$35
Board
Wall certificate / replacement pocket card
$50 / $25
Board
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: the $230 exam plus $100, so $330, plus fingerprinting. LCSW on top of an existing LMSW: $100 plus the $260 exam, so $360 more, plus one or two $100 renewals during the three years of hours. The Board's fee schedule is dated April 2023 and adds $10 to anything mailed; ASWB fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalGeorgia
35 hours every two years: 5 ethics live, 15 core, no more than 10 online
Every licensee completes 35 continuing education hours in the two-year cycle from 1 October of an even year to 30 September of the next: at least 5 in professional ethics, obtained only through synchronous activities; of the other 30, at least 15 core hours in social work content and no more than 15 related hours from counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, or psychology (135-9-.01(2)(a) to (c)). No more than 10 hours may be asynchronous, no more than 5 may be independent study, and no single course may count for more than 20 (135-9-.01(2)(d), (g), (j)). A license first issued on or after 1 October of an odd year owes nothing for its first renewal (135-9-.01(2)(a)1).
Core hours come from activities sponsored, co-sponsored, or approved by a professional association in social work, an academic social work department, or another jurisdiction's social work licensing board; graduate coursework counts at 15 hours per semester credit up to 20 (135-9-.01(2)(e)). Related hours may also come from government agencies and licensed hospitals (135-9-.01(2)(f)). The Board approves no providers and audits a fixed percentage each cycle; keep certificates showing synchronous or asynchronous for four years and report through CE Broker (135-9-.01(3), (4); Board).
RenewalGeorgia
Six hours before you practice by telehealth
Before delivering clinical TeleMental Health, a licensee must have six continuing education hours in the topics the rule lists, from internet dependency and intake for suitability to risk management and the business of telehealth, and a supervisor delivering supervision by technology needs nine including three on supervising telehealth; hours taken within the last five years count, and they count toward the 35 (135-11-.01(b)1, 2, (c)). Phone crisis calls and app-based interventions are TeleMental Health (Board FAQ).
StatusGeorgia
Inactive for up to five years; revoked after that
A licensee who will not practice in Georgia may convert to inactive status by notarized request with no fee and no renewal or continuing education; reactivation within five years takes the application, $150, and 35 hours completed within the prior two years; after five years the license is revoked for failure to reactivate and reinstatement is by the $350 route (135-6-.06). Reinstatement within five years of a lapse requires 35 hours for each missed cycle; after five years the exam again, unless continuously licensed elsewhere (135-6-.04).
DutyGeorgia
Address changes within 30 days, name changes with proof
Report address changes, including email, within 30 days through GOALS, and name changes by email, fax, or mail with the legal document; a new pocket card after a name change is $25 (135-6-.02; Board FAQ).
Where the Virginia figures come from. Code of Virginia Title 54.1, Chapter 37 (§§ 54.1-3700 through 54.1-3710) and the Board's Regulations Governing the Practice of Social Work, 18VAC140-20, together with the Board's fee, examination, supervisor, and renewal pages, read from law.lis.virginia.gov and dhp.virginia.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the Virginia Board of Social Work, one of the health regulatory boards inside the Department of Health Professions in Henrico; applications and renewals are online. Virginia enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (HB 326 and SB 239); the Board's page says compact privileges to practice are not yet being issued.
The three licenses
LicenseVirginia
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
A bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work, the ASWB Bachelors exam, and a current National Practitioner Data Bank self-query (18VAC140-20-51, 18VAC140-20-60). A baccalaureate social worker practices under the supervision of a master's social worker and provides basic generalist services: casework management and supportive services, consultation and education (§ 54.1-3700). LBSWs and LMSWs may practice in exempt settings under appropriate supervision; only the LCSW practices autonomously (18VAC140-20-37).
LicenseVirginia
LMSW · Licensed Master's Social Worker
A master's degree from an accredited school of social work, the ASWB Masters exam, and the NPDB self-query (18VAC140-20-51, 18VAC140-20-60). A master's social worker provides non-clinical generalist services, staff supervision and management, and clinical services under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker (§ 54.1-3700). Virginia does not make the LMSW a prerequisite for the clinical route: the credential that lets you build LCSW hours is the Board's registration of supervision, not the LMSW.
LicenseVirginia
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
An MSW with a clinical course of study, including a 600-hour clinical practicum (18VAC140-20-49), 3,000 hours of Board-registered supervised post-master's experience with 100 hours of supervision (18VAC140-20-50), the ASWB Clinical exam (18VAC140-20-70), and the NPDB self-query. The clinical social worker is professionally qualified at the autonomous practice level to provide direct diagnostic, preventive, and treatment services where functioning is threatened or affected by social and psychological stress or health impairment (§ 54.1-3700).
TitlesVirginia
A license to practice, with a wide public-employment exemption
A license is required to engage in the practice of social work (§ 54.1-3706), but salaried employees and volunteers of federal, state, and local government, of agencies they fund, and of nonprofits sponsored or funded by community-based citizen groups are exempt, unless they also engage in an independent private practice; students in a recognized program, clergy within ministerial duties, and people who charge nothing and do not hold themselves out as licensed are exempt too (§ 54.1-3701). The title is separately protected: an unlicensed person may not use "Social Worker" in writing or advertising unless clarifying initials for a CSWE-accredited BSW or MSW, or a social work doctorate, appear with it; a violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, with carve-outs for nursing home and hospice social workers who meet the federal qualifications (§ 54.1-3709).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with a clinical course of study
The LCSW needs a master's degree in social work with a clinical course of study from a CSWE-accredited program, or a nonclinical MSW plus the clinical course of study completed through a CSWE-accredited graduate program (18VAC140-20-49(A)). The clinical practicum must be at least 600 hours, integrated with the clinical coursework and supervised by an LCSW or by someone with a master's or doctorate in social work and three years of post-degree clinical experience; a graduate who otherwise met the clinical course of study but fell short of 600 practicum hours makes them up with an equal number of supervised clinical hours on top of the 3,000 (18VAC140-20-49(B)). Choose the clinical track in the program and save the field placement paperwork.
Apply to the Board online with the fee and the official transcript; once approved you register with ASWB for the Masters exam and have two years from the approval date to pass it, with a 90-day wait between attempts; then send the passing score, any other health licensure, and the NPDB self-query (18VAC140-20-51; 18VAC140-20-70(B); Board). The Board's FAQ says you apply after the degree is conferred. It is optional for the clinical route, but it is the license that lets you carry the title and work in a nonexempt setting under LCSW supervision.
Cost
$115 LMSW application (18VAC140-20-30); $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam, each attempt (Board exam page); the NPDB's self-query fee.
Supervised post-master's experience without prior written Board approval is not accepted, except supervision completed in another state under that state's rules (18VAC140-20-50(A)). Before supervision starts, and again whenever you add or change to a supervisor who is not already Board-approved, you register on the Board's form, submit the supervisory contract signed by both of you, the official transcript showing the degree and clinical practicum, and the $50 fee (18VAC140-20-50(A)(1)). Once registered you are a Supervisee in Social Work (18VAC140-20-10). A supervisor on the Board's Approved Supervisor Registry can be added or changed without prior approval; keep the new contract in your records (§ 54.1-3705(9); Board).
Cost
$50 registration of supervision; $25 to add or change to a supervisor who is not on the registry (18VAC140-20-30).
3,000 hours in two to four years, 100 hours of supervision
At least 3,000 hours of supervised post-master's experience delivering clinical social work services and the ancillary services that support them, in no less than two and no more than four consecutive years, with at least 1,380 of those hours in face-to-face client contact; one to four hours of face-to-face supervision for every 40 hours of work, at least 100 in all, no more than 50 of them in group, and no group larger than six without advance approval (18VAC140-20-50(A)(2)). Real-time, interactive video counts as face-to-face (18VAC140-20-10). An extension of up to 12 months is available on a showing of extenuating circumstances (18VAC140-20-50(A)(3)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW within two years of finishing, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW application goes in within two years of completing the supervised experience, with the supervisor's verification of the hours on the Board's form, the fee, the official transcript, any other health or mental health licensure, and a current NPDB self-query report; if a former supervisor has died or cannot be found, a notarized affidavit from the agency's chief executive stands in (18VAC140-20-40). On approval you register with ASWB and have two years to pass the Clinical exam; miss that and you reapply for a second two-year window, and if you have not passed by the end of that one you go back under supervision for one more year first (18VAC140-20-70(B), (C)). You stay under Board-approved supervision until the license is issued (18VAC140-20-50(D)(5)).
Cost
$165 LCSW application (18VAC140-20-30); $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam, each attempt (Board exam page).
Renew by June 30 every year; continuing education is due in even years
Every Virginia social work license renews on or before June 30 each year (18VAC140-20-100(A)). Continuing education is documented at the renewal in even-numbered years: 30 hours for the LCSW, 15 for the LBSW and LMSW (18VAC140-20-105(A)); a newly licensed person documents none at the first renewal after licensure (18VAC140-20-100(B)). The Board mails no paper notices; renewal is online and the reminder comes by email 45 to 60 days ahead (Board). A license can be renewed up to one year late with the penalty and the CE; after that it is reinstatement (18VAC140-20-110).
Endorsement: a comparable license, the national exam, and a clean record
An applicant licensed elsewhere submits, in one package, the application and fee, verification from the other state of an active license in good standing of a comparable type, verification of a passing score on the ASWB exam at the level sought (or evidence that no national exam was required when first licensed there), any other health licensure, a current NPDB self-query, and a certification of no pending board action or malpractice claim in another jurisdiction; someone who never passed the exam may be approved to sit for it (18VAC140-20-45). Virginia enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024, and the Board says privileges to practice will open once the Compact Commission's system is running.
Every application, by examination or endorsement, at every level, includes a current report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank, which you order on yourself (18VAC140-20-40, -45, -51). The regulations require no fingerprint check. You must also give a Social Security number or a Virginia DMV control number, or the application stops (§ 54.1-116; Board). Conviction of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude is a ground for refusing a license (18VAC140-20-160(1)).
StudentsVirginia
Field placements are exempt
The activities of a student pursuing a course of study in social work at an institution the Board recognizes, or under the supervision of a licensee, are exempt from licensure when they are part of the course of study and adequately supervised (§ 54.1-3701(2)).
AddressVirginia
An address of record, and a public one if you want it different
Every licensee gives the Board a current address of record and reports any change within 30 days; Board notices mailed to that address count as delivered (18VAC140-20-100(D)). Licensee addresses are public under § 54.1-2400.2, so the application lets you give a second, publicly disclosable address such as the office (Board).
Registration of supervision / add or change a supervisor not on the registry
$50 / $25
Board
Application, LBSW / LMSW / LCSW
$100 / $115 / $165
Board
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Annual renewal, LBSW / LMSW / LCSW
$55 / $65 / $90
Board
Late renewal penalty, LBSW / LMSW / LCSW
$20 / $20 / $30
Board
Inactive status, LBSW / LMSW / LCSW (half the renewal)
$27.50 / $32.50 / $45
Board
Reinstatement of an expired license, LBSW / LMSW / LCSW
$120 / $135 / $195
Board
Reinstatement after disciplinary action
$500
Board
Verification of license to another state
$25
Board
Replacement license / wall certificate
$15 / $25
Board
$
What it adds up to. The clinical route straight through: $50 to register supervision, $165 to apply, and $260 for the exam, so $475, plus the NPDB self-query fee and the annual renewals once licensed. Adding the LMSW first: $115 plus the $230 exam, so $345 more, plus its $65 annual renewals during the years of hours. Fees come from 18VAC140-20-30 as posted by the Board; exam fees are ASWB's and are paid to ASWB.
Keeping the license
RenewalVirginia
30 hours for the LCSW, 15 for the LBSW and LMSW, every even year
Continuing education is due at the renewal in even-numbered years: at least 30 contact hours for a clinical social worker and 15 for an LBSW or LMSW, directly related to social work or another behavioral health field, of which at least six (LCSW) or three (LBSW, LMSW) cover ethics, the standards of practice, or the Virginia laws governing social work (18VAC140-20-105(A)). Up to two hours can be earned by giving free social work services to low-income people through a local health department or free clinic, at three hours of service per credit hour (18VAC140-20-105(A)). The Board can extend the deadline up to a year for good cause, or exempt you for circumstances beyond your control, if you write before the renewal date (18VAC140-20-105(A)(1), (2)).
Two categories: at least 20 (or 10) formally organized, at most 10 (or 5) individual
Category I, formally organized learning, must supply at least 20 hours for the LCSW or 10 for the LBSW and LMSW: accredited college courses in a behavioral health discipline (up to 15 hours each), continuing education from CSWE-accredited universities, workshops from federal, state, or local social service agencies, public school systems, and licensed hospitals and health facilities, and programs from providers approved by CWLA, NASW, NABSW, the Family Service Association of America, the Clinical Social Work Association, ASWB, or any state social work board (18VAC140-20-105(B)(1)). Category II, individual professional activities, may supply at most 10 or 5: publishing, presenting, ASWB item writing, field instruction of graduate students, association or board service, agency staffings, and independent study, each with its own cap (18VAC140-20-105(B)(2)). Keep the originals for three years after renewal; the Board audits (18VAC140-20-106).
StatusVirginia
Inactive at half price; late, lapsed, and reinstated
A licensee who will not practice may go inactive for half the renewal fee, with no practice allowed; reactivation costs the difference between the active and inactive fees plus continuing education equal to the number of years inactive, up to four (18VAC140-20-100(C); 18VAC140-20-110(C)). An expired license can be renewed within one year with the CE, the renewal fee, and the late penalty; after a year you apply for reinstatement with the reinstatement fee, CE for each year lapsed up to four, any other licensure held, and a current NPDB report (18VAC140-20-110(A), (B)).
DutyVirginia
Thirty days for an address change; the exam clock is fixed
Report a change in the address of record, or in the public address if it differs, within 30 days (18VAC140-20-100(D)). Exam approval lasts two years and the regulations give the Board no authority to extend it; if your registration of supervision will expire before your exam window closes, request an extension of the registration instead (18VAC140-20-70(B); Board exam FAQ).
Where the Minnesota figures come from. The Minnesota Board of Social Work Practice Act, Minnesota Statutes chapter 148E, read on the Revisor's site, and the Board's fee, application, students, and continuing education pages, read from mn.gov/boards/social-work in September 2026, together with the 2026 session law (Laws 2026, chapter 115, article 6) that tightens who may use the title in county agencies. The licensing body is the Minnesota Board of Social Work in Saint Paul; applications, renewals, and supervision forms run through its Online Services portal. Minnesota enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (Minn. Stat. 148E.40 to 148E.49) and set multistate license fees in 2025 (148E.180, subd. 2a); the Board's site menu had no multistate application in September 2026.
The four licenses, and the two ways in
LicenseMinnesota
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A bachelor's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited (or Canadian-accredited) program, the ASWB Bachelors exam, a fingerprint criminal background check, the fee, and no conduct that would violate the standards of practice (Minn. Stat. 148E.055, subd. 2). An LSW may engage in social work practice but not clinical practice (148E.050, subd. 2), and must complete 100 hours of supervision during the first 4,000 hours of practice after licensure (148E.100).
LicenseMinnesota
LGSW · Licensed Graduate Social Worker
A master's degree in social work from an accredited program or a doctorate in social work, the ASWB Masters exam, the background check, and the fee (148E.055, subd. 3). An LGSW may practice social work, and may practice clinically only under the supervision of an LICSW or a Board-approved alternate supervisor (148E.050, subd. 3). Nonclinical LGSWs owe 100 supervision hours in the first 4,000 hours; clinical LGSWs owe 200 hours over 4,000 to 8,000 hours on the way to the LICSW (148E.105; 148E.106).
LicenseMinnesota
LISW · Licensed Independent Social Worker
The master's degree, the nonclinical supervised practice (4,000 hours with 100 hours of supervision), and the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam (148E.055, subd. 4). The LISW is the independent nonclinical license; clinical practice still requires LICSW supervision, capped at 8,000 hours (148E.050, subd. 4; 148E.110). An LGSW who finishes the nonclinical hours may apply for it (148E.105, subd. 8).
LicenseMinnesota
LICSW · Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
The master's degree, 360 clock hours of graduate coursework or continuing education in six clinical knowledge areas, clinical practice including both diagnosis and treatment with the supervised practice complete, the ASWB Clinical exam, the background check, and the fee (148E.055, subd. 5). The LICSW may engage in all social work practice including clinical practice, with no further supervision required (148E.050, subd. 5; 148E.115, subd. 2). Clinical practice means differential diagnosis and treatment of psychosocial function, disability, or impairment, including psychotherapy (148E.010, subd. 6).
TitlesMinnesota
Who needs the license, and who may skip it
A license is required to practice social work (148E.055, subd. 1), and no one may be presented to the public by a title containing "social work" or "social worker" without one, unless employed by a county; a violation is a misdemeanor (148E.280; 148E.290). Licensure of city, county, and state agency social workers has been voluntary since 2016, except that a person newly hired by a city or state agency after July 1, 2016 must be licensed if presented by a social work title; from July 1, 2026 a county agency social worker without a social work degree or license may not carry the title either, unless employed by the county before July 1, 2027 (148E.065, subd. 4a, as amended by Laws 2026, ch. 115, art. 6). Social workers employed by federally recognized tribes are voluntary too (148E.065, subd. 5a). Students in a required field placement are exempt and use "social work intern" (148E.065, subd. 2).
No ExamMinnesota
The provisional license: supervised practice instead of the exam
Minnesota is one of the few states with a second door. An applicant who meets every requirement except the exam may receive a provisional license at any of the four levels; it lasts up to three years, carries the same scope of practice and fee, and requires 37.5 hours of supervision in the first 2,000 hours of practice, with a supervisor's evaluation every six months and a final attestation of competence (148E.0551; 148E.116). On completion the standard license issues; the provisional hours do not count toward the standard license's own supervised practice requirement, which then begins (148E.0551, subd. 5). The Board's page says apply only after the degree is conferred.
Finish the CSWE-accredited MSW, and count the clinical clock hours
The LGSW, LISW, and LICSW each start with a master's degree in social work from a program accredited by CSWE or the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, or a doctorate in social work (148E.010, subd. 8; 148E.055). For the LICSW you will also need 360 clock hours across six clinical knowledge areas: 108 in differential diagnosis and biopsychosocial assessment, 36 in assessment-based treatment planning, 108 in clinical intervention methods, 18 in evaluation methodologies, 72 in social work values and ethics including cultural context and social policy, and 18 in culturally specific assessment and intervention; one semester credit is 15 clock hours, the school certifies them on the Board's form, and up to 120 hours may come from continuing education instead (148E.055, subd. 5(a)(2), (b)). Map your courses to those areas before you graduate.
Apply for the LGSW up to six months before graduating, then pass the Masters exam
Students may apply for the standard license six months before graduation, and the exam may be taken no more than six months before completing degree requirements (148E.055, subd. 3(2); Board). Apply online with the $75 application fee and the $32 background check fee bundled in, have the school send the official transcript, complete the fingerprint check through the Board's CBC program office, and wait for the Board's exam approval letter before registering with ASWB; a passing score is valid for eight years (148E.055, subd. 3; Board). Once approved, you pay the initial license fee, prorated to your birth month two calendar years out, and the license takes effect the day the Board receives it (148E.055, subd. 9, 10). A graduate who has passed the exam and submitted fingerprints can hold a six-month temporary license while the file completes (148E.060, subd. 1).
Cost
$75 application plus the $32 background check ($35 from October 1, 2026); $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; initial LGSW license $189 for a full 24 months, prorated, with the Board's 10 percent graduate discount (Board fee pages; 148E.180).
File a supervision plan within 60 days of starting the job
Once licensed and working, an LGSW must submit a supervision plan on the Board's form no later than 60 days after beginning a social work position, naming the agency, position, supervisor and qualifications, the planned hours by type, and, for clinical practice, the client population, modalities, and diagnostic process; a revised plan is due within 60 days of a new supervisor, a new position, or a substantial change in scope or hours (148E.125, subd. 1). Missing the deadline costs a $40 supervision plan late fee at renewal, and a renewal cannot be approved until the plan is on file (148E.125, subd. 1(c), (d); 148E.180, subd. 5). The Board must approve the supervisor and the plan (148E.125, subd. 1(h)).
4,000 to 8,000 hours of clinical practice, 200 hours of supervision
A clinical LGSW obtains at least 200 hours of supervision at four to eight hours for every 160 hours of practice, over no less than 4,000 and no more than 8,000 hours of postgraduate clinical practice, including at least 1,800 hours of direct clinical client contact; 100 of the supervision hours are one-on-one, in person or by eye-to-eye video, and the other 100 may be one-on-one or group of up to six, in person, by phone, or by video, never by email (148E.106, subd. 1 to 3). The supervisor is an LICSW with 2,000 hours of post-LICSW practice including 1,000 clinical and 30 hours of supervision training, or a Board-approved alternate (148E.106, subd. 4; 148E.120). Supervised clinical practice may not run past 8,000 hours without a hardship extension of up to 2,000 (148E.106, subd. 7). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
With the hours complete, apply online with the $75 fee; a current Minnesota licensee skips the background check (Board). Send the 360 clinical clock hours forms and the Clinical Supervision Verification form from each supervisor for each position, which the Board also accepts through Online Services (148E.125, subd. 3; Board). The Board mails exam approval once the file is reviewed, ASWB sends the score about two weeks after the test, and the license is not effective until the prorated license fee is paid; changing from LGSW to LICSW keeps your existing expiration date and costs the prorated share of the new fee (148E.055, subd. 11; Board). Applications close after one year if incomplete (148E.055, subd. 8c). The Board says the whole process generally takes at least three months.
Cost
$75 application; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; LICSW license fee $335 per 24 months, prorated at the change (Board fee pages; 148E.180).
Renew every two years by the end of your birth month, with 40 hours
Every license expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month in the second calendar year after issue or renewal; the Board sends a notice at least 45 days ahead, and the completed renewal, fee, and continuing education documentation must reach the Board before midnight on the expiration date (148E.055, subd. 10; 148E.070, subd. 1 to 3). Supervisees also file a supervision verification at every renewal (148E.125, subd. 3). Up to 60 days late, add a late fee of one quarter of the renewal; after 60 days the license expires, and it can be reactivated within one year at one and a half times the renewal fee, or you apply new after that (148E.070, subd. 4, 5; 148E.080, subd. 3; 148E.180, subd. 7).
Endorsement at every level, with the hours possibly waived
An applicant with an active license at the corresponding level in another jurisdiction, the corresponding degree from an accredited college, the background check, the $115 endorsement fee, and no disqualifying conduct may be licensed by endorsement; the LSW and nonclinical LGSW supervised practice requirements are waived after 4,000 hours of practice under that license in the four years before applying, and an endorsed LGSW or LISW practicing clinically still completes the clinical supervised practice (148E.055, subd. 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a). Endorsement applicants do not document the 360 clinical clock hours (Board). A licensee from another state can also hold a six-month temporary license while the file completes, once in any 12 months (148E.060, subd. 2).
Every applicant for initial licensure completes a fingerprint-based criminal background check under Minn. Stat. 214.075, unless already holding a current standard or temporary Minnesota social work license; the $32 fee is bundled with the application fee, the CBC program office emails the instructions after the application arrives, and fingerprints go to that office, not the Board (148E.055; Board). The fee rises to $35 on October 1, 2026 (Board). Conduct that would violate the standards of practice, before or after licensure, is a ground for the Board to act (148E.055; 148E.190, subd. 3).
Apply early, and use the temporary license to start work
An internship, externship, or other experience required by an accredited program is not the practice of social work, and the student may use the title "social work intern" (148E.065, subd. 2). Students can apply for the standard license six months before graduation and test up to six months before finishing; a graduate who has passed the exam and submitted fingerprints may hold a nonrenewable six-month temporary license as a Temporary License Graduate Social Worker, with supervision that counts toward the standard license (148E.060, subd. 1; Board).
Thirty days, and a professional name if you use one
A licensee practices under the legal name or a professional name registered with the Board in writing; a legal name change takes legal proof and a professional name change a notarized statement, each within 30 days with a new $30 wall certificate; changes of mailing, home, work, or email address or daytime phone are reported within 30 days (148E.090; 148E.180, subd. 6).
Renewal late fee, within 60 days (one quarter of the renewal)
$28.75 to $83.75
Board
Reactivation of an expired license, within one year (one and a half times the renewal)
$172.50 to $502.50
Board
Supervision plan late fee
$40
Board
License late fee, for practicing unlicensed
$100 plus prorated license fee
Board
Emeritus inactive / emeritus active / temporary leave
$65 / half the renewal / the renewal
Board
Wall certificate, name change or duplicate / license card
$30 / $10
Board
$
What it adds up to. LGSW: $75 plus $32 for the check, $230 for the exam, and $189 for the license, so about $526 for a full first term. LICSW on top of it: $75, the $260 exam, and the prorated difference up to the $335 license fee, then $335 every two years. Board fee pages match the statutory maximums in 148E.180, and the Board applies a 10 percent graduate discount to a first LSW or LGSW license; exam fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalMinnesota
40 hours every two years: 2 ethics, 4 cultural responsiveness, 12 clinical for the LICSW
Every licensee completes 40 clock hours of continuing education per two-year term, including two hours in social work ethics and four in cultural responsiveness; an LICSW includes 12 hours in the clinical knowledge areas, a licensing supervisor includes six hours in supervision, and no more than half of the 40 may be independent learning such as online activities without live interaction (148E.130, subd. 1). A term shorter or longer than 24 months is prorated (148E.130, subd. 1(b)). The Board may grant a one-time extension at renewal (148E.130, subd. 10).
No preapproval, but keep the paperwork a year past expiration
Acceptable activities are academic coursework (one semester credit is 15 clock hours), workshops, seminars, conferences, and live webinars, employer staff training, and independent learning; anything from a Board-approved provider, an ASWB-approved provider or program, or an NASW-approved program automatically qualifies, and other activities qualify if they promote the standards of practice and contribute to social work (148E.130, subd. 8, 9). Keep documentation for one year after the license expiration date, with the sponsor, title, date, hours, and presenters, or a written summary for independent learning; the Board audits at renewal and reactivation (148E.130, subd. 11, 12).
StatusMinnesota
Temporary leave, emeritus, voluntary termination
At renewal a licensee not practicing anywhere may take temporary leave for up to four consecutive years at the renewal fee, or, if retired, emeritus inactive for $65; either returns to active status with two hours of ethics CE and the Board's jurisprudence exam (148E.0751; 148E.0752; 148E.080, subd. 4). Emeritus active, at half the renewal fee and half the CE, allows unpaid practice plus up to 500 paid hours a year of licensing supervision, consultation, or teaching CE (148E.0753). Voluntary termination is free and can be reversed within a year (148E.085; 148E.080, subd. 5). Each status must appear with the credential, as in "LICSW, emeritus active".
Display the wall certificate at every practice location, and post or hand out a notice that clients may learn your license status, education, and experience, examine the Board's public data on you, file a complaint, and reach the Board (148E.195, subd. 1). In all professional use of your name use the designation LSW, LGSW, LISW, or LICSW (148E.195, subd. 2a). Report to the Board within 90 days any discipline by another licensing agency, any conviction, guilty finding, or plea for a felony, gross misdemeanor, or misdemeanor reasonably related to social work, and any license denial elsewhere (148E.240, subd. 1).
Where the Missouri figures come from. Sections 337.600 to 337.689 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri and the State Committee for Social Workers' rules at 20 CSR 2263-1, 2263-2, and 2263-3 (Code of State Regulations current through June 30, 2026), read from revisor.mo.gov and sos.mo.gov, together with the Committee's fee, licensure, supervision, renewal, and reciprocity pages on pr.mo.gov, in September 2026. The licensing body is the State Committee for Social Workers in the Division of Professional Registration, Jefferson City; applications are paper forms mailed to the Committee, and renewals are online. Missouri is on the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission's list of jurisdictions that have passed the Compact.
The four licenses
LicenseMissouri
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
A BSW from a CSWE-accredited program, a passing score on the ASWB Bachelors exam, age 18, citizenship or legal residency, and no disqualifying conviction (RSMo 337.665.2). The LBSW practices generalist assessment, case management, advocacy, counseling short of psychotherapy, crisis intervention short of psychotherapeutic techniques, and referral (337.653.2); after 3,000 supervised hours in 24 to 48 months the Committee adds "independent practice" or "IP" to the license (337.653.3; 337.665.5).
LicenseMissouri
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
An MSW from a CSWE-accredited program (or one the Committee approves) or a social work doctorate, the ASWB Masters exam, age 18, citizenship or legal residency, no disqualifying conviction, the application, and the fee (337.644.2). An LMSW may not treat mental or emotional disorders, provide psychotherapy, or diagnose a mental disorder except under the direct supervision of an LCSW, and may do the work reserved to the LCSW or LAMSW only under registered supervision, in an employment setting, for no more than 48 consecutive months while working toward that license (337.600(11), (12); 337.643.2).
LicenseMissouri
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The MSW or doctorate, at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience with a qualified clinical supervisor in no less than 24 and no more than 48 consecutive months, the ASWB Clinical exam, and the same age, residency, and conviction requirements (337.615.2). Only LCSWs may practice clinical social work, which covers assessment, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and amelioration of mental and emotional conditions, including psychotherapy (337.603; 337.600(2)). An applicant who completes 4,000 supervised hours in the same window receives a Committee certificate acknowledging the extra hours (337.615.2(2)).
LicenseMissouri
LAMSW · Licensed Advanced Macro Social Worker
Missouri's independent nonclinical license: the MSW or doctorate, 3,000 hours of supervised advanced macro experience with a qualified advanced macro supervisor in 24 to 48 months, and the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam (337.645.1; 20 CSR 2263-2.050(4)(E)4). The LAMSW practices community and organizational work, nonclinical assessment and counseling, mediation, nonclinical supervision, expert testimony, research, policy, and administration, and may not treat mental or emotional disorders, provide psychotherapy without LCSW supervision, or diagnose (337.600(1)).
TitlesMissouri
Two title rules: the degree rule, and the license rule
No one may hold out as a social worker without a CSWE-accredited BSW or MSW (or a Committee-approved MSW), a social work doctorate, or a current license, and since 2004 no government entity or public or private agency may use "social worker" or any of its abbreviations, from SW and MSW to LCSW and LAMSW, in job titles, contracts, or documents for people who do not meet that test (337.604). The licensed titles themselves, and the practice of clinical social work, require the license; violations are class B misdemeanors and fees earned in violation must be refunded (337.603; 337.643; 337.646; 337.653; 337.633; 337.683). Social workers employed by a Missouri state agency or department are exempt from the licensing sections while discharging those duties, as are other licensed professions doing similar work (337.603(1), (2)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The LMSW, LCSW, and LAMSW each require a master's degree from a college or university program of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or one the Committee has recognized and approved under its rules, or a doctorate from a school of social work acceptable to the Committee (RSMo 337.615.2(1); 337.644.2(1); 337.645.1(1)). Missouri does not make the Committee's approval of a program automatic (337.628), so an unaccredited program is a risk.
Apply for the LMSW in the final semester, take the Masters exam, get fingerprinted
The application is a paper form to the Committee with the $70 application and initial license fee, an official transcript sent by the school, proof of two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training taken within the prior two years, fingerprints submitted through the Highway Patrol's vendor for the state and FBI check, and the ASWB score sent by ASWB; the Masters exam may be taken in the final semester with a letter from the program that you are on track to graduate, but not earlier (20 CSR 2263-2.050(4); 337.612.1; 337.605). Once the file is complete the Committee approves you to test, and you must pass within two years of that approval or the application expires (2263-2.051). Applications not completed within one year are void (2263-2.050(6)).
Cost
$70 application and initial license fee (20 CSR 2263-1.035); the Highway Patrol vendor's fingerprint fee; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam.
Supervision counts only after the LMSW issues, and it must be registered for approval by the Committee before it begins, on the registration of supervision form with the $25 fee per setting; the Committee tells both of you in writing whether it is approved (20 CSR 2263-2.030(1); 2263-2.032(1), (3), (7)). Any change or addition of supervisor or setting takes a change of status form within 14 days, or the hours since the change do not count (2263-2.032(5)). Unregistered supervision may be reviewed at the Committee's discretion only for reciprocity applicants or where the applicant failed to pre-approve (2263-2.032(1)).
Cost
$25 registration of supervision, per setting (20 CSR 2263-1.035; Committee).
At least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience with a qualified clinical supervisor, in no less than 24 and no more than 48 consecutive calendar months counted from the start regardless of gaps, with at least two hours of individual face-to-face supervision every two weeks (or four hours per four weeks), up to half of each month's supervision in a group of two to six, and video allowed when it is verbally and visually interactive (RSMo 337.615.2(2); 20 CSR 2263-2.030(3)). The supervisor files annual progress reports at months 12, 24, and 36 (2263-2.032(12)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW and take the Clinical exam after 2,250 hours and 18 months
The LCSW application (the same form as the LAMSW's, with the Attestation of Supervision completed by each supervisor and sent directly) goes in with the $70 fee, transcript, the suicide training proof, fingerprints, and the ASWB score; the Clinical exam may not be taken before at least 2,250 hours and 18 months of the supervised experience are complete, and you stay under approved supervision until the Committee approves the license (20 CSR 2263-2.050(4)(E)5; 2263-2.030(5)). Supervision older than 48 months at the time of application is not recognized (2263-2.032(10)).
Cost
$70 application and initial license fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (20 CSR 2263-1.035; ASWB).
Renew every two years by September 30 with 30 hours
Licenses run 24 months and expire on September 30; the Committee emails about 90 days ahead, and renewal takes 30 clock hours of continuing education including three hours of ethics and two of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management, prorated for a first renewal (RSMo 337.618.1; 20 CSR 2263-2.075; 2263-2.082; Committee). From January 1, 2027, renewals also include two hours of sex and human trafficking training at the first renewal after licensure and one hour at each renewal after (337.618.2). Up to 60 days late is renewal plus the delinquent fee; from 60 days to two years is restoration with a restoration fee and make-up hours; after two years the license cannot be restored and you reapply under current rules (2263-2.085).
Cost
$45 two-year renewal; $65 delinquent fee; $130 restoration of a lapsed license (20 CSR 2263-1.035, as amended effective May 30, 2024).
A social worker who holds a current license in another state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the military and has held it for at least one year may apply by reciprocity; within six months the Committee must waive Missouri's exam, education, and experience requirements if the other jurisdiction had minimum education and, where applicable, experience and supervision requirements and verifies that you met them, and it may require a Missouri law exam; military spouses are decided within 30 days (RSMo 337.615.3; 337.644.5; 337.665.6). The application takes the $75 reciprocity fee, fingerprints, and license verification from every state where you hold or held a license; a temporary permit for up to three months is available while it is pending (20 CSR 2263-2.060; 2263-2.070; Committee). Licensed less than a year, call the Committee (Committee).
Fingerprints through the Highway Patrol, and the conviction test
Every application includes proof of fingerprint submission to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's approved vendor for the state and FBI check, paid to the vendor (20 CSR 2263-2.050(4)(F); RSMo 337.605). A final adjudication or plea of guilty or nolo contendere for an offense directly related to the duties of the occupation, judged under section 324.012, disqualifies an applicant (337.615.2(4)); a "yes" answer on the application takes a sworn affidavit and certified court documents (2263-2.050(4)(G)).
Two hours before you apply, two hours every renewal
The application form itself states that the applicant has completed two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training, taken within the two years before applying, and the same two hours are part of every 30-hour renewal (RSMo 337.612.1; 337.662.1; 337.618.1; 20 CSR 2263-2.050(4)(D); 2263-2.082(2)(B)).
Name and AddressMissouri
Thirty days, by letter
Notify the Committee by letter within 30 days of any change of legal name or address, and of telephone number the same way; a name changed by marriage or court order takes the documentation and the return of the old license and wall certificate (20 CSR 2263-1.030). Renewal notices go to the last known address, and not receiving one does not excuse a late renewal (RSMo 337.612.2; 2263-2.075(1)). A replacement wall certificate is $5 and a duplicate license $10 (2263-1.035).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application and initial license, any level
$70
Committee
Registration of supervision, per setting
$25
Committee
Fingerprint background check
vendor's fee
Highway Patrol vendor
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Two-year renewal
$45
Committee
Delinquent fee, late renewal or practicing unlicensed
$65
Committee
Restoration of a lapsed license (60 days to two years)
$130
Committee
Inactive status
$25
Committee
Reciprocity application
$75
Committee
Verification of licensure to another state
$20
Committee
Wall certificate replacement / duplicate license
$5 / $10
Committee
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $70 plus the $230 exam, so $300 plus fingerprinting. LCSW on top of it: $25 to register supervision, $70 to apply, and $260 for the exam, so $355 more, plus one $45 renewal during the hours. Missouri's fees are among the lowest in the country; they come from 20 CSR 2263-1.035 as amended in 2024, and ASWB's exam fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalMissouri
30 hours every two years, with three in ethics and two in suicide
Every licensee completes 30 clock hours of acceptable continuing education before each renewal, including three hours of ethics presented by a social worker or an ethics-qualified professional and two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management (20 CSR 2263-2.082(1), (2)). A new licensee's first requirement is prorated by months licensed, and up to ten hours may carry over into the next period (2263-2.082(5), (7)). The Committee can grant exceptions for health, military service, foreign residency, or good cause on a written request made before the renewal date (RSMo 337.618.1; 2263-2.082(3)).
College credit (15 hours per semester hour), self-study programs with a completion certificate if audited, publications (three to ten hours), a one-time five hours for preparing and presenting a course, up to three hours for supervision of applicants, students, or peer review, and workshops, seminars, and live interactive webinars approved or sponsored by NASW, social service agencies and hospital or agency staff development units, the human services professional associations the rule lists, ASWB ACE providers, or accredited colleges (2263-2.082(6)). Regular work, staff meetings, case staffing, board service, business meetings, and agency policy training earn nothing, and hours ordered as discipline do not count (2263-2.082(7), (13)). Keep documentation four years after renewal; failing to produce it on audit is itself a violation (2263-2.082(11), (12)).
StatusMissouri
Inactive, lapsed, and the two-year cliff
A licensee may renew at inactive status for $25 with no continuing education, renewing biennially, with "inactive" next to the title and no practice; returning to active status takes the renewal fee plus 30 hours completed in the prior two years or a promise to complete them within a year, and after five years inactive without 60 hours the exam again (20 CSR 2263-2.090). A license expired 60 days or less is renewed with the delinquent fee; more than 60 days but less than two years takes the restoration fee and make-up hours computed from the months lapsed; two years or more, or revoked, and the license cannot be restored (2263-2.085; Committee).
DutyMissouri
Display it, use the title, and answer the Committee
Keep the license prominently displayed as proof of licensure, use the full licensed title in any advertising, directory, or solicitation, and never hold out as licensed once the license has lapsed or been revoked (20 CSR 2263-3.080(3) to (5)). A licensee must respond to all reasonable requests for information from the Committee, and the renewal form asks about convictions, substance treatment, civil suits, and discipline elsewhere (2263-3.020(5); 2263-2.075(2)).
Where the Tennessee figures come from. Tennessee Code Annotated title 63, chapter 23 (the Social Worker Practice Act, sections 63-23-101 through 63-23-114), read as published on codes.findlaw.com, and the Rules of the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure, chapter 1365-01 (revised September 2024), read from the Secretary of State's rules publication site, together with the Board's page on tn.gov, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Board of Social Worker Licensure, administered by the Department of Health's Division of Health Related Boards in Nashville; applications are online with paper forms as a fallback. Tennessee is on the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission's list of jurisdictions that have passed the Compact.
The four licenses
LicenseTennessee
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
A BSW from a CSWE-accredited program and the ASWB Bachelors exam, plus the application, fees, and age of majority (T.C.A. 63-23-102(b)). Basic generalist practice: interviewing, assessment, planning, case management, mediation, supportive counseling, information and referral, advocacy, community organization, and program administration, never diagnosis, treatment of mental illness, or psychotherapy; the LBSW works in or for an agency, may not practice privately or independently, and may not take direct payment or third-party reimbursement (63-23-102(a)).
LicenseTennessee
LMSW · Licensed Master's Social Worker
An MSW from a CSWE-accredited program or a doctorate in social work and the ASWB Masters exam (63-23-103(b)). Advanced practice skills in assessment, treatment planning, case management, counseling, supervision of employees, consultation, research, and administration, and clinical social work under the clinical supervision of an LCSW as the avenue to that license; the LMSW engages only in supervised practice in or for an agency, may not practice privately or independently, and may not take direct payment or third-party reimbursement (63-23-103(a)).
LicenseTennessee
LAPSW · Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker
The independent nonclinical license: the MSW or doctorate, at least two years of practice as an LMSW or temporary LMSW under an LAPSW or LCSW, with 3,000 hours of nonclinical advanced practice experience and 100 hours of supervision, and the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam (63-23-104(b); Rule 1365-01-.04(3)). The LAPSW may practice independently outside an agency for direct payment or third-party reimbursement in nonclinical work, may supervise LMSWs toward the LAPSW, and may practice clinically only under LCSW supervision and without payment for the clinical work (63-23-104(a)).
LicenseTennessee
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The MSW or doctorate, at least two years as an LMSW or temporary LMSW under an LCSW, with 3,000 hours of clinical experience and 100 hours of supervision, and the ASWB Clinical exam (63-23-105(b); Rule 1365-01-.04(4)). The LCSW assesses, diagnoses, and treats mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and addictions, uses the DSM and ICD, provides individual, marital, family, and group therapy and psychotherapy, may practice independently for direct payment or reimbursement, and may supervise LMSWs toward either advanced license (63-23-105(a)). Only an LCSW may engage in clinical private practice (Rule 1365-01-.03(1)).
TitlesTennessee
The degree rule for "social worker", and the license rule for each title
No one may hold out as a social worker without a CSWE-accredited BSW or MSW, a social work doctorate, or a current license, and since July 1, 2005 no government entity, agency, business, or organization may use the title, or any form of it, for positions, contracts, or documents unless the people in them qualify; nursing homes may use "qualified social worker" under the federal regulation, within the nursing home only (63-23-113). Representing yourself as an LBSW, LMSW, LAPSW, or LCSW without that license, or practicing independently as a clinical social worker without the LCSW, is a Class A misdemeanor (63-23-102(c), (d); 63-23-103(c), (d); 63-23-104(c), (d); 63-23-105(c), (d)). The Board's civil penalties for unlicensed practice run $500 to $1,000 per Type A violation (Rule 1365-01-.11(4)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The LMSW, LAPSW, and LCSW each require a master's degree in social work from a CSWE-approved program, or a doctorate or Ph.D. in social work; the official transcript must come directly from the institution, which had to be accredited when the degree was granted (T.C.A. 63-23-103(b)(1)(D); Rule 1365-01-.04(2)(a)5). A graduate of a program that has applied for accreditation but not yet received it may hold a temporary license (63-23-103(e); Rule 1365-01-.04(6)).
Apply for the LMSW, then pass the Masters exam within twelve months
The LMSW application, online or on paper form PH-2066, takes the disclosures of convictions, license discipline, and civil judgments, the application, license, and state regulatory fees, a passport-style photo taken within the past year, a criminal background check sent by the Board's vendor directly to the Board, the transcript, and proof of passing the ASWB Masters exam (Rule 1365-01-.04(2)). If you apply before testing, the Board approves you to sit and you have twelve months from approval to pass, waivable only in extraordinary circumstances; an incomplete file closes after 30 days without the missing items, and the Board decides a completed application within 60 days (Rule 1365-01-.06; T.C.A. 63-23-114). The LMSW must exist before any supervised hours begin (Rule 1365-01-.04(4)(a)7(i)).
Cost
$50 application, $75 license, and $10 state regulatory fee; the vendor's background check fee; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (Rule 1365-01-.05(2); ASWB).
A supervisor must be secured before any clinical experience hours accumulate (Rule 1365-01-.08(1)(d)). The supervisor must hold an active LCSW license and have been continuously licensed as an LCSW for at least three years before the supervision began, must have twelve hours of supervision-related continuing education including three on Tennessee's licensing rules, and may not be a relative, an employee of yours, or anyone sharing your household (Rule 1365-01-.08(4), (6), (9)). No other mental health or medical discipline qualifies (Rule 1365-01-.08(8)). Tennessee registers no supervision plan with the Board; the supervisor's documentation comes in with your LCSW application, so get the license history and training certificates in writing at the start.
3,000 hours over two to eight years, 100 hours of supervision
At least 3,000 hours of clinical experience completed over not less than two and not more than eight years, with 100 supervisor contact hours in addition to the 3,000, spread at roughly one supervision hour per 30 experience hours; at least 60 of the 100 are individual and no more than 40 in a group of up to four supervisees, and no more than 75 percent of the individual hours may be by video (Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(a); T.C.A. 63-23-105(b)(5)). Both of you keep records, and both sign the Board's supervision log, which is sufficient verification (Rule 1365-01-.08(3)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Step 5Tennessee
Apply for the LCSW with the supervision verified, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW application, online or on paper form PH-2082, repeats the disclosures, photo, background check, and transcript, adds a copy of the current LMSW license, the supervisor's and your verification of the 3,000 hours and 100 supervision hours, and proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam; the LMSW must stay active until the LCSW issues (Rule 1365-01-.04(4)). The two-to-eight-year window is measured from the date the application and fee are received (Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(a)). As with the LMSW, the Board's exam approval gives you twelve months to pass (Rule 1365-01-.06(5)).
Cost
$100 application, $125 license, and $10 state regulatory fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (Rule 1365-01-.05(3); ASWB).
Renew every two years by the end of your birth month
Licenses run 24 months and expire on the last day of the licensee's birth month under the Division's biennial birth-date system; renewal is online or on paper with the renewal and state regulatory fees and the continuing education complete (T.C.A. 63-23-106(a); Rule 1365-01-.07(1)). Up to 60 days late costs the late fee; after 60 days the license is administratively revoked and you reinstate or reapply (63-23-106(a)(2); Rule 1365-01-.07(1)(d)). The Board mails renewal notices about 45 days ahead to the address on record (Board).
Cost
$95 renewal plus $10 state regulatory fee for the LMSW, LAPSW, and LCSW ($45 plus $10 for the LBSW); $100 late fee ($50 LBSW) (Rule 1365-01-.05).
Before you apply
Already LicensedTennessee
Reciprocity for residents and Tennessee employees
The Board may license without examination anyone residing or employed in Tennessee who has not previously failed the Board's exam and holds a license from a state whose standards the Board finds as stringent as Tennessee's; a completed application from an out-of-state licensee gets a decision, or a summons to appear, within 60 days (T.C.A. 63-23-111). The file takes the application and fees, the background check, the photo, a letter of good standing from the other board, proof you never failed the exam, copies of the original license and current renewal, and proof of Tennessee residence or employment; those who do not qualify apply by examination, and documented out-of-state supervision meeting the rule can substitute for holding the Tennessee LMSW first (Rule 1365-01-.04(5)).
BackgroundTennessee
A vendor background check, sent straight to the Board
Every application, including reciprocity, includes the results of a criminal background check sent from the vendor named in the Board's application materials directly to the Board office, and every application discloses convictions other than traffic violations, discipline or denial by any licensing board, and civil judgments or adverse settlements (Rule 1365-01-.04). A felony conviction, discipline elsewhere, and conduct reflecting unfavorably on the profession are among the statutory grounds for denial (T.C.A. 63-23-108(a)).
StudentsTennessee
The temporary license, only for graduates of programs in candidacy
Tennessee's temporary LBSW and LMSW licenses exist for graduates of programs that had applied for CSWE accreditation but not yet received it when the degree was granted; the temporary licensee has already passed the ASWB exam and cleared the background check, must apply for the full license within 60 days of the program's accreditation, and loses the license if accreditation is denied or withdrawn (Rule 1365-01-.04(6)). Supervised hours toward the LCSW or LAPSW may begin under the temporary LMSW (Rule 1365-01-.04(6)(c)).
Name and AddressTennessee
Thirty days, in writing, with your license number
Notify the Board office in writing within 30 days of any change of mailing or physical address or of name, referencing your name, license category, and license number (Rule 1365-01-.13). A replacement of the artistic license certificate takes a written affidavit and $25 (Rule 1365-01-.12; 1365-01-.05).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application: LBSW / LMSW / LAPSW or LCSW
$25 / $50 / $100
Board
Initial license: LBSW / LMSW / LAPSW or LCSW
$50 / $75 / $125
Board
State regulatory fee, with each application and renewal
$10
Board
Criminal background check
vendor's fee
Board's vendor
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal: LBSW / LMSW, LAPSW, LCSW
$45 / $95
Board
Late renewal, within 60 days: LBSW / others
$50 / $100
Board
Temporary license (LBSW or LMSW)
$50
Board
Endorsement or verification to another state
$0
Board
Replacement license certificate
$25
Board
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $50 plus $75 plus $10, and $230 for the exam, so $365 plus the background check. LCSW on top of it: $100 plus $125 plus $10, and $260 for the exam, so $495 more, plus one or two $105 LMSW renewals during the two to eight years of hours. Fees are set in Rule 1365-01-.05; the license fee is the only refundable one, on written request within 60 days of a denial or withdrawal.
Keeping the license
RenewalTennessee
30 hours for the LCSW and LAPSW, 24 for the LMSW, 18 for the LBSW, every two calendar years
Continuing education is measured over the two calendar years preceding the year of renewal: 30 clock hours for an LCSW or LAPSW, 24 for an LMSW, 18 for an LBSW, each including at least six hours of social work ethics and one hour specific to the Tennessee statute and Board rules (Rule 1365-01-.09(3) to (6)). A licensee who holds more than one category satisfies each separately, with the ethics and rules hours counting for all (1365-01-.09(3)(b), (c)). A new LBSW or LMSW who applied in the calendar year of the exam may count the exam as half of the first period's hours (1365-01-.09(3)(a)). Every licensee also completes a two-hour Board-approved suicide prevention training at least once every four years under the Tullis Act (1365-01-.09(3)(d)).
No preapproval, caps on multimedia and teaching, four years of proof
The Board preapproves nothing; the licensee judges whether a program fits the rule (1365-01-.09(9)). Seminars, workshops, cross-disciplinary offerings clearly related to social work, employer in-service training, association events, and college courses (15 clock hours per credit, capped at 15 per period) all count; first-time teaching earns preparation time hour for hour up to 75 percent of the requirement, a first publication or presentation up to five hours, and multimedia or remote courses with verified completion up to two thirds of the hours (1365-01-.09(7)). Regular work, staff meetings, board service, unstructured self-study, agency policy training, and non-social-work content earn nothing (1365-01-.09(8)(e)). Keep proof four years from the end of the calendar year the hours were earned; audited licensees have 15 working days to produce it (1365-01-.09(8)).
StatusTennessee
Retired, reinstated, and the five-year line
A licensee may retire the license by affidavit and owe no renewal; reactivation takes the form, the renewal and state fees (plus the late fee if within a year of retiring), and continuing education completed within the prior twelve months, at 15 hours for an LCSW or LAPSW, 12 for an LMSW, and 9 for an LBSW when retired more than a year (T.C.A. 63-23-107; Rule 1365-01-.07(3); 1365-01-.09(10)(a)). A license expired or inactive under three years is reinstated with the fees and the missed continuing education; three to five years adds license verification, a new background check, and whatever the Board asks to show competence; more than five years means a new application under current rules (Rule 1365-01-.07(2)).
DutyTennessee
Consumer right-to-know reports, and the volunteer license
Licensees report to the Board any malpractice judgment, award, or settlement over $10,000, and any felony conviction or misdemeanor conviction involving sex, alcohol or drugs, injury or threats, abuse or neglect of a minor, spouse, or elder, or fraud or theft; an expungement order removes the conviction from the public profile (Rule 1365-01-.14). A licensee with no discipline may hold a fee-free special volunteer license to practice without pay solely in a free health clinic (T.C.A. 63-23-112; Rule 1365-01-.16).
Where the Indiana figures come from. Indiana Code article 25-23.6 (the Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board article: definitions in chapter 1, titles and exemptions in chapter 4, social worker licensure in chapter 5, and privileged communications in chapter 6), read as published on codes.findlaw.com, the Board's rules at 839 IAC 1 (fees, application, licensure, standards, and continuing education), read on the Indiana Register site, IC 25-1-9-4 (grounds for discipline for all health professions), and the Board's licensing information page on in.gov, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board, staffed by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) in Indianapolis; applications and renewals are online through the PLA's portal. Indiana is not on the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission's list of jurisdictions that have passed the Compact; the Counseling Compact is live here for LMHCs.
The three licenses
LicenseIndiana
LBSW · Licensed Bachelor's Degree Social Worker
A BSW from a program accredited or in candidacy with CSWE (or Board-approved), no conviction bearing on competent practice, no out-of-state discipline for endangering the public, the exam, and the fee (IC 25-23.6-5-1.5(a)). Practice at the bachelor's level means generalist planning, administration, research, and services at the level of a BSW, never psychotherapy or diagnosis (IC 25-23.6-1-8(b), (c)). Someone with an MSW may not apply for it, and hours earned under it do not count toward the LCSW (IC 25-23.6-5-1.5(c), (d)).
LicenseIndiana
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
An MSW from a Board-approved institution (or a CSWE-recognized foreign program), the same character requirements, the ASWB Masters exam, which the rule calls the intermediate level, and the fee (IC 25-23.6-5-1; 839 IAC 1-2-1(b)). The LSW is the working license for master's-level practice and the required status for anyone accumulating clinical hours in Indiana toward the LCSW (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(c)). The practice of social work excludes psychotherapy and diagnosis (IC 25-23.6-1-8(b)).
LicenseIndiana
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
An MSW from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program that emphasized direct clinical services, or a social work doctorate, two years of clinical social work experience after the degree under a qualified supervisor, the character requirements, the ASWB Clinical exam, and the fee (IC 25-23.6-5-2; 5-3.1; 5-3.5). The practice of clinical social work covers mental health diagnosis, appraisal instruments in treatment planning, and counseling and psychotherapeutic techniques in settings from mental and physical health facilities to private practice (IC 25-23.6-1-6).
TitlesIndiana
"Social worker" is a licensed title in Indiana
Without a license under the article, a person may not profess to be a social worker, licensed social worker, or licensed clinical social worker, use those titles or "clinical social worker", "psychiatric social worker", or "psychosocial worker", or any other title containing "social worker", or practice as one for compensation; a violation is a Class A misdemeanor (IC 25-23.6-4-1; 4-4). The exemptions are for other licensed health professionals within their scope, students, interns, trainees, and graduates accumulating experience under qualified supervision who use "intern", "student", or "trainee" in the title, nonresidents practicing no more than five days a month and fifteen a year, clergy, employees and volunteers of charitable, religious, or educational organizations, school counselors, governmental employees as defined, and certain DCS contractors (IC 25-23.6-4-2). Hospitals and community mental health centers may use "case manager" and "discharge planner", and listed facilities "social service designee", for unlicensed staff (IC 25-23.6-4-3; 4-3.1).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with a direct-practice concentration
The LCSW requires a master's degree from a program accredited or approved for candidacy by CSWE (or a doctorate), and the graduate program must have emphasized direct clinical or client health services: required coursework in clinical social work and related areas such as psychiatric or medical social work, casework, case management, psychotherapy, and group therapy, plus a required supervised field placement in an advanced direct-practice concentration in which you provided clinical services to clients (IC 25-23.6-5-2(1); 5-3.1(a)). A graduate of a nonclinical program returns to a qualifying program to complete the clinical curriculum (5-3.1(b)); baccalaureate coursework counts only with a program official's certification that a graduate course was waived because of it (5-3.1(c)). The Board's Form III maps your courses to the requirement.
Apply for the LSW in the last term, then pass the Masters exam within a year of approval
A student in the last term of the final year may take the Masters exam with a letter of good standing from the social work department director giving the degree, the anticipated completion date, and current good standing (IC 25-23.6-5-4(c), (d)). The application is online with the $50 fee, the background check, transcripts, and disclosures; once approved you must sit for the exam within one year of the initial Board approval or the approval is void and you reapply (839 IAC 1-3-5(a); Board). A repeat attempt takes a new application, a 90-day wait, and, after three failures, a study plan and a Board appearance (839 IAC 1-3-5(d); Board). A graduate who meets the education requirement may hold a one-year, nonrenewable temporary permit while testing (IC 25-23.6-5-11.5).
Cost
$50 application and issuance fee; $25 temporary permit; the background check vendor's fee; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (839 IAC 1-2-5; ASWB).
Hold the LSW or temporary permit, and find a qualified supervisor
Clinical social work experience earned in Indiana counts only while licensed as a social worker or holding the temporary LSW permit (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(c), (i); Board). The supervisor is a qualified supervisor as determined by the Board, which the Board's Form I describes as a licensed clinical social worker; supervision is face-to-face contact for at least four hours per month, and up to 100 percent of it may be virtual on a synchronous, HIPAA-compliant audio and video platform, never by phone, email, or text (839 IAC 1-3-2(c); IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(a), (h)). Indiana registers no supervision plan; the verification comes with the application, so get the arrangement in writing at the start.
Step 4Indiana
Two years of clinical experience, 3,000 post-degree hours, four supervision hours a month
The LCSW applicant must have at least two years of clinical social work experience after the graduate degree under a qualified supervisor (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(b)). Experience means full-time paid work of at least 1,500 hours a year; part-time is considered if you can verify 4,500 hours in all, 3,000 of them after the degree (839 IAC 1-3-2(b)). Clinical social work experience means providing clinical services, including evaluation and treatment, with at least half the time in counseling services directly to clients (IC 25-23.6-1-3.3). The Board says the two years can never be met in less than 24 months. The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW with Forms I, II, and III, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW application is online with the $50 fee, the background check, official transcripts from every school on Form III, Form III itself listing the clinical coursework, Form I from each supervisor verifying at least four hours of face-to-face supervision per month of experience, and Form II verifying two years of paid, full-time, supervised clinical experience; then exam approval, the ASWB Clinical exam within one year of approval, and the license once the score arrives (Board; 839 IAC 1-3-5). Supervised clinical hours earned after the LSW issues do not expire (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(g)).
Cost
$50 application and issuance fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (839 IAC 1-2-5; ASWB).
Renew by April 1 of even-numbered years with 40 hours
Every license expires on April 1 of even-numbered years; renewal takes the $50 fee and 20 continuing education hours per licensure year, 40 per cycle, with at least half from Category I and one ethics hour per year (839 IAC 1-2-2(a); 1-2-5(e); 1-6-3; IC 25-23.6-5-9). A license not renewed by the expiration date becomes invalid; it can be reinstated for up to three years under the PLA's general reinstatement statute, and after three years the Board requires a renewal application, current and penalty fees, a letter explaining the lapse, one cycle of CE within the prior 24 months, and possibly an appearance and the exam again (IC 25-23.6-5-9(c); 5-10; 839 IAC 1-2-2(f)). The PLA emails reminders about 90 days ahead (Board).
Cost
$50 biennial renewal (839 IAC 1-2-5(e)); late penalty per the PLA fee schedule; $100 reinstatement after three years expired (Board).
The Board must issue an LBSW, LSW, or LCSW within 30 days of a completed application to someone who holds a valid license from another state, has passed an exam substantially equivalent to the level requested, has no pending disciplinary proceeding elsewhere, and pays the fee (IC 25-23.6-5-10.5). Equivalent means the same ASWB exam at the same or a higher level (839 IAC 1-3-3.5). The file takes the $50 application, the background check, license verification sent by the other state, and the ASWB score report (Board). An exam exemption also exists for someone licensed elsewhere with three of the last five years in practice who passes an Indiana law exam (IC 25-23.6-5-14), and a temporary permit for an out-of-state licensee pending the decision (IC 25-23.6-5-11).
BackgroundIndiana
A background check on every application, and the conviction rules
Every application, including reciprocity, repeat exams, and temporary permits, includes a criminal background check and full disclosure with court documents of any positive answer (Board). Applicants show they have no conviction for a crime with a direct bearing on the ability to practice competently and no out-of-state discipline for endangering the public (IC 25-23.6-5-1(2), (3); 5-2(3), (4)); the Board's rule lists the convictions of concern, from sexual and violent crimes to fraud and controlled substance dealing, and allows a prelicensure determination (839 IAC 1-7-4; 1-7-6).
The last-term exam, and the temporary permit after graduation
Final-term students may sit for the Masters or Bachelors exam with a letter of good standing (IC 25-23.6-5-4(c)). A graduate who meets the education requirement and has filed the primary application may hold a one-year temporary permit to practice social work, issued once the exam approval is in place, valid for the year whether or not the exam is passed, and never renewed; hours earned under it count toward the LCSW for four years, longer with Board approval (IC 25-23.6-5-11.5; 5-3.5(i); Board).
Name and AddressIndiana
Your responsibility to tell the PLA
Renewal notices go to the last known address, failure to receive one is no excuse, and it is the practitioner's responsibility to notify the PLA of an address change (839 IAC 1-2-2(c), (d)); a name change takes documentation such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree (Board). A duplicate wall certificate is $10 (839 IAC 1-2-5(i)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application and issuance, LBSW, LSW, or LCSW (also repeat exam and reciprocity)
$50
PLA
Temporary permit
$25
PLA
Criminal background check
vendor's fee
PLA's vendor
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, any level
$50
PLA
Late renewal penalty
PLA fee schedule
PLA
Reinstatement of a license expired three years or more
$100
PLA
Reinstatement of a retired license
$50
PLA
Verification of licensure to another state
$10
PLA
Duplicate wall certificate
$10
PLA
$
What it adds up to. LSW: $50 plus the $230 exam, so $280 plus the background check. LCSW on top of it: $50 plus the $260 exam, so $310 more, plus one $50 renewal during the two years of hours. Indiana's fees are set by the Board's rule at 839 IAC 1-2-5 and are among the lowest in the country; the PLA's fee schedule sets the late penalty, and ASWB's exam fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalIndiana
20 hours a year, half from Category I, one ethics hour a year
A licensee completes not less than 20 CEUs per licensure year (April 1 to March 31), 40 for the two-year period; at least half of the required amount comes from Category I, formal programming, and at most half from Category II, self-directed activities; at least one of each year's ten Category I hours covers ethics and professional conduct, including boundary issues (839 IAC 1-6-1(b); 1-6-3(b), (c)). Hours cannot carry over, and hours used for another state's mental health license may count here (1-6-3(e), (g)). A first renewal after 12 to 24 months licensed needs half the hours; under 12 months, none (1-6-3(h)). Keep records four years after the period ends; the Board audits at random and asks the licensee to prove the hours were approved (1-6-3(f); 1-6-4).
Where Category I comes from, and what Category II is worth
Category I is formally organized courses, workshops, seminars, symposia, institutes, and accredited home study by computer, audio, or video, plus college courses at 15 CEUs per semester hour and first-time faculty teaching at 1.5 CEUs per credit hour (839 IAC 1-6-1(c)). Programs from the 86 sponsors the rule lists, from NASW, ASWB, and the American Psychological Association to accredited universities, government agencies, and any program approved by another state's social work board, are deemed approved without Board review (1-6-2(f)). Category II earns one CEU an hour for journal reading, office in-services, teaching case conferences, first-time presenting or supervising at a conference, peer review or supervision of students and license candidates, and board or association service, and ten CEUs for a first publication of research (1-6-1(e)). A shortfall on audit means making up the hours and a fine on the Board's schedule, from $100 for one or two hours to $1,000 for 21 to 40 (Board).
StatusIndiana
Retirement, and the ladder back
A licensee who notifies the Board in writing of retirement is released from renewal fees and continuing education and may not practice until reinstated (IC 25-23.6-5-12; 839 IAC 1-2-2.1). Reinstatement takes the application, the $50 fee, and CE by years retired: 20 hours within the prior 12 months for up to three years, 40 within 24 months for three to six, 60 within 36 months for six to ten, and a Board determination and possible appearance beyond ten, with two of the hours in ethics (839 IAC 1-2-2.1(c); Board).
DutyIndiana
Display the license, use the letters, and refer for a physical
Display the license or a clear copy at each location where you regularly practice, and include "licensed social worker" or "licensed clinical social worker" or the letters LSW or LCSW on all promotional materials that name you, from business cards to signs (IC 25-23.6-4-5). Before providing counseling services for compensation, disclose your educational background, degree, and institution to the client; a violation is a Class A misdemeanor (IC 25-23.6-7-6; 7-7). When an evaluation for a mental health diagnosis shows the patient has not seen a physician, APRN, or physician assistant in twelve months or may have a physical condition needing attention, advise and offer to help schedule a physical, provide a list of practitioners with contact details, coordinate care unless the patient declines, and document it all (IC 25-23.6-5-17).
Where the Wisconsin figures come from. Wisconsin Statutes chapter 457, subchapter I (definitions in 457.01, exemptions in 457.02, prohibited practices in 457.04, the four social work credentials in 457.08, the training certificate in 457.09, temporary and reciprocal credentials in 457.14 and 457.15, renewal in 457.20, continuing education in 457.22, liability insurance in 457.24, and discipline in 457.26), the fee statute at 440.05, the Examining Board's rules in Wis. Admin. Code chapters MPSW 1 through 6, 19, and 20, and the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) profession pages and its Renewal Dates and Fees schedule, read on docs.legis.wisconsin.gov and dsps.wi.gov in September 2026. The licensing body is the Social Worker Section of the Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board, staffed by DSPS in Madison; applications and renewals run through the DSPS LicensE portal. Wisconsin has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and its statute directs the Section to grant multistate licenses at the bachelor's, master's, and clinical categories (457.08(4m)); Wisconsin is on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The four credentials, and the training certificate
CertificateWisconsin
CSW · Certified Social Worker
A bachelor's or master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited or preaccreditation program, or a social work doctorate, the application and fee, and the two exams: the ASWB exam for the level and Wisconsin's open-book statutes and rules exam (Wis. Stat. 457.08(1); MPSW 5.01(1)). Every higher credential is built on this one; the statute grants each of the others only to someone certified under sub. (1) (457.08(2) to (4)). The Section also grants it to a training certificate holder who passes both exams (457.09(5)(d)). Wisconsin's is the base credential that a BSW graduate holds, and the title "social worker" belongs to it (457.04(1)).
CertificateWisconsin
CAPSW · Certified Advanced Practice Social Worker
An MSW from a CSWE-accredited or preaccreditation program or a social work doctorate, the fee, and the exams, with the ASWB Masters exam as the national one (457.08(2); DSPS). An advanced practice social worker may evaluate and intervene in complex difficulties in psychosocial functioning and may engage in psychotherapeutic activities only under the supervision of a person authorized by the Board or by the Department of Health Services to supervise clinical social work (MPSW 6.02). This is the credential you hold while earning LCSW hours; the clinical rule counts hours only after certification as an APSW or ISW (MPSW 3.09(3)).
CertificateWisconsin
CISW · Certified Independent Social Worker
An MSW or doctorate, the equivalent of at least two years of full-time supervised social work practice after the degree, approved by the Section, and either the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam or the Academy of Certified Social Workers credential, in which case the Section may still require the state law exam (457.08(3); MPSW 3.07(3), (4); DSPS). The rule counts the two years only after certification as an APSW (MPSW 3.07(3)). An independent social worker may practice social work independently but may engage in psychotherapeutic activities only under clinical supervision (MPSW 6.03). It is a nonclinical independent credential, not a step on the way to the LCSW.
LicenseWisconsin
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
An MSW or doctorate with a clinical social work concentration and supervised clinical field training approved by the Section, the equivalent of at least 3,000 hours of clinical social work practice after the degree, including at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact with DSM diagnosis and treatment, supervised by a qualifying supervisor, and the ASWB Clinical exam plus the state exam (457.08(4); MPSW 3.09; DSPS). A licensed clinical social worker may provide services without supervision for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders, including individual, marital, and group psychotherapy (MPSW 6.04). Practicing clinical social work or using the title without the license is prohibited, except for an APSW or ISW practicing under an LCSW's supervision (457.04(4)).
TitlesWisconsin
"Social worker" is a certified title in Wisconsin
No person may use the title "social worker" unless certified under the subchapter or holding a bachelor's-category multistate license from another Compact state, and the same holds for "advanced practice social worker", "independent social worker", and "clinical social worker" at their levels (457.04(1) to (4)). A school social worker licensed by the Department of Public Instruction may use that title without a DSPS credential, and a DSPS credential alone does not authorize it (457.02(2), (4)). The subchapter does not require a credential to practice within the scope of another state or federal license, and it leaves psychotherapy to the rules under 457.03 and 457.035, which permit it for an LCSW, LMFT, or LPC and, in limited settings, for other qualified staff (457.02(6); 457.035). Every credential holder who practices clinical social work must give clients written notice of a grievance procedure (457.04(8)).
TrainingWisconsin
The social worker training certificate, for non-social-work bachelor's degrees
A graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology, criminal justice, or another human service program approved by the Section may hold a training certificate, valid 24 months and never renewed, while completing the social work degree equivalency courses and either a supervised human services internship or one year of supervised social work employment (457.09(1), (3), (4); MPSW 3.13). The holder may use the title "social worker" during that period, may take the national exam before or after finishing the coursework, and receives the CSW certificate on passing both exams (457.09(2), (5)). The fee is the temporary credential fee, $10 (457.09(1)(b); 440.05(6)).
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with a clinical concentration and supervised clinical field training
The LCSW requires a master's degree in social work from a program accredited by, or a preaccreditation program of, CSWE, or a social work doctorate, and, as part of the degree or in postgraduate studies, a clinical social work concentration and supervised clinical field training, both approved by the Section (Wis. Stat. 457.08(4)(b)). The school certifies the concentration and field training on the certificate of professional education (MPSW 3.09(1)), and DSPS Form 2673 lists the clinical coursework alongside the transcript (DSPS). A graduate without the field training may substitute 1,500 hours of supervised clinical social work experience in not less than one year in a primary clinical setting, including at least 500 hours of face-to-face client contact, supervised under MPSW 4.01 (MPSW 3.09(1)).
Apply for the CAPSW through LicensE and pass both exams
Apply online through LicensE with the initial credential fee, the certificate of professional education sent directly from the school (Form 1978), verification of any credential ever held elsewhere, and the conviction disclosures (MPSW 3.05; DSPS). Two exams follow: the ASWB Masters exam, which the Section approves you to take and which you may sit for before graduation, and Wisconsin's open-book statutes and administrative code exam, untimed, taken online within three months of receiving the login, passing score 85 percent (MPSW 5.01(1), (6); DSPS). The Board's rule lets both exams be taken before the degree is complete (MPSW 5.01(6)). A temporary certificate, $10, is available to an applicant who meets every requirement except the exams, for up to nine months, renewable once for $10 (457.14; MPSW 3.11; 440.05(6); DSPS).
Cost
Initial credential fee set by DSPS under 440.03(9)(a) and shown in LicensE; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; $10 for a temporary certificate (440.05(1), (6); ASWB).
Hold the CAPSW, then line up a supervisor the Section will accept
The clinical rule counts only hours completed after the master's or doctorate and after certification as an advanced practice social worker or an independent social worker (MPSW 3.09(3)). The supervisor for LCSW hours is an LCSW with a social work doctorate, an LCSW with the equivalent of five years of full-time clinical social work, a psychiatrist or psychologist licensed under ch. 455, an LCSW with an MSW, or someone else approved in advance by the Section (457.08(4)(c); MPSW 4.01(6)). DSPS says a supervisor who needs approval under MPSW 4.01(6)(e) must obtain it before supervision starts, by requesting approval to supervise through the supervisor's own LicensE account (DSPS). Supervision may come from someone other than the employment supervisor (MPSW 4.01(1)).
Step 4Wisconsin
3,000 clinical hours, 1,000 face to face, 600 in DSM diagnosis and treatment, one supervision hour a week on average
The applicant attests to at least 3,000 hours of clinical social work practice after the degree and the CAPSW, including at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact, of which at least 600 involve DSM diagnosis and treatment of individuals, all under a Section-approved supervisor (457.08(4)(c), (5); MPSW 3.09(3)). Supervision is face-to-face individual or group sessions of at least one hour during each week of supervised practice, averaged over the period, with groups of no more than six supervisees per supervisor (MPSW 4.01(1), (2)). Hours earned outside Wisconsin count if they meet the same requirements under a supervisor acceptable to the Section (MPSW 3.09(3m)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW with the supervisor's affidavit, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW application takes the fee, Form 2681's checklist, Form 2673 for the clinical coursework with a transcript requested from the school, Form 2672 documenting the clinical field placement or the substitute experience, Form 2560, the supervisor's affidavit of post-graduate clinical experience, and Form 2771 summarizing the hours, plus a form for a supervisor who is no longer available (DSPS; MPSW 3.09). Both LCSW exams may be taken before the supervised practice is finished (MPSW 5.01(7)), and the state law exam need not be repeated if you passed it for an earlier social work credential from the Section (MPSW 5.01(8)). A board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work skips the ASWB exam with written verification sent directly to the Section (MPSW 3.09(4); DSPS).
Cost
Initial credential fee set by DSPS; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (440.05(1); ASWB).
Renew by February 28 of odd-numbered years with 30 hours
Every social work credential renews on the same date, February 28 of odd-numbered years, whenever it was first issued, with the renewal fee and an attestation of 30 continuing education hours per two-year period, four of them in ethics and boundaries in an interactive format; the first renewal after the initial credential needs no hours (440.08(2); 457.20; MPSW 1.08(1); 19.02; DSPS). Renewing the CAPSW, CISW, or LCSW renews the base CSW certificate automatically with no separate fee or hours (457.20(4)). A credential renewed within five years of expiration pays a late fee; after five years it takes the renewal and late fees plus either an active credential in good standing in another state or 60 approved CE hours, including eight in ethics and boundaries, within the prior two years (MPSW 1.08(2), (3)).
Cost
$62 renewal for each social work credential; $87 if renewed late, per the DSPS Renewal Dates and Fees schedule (August 2025).
Reciprocity at every level, with the state law exam
The Section grants a CSW, CAPSW, CISW, or LCSW to someone who holds a similar credential in another state or territory, in good standing, if the requirements there are substantially equivalent to Wisconsin's and the applicant passes the Section's exam on Wisconsin law (457.15(1); MPSW 3.12). The file includes disclosure of all discipline ever taken or pending anywhere and the conviction documentation, and the fee for a reciprocal credential is the renewal fee rather than the initial fee (MPSW 3.12; 440.05(2)). Service members, former service members, and their spouses have a separate reciprocity route under 440.09 (MPSW 3.125). DSPS notes that temporary credentials are not available to reciprocity applicants, and a health care provider in good standing elsewhere may hold a temporary Act 10 credential while a permanent application is pending (DSPS).
The Section grants a clinical-category multistate license to someone who holds or is eligible for the LCSW, a master's-category one to someone who holds or is eligible for the CAPSW, and a bachelor's-category one to someone who holds or is eligible for the CSW, each on meeting the Compact's requirements in 457.70 and paying the initial credential fee; someone who moves to Wisconsin with a multistate license from another Compact state may convert it (457.08(4m)). The title provisions already recognize multistate licenses from other Compact states at each category (457.04(1), (2), (4)). Whether the Compact Commission has begun issuing multistate licenses is a question for swcompact.org on the day you look.
Conviction disclosure, judged by substantial relationship
Every application carries documentation for the Section to decide, subject to the Fair Employment Act at 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, whether the applicant has a pending charge for an exempt offense or a violent crime against a child substantially related to the practice, or a conviction substantially related to it (MPSW 3.01(5); 3.05(5); 3.09(6)). The Section may deny or discipline for an offense whose circumstances substantially relate to the practice (457.26(2)(b)), and a credential holder must report a felony or misdemeanor conviction within 48 hours of the judgment (MPSW 20.02(24)). Wisconsin does not fingerprint social work applicants under the chapter; DSPS Form 2252 is the conviction and pending charges disclosure (DSPS).
StudentsWisconsin
Exams before the degree, and the temporary credential after it
Both exams for the CSW and CAPSW may be taken before the degree is complete, and both exams for the CISW and LCSW before the supervised practice is finished (MPSW 5.01(6), (7)); DSPS confirms applicants may take the ASWB exam before graduation (DSPS). A graduate who meets every requirement except the exams may hold a temporary certificate or license for up to nine months, renewable once, at $10 each time; it ends when the passing score arrives (457.14; MPSW 3.11(5); DSPS). A repeat ASWB attempt goes through ASWB's 90-day retake wait (ASWB).
Name and AddressWisconsin
Keep LicensE current
Renewal notices and exam logins go to the contact on file in LicensE, and DSPS asks that changes in legal name or immigration status be reported to the department (DSPS). A replacement credential, name or address change on the credential, or duplicate is $10, and verification of your credential to another state is $10 (440.05(7), (9)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Initial credential, CSW, CAPSW, CISW, or LCSW (also a multistate license)
set by DSPS, shown in LicensE
DSPS
Reciprocal credential
the renewal fee
DSPS
Temporary certificate or license, and its one renewal
$10
DSPS
Social worker training certificate
$10
DSPS
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Wisconsin statutes and rules exam
included with the application
DSPS
Biennial renewal, any social work credential (February 28, odd years)
$62
DSPS
Renewal with late fee
$87
DSPS
Duplicate, replacement, or name and address change on the credential
$10
DSPS
Verification of credential to another state
$10
DSPS
$
What it adds up to. CAPSW: the DSPS initial credential fee plus the $230 Masters exam. LCSW on top of it: a second initial credential fee plus the $260 Clinical exam, and one $62 renewal for every February 28 of an odd year that passes while the hours accumulate. Wisconsin's statute sets the initial credential fee as an amount determined by the department (440.05(1)(a)), and DSPS publishes renewal fees in its Renewal Dates and Fees schedule; the initial fee appears in LicensE when you apply, so budget for it there. Applicants who qualify may file Form 3217 for a fee reduction with the application (DSPS).
Keeping the license
RenewalWisconsin
30 hours a biennium, four in ethics and boundaries, interactive
Every social worker, advanced practice social worker, independent social worker, and clinical social worker completes at least 30 continuing education hours in approved programs during each two-year credential period and certifies it at renewal; at least four hours are in professional ethics and boundaries related to the practice, and social work credential holders take those ethics hours in an interactive learning format, meaning a live synchronous presentation with discussion or an asynchronous program from a provider under MPSW 19.03(1)(a) or (f) (MPSW 19.02(1), (2)). A person holding more than one Board credential needs only one set of four ethics hours (19.02(2)(a)). A new credential holder is not required to meet the requirement for the first renewal (19.02(3)). Someone who misses the hours by the deadline must stop using the title unless granted a postponement or waiver (19.02(1)).
Programs approved, sponsored, provided, endorsed, or authorized by the organizations the rule lists, among them ASWB, NASW or its chapters, BPD, CSWE, NAADAC, NBCC, ACA, AAMFT, and the Wisconsin School Social Workers Association, plus COAMFTE-accredited programs, APA-approved sponsors, AMA or AOA Category I medical education, and any course from an accredited college or university, count without pre-approval; in-house agency training counts for no more than 15 of the 30 hours unless approved by a listed organization (MPSW 19.03(1)). Presenting earns one hour per hour presented and 20 for a semester course, a published book earns 20, and chapters, articles, or electronic media earn eight each up to 16 (19.03(2)). DSPS does not pre-approve courses (DSPS). Keep records for four years after the credential period; the Section audits and asks for proof (MPSW 19.05).
StatusWisconsin
Retirement exemption, hardship waiver, and the road back
The Section may grant a postponement, partial waiver, or total waiver of the hours for prolonged illness, disability, or other extreme hardship, and the statute lets it waive the requirement for exceptional circumstances (MPSW 19.04(1); 457.22(2)). A credential holder who certifies retirement and no longer uses the title or practices may be exempted, and may not return to practice without evidence of 30 hours for each biennium of the exemption (19.04(2), (3)). A credential expired more than five years is not reopened by the initial application; it is renewed with the late fee plus an active credential elsewhere or 60 hours including eight in ethics (MPSW 1.08(3)).
DutyWisconsin
Insurance for clinical practice, the grievance notice, and the 30-day reports
A clinical social worker may not practice clinical social work without professional liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 for all occurrences in a year, unless practicing as an employee of a federal, state, or local governmental agency within that agency's duties (457.24; MPSW 1.10). Anyone practicing clinical social work must notify each client in writing of a grievance procedure, either the statute's own six-element procedure, one that complies with the patient rights rules under 51.61(5)(b), or one available through a professional association the credential holder belongs to (457.04(8)). Employers, professional societies, insurers, and courts must report adverse actions, paid claims, and guardianship or competency findings about a credential holder to the Section within 30 days (457.25).
Where the Arizona figures come from. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 32, chapter 33 (the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners chapter: definitions and unprofessional conduct in 32-3251, licensure in 32-3271 through 32-3280, regulation in 32-3281 through 32-3286, social work in 32-3291 through 32-3293, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in 32-3295), read on azleg.gov, and the Board's rules in Arizona Administrative Code Title 4, chapter 6 (R4-6-101 through R4-6-1106), read on the Legal Information Institute's copy of the Code, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners in Phoenix, which licenses social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and addiction counselors under one chapter; its website is bbhe.az.gov. Arizona has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (32-3295) and is on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses
LicenseArizona
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
A baccalaureate degree in social work from a regionally accredited college or university in a CSWE-accredited program, or a foreign degree the Board finds substantially equivalent, and a passing score on the ASWB Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, or Clinical exam (A.R.S. 32-3291(A); R4-6-401(A); R4-6-402(A)). An LBSW engages in clinical practice only under direct supervision as the Board prescribes, and may not practice independently (32-3291(B); R4-6-210).
LicenseArizona
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's or higher degree in social work from a regionally accredited college or university in a CSWE-accredited program, or a substantially equivalent foreign degree, and a passing score on the ASWB Masters, Advanced Generalist, or Clinical exam (32-3292(A); R4-6-401(B); R4-6-402(B)). An LMSW engages in clinical practice only under direct supervision (32-3292(B); R4-6-210). This is the license you hold while earning LCSW hours: supervised work experience counts only after the degree and after certification or licensure from a state regulatory entity (R4-6-211(D)(2)).
LicenseArizona
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The same master's or higher degree, at least 24 months of post-master's experience in the practice of clinical social work under supervision that includes at least 1,600 hours of direct client contact, at least 100 hours of clinical supervision, a supervisor's attestation on the Board's form that you demonstrated satisfactory competency in clinical documentation, consultation, collaboration, and coordination of care and rated at least satisfactory overall, and a passing score on the ASWB Clinical exam (32-3293; R4-6-403; R4-6-402(C)). The rules put the total at 3,200 hours of supervised work experience in no less than 24 months (R4-6-403(A)). The LCSW is the independent license.
TitlesArizona
Practicing behavioral health without a license is a class 6 felony
Except as the exemptions in 32-3271 allow, a person who is not licensed under the chapter may not engage in the practice of behavioral health, which includes the practice of social work: applying social work theories, principles, methods, and techniques to treat mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders, to help people function, and to assess, diagnose, and treat through psychotherapy (32-3286(A); 32-3251(9), (12)). An unlicensed person may not use "licensed clinical social worker", "licensed master social worker", "licensed baccalaureate social worker", or any abbreviation or other designation indicating licensure (32-3286(B)). Unauthorized practice or holding oneself out as authorized to diagnose or treat a mental condition is a class 6 felony with a civil penalty of up to $500 per offense, each day a separate offense, with fees refunded (32-3286(C), (F), (G)).
ExemptionsArizona
Who does not need the license
The chapter does not apply to a person who is not providing psychotherapy; to someone licensed under another chapter of Title 32 practicing within that scope; to a nonresident practicing no more than 90 days a year under a home-state license who tells the client the services are limited; to clergy within ministerial duties; to a student, intern, or trainee in an accredited social work or related program practicing under qualified supervision as part of the supervised course of study; to Department of Economic Security or Department of Child Safety employees practicing social work and case management within their job duties under the department's direct supervision; to social workers employed by an agency licensed by DES or DCS; and to behavioral health technicians and paraprofessionals employed by an agency licensed by the Department of Health Services (32-3271(A)). A graduate with a valid fingerprint clearance card who is applying for a license may practice for 90 days under qualified supervision by a person who supervised them during the course of study or internship, and may count direct client contact earned in those 90 days toward licensure (32-3271(A)(13)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW at a regionally accredited school
Every Arizona social work license rests on a degree from a regionally accredited college or university in a program accredited by CSWE, or a foreign degree found equivalent by CSWE's Foreign Equivalency Determination Service (A.R.S. 32-3292(A)(1); R4-6-401). Arizona requires no particular clinical concentration for the LCSW; the clinical requirement is the 24 months of supervised experience after the degree. A student, intern, or trainee in the program may practice under qualified supervision as part of the supervised course of study without a license (32-3271(A)(8)).
Apply for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, and pass the Masters exam within 12 months of authorization
The application by examination is a packet: the $250 fee, official transcripts, verification of every behavioral health license ever held and any other professional license held in the last ten years, background information on good moral character, a list of every employer in the last seven years, a self-query of the National Practitioner Data Bank, documentation of lawful presence, and a full set of fingerprints with the $40 background check charge or a current DPS fingerprint clearance card (R4-6-301; 32-3280; R4-6-215). You must be at least 21 and meet the basic requirements in 32-3275, which include no pending complaint anywhere (32-3275(A)). Once the Board authorizes you in writing, pass the ASWB Masters, Advanced Generalist, or Clinical exam within 12 months, in no more than three attempts; if you do not, the file closes with no appeal and you reapply with a new fee, though a one-time 90-day extension is available for good cause (R4-6-402(B), (D) to (F)).
Cost
$250 application by examination; $40 criminal history background check; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (R4-6-215; ASWB).
Hold the LMSW (or the temporary license), then find a Board-qualified clinical supervisor
Supervised work experience toward the LCSW must be acquired after the degree and after receiving certification or licensure from a state regulatory entity, for a term of no fewer than 24 months (R4-6-211(D)). A new graduate within 12 months of the degree who has never sat for the exam may hold a $50 temporary license for up to one year while applying by examination; it ends immediately on a failed exam and permits practice only under direct supervision (R4-6-306; 32-3279(C)). The clinical supervisor must be an independently licensed Board licensee, an Arizona-licensed psychologist, or a federally contracted or VA behavioral health professional, who has completed the Board's supervisor training and, unless the Board grants an exemption, is employed by the same behavioral health entity where you earn the hours; at least 50 of the 100 supervision hours must come from an Arizona-licensed LCSW (R4-6-212(A), (B); R4-6-214; R4-6-404(B)).
Step 4Arizona
3,200 hours in at least 24 months, 1,600 of them direct client contact, 100 hours of clinical supervision
The LCSW applicant demonstrates at least 3,200 hours of supervised work experience in the practice of clinical social work in no less than 24 months, including at least 1,600 hours of direct client contact involving psychotherapy, of which no more than 400 may be psychoeducation, at least 100 hours of clinical supervision, and no more than 1,600 hours of indirect client service, with at least one hour of clinical supervision in any month you provide direct client contact (32-3293(1)(b); R4-6-403(A), (B)). Direct client contact means therapeutic or clinical functions at your practice level that include diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, in the presence of the client (32-3251(3)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW with the supervisor's attestation, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW application is the same packet with the $250 fee, plus the supervisor's documentation on the Board's form attesting that you were observed to demonstrate satisfactory competency in clinical documentation, consultation, collaboration, and coordination of care and rated at least satisfactory in overall performance (32-3293(2); R4-6-212(C)(9); R4-6-301). The Board waives the application fee for the independent license if you paid an associate-level initial or renewal fee within the prior 90 days (32-3272(E)). Then the written exam authorization, the ASWB Clinical exam within 12 months and three attempts, and the license (R4-6-402(C), (D)).
Cost
$250 application by examination, waived if an LMSW fee was paid within 90 days; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (R4-6-215; 32-3272(E); ASWB).
Renew every two years with 30 clock hours, including ethics, cultural competency, and the Arizona tutorial
A license is renewable every two years with the renewal fee and documentation of 30 clock hours of continuing education completed between the date the Board received your last renewal and the next expiration date; hours do not carry over (32-3273(A); R4-6-801(A), (B)). Each period includes at least three hours in behavioral health ethics or mental health law, at least three in cultural competency and diversity, and the three-hour Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial (R4-6-802(C)). The Board sends notice of the requirement at least 90 days before renewal (32-3273(B)). A license not renewed by expiration may be reinstated within 90 days with the renewal requirements and the $100 late penalty, with no lapse; after 90 days the statute provides no reinstatement, and a person who does not renew is ineligible to practice; the Board may treat continuing to practice after a missed renewal as an administrative violation with a civil penalty of up to $500 rather than as unlicensed practice (32-3277; R4-6-801(E); 32-3286(H)).
Cost
$325 biennial renewal for the first license, $163 for each additional license renewed at the same time; $100 late penalty (R4-6-215(A)(6) to (8)).
The Board may license by endorsement a person licensed or certified in another state or federal jurisdiction at a substantially equivalent or higher practice level, currently in good standing, licensed at least one year in that discipline and practice level, who meets the basic requirements of 32-3275 and submits a list of every jurisdiction and any discipline, verification from each, and the $250 fee (32-3274(A); R4-6-215). An LCSW by endorsement must hold a master's or higher degree; endorsees below the independent levels practice only under direct supervision (32-3274(B), (C)). The rule's packet adds the transcript and completion of the Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial; the rule's text still speaks of three years of licensure, so read it with the statute's one year (R4-6-304). A temporary license is available to an endorsement applicant while the application is pending (R4-6-306(A)(3)(a)).
Arizona enacted the Compact at 32-3295, which provides for multistate licenses at the bachelor's, master's, and clinical categories, sets the eligibility for each (for the clinical category, a clinical exam, an accredited MSW, and 3,000 hours or two years of postgraduate supervised clinical practice), and binds the licensee to the laws of the member state where the client is located when care is rendered (32-3295, sections 4 and 5). The Board is Arizona's licensing authority under it. Whether the Compact Commission has begun issuing multistate licenses is a question for swcompact.org on the day you look.
Fingerprints, the Data Bank self-query, and the felony factors
Every applicant other than a temporary licensee submits a full set of fingerprints for a state and federal criminal records check, waived for a holder of a valid DPS fingerprint clearance card (32-3280); the packet also carries a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query and a seven-year employment history (R4-6-301(9), (11)). A felony conviction is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(a)), and the Board weighs nine factors before refusing a license for it: age at the time, seriousness, the underlying circumstances, time elapsed, the relationship to the profession, rehabilitation efforts and professional assessments of them, and cooperation with the Board's investigation (R4-6-208). An applicant with a complaint or investigation pending anywhere has the application suspended until it is resolved (32-3275(A)(8)); a deficiency in capability or conduct brings 35 days' notice and a chance to show correction or mitigation before denial (32-3275(B), (C)).
StudentsArizona
The 90-day window after graduation, and the temporary license
A graduate who holds a valid fingerprint clearance card and is applying for a license may practice for 90 days under qualified supervision by someone who supervised the course of study or internship, and direct client contact in those 90 days counts toward the licensure requirement (32-3271(A)(13)). A temporary license, $50, is available within 12 months of the degree to an applicant who has met every requirement except the exam and has never attempted it; it lasts up to a year, ends on a failed exam, cannot be extended or repeated, and permits practice only under direct supervision (R4-6-306; 32-3279(C)).
Name and AddressArizona
Thirty days to report an address or telephone change
A licensee must give the Board current home and office addresses and telephone numbers and promptly inform it in writing of any change; the Board may charge the costs of locating you and a penalty of up to $100 if notice is not given within 30 days (32-3276; R4-6-205). A name change takes the Board's form and documentation (R4-6-206); a duplicate license is $25 (R4-6-215(B)(1)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application for license by examination, LBSW, LMSW, or LCSW
$250
Board
Application for license by endorsement
$250
Board
Application for a temporary license
$50
Board
Criminal history background check
$40
Board
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, first license
$325
Board
Biennial renewal, each additional license renewed at the same time
$163
Board
Late renewal penalty (within 90 days of expiration)
$100
Board
Inactive status request; late request
$100; $100 more
Board
Duplicate license
$25
Board
Verification of licensure
$20, or free online
Board
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $250 plus $40 for the background check plus the $230 exam, so $520. LCSW on top of it: the $250 application, waived if you apply within 90 days of paying an LMSW fee, plus the $260 exam, so $260 to $510, plus a $325 renewal for each two-year cycle that passes during the 24 months of hours. The fees are set by the Board's rule at R4-6-215 under the statutory ceiling of $500 per application and per renewal (32-3272), and application fees are nonrefundable (R4-6-215(C)).
Keeping the license
RenewalArizona
30 clock hours, three in ethics or law, three in cultural competency, and the tutorial
Between the date the Board received your last renewal application and the next expiration date, complete 30 clock hours of continuing education that relate to the scope of your license and to maintaining or improving your skill (R4-6-801(B); R4-6-802(D)). Each period reports at least three hours in behavioral health ethics or mental health law and three in cultural competency and diversity from an approved source, plus the three-hour Arizona Statutes/Regulations Tutorial (R4-6-802(C)). Approved sources are activities sponsored or approved by national, regional, or state professional associations in social work and the allied behavioral health professions, programs from regionally accredited colleges, in-service training from government social service agencies, school systems, and licensed health facilities, college courses at 15 clock hours per semester credit, and court and probation department programs (R4-6-802(D)). Caps: ten hours for first-time presentations, six for attending a Board meeting, ten for Board or committee service, and publication hours in the period published (R4-6-802(B), (D)(5)).
The renewal form lists the 30 hours and is signed under an attestation of truth; the Board may audit (R4-6-801(C), (D)). Keep documentation for 24 months after the renewal date: a signed certificate or provider statement with the program title, sponsor's name, address, and telephone number, presenters, date, and clock hours; for presentations, the syllabus and hours of preparation; for courses, the official transcript; for Board meetings, the Board's certificate (R4-6-803). A licensee with more than one Board license may apply the same hours to each if the content fits both scopes, and may ask the Board to synchronize the expiration dates (R4-6-802(A); R4-6-801(A)).
StatusArizona
Inactive status, and the 90-day reinstatement window
A licensee may request inactive status before expiration with the $100 fee, or within three months after expiration with a further $100 late charge; the Board grants it for up to 24 months, with one 24-month extension for illness, disability, military service, or other circumstances beyond your control, and an inactive licensee may not practice (R4-6-305; 32-3278). Returning to active status takes the renewal requirements and satisfying the Board of your competence, possibly by an evaluation at your expense; after an extension, 30 more hours (R4-6-305(F), (H)). A license that simply expires can be reinstated only within 90 days, with the late penalty (32-3277(B); R4-6-801(E)).
DutyArizona
Report other licensees, respond within 30 days, and keep the Board informed
A licensee shall report to the Board any information that would cause a reasonable licensee to believe another licensee is guilty of unprofessional conduct or physically or mentally unable to practice safely; failing to do so is itself unprofessional conduct, and a good-faith reporter is immune from civil damages (32-3281(A); 32-3251(16)(ff)). A complaint brings a written notice and 30 days to respond (R4-6-1001(A)); failing to furnish information the Board legally requests, or to give its investigators access to practice records on demand, is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(o), (u)). Discipline or adverse action on any professional license in another jurisdiction must be reported, and the failure to report is part of the ground (32-3251(16)(ll)).
Where the Maryland figures come from. The Maryland Social Workers Practice Act, Health Occupations Article, Title 19 (definitions in 19-101, licensure in 19-301 through 19-310, discipline in 19-311 through 19-318, prohibited acts and penalties in 19-401 through 19-407, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in 19-3A-01), read on the General Assembly's statute site, the Board's regulations at COMAR 10.42 (licensure in 10.42.01, practice in 10.42.02, the code of ethics in 10.42.03, fees in 10.42.05, continuing education in 10.42.06, supervision in 10.42.08, sanctions in 10.42.09, and teletherapy in 10.42.10), read on the Library of Maryland Regulations, and the Board's website, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners, at 4201 Patterson Avenue in Baltimore, within the Maryland Department of Health; applications and renewals are online. Maryland has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (19-3A-01) and is on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions; the Board's site said in September 2026 that there was no definite date for issuing multistate licenses but likely within 9 to 12 months.
The three licenses (and the one that closed)
LicenseMaryland
LBSW · Licensed Bachelor Social Worker
A baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by, or in candidacy with, CSWE, age 18, good moral character, the ASWB exam prescribed by the Board, the fees, and a state and national criminal history records check (Health Occ. 19-302(a), (b)). An LBSW practices under supervision, may not make a clinical diagnosis, provide psychotherapy, or engage in private practice, and may practice independently only after Board approval for independent practice (19-307(c)(1); 19-101(j); COMAR 10.42.02.03A).
LicenseMaryland
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's degree from a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, the same general requirements, and the exam (19-302(a), (c)). An LMSW practices under supervision; may not treat behavioral health or emotional disorders, provide psychotherapy, or diagnose a behavioral health disorder without the supervision of an LCSW-C; may not engage in private practice, though may be employed in one under an LCSW-C's supervision; and may practice independently only after Board approval (19-307(c)(2); COMAR 10.42.02.03B). This is the license you hold while earning LCSW-C hours: the 3,000 hours must be obtained after the LMSW issues (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(5)).
LicenseMaryland
LCSW-C · Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical
An MSW plus documentation of 12 academic credits of clinical course work, at least six of them in the master's program; two years as a licensee with at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience after the degree, 1,500 of them face-to-face client contact, with at least 100 hours of periodic face-to-face supervision in assessment, diagnostic impression, treatment of behavioral health disorders, and psychotherapy; the ASWB Clinical exam; and the general requirements (19-302(a), (e); COMAR 10.42.01.04F). The LCSW-C evaluates, diagnoses, and treats mental disorders, provides psychotherapy, petitions for emergency evaluation, has a private practice, and supervises other social workers (19-101(n)(5); COMAR 10.42.02.03D). Only an LCSW-C may practice clinical social work (19-301(a)(2)).
ClosedMaryland
LCSW · the certified nonclinical license, closed after 2023
The licensed certified social worker was issued on or before December 31, 2023, to an MSW with two years and 3,000 supervised hours and 100 supervision hours; it may still be renewed and its holders may supervise and practice independently outside diagnosis and psychotherapy, but no new LCSW licenses issue (19-101(g); 19-302(d); COMAR 10.42.02.03C; Board fee schedule). Maryland's nonclinical independence for an LMSW now comes through the Board's approval for independent practice after three years and 4,500 hours with 150 supervision hours (19-302(f)).
TitlesMaryland
"Social worker" is a licensed title, and a $10,000 misdemeanor
A person may not practice, attempt, or offer to practice social work in Maryland while representing oneself to be a social worker unless licensed, and may not practice clinical social work without the LCSW-C (19-401). Unless authorized, a person may not represent being a licensed social worker or use any title, abbreviation, sign, or card that says so, including the words "social worker" or "social work" and the abbreviations LBSW, LMSW, LCSW, or LCSW-C (19-402). A violation is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $10,000 or two years, or both, plus a civil fine of up to $50,000 assessed by the Board, each violation a separate offense (19-407; COMAR 10.42.09.07). The Act does not apply to federal employees in their federal duties, out-of-state licensees responding to an emergency, students in a supervised course of study, or out-of-state licensees with a pending Maryland application for up to six months (19-301(b), (c)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with 12 clinical credits, six of them in the master's program
The LCSW-C requires a master's degree in social work from a program accredited by CSWE or an equivalent organization CSWE approves, with documentation of 12 academic credits of clinical course work, at least six earned in the master's program; the Board's site allows the other six from a BSW program (Health Occ. 19-302(e)(2); COMAR 10.42.01.04F(2); Board). Clinical course work means clinical social work courses offered by an accredited program, documented by transcript (COMAR 10.42.01.02B(5), (10)). The LMSW itself needs only the accredited master's degree (19-302(c)).
Apply online for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, and pass the Masters exam within two years of approval
The application is online with the $100 processing fee, paid by card; an official transcript with the conferral date, or the Board's form for a student expected to graduate at the end of the semester; a state and national criminal history records check through the Central Repository with fingerprints, at your expense, or enrollment in the Rap Back service that alerts the Board to future charges; and, on passing, the $75 initial license fee (19-302(a); 19-302.2; 19-303; COMAR 10.42.01.04A, C, .06, .07; 10.42.05.02; Board). The Board tells you within 15 business days whether the file is complete and within 60 days whether you may sit; approval to test is good for two years, and you have one year to complete the file (19-303(b); COMAR 10.42.01.07D to G). The passing score is a scaled 75; a failed exam may be retaken four times within 12 months, no sooner than three months apart unless the Board waives the wait (COMAR 10.42.01.09, .10).
Cost
$100 application processing fee; $75 initial license fee; the Central Repository and FBI fingerprint fees; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (COMAR 10.42.05.02; 19-302.2(b); ASWB).
Hold the LMSW, then sign the Board's supervision contract with a Board-approved LCSW-C before the first hour
A candidate shall have obtained the LMSW before beginning to obtain the 3,000 hours, and experience in Maryland must be under a written contract for supervision on the Board's form, signed by the supervisee, the Board-approved supervisor, and the agency administrator before supervision begins (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(5); 10.42.01.07C(1); 10.42.08.05A(4)). The supervisor of an LCSW-C candidate must be a Board-approved LCSW-C: 18 months of active practice after the certified license, the supervision training, an unencumbered license for five years, the registration form and $20 fee, and Board approval (COMAR 10.42.08.03F, .04; Board). The Board's site says supervision by psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, or any non-social-work professional cannot be accepted (Board).
Step 4Maryland
Two years, 3,000 hours, 1,500 face to face, 100 hours of supervision, in no more than six years
The LCSW-C applicant documents two years as a licensee with at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience, half of it face-to-face client contact, performed in not less than two years and not more than six consecutive years, while practicing professionally and for compensation, with at least 100 hours of periodic face-to-face supervision in assessment, diagnostic impression, treatment of mental disorders and other conditions, and psychotherapy (19-302(e)(3); COMAR 10.42.01.04F(3), (9)). The experience is direct service and may not consist solely of telephonic assessment, triage, continued stay reviews, and discharge planning (10.42.01.04F(7)). Supervision runs at least three face-to-face hours a month or one hour per 40 hours worked, and no more than half may be group (10.42.08.07C(5); 10.42.08.09). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW-C with the signed contract and the experience documentation, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW-C application includes the contractual agreement for supervision signed and dated by all three parties before supervision started, documentation of the supervised experience on the Board's forms, the transcripts showing the clinical credits, the criminal history records check, and the application fee, since a change of category is treated as an initial application (COMAR 10.42.01.04E(2), .07B, C; 10.42.05). Then the ASWB Clinical exam under the same two-year approval, four-attempt, and three-month rules, and the $75 license fee (COMAR 10.42.01.07E, .10).
Cost
$100 application processing fee; $75 initial license fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (COMAR 10.42.05.02; ASWB).
Renew by October 31 of your renewal year with 40 units, and keep the background check current
Every license renews by October 31 every two years, with a new license treated as issued on November 1 of its year; the right to practice ends automatically on expiration if the renewal is not filed (19-308; COMAR 10.42.01.15). Renewal takes the application, the continuing education report of 40 units (30 for an LBSW) earned November 1 to October 31 of the two-year period, the fee, and an attestation that you have submitted to the criminal history records check or enrolled in Rap Back (19-308(d); COMAR 10.42.06.03; Board). A nonrenewed license may be reinstated within five years with the fee, 40 units in the prior two years, and the records check; after five years the license is reissued only with the exam again or an active equivalent license elsewhere (19-309(b) to (d); COMAR 10.42.01.16).
Cost
$200 renewal at the graduate level and $275 at the clinical level, each plus the $26 Maryland Health Care Commission assessment; $100 at the bachelor level (COMAR 10.42.05.02; Board fee schedule).
Endorsement at the same level, and the five-year clinical shortcut
An applicant who holds or held a license or registration in another state, obtained after passing that state's social work exam, is eligible for the same level of licensure in Maryland (COMAR 10.42.01.11A; 10.42.01.02B(15)). For the LCSW-C, an out-of-state applicant with an equivalent clinical license who passed an exam there and performed at least 1,000 hours of compensated social work practice a year for five of the last ten years qualifies on the general requirements alone (19-302.1; COMAR 10.42.01.11D(1)); with less than five years, the applicant meets the full clinical credits and 3,000-hour requirement, with the hours earned as a licensed master social worker if that state required it and under a supervisor comparable to an LCSW-C (10.42.01.11D(2) to (10)). An out-of-state licensee with a complete application pending may practice for up to six months without representing themselves as Maryland-licensed (19-301(b)(3), (c); COMAR 10.42.01.13).
The Compact is Maryland law; multistate licenses were still pending
Maryland enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact at Health Occupations 19-3A-01, which provides for bachelor's, master's, and clinical multistate licenses and holds the licensee to the laws of the member state where the client is located when care is rendered (19-3A-01, sections 1 and 4). In September 2026 the Board's website said there was no definite date for issuing multistate licenses but likely within 9 to 12 months, with a Compact FAQ page and updates by email and newsletter (Board).
Fingerprints for every application and renewal, weighed on seven factors
Every applicant completes a state and national criminal history records check through the Central Repository, with fingerprints and the state and FBI fees, and every renewal, reactivation, reinstatement, and reissuance requires it again unless you enrolled in Rap Back, which notifies the Board of future charges (19-302(a)(6); 19-302.2; 19-308(d)(4), (g); COMAR 10.42.01.04A to C). In using the record the Board considers the age at which the crime was committed, its nature and circumstances, the time since, subsequent work history, employment and character references, and other evidence of whether the applicant poses a threat to public health or safety (19-302.2(e)(2)). A felony or crime of moral turpitude conviction or plea is a ground for discipline (19-311(7)), and the Board may require a behavioral health or physical examination, at its own cost, if it has reason to believe an applicant may cause harm (19-302.3).
StudentsMaryland
Apply in the last semester, and the conditional license if the exam is unavailable
A student expected to receive the degree at the end of the semester may apply with the Board's form stating the degree and expected date (COMAR 10.42.01.06A(3)(b)). If an administrative delay or unforeseen circumstance keeps the exam unavailable for at least 15 business days, the Board may issue a conditional LBSW or LMSW to an applicant who has met every other requirement, valid until 180 days after the exam becomes readily available, for practice only under a Board-approved supervisor (19-309.1). A student in a supervised course of study is exempt from licensure while in it (19-301(b)(4)).
Name and AddressMaryland
Sixty days for an address or name change, or by July 1 of the renewal year
Notify the Board within 60 days of an address change, or before July 1 of your renewal year, whichever is first, in a signed writing with the new address; a name change takes legal documentation within the same window (19-308(c); COMAR 10.42.01.15H, I). Failure to notify the Board of a change of address costs $50 (COMAR 10.42.05.02A(10)). The electronic record on the Board's website is the official license; the wall certificate is not (COMAR 10.42.01.14).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application processing fee, any level (also a change of level)
$100
Board
Initial license fee
$75
Board
Criminal history records check (state and FBI)
Central Repository and FBI fees
DPSCS
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, LBSW
$100
Board
Biennial renewal, LMSW
$200 plus $26 MHCC assessment
Board
Biennial renewal, LCSW or LCSW-C
$275 plus $26 MHCC assessment
Board
Inactive status
$15
Board
Reactivation or reinstatement, LBSW / LMSW / LCSW-C
$125 / $225 / $300
Board
Supervisor registration
$20
Board
License verification
$20
Board
Failure to notify the Board of a change of address
$50
Board
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $100 plus $75 plus the $230 exam, so $405 plus the fingerprint fees. LCSW-C on top of it: another $100 plus $75 plus the $260 exam, so $435 more, plus one $226 renewal during the two to six years of hours. Maryland's fees are in COMAR 10.42.05.02 and on the Board's fee schedule; the Board may not refund a fee, and online applications are paid by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover only (COMAR 10.42.05.02B; Board).
Keeping the license
RenewalMaryland
40 units, half Category I, three in ethics, three anti-oppressive, three in supervision if you supervise
Each two-year period from November 1 through October 31, an LMSW, LCSW, or LCSW-C completes 40 continuing education units (30 for an LBSW), at least 20 (15) from Category I programs by a Board-authorized sponsor; three units in ethics and professional conduct, including boundaries, or Maryland's standards and laws; three Category I units in anti-oppressive social work practice on race, culture, or equity, such as cultural humility, social justice, racial equity, implicit bias, or anti-racism; and, for Board-approved supervisors, three units on supervision (COMAR 10.42.06.03A, B). Units do not carry over (10.42.06.03B(2)). One 60-minute program hour is one unit; an academic credit is five units, or three if audited (10.42.06.04C).
Category I and II, authorized sponsors, and what to keep
Category I is courses, workshops, seminars, symposia, conferences, and programs at professional meetings, from authorized sponsors: accredited academic institutions, social work associations including licensing boards, ASWB, and NASW, other professional membership organizations with relevant programs, and registered Maryland government entities and nonprofits (10.42.06.04D; .05A(2)). Category II, up to 20 units (15 for an LBSW), covers peer case conferences, journal clubs, preparing and presenting programs or papers (12 units each cap), authoring a publication (12), teaching a course (12), online learning from an authorized sponsor, a foreign or sign language course (6), and in-service training (10.42.06.04E). Keep certificates and transcripts for three years after the renewal date; the Board audits a percentage each period, and a fraudulent attestation brings discipline (10.42.06.06, .07).
StatusMaryland
Inactive, nonrenewed, and the five-year lines
Inactive status is $15 and lasts up to five years from expiration; reactivation takes the application, 40 units (30) in the prior two years, the reactivation fee, and the records check (19-309(a); COMAR 10.42.01.17; 10.42.06.09). A license not renewed goes to nonrenewed status for up to five years, during which you may not practice, and reinstatement takes the same showing with the reinstatement fee (19-309(b); COMAR 10.42.01.16; 10.42.06.08). After five years on either status the license is reissued only with the general requirements, three professional references, a transcript, the records check, and the exam again or an active equivalent license elsewhere (19-309(c), (d); COMAR 10.42.01.16B). A six-month extension to finish the units is available for documented illness, military service, absence from the country, a declared emergency, or financial hardship, requested before October 1 (10.42.06.10).
DutyMaryland
Disclosures in private practice, and reports to the Board
Before a licensee in a private individual, partnership, or group practice provides services, the client receives the licensee's professional identity, which may be given by pointing to the Board's license verification page, the services and fees or hourly rate, and enough information for informed consent, by documented discussion or a signed form in the file (19-318). A licensee shall inform the Board of unethical conduct by a licensed social worker and of anyone unlicensed who represents themselves as a social worker, and must report a colleague's impairment or incompetence when the colleague does not address it or a client's welfare is in danger (COMAR 10.42.03.04). Failing to cooperate with a lawful Board investigation is itself a ground for discipline (19-311(16)).
Where the Colorado figures come from. The Mental Health Practice Act, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12, Article 245 (common provisions in part 2, including mandatory disclosure at 12-245-216, confidentiality at 12-245-220, and prohibited activities at 12-245-224; social work in part 4, 12-245-401 through 12-245-411), read in the Office of Legislative Legal Services' 2024 statute volume together with House Bill 26-1002 as signed on April 27, 2026; the State Board of Social Work Examiners' rules at 4 CCR 726-1 (Rules 1.1 through 1.25), read on the Legal Information Institute's copy of the Colorado Code of Regulations; and the Division of Professions and Occupations' social work pages, application previews, and Post Degree Experience and Supervision form, in September 2026. The licensing body is the State Board of Social Work Examiners, one of the mental health boards in the Division of Professions and Occupations at the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), 1560 Broadway in Denver; applications and renewals run through DORA's online services. Colorado has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (Title 24, Article 60, Part 46, with the Board's duties at 12-245-411) and is on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The two licenses, the candidate registration, and the degree itself
LicenseColorado
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
Age 21, a master's degree from a graduate school of social work accredited by CSWE (a candidacy program counts, with notice to the Board if accreditation fails), and the Colorado jurisprudence examination (C.R.S. 12-245-404(1); Rule 1.14B). The Board's rule adds the ASWB examination appropriate to the level sought, which DORA's credentials chart lists for the LSW as a passing score on the ASWB Masters, Advanced Generalist, or Clinical exam (Rule 1.14D(2); DORA). An LSW has the right to practice social work under supervision and to use the titles "licensed social worker" and "social worker" and the abbreviation LSW (12-245-405(1)); psychotherapy and other clinical activities are open to an LSW only under the supervision of an LCSW (12-245-408).
LicenseColorado
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Age 21, a master's or doctoral degree from a graduate school of social work, at least two years of social work practice under the virtual or in-person supervision of a licensed clinical social worker or another person with equivalent experience as the Board determines, including training and work experience in clinical social work and, under House Bill 26-1002, at least 3,000 hours of practice, and a passing score on the ASWB examination the Board prescribes plus the jurisprudence examination (12-245-404(2), as amended by HB 26-1002, section 3). An LCSW may engage in the private, independent practice of clinical social work, supervise clinical social work practice, and use "licensed clinical social worker", "clinical social worker", "social worker", "licensed social worker", and LCSW (12-245-405(2)).
RegistrationColorado
SWC · Clinical Social Worker Candidate
A person with the graduate degree who has passed the jurisprudence examination may register as a clinical social worker candidate; the registration is under the Board's jurisdiction and expires if the supervised practice and examination requirements are not met within three years, subject to renewal and delinquency rules, with continuing professional development required before a second or later renewal (12-245-404(4); Rule 1.24; Rule 1.18E). Post-degree hours count toward the LCSW only while the applicant is registered as a candidate, licensed as an LSW, licensed in another authorized profession, listed with the State Board of Unlicensed Psychotherapists, or practicing in an exempt facility (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(2)).
DegreeColorado
The degree itself carries the title, and there is no bachelor's license
Any person with an earned BSW or MSW from a CSWE-accredited program, or a social work doctorate from such a program, has the right to practice social work and to use the title "social worker"; only an LCSW, or someone supervised by an LCSW, may assert that they practice clinical social work or use "clinical social worker" (12-245-405(5); 12-245-406(2)). Colorado issues no bachelor's-level license, and the Compact's bachelor's category is the Commission's question rather than the Board's.
ProvisionalColorado
The provisional license for residential child care work
The Board may issue a provisional license to an applicant with the qualifying graduate degree who is working in a residential child care facility under a licensee's supervision; it ends 30 days after that employment or supervision ends unless replaced, and changes in supervision are reported within 30 days (12-245-208). DORA lists a Provisional Social Worker application with a verification of practice form (DORA).
TitlesColorado
Protected titles, and unauthorized clinical practice as a misdemeanor
No one may hold themselves out by any title or description incorporating "licensed clinical social worker", "clinical social worker", "LCSW", "licensed social worker", "LSW", "clinical social worker candidate", or "provisional social worker", or state or imply licensure, without the credential (12-245-218(1)). Practicing or offering to practice as a social worker without an active license, registration, or certification under Article 245 is a class 2 misdemeanor, no contract for the unlawful practice is enforceable, and a client may recover any fee paid and damages without showing negligence (12-245-228; 12-20-407(1)(a)). The Act does not apply to employees of the Department of Human Services, the Behavioral Health Administration, or county departments of human or social services in their employment, to students in a school practicum, or to out-of-state licensees practicing no more than 20 days a year with disclosure (12-245-217(2)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
Every Colorado social work license rests on a master's or doctoral degree from a graduate school of social work approved by CSWE, with a CSWE candidacy program accepted while candidacy lasts (C.R.S. 12-245-401(4); 12-245-404; Rule 1.14B(1)). Colorado requires no particular clinical concentration; the clinical requirement is the two years of supervised practice after the degree. Foreign-trained applicants submit credentials to the Board's credentialing agency for an equivalency evaluation (Rule 1.14B(2)). Students in a school practicum or clinical program are exempt from licensure, including between terms up to the date of conferral (12-245-217(2)(g); Rule 1.22).
Register as a clinical social worker candidate, or license as an LSW, after the jurisprudence exam and fingerprints
The Board registers as a clinical social worker candidate a graduate who submits the application and fee, is not in violation of the Act, and has passed the jurisprudence examination the Division administers (12-245-404(4)(a); Rule 1.24). The LSW takes the same degree and jurisprudence exam plus the ASWB Masters, Advanced Generalist, or Clinical exam (12-245-404(1); Rule 1.14D; DORA). Applications are online through DORA with the official transcript, and social work applicants complete a fingerprint background check through DORA's vendor, IdentoGO, using the Social Worker service code (DORA). An application stays active one year; exam results are valid for five years from the exam date (Rule 1.14A(2), D(4)).
Cost
DORA's application and registration fees are set by the Division under 12-20-105 and shown in the online application; the fingerprint vendor's fee; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (12-245-205; DORA; ASWB).
Hold the candidate registration or LSW before the first hour, and find an LCSW supervisor
Post-degree work experience and supervision hours count toward the LCSW only if, before accumulating them, the applicant is registered as a clinical social worker candidate, licensed as an LSW, licensed in another authorized profession, listed with the State Board of Unlicensed Psychotherapists, or practicing in an exempt facility (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(2)); DORA's form warns that practicing psychotherapy without one of those credentials may be unlicensed practice and cost the hours (DORA). The supervisor is an LCSW licensed by the Board, or by the jurisdiction where the services were performed, who provides personal and responsible direction in person or by telesupervision (Rule 1.14C(1)(e), C(3)(a)). Colorado registers no supervision plan.
Step 4Colorado
Two years and 3,000 hours under supervision, with 96 supervision hours, 48 of them individual
The statute now requires at least two years of practice under LCSW supervision including at least 3,000 hours (12-245-404(2)(c), as amended by HB 26-1002, effective August 12, 2026, absent a referendum petition). DORA's Post Degree Experience and Supervision form asks for 3,000 clock hours over a minimum of 24 months and at least 96 clock hours of supervision, 48 of them face-to-face individual supervision, reasonably distributed over the experience (DORA). The Board's published Rule 1.14 still reads 3,360 hours over at least 24 months with half in clinical practice; the Board announced proposed revisions to Rule 1.14 to implement HB 26-1002, with a rulemaking hearing set for November 13, 2026 (Rule 1.14C(4), (5); DORA). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Pass the Clinical exam, then apply for the LCSW with the supervisor's verified statement
DORA's online LCSW application by examination expects the ASWB Clinical examination already passed, at least 3,000 documented hours on the Post Degree Experience and Supervision form, the jurisprudence examination, and an official transcript; one form is uploaded for each supervisor and place of employment, initialed corrections only, signed no earlier than the last date of experience (DORA). The supervisor's statement is signed under penalty of law attesting to satisfactory completion of the hours and to the applicant having met generally accepted standards of practice (Rule 1.14C(2)). Experience and supervision older than five years are not accepted absent good cause, and a current LSW who upgrades is exempt from the five-year exam validity rule (Rule 1.14A(3), D(4)).
Cost
DORA's LCSW application fee, shown in the online application; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (12-245-205; ASWB).
Renew on DORA's two-year schedule with 40 professional development hours
Licenses expire on the schedule the Division's director sets, and each is valid one to three years, with a two-year renewal cycle for social work (12-20-202(1); Rule 1.18E). Renewal requires continuing professional competence through the Board's Continuing Professional Development program: a Professional Practice Rubric self-assessment, a Learning Plan, and 40 Professional Development Hours per cycle, prorated at 1.66 hours per month for a license issued mid-cycle (12-245-410; Rule 1.18B to E; DORA). A 60-day grace period follows expiration, with a delinquency fee and no discipline for practicing; after it the license is expired and practice stops until reinstatement (Rule 1.10B). Failure to receive a renewal notice is no excuse (Rule 1.10A).
Cost
Renewal and delinquency fees set by the Division under 12-20-105 and 12-20-202 and shown at renewal (DORA).
Endorsement through the Occupational Credential Portability Program
An applicant with a current, unrestricted social work license in good standing from another state, territory, or the federal government, or a military occupational specialty, may apply by endorsement with the graduate degree, the Colorado jurisprudence exam, and either the ASWB exam for the level sought, two years of active practice at 20 or more hours a week, or, where no exam was required when first licensed, five of the last ten years of independent practice without discipline; an LCSW applicant attests to two years of supervised practice with requirements similar to Rule 1.14, or two years of active clinical practice (12-245-207; Rule 1.12; DORA). The Board may decline if the applicant lacks substantially equivalent experience or committed an act that would be grounds for discipline (Rule 1.12B).
A telehealth-only license method, and the DORA telehealth registration
DORA's LCSW application offers a telehealth method for a holder of an active LCSW in another state who passes the jurisprudence exam, attests to practicing telehealth only, and names a registered agent in Colorado (DORA). Separately, since January 1, 2026, an out-of-state mental health provider without a Colorado credential may obtain a DORA telehealth registration to serve patients located in Colorado, with a valid home-state credential, no discipline in five years, the jurisprudence exam if Colorado requires it for the equivalent license, and disclosure of restrictions, discipline, and malpractice outcomes (SB 24-141; DORA). A Colorado licensee needs no separate registration to practice telehealth (DORA).
Colorado enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in Title 24, Article 60, Part 46, and gave the Board the duties of a member-state licensing authority: facilitating participation, complying with the Commission's rules, reporting adverse actions and investigative information to the data system, and processing multistate licenses (12-245-411). Whether the Commission has begun issuing multistate licenses is a question for swcompact.org on the day you look.
Fingerprints, the three-year conviction look-back, and felony rules
Social work applicants submit fingerprints through DORA's approved vendor for a Colorado Bureau of Investigation and FBI check (DORA). Under HB 24-1004, a regulator may consider an applicant's conviction only for a three-year period after it, with exceptions for certain crimes (DORA). A felony conviction, guilty or nolo contendere plea, or deferred sentence to a felony charge, or any crime related to the practice, is a prohibited activity, judged under the state's rehabilitation and criminal history statutes (12-245-224(1)(a)). Discipline in another jurisdiction for substantially similar conduct is prima facie grounds for denial (12-245-224(2)).
Name and AddressColorado
Report changes to the Board
A licensee reports a change of address, telephone number, or name to the Board under Rule 1.8, and a duplicate or replacement license is issued under Rule 1.9; a candidate or LSW from a CSWE candidacy program that loses accreditation notifies the Board within 30 days (Rules 1.8, 1.9, 1.14B(1)(a), 1.24A(1)). A malpractice settlement or judgment must be reported within 60 days (12-245-226(7)).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Clinical social worker candidate registration, LSW, LCSW, or provisional application
set by the Division, shown online
DORA
Fingerprint background check (CBI and FBI)
vendor's fee
IdentoGO
Colorado jurisprudence examination
included with the application
DORA
ASWB Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, and the delinquency fee in the 60-day grace period
set by the Division, shown at renewal
DORA
Reinstatement or reactivation
set by the Division
DORA
Administrative fine for a rule violation
up to $1,000, $2,500, then $5,000
Board
$
What it adds up to. Colorado's statute directs the Division to set application, renewal, and delinquency fees to cover its costs (12-20-105; 12-245-205), and DORA publishes the amounts inside the online application rather than on a fee page, so this table names the fees and leaves the amounts to the portal. What the statute fixes is ASWB's exam fees and the Board's fine schedule for administrative violations, from $1,000 for a first violation to $5,000 for a third (Rule 1.20C).
Keeping the license
RenewalColorado
40 professional development hours a cycle, on a learning plan
Continuing professional competence is a portfolio, not a course count: complete the Professional Practice Rubric before renewing, draft a Personal Learning Plan from it, and execute the plan by completing 40 Professional Development Hours of Board-allowed activities before the renewal date, with no changes to the plan after renewal (12-245-410(1)(b); Rule 1.18B to E). Allowed activities are volunteer service, consultation, supervision, presenting, coursework, publication, and independent learning; coursework from an accredited institution or a recognized professional organization may supply all 40 hours, any other single activity no more than 20, and serving on a government board earns nothing (Rule 1.18E(2), (3), F). Up to five hours earned within six months of expiration carry forward (1.18E(5)). Registered candidates complete 60 hours before a second or later renewal (1.18E).
Documentation, audits, deem status, and the military exemption
Keep documentation of the rubric, plan, activities, and hours for at least five years from the expiration date of the cycle in which they were earned, and be ready to submit it on request; audits follow each renewal period (Rule 1.18E(1), (6); DORA). An employee or contractor of a Colorado state department whose formal professional development program meets the statutory definition of continuing competence is deemed to comply, subject to audit (12-245-410(1)(c); Rule 1.18G). Military personnel called to federally funded active duty for more than 120 days are exempt from fees and continuing competence for the cycle (12-20-302; Rule 1.18H). A licensee who meets the continuing competence rules of another Colorado mental health license may be exempted (Rule 1.18H(2)).
StatusColorado
Inactive, expired, and the two-year line
A licensee may transfer to inactive status, keep the Board's jurisdiction, owe no continuing competence while inactive, and may not practice; reactivation takes the application, fee, sworn statements about discipline and malpractice, and 40 hours in the prior two years (Rule 1.19A to D). An expired license is reinstated with the application, fee, the same statements, and 40 hours in the prior two years (Rule 1.13B to E). A license expired or inactive more than two years also takes the jurisprudence exam and one of: a written statement of work experience with verification of any out-of-state licenses, the ASWB exam again, ten additional hours for each year lapsed, or another showing the Board accepts (Rules 1.13F, 1.19E).
DutyColorado
The mandatory disclosure statement at the first contact
At the initial client contact, every licensee gives each client, in writing, the licensee's name, business address, and telephone; a list of degrees, credentials, and licenses with the education, experience, and training each required; a statement that the practice of licensed persons in psychotherapy is regulated by the Division, with the Board's address and telephone; statements that the client may receive information about methods, techniques, duration, and fees, may seek a second opinion or end therapy at any time, that sexual intimacy is never appropriate and should be reported to the Board, and that information is legally confidential except as 12-245-220 and other law provide; and notice that records may not be kept after seven years (12-245-216(1)). The client signs it no later than the second visit; an oral explanation accompanies it for a client who cannot read; a minor consenting to services gets it directly (12-245-216(2), (5), (6)). Failing the disclosure is a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(p)).
Where the South Carolina figures come from. The South Carolina Social Workers Practice Act, S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 63 (definitions in 40-63-20, the license requirement and telehealth registration in 40-63-30 and 40-63-35, the fingerprint check in 40-63-32, discipline in 40-63-90 through 40-63-210, the license levels in 40-63-220 through 40-63-260, disclosure in 40-63-270, exemptions in 40-63-290, and the Social Work Interstate Compact in Article 3), read on the General Assembly's code site; the Board's regulations at Chapter 110 (continuing education in 110-1, fees in 110-10, the Principles of Professional Ethics in 110-20, and supervised LMSW practice in 110-30); and the Board's pages, fee schedule, requirement sheets, supervision guidelines, and supervision contract on the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's site, in September 2026. The licensing body is the South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners, in the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) at 110 Centerview Drive in Columbia; applications are online through LLR. South Carolina enacted the Social Work Interstate Compact as Article 3 of Chapter 63 in May 2025 (Act No. 66), but the Compact Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions did not include South Carolina when read in September 2026.
The three levels, four licenses
LicenseSouth Carolina
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
Age 21, good moral character, a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the nationally recognized accrediting body for social work, the examination the Board prescribes, and the fees (S.C. Code 40-63-220). Baccalaureate social work is basic generalist practice: assessment, planning, intervention, case management, information and referral, counseling, advocacy, and administration; baccalaureate social workers are not qualified to diagnose and treat mental illness or provide psychotherapy (40-63-20(23)).
LicenseSouth Carolina
LMSW · Licensed Masters Social Worker
Age 21, good moral character, a master's or doctorate in social work from an accredited program, the ASWB Masters examination, and the fees (40-63-230; Board). Masters social work practice may include clinical social work under clinical supervision within a recognized, organized setting, and an LMSW may engage in supervised clinical or advanced practice only in social, medical, or governmental agencies under an appropriately credentialed professional employed by that agency; an LMSW may not practice privately or independently (40-63-20(26); Reg. 110-30; Board FAQ). This is the license you hold while earning independent-level hours: the 3,000 hours must occur after licensure as a Masters Social Worker (40-63-240(A)(6)(a)).
LicenseSouth Carolina
LISW-CP · Licensed Independent Social Worker, Clinical Practice
The accredited master's or doctorate, with 45 academic contact hours each of psychopathology and psychodiagnostics; 3,000 hours of social work practice under clinical supervision after the LMSW, over a minimum two-year and maximum four-year period, with at least 100 hours of face-to-face supervision equitably distributed under a plan filed with the Board before supervision begins; 15 academic or 20 continuing education contact hours in professional ethics during the supervision period; the ASWB Clinical examination; and the fees (40-63-240(A); Board). Independent clinical practice covers assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including individual, marital, couple, family, and group counseling and psychotherapy, and the LISW-CP may have a private practice (40-63-20(25), (27)).
LicenseSouth Carolina
LISW-AP · Licensed Independent Social Worker, Advanced Practice
The same degree with 90 academic contact hours of course work in advanced social work practice with communities and organizations; 3,000 hours under advanced practice supervision after the LMSW in two to four years with 100 face-to-face supervision hours under a filed plan; the ethics hours; the ASWB Advanced Generalist examination; and the fees (40-63-240(B); Board). Advanced practice is the nonclinical, macro license: community organization, planning and policy, administration, outcome evaluation, nonclinical supervision and consultation, mediation, expert testimony, and advocacy; an LISW-AP may not practice clinical social work independently (40-63-20(24)). A licensee may hold both CP and AP.
TitlesSouth Carolina
"Social worker" is a licensed title, and practice from anywhere counts
No individual may offer social work services, use "Social Worker", the four licensed designations, the initials LBSW, LMSW, or LISW, or any other designation indicating licensure, or hold themselves out as practicing social work, unless licensed under the chapter (40-63-30(A)). A person providing social work services to a client in South Carolina by telephone or electronic means, wherever the social worker sits, is practicing without a license unless licensed or registered here (40-63-30(B)). Unauthorized practice, or knowingly giving the Board false information to obtain a license, is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000 or a year, or both, and the Board may add civil penalties and injunctions (40-63-200; 40-63-210). Exempt are other licensed professionals within their scopes who do not call themselves social workers, hospital employees and state employees doing social work within their jobs without the title, unpaid helpers without the title, students in field placements, and out-of-state licensees for up to 60 days in a declared emergency after notice to the Board (40-63-290).
SupervisorsSouth Carolina
Board-approved supervisors are a credential of their own
A Clinical Practice Supervisor is an LISW-CP who has passed the Board's examination, has at least 4,500 hours of clinical practice earned over not less than three years after receiving the LISW-CP, and has 45 academic or continuing education contact hours in supervision; an Approved Advanced Practice Supervisor meets the same tests at the AP level (40-63-240(C), (D)). Approval takes a $45 application (Board fee schedule). Supervision of clinical practice does not qualify an applicant for the LISW-AP, and advanced practice supervision does not qualify one for the LISW-CP (Board FAQ).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with psychopathology and psychodiagnostics on the transcript
Every level rests on a degree from a program accredited by the nationally recognized accrediting body for social work, which the Board reads as CSWE, or a program the Board finds equivalent (S.C. Code 40-63-230(4); 40-63-240(A)(4); Board). The LISW-CP adds 45 academic contact hours each of psychopathology and psychodiagnostics from an accredited program, documented by official transcript on the Board's coursework form; a graduate whose degree lacked them takes them afterward (40-63-240(A)(5); Board). A degree in sociology, psychology, or a related field does not qualify (Board FAQ).
Apply for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, and pass the Masters exam
The LMSW application is online through LLR with the $45 nonrefundable fee, a copy of a government identification, a copy of the social security card, name-change documents if any, an official transcript sent directly from the school, verification from every state board where you hold or held a license, and ASWB scores if already earned; a "yes" answer on the application questions brings a written explanation, court or Board documents, and possibly a Board appearance (Board). Since May 22, 2025, every initial applicant undergoes a SLED and FBI fingerprint check at the applicant's expense (40-63-32). Once the file is complete the Board approves you to register with ASWB for the Masters examination; a final-semester student may test early with a letter from the dean, but no license issues until the transcript shows the conferred degree (Board).
Cost
$45 application fee; the fingerprint vendor's fees; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (Board fee schedule; 40-63-32; ASWB).
Apply for the LISW-CP, then file the supervision contract before the first hour
An LISW applicant first submits the LISW application, then completes the Board's supervision contract with a Board-approved Clinical Practice Supervisor, and the Board must approve the contract before supervision begins; the Board may call both of you in to answer questions about it (40-63-240(A)(6)(c); Board guidelines; Board). The contract names the practice setting, which must be a social, medical, or governmental agency, and the workplace clinical supervisor employed there, who may be the same person as the contract supervisor or a different one (Reg. 110-30; Board contract). The contract supervisor need not work for your employer (Board FAQ).
Step 4South Carolina
3,000 hours in two to four years, 100 supervision hours, about one per 30 hours of practice
The applicant demonstrates 3,000 hours of social work practice under clinical supervision, after the LMSW, over a minimum two-year and maximum four-year period, with at least 100 hours of face-to-face meetings between the approved supervisor and the supervisee, equitably distributed (40-63-240(A)(6)). The Board's contract sets the pace at one hour of supervision for every 30 hours of practice and lets up to 50 hours be group supervision with no more than six supervisees; the Board accepts supervision by HIPAA-compliant two-way video (Board contract; Board requirements; Board FAQ). During the period you also complete 15 academic or 20 continuing education contact hours in professional ethics, or the Board's specialty ethics course (40-63-240(A)(7)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Send the Report of Supervised Experience, then pass the Clinical exam
At the end of the supervisory period the supervisor submits the Board's Report of Supervised Experience with a termination evaluation, a performance assessment, and a statement whether licensure is recommended; a change of supervisor midstream takes a notice of the end of supervision and a termination evaluation from the departing supervisor (40-63-240(A)(6)(c); Board guidelines). When the coursework, ethics hours, and supervision are approved, the Board sends an approval letter for the ASWB Clinical examination, and the LISW-CP issues on a passing score (Board).
Cost
$45 application fee for the LISW; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (Board fee schedule; ASWB).
Renew by December 31 of even years with 40 hours, one of them on suicide
Licenses renew every two years on payment of the renewal fee and completion of the continuing education the Board sets by regulation (40-63-250(D)). The Board's reporting period runs January 1 of the odd year through December 31 of the even year, and the deadline is December 31 of even years; the 2026 renewal covers January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026 (Board). The requirement is 40 contact hours of accepted continuing education per renewal period, including at least one hour in suicide assessment, treatment, and management, which may be virtual (Reg. 110-1B; 40-63-250(E)). CE Broker is the Board's tracking system, and a free account is required (Board). A lapsed license is reinstated on a satisfactory explanation plus the reinstatement and renewal fees; lapsed more than a year, the Board may add education; lapsed more than two years, you reapply (40-63-250(F)).
Licensure from another jurisdiction, at the equivalent level only
A social worker currently licensed elsewhere obtains a South Carolina license with the application, age 21, good moral character, the accredited degree, the Board's examination, evidence that every social work license held is current and in good standing, proof that no professional license anywhere has been suspended, revoked, or restricted except for nonrenewal or missed continuing education, and the fees; the applicant is eligible only for the designation equivalent to the one held in the other jurisdiction (40-63-260). For the independent level the Board requires the Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam and the standard file, with verification forms sent to every prior board (Board out-of-state requirements). The Board issues no temporary or provisional licenses (Board).
The $10 behavioral telehealth registration for out-of-state clinicians
An independent clinical social worker with an active, unencumbered license in another state that is substantially similar to the LISW-CP, no discipline in the prior five years, and no pending investigation may register with the Board for $10 to provide behavioral telehealth to clients in South Carolina within the state's scope of practice; the registrant's website must link to the Board's registrant list, restrictions or discipline anywhere must be reported within five business days, in-person services and a South Carolina office are off limits, and the registrant consents to the Board's jurisdiction (40-63-35; Board). A South Carolina licensee needs no registration to practice telehealth here (40-63-35(I)).
The Compact is in the code, and not yet on the Commission's list
Article 3 of Chapter 63, enacted by 2025 Act No. 66 as the Social Work Interstate Compact Act, sets out the Compact's eligibility for bachelor's, master's, and clinical multistate licenses, the multistate authorization to practice, the Commission, and the data system, and 40-63-32 applies the fingerprint check to Compact participation (40-63-510 through 40-63-640; 40-63-32). The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of jurisdictions that have passed the Compact did not include South Carolina when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org and the Board's site for the current status before relying on a multistate license here.
Fingerprints for every initial license, and a record that cannot be the sole reason
An initial applicant undergoes a SLED and FBI fingerprint-based criminal records check, with the fingerprints retained for notification of future charges, at the applicant's expense (40-63-32). A license may not be denied based solely on a prior criminal record (40-63-140), though conviction of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, including a nolo contendere plea or bond forfeiture, is a ground for discipline and for denial (40-63-110(B)(2); 40-63-130). Every "yes" on the application's screening questions is reviewed case by case with your written explanation and documents (Board).
StudentsSouth Carolina
Field placements are exempt, and the exam can come early
Students engaged in field placements or other closely supervised practice while enrolled in an accredited social work program are exempt from licensure (40-63-290(4)). A final-semester student may be allowed to take the Masters exam before the degree with a letter from the dean verifying the timing, but the license waits for the transcript with the conferral date (Board LMSW requirements).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Initial application, LBSW, LMSW, or LISW (nonrefundable)
$45
LLR
SLED and FBI fingerprint check
vendor's fees
fingerprint vendor
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
Duplicate pocket card, or name change with a new card
$10
LLR
Duplicate wall certificate
$15
LLR
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $45 plus the $230 exam, so $275 plus the fingerprint fees. LISW-CP on top of it: $45 plus the $260 exam, so $305 more, plus one $90 renewal during the two to four years of hours. The Board's fees are set to fund the Board under Regulation 110-10 and are published on LLR's fee schedule; all are nonrefundable, and ASWB's exam fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalSouth Carolina
40 contact hours a biennium, one on suicide, tracked in CE Broker
As a prerequisite for biennial renewal, complete a minimum of 40 contact hours of accepted professional continuing education per renewal period, with one hour in suicide assessment, treatment, and management (Reg. 110-1B; 40-63-250(E)). A contact hour is a 60-minute clock hour of instruction without breaks (40-63-20(14)). Accepted instruction is courses, conferences, and seminars approved by the Board's designees; only student class hours count; a lecturer or discussion leader on social work material earns two hours per hour of presentation, once per course per period; and repeating a course earns nothing except in unusual circumstances (Reg. 110-1C). CE Broker is the Board's official tracking system for searching approved courses and reporting hours (Board).
Approval for continuing education credit comes from the Board's designees under Board guidelines, and sponsors apply for approval at $25 per application, bearing the risk of disapproval (Reg. 110-1D; fee schedule). The Board's FAQ points to programs approved by the Board, ASWB, or NASW and to its pre-approved sponsor list, accepts home study and online courses, and counts hours from a presenter without a social work degree as non-social-work hours (Board FAQ).
StatusSouth Carolina
Lapse, reinstatement, and the two-year line
Failure to renew by the deadline lapses the license, and practicing on a lapsed license is unlicensed practice (40-63-250(F); Board). Reinstatement takes a satisfactory explanation of the failure to renew, the $190 reinstatement application, and the current $90 renewal fee; lapsed more than one year, the Board may impose further education; lapsed more than two years, the person must reapply for licensure (40-63-250(F); fee schedule). A licensee under investigation may voluntarily surrender the license under the general provisions (40-63-150).
DutySouth Carolina
Display, sign with your category, and hand every client the disclosure
Display the license in a prominent place at the primary place of practice and indicate the category of licensure after your name or signature on all professional documents (40-63-250(B), (C)). Make available to each client a statement of professional disclosure with your address and telephone, fee schedule, educational training, and areas of specialization, and give every client the Board's statement of client rights and complaint procedures (40-63-270(A)). Licensees may not prescribe or dispense medications (40-63-270(B)).
Where the Alabama figures come from. The Alabama social work licensing law, Ala. Code Title 34, Chapter 30 (definitions in 34-30-1, private independent practice in 34-30-3, discipline in 34-30-4 and 34-30-5, the license requirement and titles in 34-30-20 and 34-30-33, exemptions in 34-30-21, qualifications in 34-30-22, reciprocity in 34-30-24, renewal and inactive status in 34-30-26, display in 34-30-28, LBSW supervision in 34-30-29, group practice in 34-30-30, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in Article 4), read on Justia's copy of the 2025 Code; the Board's rules at Ala. Admin. Code Chapter 850-X (classifications in 850-X-2-.02, telehealth in 850-X-2-.04, supervisors and supervision in 850-X-3, applications and reciprocity in 850-X-4, fees in 850-X-5-.02, examinations in 850-X-6, renewal, expired licenses, and inactive status in 850-X-7, continuing education in 850-X-8-.01, the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics in 850-X-9-.01, and discipline in 850-X-10), read on Cornell's Legal Information Institute; and the Board's own site, FAQ, forms list, and paper applications, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners, P.O. Box 301620, Montgomery, AL 36130-1620, 334-242-5860 or 888-879-3672; applications are online through Alabama Interactive or by paper form. Alabama enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (Act 2024-298) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses and one certification
LicenseAlabama
LBSW · Licensed Bachelor Social Worker
Age 19, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university including completion of a social work program approved, accredited, or in candidacy with the Council on Social Work Education, the Board's examination, the examination fee, a subscription to the Board's code of ethics, and citizenship or lawful presence (Ala. Code 34-30-22). An LBSW then works under the continuing supervision of a Board-approved supervisor for two years, obtaining at least 96 hours of supervision, and needs no further supervision so long as the LBSW stays in the same type of practice; a change to a different type of practice or client population brings six more months (34-30-29; Rule 850-X-2-.02(1); 850-X-7-.04(4); Board FAQ). The LBSW is the generalist level: broker, enabler, counselor, case manager, educator, advocate, and mediator, with psychosocial assessments, social histories, and home studies (850-X-2-.02(1)).
LicenseAlabama
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker, clinical or non-clinical
Age 19, a Master of Social Work or Doctor of Social Work from a program approved, accredited, or in candidacy with CSWE, the Board's examination, the fee, and the ethics subscription (34-30-22). On receiving the license the LMSW designates clinical or non-clinical, and either way must obtain at least 96 hours of supervision from a Board-approved supervisor over two years: an LICSW for the clinical designation, an LMSW or LICSW for non-clinical (850-X-2-.02(2); 850-X-3-.04(2)). The LMSW evaluates and assesses difficulties in psychosocial functioning, plans and carries out interventions, and may practice in social casework, community organization, research, and administration; the clinical designation adds clinical practice under that supervision (850-X-2-.02(2)). This is the license you hold while earning the LICSW.
LicenseAlabama
LICSW · Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
The CSWE master's or doctorate, a current LMSW, at least two years of post-master's experience in the practice of social work under the supervision of an LICSW, the Board's examination, the fee, and the ethics subscription (34-30-22(5)c.; 850-X-6-.01). The Board's rule states the experience as at least 96 hours of postgraduate clinical supervision from a Board-approved LICSW supervisor and not less than 3,000 work hours before the LICSW examination application, which may run concurrently (850-X-2-.02(3); 850-X-3-.04(2), (3)). The LICSW exercises independent judgment, may supervise LBSWs and LMSWs toward licensure, and may engage in the private practice of social work in all areas except social casework, which takes the PIP certification (850-X-2-.02(3)). The scope of practice includes the authority to diagnose and develop treatment plans, within the boundaries of social work (34-30-3(b)).
CertificationAlabama
PIP · Private Independent Practice certification
No individual may engage in the independent clinical practice of social work without the LICSW, the CSWE master's or doctorate, two years of full-time or three years of part-time postgraduate experience under appropriate supervision in the specified social work method (or four full-time or five part-time years in the specialty), the Board's examination, a certified letter of certification from the Board, and the certification fee (34-30-3(a)). The Board's rule frames PIP as certification for private practice in social casework, including work as an independent contractor: a current LICSW plus three years full-time or five years part-time postgraduate experience in social casework, or one year full-time or two years part-time after the LICSW (850-X-2-.02(4)). Full-time is 35 hours a week; part-time is at least 10, counted pro rata (34-30-1(6), (7)). The PIP application is reviewed by at least two Board members (850-X-4-.01(6)).
TitlesAlabama
"Social worker" and "SW" are licensed titles, with a state-employee exception
No person may represent themselves as a social worker by using the title "social worker", "licensed bachelor social worker", "licensed master social worker", or "licensed independent clinical social worker", or by adding the letters SW, LBSW, LMSW, or LICSW, unless licensed under the chapter or excluded by it, and no public or private agency, organization, or health facility may apply those terms to an unlicensed person (34-30-33(a), (b)). A Merit System or Civil Service employee in a social work position whose qualifications a regulatory board sets may use the title "social worker" and practice social work without the license (34-30-32; 34-30-33(c)). A knowing, willful, or intentional violation is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $500, and the Board may sue for an injunction (34-30-33(d)). Physicians, psychologists, psychotherapists, attorneys, counselors, clergy, and others may do work within their own professions' standards if they do not hold themselves out as practicing social work, and any group already licensed under state law is exempt (34-30-21(a), (b)).
SupervisorsAlabama
Board-approved supervisors are a registered status
A licensee in good standing applies on Form A to become a Board-approved supervisor, with the $50 supervision certification fee, a supervisor's training program acceptable to the Board, and three hours of continuing education every biennium in supervision theory, skills, strategies, or evaluation; an LICSW may supervise on obtaining the clinical license, an LMSW after three years of post-licensure practice, and an LBSW after five (850-X-3-.01; 850-X-5-.02). An LICSW supervisor may supervise clinical experience toward the LICSW and non-clinical experience toward the LMSW or LBSW; an LMSW supervisor covers LBSW and LMSW non-clinical experience; an LBSW supervisor covers LBSW experience (850-X-3-.01(7)). Supervisor status renews with the license, and the Board issues a letter confirming approval (850-X-3-.01(8), (9)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
Every Alabama license rests on a social work degree from a program approved, accredited, or in candidacy with the Council on Social Work Education (Ala. Code 34-30-22(5); Rule 850-X-6-.01). The Board's FAQ says any applicant must have a degree in social work from a school accredited through CSWE, and points applicants to CSWE's site to check a program (Board FAQ). The Board requires an official transcript bearing the school's seal, mailed directly from the college or university to the Board (850-X-4-.01(9)).
Apply for the LMSW examination, then test within twelve months
Apply online through Alabama Interactive, which adds a processing fee, or on the Board's paper Application for Licensed Master Social Worker with the $75 examination fee by money order, cashier's check, or business check, the official transcript, and the immigration compliance form; applications must reach the Board at least 14 days before the next Board meeting (Board online and paper forms; 850-X-4-.01(3); 850-X-5-.02). Once the Board approves the application, you have twelve months from the date of application to take the ASWB examination, and during that time the Board grants a one-time provisional status under which the approved candidate may practice social work; after twelve months without a license the provisional status ends, a new application and fees are needed, and you may not practice until licensed (850-X-6-.03; Board FAQ). A failed exam means a 90-day wait and repayment of the $75 re-examination fee and ASWB's fee (Board application; 850-X-5-.02; ASWB). The Board receives scores about a week after the exam and mails the license in about 10 to 14 days (Board FAQ).
Cost
$75 examination fee to the Board; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; Alabama Interactive's processing fee if you apply online (Rule 850-X-5-.02; ASWB; Board).
Designate clinical, register the supervisor, and get the plan approved before the first hour
On receiving the LMSW, designate clinical (850-X-2-.02(2)). Your supervisor must already be a Board-approved LICSW supervisor, registered on Form A with the $50 fee (850-X-3-.01; 850-X-5-.02). Together you submit the Clinical Supervision Plan, Form B, describing the supervision modalities and how they protect confidentiality; the plan must be approved by the Board prior to the start of supervision, and a contract for supervision outside your employer needs the employing agency's written approval attached (850-X-3-.04(2)(i); 850-X-3-.02(b); Board forms). Before any supervision begins the supervisor signs and swears the Responsibility Statement for Supervisors of a Social Worker and gives you the original, which you file with your LICSW application (850-X-3-.02(q), (t)).
96 hours of clinical supervision at four a month, inside at least 3,000 work hours
The LMSW with a clinical designation obtains at least 96 hours of clinical supervision from an LICSW, a minimum of four hours per month for 24 months, with no more than two hours in any two weeks recommended, concurrent with employment of at least 10 hours a week of social work practice; the supervision must be obtained in no less than 3,000 work hours of post-master's experience, within a minimum of two and a maximum of four years (850-X-3-.04(2)(g), (h), (j)). The Board's FAQ adds that all supervision must be completed within 36 months and that supervision credit is lost if the 24 months are not finished inside that window (Board FAQ). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
File the verification and the LICSW application, then pass the Clinical exam
You and your supervisor submit verification that the supervision requirements have been met, on the Clinical Supervision Verification, Form D, and progression to a new level is a new application with the $75 examination fee; documents already on file for the LMSW need not be resubmitted (850-X-3-.04(3); 850-X-4-.01(7); Board forms). The Board approves you for the ASWB Clinical examination, with the same twelve-month window, and the LICSW issues on a passing score (850-X-6-.03; Board FAQ).
Cost
$75 examination fee to the Board; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (Rule 850-X-5-.02; ASWB).
Renew every two years in your issue month, with 30 hours, ten of them live
Every license expires on the last day of the month that is exactly two years from the month and year the license was issued; the renewal form and $100 fee must reach the Board within 60 days after expiration or the license terminates (34-30-26(b), (e); 850-X-7-.02; 850-X-5-.02). Continuing education must be complete before the license expires; the 60 days are for the paperwork, not for more hours (Board FAQ). The requirement is 30 contact hours per two-year period, 10 of them at a live classroom event, which includes interactive live video but not recordings, and 3 in ethics; an LMSW with the clinical designation adds 3 clinical hours; an LICSW's 30 include 3 in ethics and 6 in clinical, 3 of them a comprehensive review of the current DSM; a supervisor under an approved plan adds 3 in supervision (850-X-8-.01(4); Board FAQ). The Board may waive continuing education for prolonged illness or extenuating circumstances, but not twice in succession (34-30-26(d)). Online renewal by credit card carries Alabama Interactive's $4 processing fee; paper renewals take a certified check, money order, or business check (Board FAQ).
Cost
$100 renewal; $100 reinstatement per lapsed renewal cycle plus the current renewal fee; $25 inactive registration (Rule 850-X-5-.02; 850-X-7-.03; 850-X-7-.04).
Reciprocity on equivalent standards, without the Alabama exam
On an application from a person holding a valid social work license from another state whose standards are equivalent to Alabama's, who meets the qualifications in 34-30-22 except the examination, and who pays the initial license fee, the Board issues the LBSW, LMSW, or LICSW (34-30-24). The Board compares the two states' requirements, grants reciprocity at whatever level applies, and may ask for more information (850-X-4-.02(1)). A non-resident applicant who has taken a social work licensure examination is not required to take the Alabama examination, and files the Alabama application with a statement under seal from the other state's board showing the license type and number, dates, the examination taken, verification of supervision, and any discipline (850-X-4-.02(2), (3)). The reciprocity fee is $75, and reciprocity applications are reviewed by the Board's Executive Director (850-X-5-.02; 850-X-4-.01(6)). A military spouse applies with the current license and official orders showing relocation to Alabama, and during a Governor-declared State of Emergency an out-of-state licensee may receive a temporary license on request (850-X-4-.02(4), (5)).
The Social Work Licensure Compact is in the code, and Alabama is a member
Article 4 of Chapter 30, enacted by Act 2024-298, adopts the Social Work Licensure Compact: state and social worker participation, the multistate license at the bachelor's, master's, and clinical categories, reissuance by a new home state, military families, adverse actions, the Compact Commission, the data system, rulemaking, and enforcement (34-30-100 through 34-30-116). The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of jurisdictions that have enacted the Compact included Alabama when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org for whether multistate licenses are being issued yet and what the Board requires to obtain one.
Honesty on the application, and what a conviction means
Any person who knowingly makes false or misleading statements during the Board's investigation of an application is denied licensure after a show-cause hearing, may not reapply for one year, and may not practice in the meantime; withholding information or misrepresentation is cause for denial (850-X-4-.01(5), (10)). Conviction of a felony is unprofessional conduct under the statute, and the Board's rule adds any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, including a guilty or no-contest plea, whether or not connected to practice (34-30-4(a)(1); 850-X-10-.01(1)(c)). The statute reaches unprofessional conduct within the last five years (34-30-4(a)). Every applicant must be a United States citizen or lawfully present with federal documentation, shown on the immigration compliance form (34-30-22(6); Board forms).
StudentsAlabama
Students practice under supervision, and the twelve-month provisional status bridges the exam
Students enrolled in recognized programs of study leading to social work degrees are not prevented from practicing social work, provided their practice is performed under the supervision of a licensed certified social worker, the pre-2016 title for today's LICSW, or one who qualifies for that license (34-30-21(c); 34-30-20(b)). After graduation, an approved applicant holds a one-time provisional status for twelve months from the application date and may practice as a social worker while waiting to test (850-X-6-.03). The Board also recommends that all licensees and applicants complete the state's mandatory child abuse and neglect reporter training once (850-X-8-.01(4)(e)).
TelehealthAlabama
An Alabama license for a client in Alabama
An individual who provides social work via telehealth to a client located in Alabama must have an active Alabama license in good standing and comply with the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics; the client must be located within Alabama's borders (850-X-2-.04(1), (3)). On starting telehealth the licensee obtains and documents informed consent, assesses whether the client is appropriate for telehealth, uses best practices for confidentiality and security, and keeps the communication secure as HIPAA requires (850-X-2-.04(2), (4)). The rule is silent on Alabama licensees serving clients in other states; that is the other state's law, or the Compact once multistate practice is live.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Examination application, any level
$75
Board
Re-examination
$75
Board
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Reciprocity
$75
Board
Private Independent Practice certification
$75
Board
Supervision certification (Board-approved supervisor, Form A)
$50
Board
Biennial renewal
$100
Board
Reinstatement, per lapsed renewal cycle, plus the current renewal fee
$100
Board
Inactive registration, every two years
$25
Board
Processing a verification form
$15
Board
Replacement license
$10
Board
Replacement ID card or gold seal
$5
Board
Application to be a continuing education provider
$150
Board
Online processing (renewals by credit card)
$4
Alabama Interactive
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $75 plus the $230 exam, so $305. LICSW on top of it: $75 plus the $260 exam, so $335 more, plus one $100 renewal during the two to four years of hours and the $50 your supervisor pays for Board-approved status. The Board's fees are set in Rule 850-X-5-.02, as amended effective January 14, 2024; all fees are nonrefundable by statute, paper applications take only a money order, cashier's check, or business check, and ASWB's exam fees are ASWB's (34-30-6(a); Board applications).
Keeping the license
RenewalAlabama
30 contact hours a biennium, 10 live, 3 ethics, and the clinical and DSM hours by level
A contact hour is one sixty-minute clock hour of organized learning, not counting breaks or lunch (850-X-8-.01(3)). Every level submits proof of 30 contact hours per renewal, 10 of them a live classroom event and 3 in ethics; the LMSW with a clinical designation adds 3 clinical hours; the LICSW's 30 include 3 in ethics and 6 in clinical, 3 of which must be a comprehensive review of the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual; a licensee supervising under an approved contract adds 3 in supervision (850-X-8-.01(4)). Documentation goes on the Board's continuing education verification form with the renewal, and the Board may ask for verification of content, certification, and attendance; failing to substantiate hours may mean refusal to renew (850-X-8-.01(6), (7)).
Acceptable activities are academic courses in social work or related disciplines at regionally accredited institutions (ten contact hours per undergraduate semester hour, fifteen per graduate semester hour, five for auditing), continuing education from university social work programs, Board-approved workshops and conferences of national, regional, or state social work organizations, Board-approved agency staff development, independently planned workshops approved in advance, publication of a professional paper (twenty hours) or its first presentation at an approved conference (fifteen), panel and facilitator credit, and self-directed learning projects of up to twenty hours approved before the license expires (850-X-8-.01(5)). The Board's site lists approved programs and providers, and providers apply for approval at $150 (Board; 850-X-5-.02).
StatusAlabama
Expired, reinstated, and inactive
Renewals not received within 60 days after expiration terminate the license (850-X-7-.02). The Board may renew an expired license on payment of the renewal fee for each lapsed cycle plus the current fee and proof of 15 continuing education hours if reactivated within the first year; expired more than one year but less than five, 15 more hours are required per year, to a maximum of 90 (850-X-7-.03; 850-X-5-.02). A licensee not practicing in Alabama, or living out of state, may ask in writing for the inactive roll, paying $25 every two years with no continuing education; returning to practice takes 15 hours for each inactive year up to 45, with 35 percent from classroom hours (34-30-26(g), (h); 850-X-7-.04). A licensee may keep an active Alabama license while living elsewhere by renewing with the hours and fee (Board FAQ).
DutyAlabama
Display the license, use the right title, and tell the Board about other states
The license is displayed in the licensee's principal place of practice and entitles the licensee to hold themselves out as providing the services the chapter authorizes (34-30-28). Failing to report to the Board an adverse action by another licensing jurisdiction, or the surrender of a license elsewhere, is a ground for discipline, as is being disciplined in another jurisdiction on grounds that match Alabama's (850-X-10-.01(1)(r) to (t)). Nothing in the chapter authorizes a licensee to practice medicine or to describe or label any test, report, or procedure as psychological or as a psychological evaluation (34-30-34).
Where the Kentucky figures come from. The Kentucky social work licensing law, KRS 335.010 to 335.160 and 335.990 (exemptions in 335.010, definitions in 335.020, the license requirement and titles in 335.030, the Board's duties and deadlines in 335.070, fingerprinting in 335.075, the three licenses in 335.080, 335.090, and 335.100, reciprocity in 335.120, renewal in 335.130, the Social Work Licensure Compact in 335.135, discipline in 335.150 and 335.155, telehealth in 335.158, and penalties in 335.990), as amended by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 77 effective July 15, 2026, read on the Legislative Research Commission's site; the Board's regulations at 201 KAR Chapter 23 (fees in 23:020, applications in 23:025, renewal in 23:051, inactive status in 23:055, scopes in 23:060, supervision in 23:070, continuing education in 23:075, the Code of Ethical Conduct in 23:080, equivalent education in 23:120, complaints in 23:150, and temporary permits in 23:160); and the Board's licensure page, FAQ, forms, and continuing education pages, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Kentucky Board of Social Work, 125 Holmes Street, Suite 310, Frankfort, KY 40601, 502-564-2350; every application, renewal, and supervision contract is submitted online. Kentucky enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (KRS 335.135) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses
LicenseKentucky
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
Age 18, a baccalaureate degree in a social work or social welfare program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a baccalaureate degree plus courses the Board finds equivalent under its content standard, the ASWB examination, the examination fee, and the $75 initial license fee (KRS 335.090(1); 201 KAR 23:120; 23:020). An LSW may engage in the practice of social work but not the practice of clinical social work, and uses the abbreviation LSW (335.090(3); 201 KAR 23:060 Section 1).
LicenseKentucky
CSW · Certified Social Worker
Age 18, a master's or doctorate in social work from an institution approved by the Board, which the regulation defines as a graduate school accredited by CSWE, the ASWB Masters examination, the examination fee, and the $125 initial license fee (335.080(1); 201 KAR 23:070 Section 1(2); 23:020). A CSW practices social work and may practice clinical social work only by a written contract with a licensed clinical social worker approved by the Board, as an employee of an institution or organization in which the CSW has no interest other than employment; clinical practice stops the moment the contract ends, and the CSW then applies for the LCSW or asks the Board to extend (335.080(3); 23:060 Section 2). This is the license you hold while earning the LCSW.
LicenseKentucky
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
A master's or doctorate in social work from a CSWE-accredited institution, a minimum of two years of post-master's experience acceptable to the Board in the specialty methods of clinical social work under supervision as the Board's regulation sets, the ASWB Clinical examination, the examination fee, and the $200 initial license fee (335.100(1); 201 KAR 23:020). The regulation puts the experience at two years of post-master's supervised clinical social work experience including 150 hours of supervision documented by the supervisor of record and each additional supervisor (23:025 Section 3(1)). An LCSW practices clinical social work, holds themselves out as doing so, uses the abbreviation LCSW, and may employ a CSW under a supervision contract (23:060 Section 3; 335.100(3)).
TitlesKentucky
Licensure for practice in person, by telehealth, or any technology, with broad exemptions
No person may engage in the practice of social work in Kentucky, whether in person, through telehealth, or other technology, unless licensed, practicing under a temporary permit, or holding an active multistate license with the multistate authorization to practice; no one may use the titles Certified Social Worker, Licensed Social Worker, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker without that authority (335.030). Exempt from the license, though not from the clinical rule, are persons employed by the Commonwealth, heads of city and county social service agencies, employees of 501(c)(3) organizations, employees of child-caring facilities and child-placing agencies under state foster care contracts, education employees certified by the Board of Education, volunteer health practitioners, and student interns or trainees under supervision as part of a social work program; the practice of clinical social work is reserved to a CSW under contract or an LCSW wherever it happens (335.010(3) to (8)). Other recognized professions may work within their own standards without a social work title (335.040). Violations carry a fine of $50 to $500 or up to six months, or both, and the Board may enjoin them in Franklin Circuit Court (335.990; 335.160).
SupervisorsKentucky
Approved LCSW supervisors are trained, requested, and listed
A supervisor is an LCSW with no unresolved citation, no suspended or probated license, and no previous or existing personal relationship with the supervisee, who has practiced clinical social work for two years after licensure as an independent clinical social worker, has completed the Board-approved six-hour initial course on supervisory practice, and completes a three-hour refresher each renewal period; approval comes on a Request to Provide Supervision form with the training certificate, and the Board publishes the approved supervisor list (201 KAR 23:070 Section 4; Board CE page). An LCSW may be supervisor of record for no more than six CSWs at once, counting any temporary permit holders (23:070 Section 4(3); 23:160 Section 2(5)).
DeadlinesKentucky
The Board's own clock: 15 days to approve you to test, 45 days to license
Within 15 days of accepting an application and payment the Board must tell the applicant the application is complete and approve them to sit for the national examination, or say what is missing and approve them once it arrives; within 45 days of a complete application, the official passing score report, and the license fee, the Board must issue the license (335.070(2)). The Board's FAQ describes the initial process as four to six weeks, with the license issued three to five days after the fee is paid (Board FAQ).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The CSW and LCSW both rest on a Master of Social Work or Doctorate of Social Work from an educational institution approved by the Board, which the regulation defines as a graduate school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (KRS 335.080(1)(b); 335.100(1)(a); 201 KAR 23:070 Section 2). The official transcript showing the degree conferred must come directly from the university to the Board (23:025 Section 2(1)(r); Board FAQ). You may apply for the exam six weeks before graduation with an unofficial transcript, but no license issues until the official one arrives (Board FAQ).
Apply online for the CSW, get fingerprinted, and pass the Masters exam
The application goes through the Board's online portal with the $25 nonrefundable application fee and asks for every name used, employment with the employer's details and an official job description signed by the agency head, the IRS letter if the employer is a 501(c)(3), every social work license ever held with official verification from each other state, ASWB exam history, denials, discipline, felony history with certified records, education and official transcripts, three references who can speak to your competency, and statements that you have read KRS 335 and 201 KAR Chapter 23 including the Code of Ethical Conduct (201 KAR 23:025 Section 2). Every initial applicant undergoes a Kentucky State Police and FBI fingerprint check, with the fee capped at the actual cost of processing it (KRS 335.075). Within 15 days the Board approves you to sit for the ASWB Masters examination; Kentucky accepts the Bachelors, Masters, and Clinical categories but not Advanced Generalist (335.070(2); Board FAQ). On a passing score you receive an invoice for the $125 license fee, and the license issues within days of payment (23:020; Board FAQ).
Cost
$25 application fee; the fingerprint vendor's fees; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; $125 initial CSW license fee (201 KAR 23:025; 23:020; ASWB).
Take the one-hour CSW course, then get the supervision contract approved before you start
Before beginning supervised clinical practice, a CSW completes the Board's free one-hour course on supervised clinical practice experience and attaches the certificate to the Clinical Social Work Supervision Contract, which must be submitted to the Board for approval before supervision begins (201 KAR 23:070 Sections 5 and 12; Board). The contract names the supervisor of record and any additional supervisors, the agency, the clients, therapies, and disorders, the hours of supervision per week and the split between individual and group, a 30-day termination notice, six-month evaluations, the supervisor's statement of accountability to the Board for the care of your clients, and your status as a W-2 employee, with a job description on agency letterhead signed by the agency head (23:070 Section 5). The Board must approve or deny it within 90 days; its FAQ says about three weeks, and there is no fee (23:070 Section 10(1)(c); Board FAQ).
Two years of post-master's clinical practice with 150 hours of supervision
The LCSW takes a minimum of two years of post-master's experience in clinical social work under supervision (KRS 335.100(1)(b)). Supervision totals at least 150 hours, including individual supervision of at least two hours during every two weeks of supervised clinical practice over the two-year minimum, with at least 100 hours individual and up to 50 in groups of no more than six social workers (201 KAR 23:070 Section 8(2)). The Board reads full time as at least 30 hours a week for two years and part time as at least 20 hours a week for three years; hours worked under 20 a week do not count (Board FAQ). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
File the Supervised Experience Documentation Form, pass the Clinical exam, and stay supervised until the license issues
Each supervisor of record and additional supervisor records and submits documentation of the individual and group supervision hours completed, and the LCSW application includes two years of post-master's supervised clinical experience with 150 hours documented on the Supervised Experience Documentation Form (201 KAR 23:070 Section 5(11); 23:025 Section 3(1)). A CSW already licensed in Kentucky need not resend the master's transcript or license verification (23:025 Section 2(1)(l), (r)). The Board approves you for the ASWB Clinical examination; you must remain under supervision from that approval until the new license is issued, and your supervisor sends the Continued Supervision after Clinical Exam Approval form (Board FAQ; Board forms). On a passing score you pay the $200 license fee (23:020).
Cost
$25 application fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; $200 initial LCSW license fee (201 KAR 23:025; 23:020; ASWB).
Renew every three years with 30 hours, three of them on Kentucky's own ethics code
Every CSW, LSW, and LCSW renews every three years, on a cycle counted from the date the initial license issued, with the renewal fee of $200 for an LCSW, $125 for a CSW, or $75 for an LSW (KRS 335.130(1); 201 KAR 23:051 Section 2; 23:020). A CSW or LCSW completes at least 30 continuing education hours in the three years, an LSW 15, in person or through technology-mediated learning, all relevant to the license level (23:075 Section 2). Inside those hours every licensee takes a Board-approved three-hour course on the Kentucky Code of Ethical Conduct each renewal, a six-hour suicide assessment, treatment, and management program every six years, 1.5 hours on pediatric abusive head trauma every six years, and, in the first renewal period after initial licensure, a three-hour domestic violence and elder abuse course; the 2026 amendment to the statute adds one hour every three years on pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances (23:075 Section 2(4) to (8); 335.130(5)). An approved supervisor adds the three-hour supervision refresher (23:075 Section 2(5)). Contact information changes are due within ten days (23:051 Section 2(3)).
Cost
$200 LCSW, $125 CSW, or $75 LSW every three years; $100 penalty in the three-month grace period; $50 inactive status (201 KAR 23:020; 23:051; 23:055).
No reciprocity, but the ASWB score transfers and out-of-state hours can count
The statute allows a license without examination only where a reciprocal agreement exists between the states, and the Board says it has none (KRS 335.120; Board FAQ). An applicant licensed elsewhere applies online with official verification of every license held, an ASWB Official Transfer Score Report sent directly by ASWB, and official transcripts; Kentucky credits the Bachelors, Masters, and Clinical examinations but not the Advanced Generalist (201 KAR 23:025 Section 2(1); Board FAQ). An out-of-state LCSW applicant licensed at the clinical level for less than two years documents two years of post-master's supervised clinical practice and 150 hours of supervision from a supervisor who had been an LCSW or equivalent for at least two years, on Kentucky's form or the other state's; one licensed two years or more documents the period with a signed job description on agency letterhead or standard employment forms (23:025 Section 3(2), (3)). Fingerprinting applies to every initial license (335.075).
The Social Work Licensure Compact is in the code, and Kentucky is a member
KRS 335.135, created by 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 93 effective July 15, 2024, enacts the Social Work Licensure Compact, and the Board adopted the Compact Commission's rules by regulation effective August 27, 2025 (335.135; 201 KAR 23:012). A person holding an active, unencumbered multistate license with the multistate authorization to practice may practice in Kentucky, and the fingerprint check applies to any Kentucky licensee seeking the Compact privilege to practice elsewhere (335.030(1)(c); 335.075(1)(c)). The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Kentucky when read in September 2026; a proposed fee amendment filed June 15, 2026 would set the multistate license fee at the same amount as the Kentucky license. Check swcompact.org and the Board for whether multistate licenses are being issued.
Fingerprints for every initial license, and what a record means
Every applicant for an initial license, reinstatement, or the Compact privilege provides fingerprints to the Kentucky State Police for a state check and FBI check; the results go only to the Board, which shares them with the applicant on request, and no check is required solely for renewal (KRS 335.075). The application asks about felony convictions and no-contest pleas with certified court records, proof that fines and costs were paid, and a release from any probation or parole officer, and the Board may deny for a fraudulent misstatement, an adverse finding in a licensing proceeding, or discipline anywhere (201 KAR 23:025 Section 2(1)(p), (2)). An act of dishonesty or corruption is a ground for discipline under KRS Chapter 335B's standards, and a conviction, including on a no-contest plea, creates a rebuttable presumption of guilt (335.150(1)(a)).
StudentsKentucky
Interns are exempt, the exam can come early, and a temporary permit bridges the wait
The chapter does not apply to the activities of a student intern or trainee in social work pursuing a program at an accredited institution if the activities are performed under supervision as part of the program; for clinical training the Board is to set supervision standards by regulation after consulting a working group that includes a practicum education director (KRS 335.010(8)). You may apply for the exam six weeks before graduation with an unofficial transcript (Board FAQ). An applicant for the LSW or CSW who has completed every requirement except the exam may request a temporary permit, good for 180 days and renewable once for a maximum of 360, under a Kentucky CSW or LCSW supervisor of record; a CSW's clinical temporary permit needs a qualified LCSW supervisor with at least one hour of individual supervision a week, and those hours do not count toward the LCSW (201 KAR 23:160 Sections 1 and 2).
TelehealthKentucky
Telehealth into or out of Kentucky takes a Kentucky license or a Compact license
Any person located within or outside Kentucky who provides social work by telehealth to a client in Kentucky, and any person in Kentucky who provides it to a client outside Kentucky, must hold a Kentucky temporary permit or license or be licensed by a Compact member state, and must comply with the licensing, telehealth, mandatory reporting, duty to warn, and age of consent laws of Kentucky, of the jurisdiction where the social worker sits, and of the jurisdiction where the client is (KRS 335.158(4), (5)). Temporary permit holders may not practice telehealth outside Kentucky (201 KAR 23:160 Section 1(7)). The duties for each encounter are in Private Practice.
Late renewal penalty (up to three months after expiration)
$100
Board
Inactive status, each request or extension
$50
Board
Individual review of an unapproved CE course
$10
Board
Temporary permit
set by the Board
Board
$
What it adds up to. CSW: $25 plus the $230 exam plus the $125 license, so $380 plus the fingerprint fees. LCSW on top of it: $25 plus the $260 exam plus the $200 license, so $485 more, with no renewal due in between if the two years fall inside the CSW's first three-year cycle. The examination fee is whatever ASWB sets, the license and renewal fees are in 201 KAR 23:020, the $25 application fee is in 23:025, and the supervision contract is free; a proposed amendment to the fee regulation filed June 15, 2026 would set temporary permits at $50 and multistate licenses at the Kentucky license amounts, but it was not in effect when read.
Keeping the license
RenewalKentucky
30 hours in three years for a CSW or LCSW, 15 for an LSW, with five required courses
A continuing education hour is fifty continuous clock minutes (201 KAR 23:075 Section 1(3)). Within the 30 or 15 hours: the Board-approved three-hour Kentucky Code of Ethical Conduct course every renewal, carrying a KBSW-Ethics approval number, since a course on the NASW Code does not satisfy it; six hours of Board-approved suicide assessment, treatment, and management training every six years, with an exemption for those who teach it; 1.5 hours on pediatric abusive head trauma every six years; three hours on domestic violence and elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the first renewal period after initial licensure, taken once; and for approved supervisors the three-hour supervision refresher each renewal (23:075 Section 2(4) to (8); Board FAQ). KRS 335.130(5), as amended in 2026, adds one hour every three years on pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances. One academic credit equals 15 hours; presenting earns up to half the requirement; a published article earns 7.5 hours for a CSW or 15 for an LSW or LCSW; attending a Board meeting earns one hour each up to six (23:075 Sections 2(9), 3(3), (4), (6)).
Programs sponsored or approved by ASWB, NASW and its chapters, the National Association of Black Social Workers, the North American Association of Christians in Social Work, or the Clinical Social Work Association, programs sponsored by the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Board for Certified Counselors, the American Psychiatric Association, or a CSWE-accredited Kentucky social work program, and academic courses directly related to social work, counseling, or psychology are approved without Board review, except that the Kentucky ethics course and the supervision courses always need the Board's own approval (201 KAR 23:075 Section 3(1), (5)). Anything else needs Board approval, a provider pays $100 per one-day program and a sponsor $250 a year, and a licensee may ask for individual review of a completed course for $10 (23:075 Sections 3(2), 4, 5, 6). There is no limit on online hours, and hours do not roll over (Board FAQ). The Board audits up to 15 percent of licensees a year, so keep certificates for a year after each renewal (23:075 Section 7(5)).
StatusKentucky
Three months of grace, then you start over; inactive status is available
A licensee who renews after the expiration date but within three months must cease practice immediately, submit the renewal with the continuing education, pay a $100 penalty, provide employment documentation and an affirmation that no social work took place after the license expired, and reconcile any reimbursement received during the gap; the renewal is then retroactive to the expiration date (201 KAR 23:051 Section 3). After three months the license is expired and the licensee applies as a new applicant, with a new license number, fingerprints, and possibly new transcripts and score reports; the reinstatement rule asks for 30 hours (CSW or LCSW) or 15 (LSW) of continuing education within the preceding three years, or a six-month conditional reinstatement to earn them (23:051 Section 4; 23:075 Section 10; Board). A licensee may instead request inactive status up to 90 days before expiration for $50, with continuing education still due, extend it, and return to active status within three years by paying the renewal fee (23:055).
DutyKentucky
Display the license, post the Board's notice, and keep your contact information current
The license is displayed in the licensee's principal place of practice and, for virtual or remote practice, made accessible to clients electronically (KRS 335.080(2); 335.090(2); 335.100(2)). The Code of Ethical Conduct requires a written notice in public view at the office or service site with your name, license type and number, and the Board's name, address, and telephone (201 KAR 23:080 Section 3(4)). Contact information changes go to the Board within ten days (23:051 Section 2(3)). Renewal fees are waived for a licensee serving in the Armed Forces, for six months after discharge (335.130(3)).
Where the Oregon figures come from. The Oregon regulated social work law, ORS 675.510 to 675.600 (definitions in 675.510, titles in 675.520, the clinical practice requirement in 675.523, the four authorizations in 675.530 through 675.537, discipline in 675.540, renewal and fees in 675.560 through 675.571, confidentiality in 675.580, and the duty to report in 675.583), in the 2025 edition read on the Legislature's site with the 2026 session's changes checked; the Board's rules at OAR chapter 877 (definitions, fees, renewal, and lapse in division 1, graduate students in division 5, the RBSW and LMSW in division 15, the CSWA and LCSW in division 20, criminal records checks in division 22, continuing education in division 25, the Code of Ethics in division 30, and complaints in division 40), read on the Secretary of State's rules site; and the Board's application, CSWA, supervisor, renewal, continuing education, and FAQ pages, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers, 3218 Pringle Road SE, Suite 240, Salem, OR 97302-6310, 503-378-5735; applications, renewals, and plan changes go through its online portal. Oregon has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact and does not license by reciprocity.
The four authorizations
RegistrationOregon
RBSW · Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker
A bachelor's degree in social work from a college or university accredited by, or in candidacy with, a credentialing body the Board recognizes, which means the Council on Social Work Education or the Canadian Association for Social Work Education, fitness to practice including good moral character and a fingerprint records check, the ASWB Bachelors examination, and a score of 90 percent on the Board's open-book examination on ORS 675.510 to 675.600, OAR chapter 877, and Oregon's mental health statutes (ORS 675.532; OAR 877-015-0108; 877-022-0005). The practice of baccalaureate social work is basic, generalist practice: assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, case management, information and referral, non-clinical counseling and supervision, consultation, education, advocacy, community organization, and program administration (675.510(4); 877-001-0006(18)).
LicenseOregon
LMSW · Licensed Master's Social Worker
A master's degree in social work from a CSWE or CASWE program, fitness and the records check, the ASWB Masters examination, and the 90 percent Oregon laws and rules examination (ORS 675.533; OAR 877-015-0108). The practice of master's social work applies specialized knowledge and advanced practice skills to assessment, treatment planning, implementation and evaluation, case management, non-clinical counseling and supervision, consultation, research, advocacy, and administration; it does not include clinical social work, which is reserved to the LCSW and the CSWA (675.510(5); 675.523; 877-001-0006(19)).
CertificationOregon
CSWA · Clinical Social Work Associate
A master's degree in social work from a CSWE or CASWE program, fitness and the records check, the 90 percent Oregon laws and rules examination, and a Board-approved plan of practice and supervision showing at least 3,500 practice hours with at least 2,000 in direct client contact, all clinical practice supervised, and meetings with the plan supervisor of at least one hour not fewer than twice a month, in an agency that supports the associate's progress, screens clients, and is licensed by the Department of Human Services or lawfully in business (ORS 675.537; OAR 877-020-0009; 877-020-0021). No ASWB examination is required for the CSWA (Board). The certificate renews every year on the last day of the birth month with a sworn statement of satisfactory progress, and it authorizes clinical practice only under the approved plan; the Board's FAQ says it is not a license to practice independently (675.560(4); 877-001-0025(3)(a); Board FAQ). This is the certificate you hold while earning the LCSW.
LicenseOregon
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The CSWE or CASWE master's degree, the equivalent of two years of full-time clinical experience under the Board's rules, completion of the CSWA requirements, and the examinations (ORS 675.530). The rule requires a current CSWA certificate in good standing or its equivalent from another state, fitness, a completed plan of practice and supervision, the Oregon laws and rules examination at 90 percent, and the ASWB Clinical examination (OAR 877-020-0008). Clinical social work is a specialty within master's practice applying specialized clinical knowledge and advanced skills to the assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders or conditions, including those in the DSM-5, and to individual, marital, couples, family, or group counseling or psychotherapy, and its clinical supervision (675.510(2); 877-001-0006(4)).
TitlesOregon
"Social worker" is a regulated title, and clinical practice is a regulated act
A person may not use any title, words, or abbreviations, including the title "social worker," that indicate an authorization to practice regulated social work unless the person is a regulated social worker; the educational designations Bachelor of Social Work and Master's of Social Work remain free to use, and a person with an MSW licensed by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission may use the title "school social worker" (ORS 675.520). A person may not practice clinical social work unless an LCSW or CSWA, except other Oregon mental health licensees within their scope, certified alcohol and drug counselors, employees or contractors of state-certified mental health or addiction treatment entities within their employment, clergy in a ministerial capacity, and graduate students at an approved field placement, none of whom may call themselves regulated social workers (675.523; OAR 877-005-0101). The Board may impose a civil penalty of up to $3,000 for unlicensed use of the title and up to $5,000 for unlicensed clinical practice or for practicing clinically after revocation (675.540(5) to (7)).
SupervisorsOregon
Plan supervisors are LCSWs approved by the Board, with training and a recent laws exam
An associate's plan supervisor is an Oregon LCSW approved by the Board at the time the plan is submitted, who has completed two years of licensed practice, has completed and reported at least 15 hours of continuing education in supervision techniques before starting and completes 6 hours every five years after, and has passed the Oregon laws and rules examination within the five years before starting (OAR 877-020-0012(1), (2)). On request the Board may authorize an out-of-state LCSW or equivalent in good standing, or an Oregon-licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, who may provide no more than 50 of the 100 hours (877-020-0012(3); 877-020-0010(3)(c), (d)). The Board's supervisor page adds that the supervisor must be competent in the associate's clinical areas and populations and may not be a spouse, relative, close personal relation, or former therapist of the associate (Board). A 2026 law directs the Board to adopt rules by January 1, 2027 allowing licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors to provide the supervision required for licensure (2026 Or. Laws ch. 16, sections 4, 5, and 8).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The CSWA and LCSW both rest on a master's degree in social work from a college or university accredited by, or in candidacy status with, the Council on Social Work Education or the Canadian Association for Social Work Education; a foreign degree needs CSWE's International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service determination at the applicant's expense (OAR 877-020-0009(2); 877-020-0008(1)). Proof is a certified transcript from the institution, sent by e-mail or mail to the Board, or verification through ASWB's social work registry (877-001-0015; Board).
Apply for the CSWA with a plan of supervision, fingerprints, and the open-book Oregon exam
The CSWA application goes through the Board's applicant portal and cannot be submitted or paid for until a plan of practice and supervision naming your supervisor and worksite is entered, so find an approved supervisor through the Board's supervisor search first (877-020-0009(4); Board). Every applicant completes a fingerprint-based criminal records check, scheduled through Fieldprint with the Board's code, with results taking two to six weeks, and answers for fitness, including good moral character, past discipline, and honesty about criminal history (877-015-0108(3); 877-020-0008(2); 877-022-0005; Board). Every applicant also downloads the Board's Rules and Laws Exam, an open-book PDF on ORS 675.510 to 675.600, OAR chapter 877, and the mental health statutes, and uploads the signed answer sheet, needing 90 percent (877-020-0021(1)(d); 877-020-0008(4)(a); Board). A temporary CSWA certificate can issue while the plan is under review, but it allows no clinical practice and no hours; the unrestricted certificate issues when the plan is approved (877-020-0021).
Cost
$150 application and $60 initial issuance under the rule; the Board's site lists the CSWA application fee as $260, so ask the Board what the balance covers; Fieldprint's fee for fingerprinting (OAR 877-001-0020(1)(c), (2)(c); Board).
Practice only under the approved plan, in an agency, with a supervisor for each worksite
The plan approval date is the start date, and hours are never backdated; you need a plan for every place of practice, a change of employer or supervisor is a plan change that must be approved before it takes effect, and leaving your employer, or any leave of absence of three weeks or more, means inactive status with 30 days to find a new employer and submit a new plan (OAR 877-020-0010(1), (2); Board FAQ; Board CSWA page). The agency must assign cases centrally, bill and collect in its own name, control the records, display its name, and provide regular supervision, which is why hours from an independent practice cannot count (877-001-0006(1); Board CSWA page).
3,500 practice hours, 2,000 in direct contact, 100 supervision hours over 24 to 60 months
The plan requires a minimum of 3,500 practice hours of which at least 2,000 involve direct contact with a client, meaning in person or by live video or teleconference, while the associate practices clinical social work; the associate meets a plan supervisor for a total of 100 hours over not less than 24 and not more than 60 consecutive months, at least 50 of them individual, meeting at least twice a month for at least one hour, with group supervision in groups of no more than five other mental health professionals (OAR 877-020-0009(4); 877-020-0010(3); 877-001-0006(7), (12)). Six-month evaluations go to the Board on its form, and each supervisor relationship should last at least six months (877-020-0010(3)(f), (h); 877-020-0012(8)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Pass the ASWB Clinical exam, keep meeting monthly, and file the LCSW Initial License Form
You may receive permission to test automatically after your final hours are approved, or request it after 75 supervision hours and 24 months of supervised practice (Board CSWA FAQ). After the supervision and practice hours are complete, the associate keeps meeting a plan supervisor at least once a month for an hour until licensed (877-020-0010(3)(b)(B)). Once the Board approves the hours and the completed plan and receives the passing Clinical score, it e-mails the LCSW Initial License Form; you do not file a new LCSW application, and the license issues about two weeks after the form and the $260 initial license fee arrive (Board FAQ; 877-001-0020(2)(d)). The Board's exam authorization is valid for one year, and a second attempt is allowed as of right while a third needs the Board's special permission (Board; ORS 675.535(5)).
Cost
$260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; $260 LCSW initial license fee (ASWB; OAR 877-001-0020(2)(d)).
Renew by the last day of your birth month, every two years, with 40 hours after the first renewal
The renewal date is the last day of the holder's birth month; an RBSW, LMSW, or LCSW authorization expires in the month after the first birth month that falls at least 18 months after initial issuance and every second year after, and a CSWA certificate expires every year (OAR 877-001-0025(3)). Renewal is online up to 45 days early; a request received after the renewal date carries a non-waivable late fee, and the authorization lapses at the end of the 30th day after the renewal date (877-001-0025(2); ORS 675.571(4); Board). No continuing education is due for the first renewal or for a CSWA; after that, an LCSW reports 40 hours every two years including 6 in ethics and 6 in cultural competence, an LMSW 30 with 4 and 4, and an RBSW 20 with 3 and 3, with up to 10 general hours carried over (877-025-0001; 877-025-0011). Name, address, e-mail, and employer changes are due within 30 days (877-001-0009).
Cost
$286 LCSW active renewal ($106 inactive); $220 LMSW ($80); $110 RBSW ($40); $66 CSWA each year; late fee $200 for an active LCSW, $50 otherwise (OAR 877-001-0020(3), (4)).
No reciprocity: the same education, fitness, equivalent requirements, and both exams
Oregon's statutes and rules do not allow licensure through reciprocity or endorsement (Board). A person licensed, certified, or registered elsewhere is eligible if the education requirement is met, the person is fit, the other jurisdiction required substantially equivalent requirements to divisions 15 and 20, and the person passes the Oregon laws and rules exam and the applicable ASWB exam, whose scores transfer through ASWB (OAR 877-020-0016(1); Board). An out-of-state clinical licensee who intends to practice clinical social work before the Oregon LCSW issues must first qualify for and hold a CSWA and keep the monthly supervision (877-020-0016(2), (3)). Previous hours count: an LCSW licensed and working more than a year signs an experience affidavit, one licensed less than a year files the previous hours form, and an out-of-state associate adds completed hours to the CSWA plan (877-020-0009(4)(b); 877-020-0012(3)(a); Board application page). Every applicant provides official license verification from every jurisdiction and the fingerprint check (Board; 877-022-0005).
ORS chapter 675 contains no Social Work Licensure Compact provisions, and the Compact Commission's alphabetical list of jurisdictions that have enacted the Compact did not include Oregon when read in September 2026. Practice in Oregon, in person or by telehealth, requires an Oregon authorization or one of the exemptions in ORS 675.523. Check swcompact.org for any change.
Fingerprints for every applicant, and a predetermination you can request first
An applicant must, on the Board's request, complete a state or nationwide criminal records check with fingerprints and pay its cost; a false statement about criminal history makes the applicant unfit, refusal to consent makes the application incomplete, and the Board weighs the nature of any crime, its relevance to social work practice, the time elapsed, the applicant's age at the time, the likelihood of repetition, and employer recommendations since (OAR 877-022-0005). A felony conviction, a sex crime conviction, gross negligence or unprofessional conduct, impairment, or a physical illness preventing practice are grounds for denial or discipline, but the Board may not deny or discipline for a conviction resulting solely from lawful reproductive or gender-affirming care unlawful in another jurisdiction (ORS 675.540(1), (8)). Since July 1, 2025 a person may petition the Board for a predetermination of whether a conviction will bar licensure (Board application page).
StudentsOregon
Graduate students practice clinical social work at the placement, under the school
A student in a social work graduate program at a CSWE or CASWE school may practice clinical social work under the direction of the college or university, only at the approved field placement, only in the intern's duties, and only while the placement is approved and supervised by the school; the authorization ends with the required field instruction (ORS 675.523(5); OAR 877-005-0101). Practicum hours are not CSWA hours, which begin on the date the Board approves the plan (877-020-0010; Board FAQ).
TelehealthOregon
Telehealth is practice, and the statute reaches practice in Oregon
The regulated social work statutes regulate the practice of social work and clinical social work in Oregon without a separate telehealth section; direct contact for a CSWA's hours includes live video or teleconference with a client, and supervision may be conducted by video or telephone with client consent for any records discussed, a private setting, and secure transmission (OAR 877-001-0006(7); 877-020-0010(3)(e); 877-020-0012(9)). The Board's continuing education page lists ethics topics rather than a telehealth training requirement, and the page notes that a telehealth training mandate was removed when the legislation did not pass (Board CE page). For clients in another state, that state's law governs.
What it adds up to. CSWA under the fee rule: $150 plus $60, so $210, plus fingerprinting and the $66 renewal every year of the two or more years the plan runs. LCSW on top of it: $260 to ASWB plus the $260 initial license, so $520 more. The Board's site lists total application fees of $460 for the LCSW, $260 for the CSWA, $200 for the LMSW, and $150 for the RBSW, each $50 above the rule's application and issuance amounts combined, and fees are nonrefundable and due before approval; ask the Board what the difference covers before you budget (OAR 877-001-0020; ORS 675.571(5); Board). The Board waives fees on request for active-duty military deployed outside Oregon for 90 days or more (877-001-0020(5)).
Keeping the license
RenewalOregon
40 hours every two years for an LCSW, with ethics and cultural competence inside
A two-year report must include, for an RBSW, 20 creditable hours with at least 3 in ethics and 3 in cultural competence; for an LMSW, 30 with 4 and 4; and for an LCSW, 40 with 6 and 6; excess hours carry over up to 10, a shorter first period is prorated, and cultural competence training must meet the Oregon Health Authority's standards (OAR 877-025-0011(3) to (5), (9)). Hours completed after the birth-month renewal date cannot count for the prior period, and the report is part of the renewal; the Board runs random audits, so keep certificates and program information for 24 months after reporting (877-025-0021). A semi-retired LCSW with 20 years of licensed practice, no discipline in 15 years, and under 500 practice hours a year reports 20 hours and pays half the renewal fee (877-020-0060).
Conferences, seminars, workshops, books, and journal articles related to your practice, attended or read in person or online, provided or approved by a credentialing body the Board recognizes, count without limit, and the Board publishes its accepted list; an unapproved event may be approved on your written application received at least 60 days before the renewal deadline, up to 10 hours per report (OAR 877-025-0006(1), (2)). Agency in-service training counts for up to half the requirement, accredited college courses in social work count at 10 hours per quarter credit or 15 per semester credit, approved recordings count, Board-approved study groups of five to ten mental health professionals count up to half, presenting counts for the hours attendees earn, language courses count up to 25 percent, and supervising practicum students counts up to 6 hours a year (877-025-0006(3) to (9); Board CE page). The Board may reduce the hours on a timely request for circumstances beyond your control (877-025-0011(6) to (8)).
StatusOregon
Thirty days of grace, one year lapsed, then expired; inactive status is available
An authorization not renewed by the end of the 30th day after the renewal date is lapsed, and may be renewed within one year of the renewal date with the renewal application, the fees and late fee, the continuing education, and a certification that you neither practiced clinical social work nor used the title while lapsed; after one year it is expired and you apply for a new authorization, meeting the degree, fitness, and records check requirements, with your passed national exam still counting, the Oregon laws and rules exam retaken, and possibly a plan of supervision or specified education (OAR 877-001-0028). A licensee who plans not to practice for an extended period may request inactive status while current on fees, keeps renewing at the inactive fee without continuing education reports, and may not use the title; returning after more than two years takes specified continuing education, the laws and rules exam, and, for an LCSW, possibly a plan of supervision (877-015-0146; 877-015-0155; 877-020-0046; 877-020-0055). A CSWA goes inactive whenever it is not practicing under an approved plan for more than 30 days (Board CSWA page).
DutyOregon
Report to the Board within 10 days, and keep your records of contact current
A regulated social worker must report to the Board as soon as practicable and no later than 10 days after a misdemeanor or felony conviction, a felony arrest, notice of a civil lawsuit alleging matters related to clinical practice or the license, becoming a psychiatric inpatient or day-treatment patient, or notice of a regulatory action on the license (OAR 877-030-0040(2)(a)). Name, postal address, e-mail, and employer of record changes are due within 30 days, and the Board communicates by e-mail (877-001-0009; 877-030-0040(3)). Fees collected are nonrefundable, and a license verification to another state costs $10 through the portal (ORS 675.571(5); Board FAQ).
Where the Connecticut figures come from. Chapter 383b of the Connecticut General Statutes (definitions in 20-195m, licensure and endorsement in 20-195n, application and renewal in 20-195o, discipline in 20-195p, titles in 20-195q, scope in 20-195s, the temporary permit in 20-195t, continuing education in 20-195u, the Social Work Licensure Compact in 20-195w, and fingerprinting in 20-195x), read in the General Statutes revised to January 1, 2025 with the 2026 Supplement carrying the 2025 session's changes, together with 19a-88 (renewal) and 19a-17 (sanctions); and the Department of Public Health's social work licensure, LCSW, master's level, temporary permit, continuing education, and endorsement pages, in September 2026. The licensing body is the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section, 410 Capitol Avenue, MS#12APP, P.O. Box 340308, Hartford, CT 06134, 860-509-7603, dph.counselorsteam@ct.gov; there is no social work board, applications are online only, and since the 2025 session there is no application fee. Connecticut enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (20-195w) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The two licenses
LicenseConnecticut
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's degree from a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or from a Connecticut program in candidacy for accreditation between the spring semesters of 2024 and 2028, or a foreign program CSWE deems equivalent, and the ASWB Masters examination (CGS 20-195n(b)). The examination was waived for master's graduates until January 1, 2026 and is required of everyone graduating on or after that date (20-195o(b)(2), 2026 Supp.; DPH). An LMSW may practice clinical social work under professional supervision and may offer a mental health diagnosis in consultation with a licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse, psychologist, marital and family therapist, professional counselor, or clinical social worker, but may not engage in independent practice (20-195s(a)). This is the license you hold while earning the LCSW: hours completed in Connecticut on or after October 1, 2011 must be completed as an LMSW (20-195n(c)(2)).
LicenseConnecticut
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
A doctorate or master's degree from a CSWE-accredited social work program or a CSWE-equivalent foreign program, 3,000 hours of post-master's social work experience including not less than 100 hours of work under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, and the ASWB Clinical examination (CGS 20-195n(c)). Clinical social work is the application, by persons trained in social work, of established principles of psychosocial development, behavior, psychopathology, unconscious motivation, interpersonal relationships, and environmental stress to the evaluation, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of biopsychosocial dysfunction, disability, and impairment, including mental, emotional, behavioral, developmental, and addictive disorders, of individuals, couples, families, or groups, including counseling, psychotherapy, behavior modification, and mental health consultation (20-195m(4)). An LCSW performs all functions of an LMSW and may engage in independent practice, meaning clinical social work without supervision (20-195s(b); 20-195m(6)).
TitlesConnecticut
Three protected titles, one requiring only the degree
No person may use the title "licensed master social worker" or "licensed clinical social worker," or their initials, or advertise services under those descriptions, without the license (CGS 20-195q(a), (b)). No person may use the title "social worker" or advertise as one unless the person holds a baccalaureate or master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program, a doctorate in social work, or a CSWE-equivalent foreign degree (20-195q(c)). No person may practice clinical social work without a license (20-195n(a)). Nothing prohibits a CSWE-program student doing incidental work under a title showing student status, another Connecticut licensee within scope, community organization, policy and planning, research, or administration that involves no clinical work or clinical supervision, BSW holders performing nonclinical functions, nursing home social work designees, certified school social workers using that title in schools, municipal employees titled before July 1, 2019, or state employees with the title (20-195q(d)). The chapter itself carries no criminal penalty section; the Department's disciplinary powers are in 19a-17.
SupervisorsConnecticut
Supervision is defined by the statute, not by a Board roster
Professional supervision means face-to-face consultation between one supervisor and one person receiving supervision that consists of not less than a monthly review and a written evaluation and assessment by the supervisor of the person's practice of clinical social work (CGS 20-195m(8)). An LMSW's clinical practice may be supervised by a licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse, psychologist, marital and family therapist, clinical social worker, or professional counselor (20-195m(7)), but the 100 supervised hours counted toward the LCSW must be under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, or a certified independent social worker under the pre-1995 title (20-195n(c)(2); DPH LCSW page). Connecticut has no supervisor registration, training, or approval process in the statute, and the Department publishes a verification of supervision form that the supervisor completes (DPH).
CompactConnecticut
A Compact member since 2024
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted into law and entered into by Connecticut with every jurisdiction joining it, effective May 21, 2024, and the Commissioner of Public Health must require a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history records check of each person applying for licensure for the independent practice of social work, using the Compact's definitions of social worker and licensure (CGS 20-195w; 20-195x). The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Connecticut when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org and the Department for whether multistate licenses are being issued.
No application fee, no temporary permit fee, and annual renewal fees
The 2025 session deleted the application fees from the chapter: no fee is required for an application for licensure, and no fee for a temporary permit (CGS 20-195o(d) and 20-195t, 2026 Supp., as amended by P.A. 25-168). Renewal is $200 a year for an LCSW and $125 for an LMSW, and the Department charges the same amounts to reinstate a lapsed license (20-195o(c); DPH). The examination fees are ASWB's.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
Both licenses rest on a master's or doctorate from a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, with a temporary allowance for Connecticut programs in candidacy between the 2024 and 2028 spring semesters at the master's level, or a foreign program the Council deems equivalent (CGS 20-195n(b), (c)). The official transcript verifying the degree must be sent directly from the institution to the Department (DPH).
Apply online for the LMSW, get the temporary permit if you need it, and pass the Masters exam
The LMSW application is online only through the Department's licensing portal, with a photograph, the transcript sent by the program, verification of any license ever held elsewhere, and, if already taken, the ASWB Masters score; there is no application fee (DPH LMSW page). Graduates on or after January 1, 2026 are approved to test on receipt of the application and transcript, and the Department notifies ASWB of approval (20-195o(b)(2), 2026 Supp.; DPH). An applicant holding the MSW who has not yet taken the exam may add a temporary permit application, uploading the diploma or a registrar's letter dated after the degree; the permit authorizes practice as a master social worker under supervision for 120 calendar days from issuance, is not renewable, has no fee, and becomes void without reissue if the applicant fails the exam (20-195t, 2026 Supp.; DPH temporary permit page).
Cost
$0 application; $0 temporary permit; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (CGS 20-195o(d); 20-195t; ASWB).
Work as an LMSW under professional supervision, with an LCSW for the counted hours
An LMSW practices clinical social work under professional supervision and offers diagnoses in consultation with a listed professional (CGS 20-195s(a)). Because the LCSW requires at least 100 hours under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, arrange from the start for an LCSW who will meet you face to face, review your practice at least monthly, and give written evaluations, and who will later complete the Department's verification of supervision form (20-195m(8); 20-195n(c)(2); DPH). No plan or contract is filed with the Department before the hours begin.
Step 4Connecticut
3,000 post-master's hours, at least 100 of them supervised by an LCSW
The LCSW requires 3,000 hours of post-master's social work experience, including not less than 100 hours of work under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker; hours completed in Connecticut on or after October 1, 2011 must be earned as an LMSW (CGS 20-195n(c)(2)). The statute sets no minimum or maximum number of years, no weekly minimum, and no split between individual and group supervision; professional supervision is one supervisor with one supervisee, at least monthly, in writing (20-195m(8)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
File the employment and supervision verifications, then pass the Clinical exam
The LCSW application is online with a photograph and no fee, and the Department must receive directly from the source the official transcript, verification from every state where a license is or was held, the verification of employment form documenting 3,000 post-master's hours, the verification of supervision form documenting 100 hours under an LCSW, and the ASWB Clinical score report; applicants who still need to test are notified of eligibility once the file is complete and reviewed (DPH LCSW page). Every applicant for licensure for independent practice completes the fingerprint-based criminal history records check (20-195x).
Cost
$0 application; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; the fingerprint vendor's fee (CGS 20-195o(d); 20-195x; ASWB).
Renew every year in your birth month, with 15 hours after the first renewal
Each licensee applies for renewal annually during the month of the licensee's birth, with $200 for an LCSW or $125 for an LMSW, and a license not renewed becomes void 90 days after the renewal date (CGS 19a-88(e), (f); 20-195o(c)). Each 12-month registration period requires 15 hours of continuing education related to social work practice, at least 5 earned in person or through synchronous online education with live interaction and no more than 10 through asynchronous online education, distance learning, or home study, including at least one contact hour on cultural competency each period and two contact hours on mental health conditions common to veterans and their families in the first period continuing education is required and every six years after; the first renewal is exempt (20-195u(a), (b), (e)).
Cost
$200 LCSW or $125 LMSW each year; the same amount to reinstate a lapsed license (CGS 20-195o(c); DPH).
Endorsement on substantially similar requirements, a three-year substitute, and a four-year pathway
The Commissioner may license by endorsement an applicant licensed or certified in good standing as a master or clinical social worker in a state whose requirements are substantially similar to or higher than Connecticut's who has passed the ASWB Masters examination, and an LCSW similarly with the Clinical examination; no license issues while discipline is pending or a complaint unresolved (CGS 20-195n(d), (e)). A clinical licensee from another state, territory, or commonwealth may substitute three years of licensed clinical work experience for the 3,000 hours and 100 supervised hours, shown by a letter from the employer stating employment as a clinical social worker and the dates (20-195n(f); DPH). The Department also licenses a person who holds a current license in another U.S. jurisdiction, has practiced at least four years, has every license in good standing with no discipline, pending complaint, or surrender under investigation, on verification from every jurisdiction (DPH four-year page). Verification of every license ever held goes directly from each state to the Department (DPH).
Fingerprints for independent practice, and a predetermination before you apply
Each person applying for licensure for the independent practice of social work submits to a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history records check (CGS 20-195x). A felony conviction is a ground for denial or discipline, but any action must rest on the nature of the conviction and its relationship to safe and competent practice, the degree of rehabilitation, and the time elapsed (20-195p). A person with any criminal conviction may ask the Commissioner in writing, at any time, whether the conviction disqualifies them from a license under the chapter; the fee is at most $15 and may be waived, and the answer comes within 30 days, though the Commissioner is not bound if the facts differ (20-195o(e), 2026 Supp.).
StudentsConnecticut
Students work under a student title, and the temporary permit bridges the exam
A student enrolled in a CSWE-accredited master's or doctoral program may perform work incidental to the course of study under a title that clearly indicates student status (CGS 20-195q(d)(1)). After graduation, the temporary permit lets an MSW graduate practice as a master social worker under supervision for 120 days while waiting to test, once the diploma or a registrar's letter is uploaded and the full license application is also on file (20-195t, 2026 Supp.; DPH). Practicum hours are not among the 3,000 post-master's hours (20-195n(c)(2)).
TelehealthConnecticut
No telehealth section in the chapter
Chapter 383b does not address telehealth or practice from outside the state; it requires a license to practice clinical social work and reserves independent practice to the LCSW (CGS 20-195n(a); 20-195s). Connecticut's telehealth statute for licensed providers is outside this chapter and is not summarized here; the Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (20-195w). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application, LMSW or LCSW
$0
DPH
Temporary permit (LMSW applicants)
$0
DPH
Fingerprint-based criminal history records check (independent practice)
vendor's fee
vendor
ASWB Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
LMSW annual renewal
$125
DPH
LCSW annual renewal
$200
DPH
Reinstatement of a lapsed LMSW or LCSW
$125 / $200
DPH
Criminal conviction predetermination request
up to $15
DPH
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $230, the Masters exam, since the application is free. LCSW on top of it: $260 more for the Clinical exam plus the fingerprint vendor, and $125 a year in LMSW renewals while the 3,000 hours accrue. The application and temporary permit fees were deleted by P.A. 25-168 in the 2025 session, the renewal fees are in 20-195o(c), and ASWB's fees are ASWB's (CGS 20-195o, 20-195t, 2026 Supp.; DPH).
Keeping the license
RenewalConnecticut
15 hours a year, 5 of them live, with cultural competency and veterans' mental health inside
Fifteen hours each 12-month registration period, at least 5 through in-person or synchronous online education with opportunities for live interaction and no more than 10 through asynchronous online education, distance learning, or home study; all related to the practice of social work; at least one contact hour on cultural competency every period; and two contact hours on mental health conditions common to veterans and their family members, covering identifying veterans, screening for post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide risk, depression, and grief, and suicide prevention training, in the first period continuing education is required and at least once every six years after (CGS 20-195u(a), (b)). Qualifying courses, workshops, and conferences are those offered or approved by ASWB, NASW, or a CSWE-accredited school or department of social work; the Department does not review or approve courses, so the licensee and provider must make sure a course meets the rule (20-195u(b); DPH CE page). Keep each certificate of completion for at least three years after the renewal date it satisfies and produce it on request; noncompliance is a ground for discipline (20-195u(c)).
Exemptions, waivers, and the seven hours after a waiver
A licensee renewing for the first time is exempt (CGS 20-195u(e)). The Department may grant a waiver or an extension of up to one registration period for a medical disability or illness, renewable while the reason continues, and may waive the requirement for a licensee not engaged in social work during the period if the request comes before the period ends; a licensee granted a waiver completes seven hours within six months of returning to active practice (20-195u(e), (f)). A licensee with a school social work endorsement may substitute an equal number of professional development hours (20-195u(d)).
StatusConnecticut
Ninety days after the birth-month deadline, the license is void
A licensee who fails to renew is notified that the license becomes void 90 days after the time for renewal unless renewed, and it becomes void when the 90 days expire (CGS 19a-88(f)). A licensee whose license has become void applies for reinstatement with evidence of seven hours of continuing education within the one-year period before the application, and pays the reinstatement fee of $200 for an LCSW or $125 for an LMSW (20-195u(g); DPH reinstatement pages). A license that becomes void while the holder is on active military duty is renewable under 19a-88b.
Report the veterans' hours on schedule, and use the right title
The veterans' mental health training recurs at least once every six years, and the cultural competency hour recurs every year (CGS 20-195u(b)). Only a licensee may use "licensed master social worker" or "licensed clinical social worker," and only a social work degree holder may use "social worker" (20-195q). The Department may order a licensee to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination when capacity to practice safely is under investigation, and may enforce the order in the Superior Court for the judicial district of Hartford (20-195p).
Where the Louisiana figures come from. The Louisiana Social Work Practice Act, R.S. 37:2701 through 2731 (definitions in 2703, the RSW in 2706, the LMSW in 2707, the LCSW in 2708, the credential requirement in 2709, fingerprinting in 2710, reciprocity in 2712, continuing education and renewal in 2714, titles in 2715, fee caps in 2716, discipline in 2717, penalties in 2720, exclusions in 2722, the CSW in 2724, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2731), read on legis.la.gov as updated through the 2025 First Extraordinary Session; the Board's rules in Louisiana Administrative Code Title 46, Part XXV, as amended effective October 20, 2025; and the Board's application, background check, supervision, renewal, and continuing education pages, read in September 2026. The licensing body is the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners (LABSWE), 18550 Highland Road, Suite B, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, 225-756-3470, socialwork@labswe.org; applications are online through the Board's licensing dashboard. Louisiana enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (R.S. 37:2731) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions. The Legislature's site had not yet updated Title 37 for the 2026 Regular Session when read; check the Board's laws and rules page for anything newer.
The four credentials
CredentialLouisiana
RSW · Registered Social Worker
Good moral character with a fingerprint-based criminal history check, and a bachelor's or master's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (R.S. 37:2706(A)). An RSW may engage in generalist social work practice as an employee of an agency, but not advanced or clinical practice, and may not contract directly with clients, bill, or receive direct payment for services (2706(B); LAC 46:XXV.303(C)). Registration is the credential a BSW holds, and the fallback for a CSW who has not passed the Masters exam within three years (LAC 46:XXV.305(C)(3)).
CredentialLouisiana
CSW · Certified Social Worker
A temporary certification for an MSW graduate who meets every LMSW requirement except the examination, issued for up to three years from the original certificate while the holder pursues licensure (R.S. 37:2703; 2724; LAC 46:XXV.305(C)). The Board issues the CSW once it approves the LMSW application and the applicant to sit for the ASWB Masters exam (LABSWE application page). A CSW practices within the LMSW's scope, as an agency employee under LCSW supervision, and may not contract directly with clients, bill, or claim private practice; a CSW who does not pass within three years may apply for the RSW (2724; 303(D); 305(C)(3)). Under 2724(C), a CSW providing community psychiatric support and treatment services may be extended up to three more years as an R-CSW.
CredentialLouisiana
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
Good moral character with the fingerprint check, a master's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work, and the ASWB Masters examination (R.S. 37:2707(A)). An LMSW engages in advanced social work practice and may practice clinical social work and psychotherapy within an agency under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker, in person or virtually; the license is for employees of an agency, or for contractors of a governmental agency, and an LMSW may not contract directly with clients or non-governmental agencies, bill except a governmental agency under contract, receive direct payment, or claim to be in private practice (2707(B); LAC 46:XXV.303(D), 501). This is the license held while the LCSW hours accrue; supervision for the LCSW begins only after the LMSW issues (503(A)).
CredentialLouisiana
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Good moral character with the fingerprint check, a master's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work, at least 3,000 hours of postgraduate social work practice over a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years under the supervision of a board-approved clinical supervisor, and the ASWB Clinical examination; the Board shall consider circumstances warranting more than four years (R.S. 37:2708(A)). An LCSW may independently engage in advanced social work practice, including the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, behavioral, and addiction disorders, individual, marital, couple, family, and group psychotherapy, private practice, employee assistance and addiction services, and clinical supervision, as an employee or independently (2708(B)). Only an LCSW may engage in the independent and private practice of social work (LAC 46:XXV.303(B)).
TitlesLouisiana
Four protected designations, and the degree behind "social worker"
Only a person credentialed by the Board may use the titles licensed clinical social worker, licensed master social worker, certified social worker, or registered social worker, or their abbreviations, or any word, letter, sign, figure, or device indicating one, and no individual may assume the title social worker until they have completed an undergraduate or graduate academic social work program (R.S. 37:2715). No individual may practice social work in the state without a current, valid license, certificate, or registration, and it must be kept conspicuously posted in the office or place of business; a person starting practice must complete every component of the application within ninety days (2709). Practicing without a credential, claiming one falsely, or using a designation while lapsed or suspended is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $100 to $500, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, and the Board may seek an injunction (2720; 2721). Students in a CSWE program, subsidiary workers under a credentialed social worker's supervision, other professions within their scope who do not use the title, and non-social-work-degreed governmental employees are excluded (2722(A)).
CompactLouisiana
A Compact member since 2024
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted into law and entered into by the state of Louisiana with all other jurisdictions legally joining it (R.S. 37:2731, added by Acts 2024, No. 791). The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Louisiana when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org and the Board for whether multistate licenses are being issued.
The LMSW, CSW, and LCSW each rest on a master's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work, and the RSW on a CSWE-accredited bachelor's or master's degree; the university sends the official transcript directly to the Board, and a foreign graduate provides a statement from the Council on Social Work Education that the degree is equivalent (R.S. 37:2706 through 2708; LAC 46:XXV.305; 309(L)). Students in their final semester may ask to sit for the Masters examination early on a form signed by the program dean or director, with the conferred transcript to follow within 15 days of its availability (307(E)(1)).
Apply online for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, and pass the Masters exam
Applications are completed electronically on the Board's dashboard with the $75 LMSW fee, and the online application must be submitted before the results of the criminal record check reach the Board, or the check must be redone at the applicant's cost; the fingerprint appointment is made with IdentoGO under the Board's service code, and the state and FBI check is at the applicant's expense (R.S. 37:2710; 2716; LAC 46:XXV.305(B); 309; LABSWE application information page). Applications and every required document must be in the Board office at least seven days before a Board meeting to be considered, the Board's decision shows on the dashboard within 7 to 10 business days after the meeting, and an application is abandoned if its requirements are not completed within one year (309(D), (I); LABSWE). Once the LMSW application is approved, the Board issues the CSW and approves the applicant to sit for the ASWB Masters examination; the passing score is 70 (307(A)(3); LABSWE).
Cost
$75 application; the IdentoGO fingerprint fee, which the Board's page does not state; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; $50 for each retake application (LAC 46:XXV.313; R.S. 37:2716; ASWB).
Find a BACS, file the supervision contract within 60 days of the first session
Supervision for the LCSW begins only after the LMSW issues and only under a board-approved clinical supervisor (BACS), whose list the Board publishes (LAC 46:XXV.503(A), (B)). The supervision contract, completed by the supervisor, the supervisee, and the agency supervisor, is submitted by the supervisee with the employer's employment verification within 60 days of the first session; filed later, credit starts 60 days from the date the Board receives it, and a new contract is due within 60 days of any change of employment, supervisor, or agency supervisor (503(C)). The Board emails both parties a notice confirming receipt and the beginning date of supervision (503(C)).
3,000 hours over two to four years, with 96 hours of supervision
At least 3,000 hours of postgraduate social work practice over a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years under a BACS, with 96 hours of face-to-face supervision between supervisor and supervisee, meetings of 30 minutes to 2 hours, never more than 80 hours of practice without a meeting, and up to 48 of the 96 in groups of no more than five (R.S. 37:2708(A)(3); LAC 46:XXV.503(D) through (F)). Throughout, an LMSW delivering psychotherapy must be under LCSW supervision for at least two hours a month (505(F)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Submit the closing forms, apply for the LCSW, and pass the Clinical exam
At the end of the supervisory period the supervisee sends the Board the record of supervision and the evaluation of supervision, and a professional experience verification from each employer showing dates and hours of practice; the Board reviews them when the LCSW application is filed (LAC 46:XXV.503(H), (K) through (M)). The online LCSW application carries the $100 fee and a new fingerprint check, and the Board approves the applicant to sit for the ASWB Clinical examination; an LMSW in the final six months of supervision with at least 75 supervision hours may ask, with the BACS's signature, to test early (305(D); 307(E)(2); 313; LABSWE).
Cost
$100 application; the IdentoGO fingerprint fee; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; $50 for each retake application (LAC 46:XXV.313; ASWB).
Renew by August 31 every year, with 20 hours behind it
Every credential renews annually; the Board sends notice by July 1, the renewal application and fee are due before August 31, and the credential year runs September 1 through August 31 (R.S. 37:2714(B)). Each renewal requires 20 clock hours of approved continuing education, including three hours of ethics every two years and, for an LCSW, at least ten hours of clinical content including diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders; no more than ten hours may be asynchronous, up to ten surplus hours carry over, and the two-year ethics period closes in even-numbered years (2714(A); LAC 46:XXV.1311; 1313). A credential issued in June, July, or August is not renewed that first cycle, and first-year hours are prorated by the month the credential issued (309(J); 1315).
Cost
$100 a year for an LCSW, LMSW, or CSW, $50 for an RSW; double that if renewed after August 31 and before March 1 (LAC 46:XXV.313; R.S. 37:2714(C)).
Reciprocity on substantially equivalent requirements, plus an open-book law exam
The Board may issue a license, certificate, or registration to a social worker credentialed and in good standing in another state, territory, commonwealth, or district whose education, supervision, and examination requirements are substantially equivalent to Louisiana's, on payment of the fee and passage of an open-book examination on the Louisiana Social Work Practice Act and the Board's rules, standards, and procedures; the Board may require whatever Louisiana requirement the other jurisdiction lacked (R.S. 37:2712). The applicant bears the burden of establishing equivalence (LAC 46:XXV.319(B)). Short of a credential, a social worker licensed elsewhere under substantially similar requirements may practice in Louisiana up to thirty days a year on prior written application to the Board, and up to sixty consecutive days in a declared disaster on prior written notice (2722(B), (C)). Military-trained applicants and military spouses have a priority process with a 90-day temporary practice permit (305(E); 309(M)).
Fingerprints for every credential, and what a felony means
Every applicant submits a full set of fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal records check, at the applicant's cost, as one element of good moral character (R.S. 37:2710; LAC 46:XXV.305). A final felony conviction on a plea or verdict of guilty or nolo contendere is a ground for denial or discipline, and an applicant with a felony conviction delivers court records, probation records, restitution affidavits, and evidence of rehabilitation with the application to establish the criteria of R.S. 37:2950; false or evasive answers are themselves a basis for denial (2717(A)(1); 309(K)). An arrest or charge after licensure, including DWI or DUI, must be reported to the Board within 30 calendar days regardless of disposition (117(E)).
StudentsLouisiana
Students are excluded, and the CSW bridges the exam
The Practice Act does not prohibit the activities and services of a student pursuing a course of study in a CSWE-accredited social work program when they are part of the supervised course of study (R.S. 37:2722(A)(1)). After graduation, an MSW who has not yet passed the Masters examination holds the CSW for up to three years, practicing within the LMSW's scope as an agency employee under LCSW supervision, and must be under at least two hours a month of LCSW supervision when delivering psychotherapy (2724; LAC 46:XXV.303(D), (E); 505). Hours toward the LCSW begin only after the LMSW issues (503(A)).
TelehealthLouisiana
Licensed here to serve clients here
Social workers engaging in electronic practice who provide services to clients in Louisiana shall be licensed to practice in Louisiana (LAC 46:XXV.509(B)). The Practice Act itself has no telehealth section; it requires a Louisiana credential to practice social work in the state and reserves independent practice to the LCSW (R.S. 37:2709; 303(B)). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (2731). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application, LMSW (the CSW issues on the same application)
$75
LABSWE
Application, LCSW
$100
LABSWE
Application, RSW
$50
LABSWE
Fingerprint-based criminal records check, each application
vendor's fee
IdentoGO
ASWB Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Retake application, LMSW or LCSW exam
$50
LABSWE
Annual renewal, LCSW, LMSW, or CSW
$100
LABSWE
Annual renewal, RSW
$50
LABSWE
Lapsed renewal, after August 31 and before March 1
$200 ($100 RSW)
LABSWE
Reinstatement after six months lapsed
the application fee
LABSWE
Written verification of a credential
$25
LABSWE
E-commerce fee on online payments
$3
LABSWE
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $305 plus the fingerprint fee, being $75 to the Board and $230 to ASWB. LCSW on top of it: $360 more, being $100 to the Board and $260 to ASWB, plus a second fingerprint check, and $100 a year in renewals while the hours accrue over two to four years. The Board's fees are in LAC 46:XXV.313 and capped by R.S. 37:2716; the fingerprint fee is IdentoGO's and the Board's page does not state it; ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalLouisiana
20 hours a year, 3 of ethics every two years, 10 clinical for an LCSW
Twenty clock hours of continuing education in programs approved by the Board before each renewal date, including three hours of ethics every two years, and for an LCSW no fewer than ten clock hours of clinical content including diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders; failing that, the credential lapses and renewal is declined until the hours are made up (R.S. 37:2714(A)(2)). The collection period is the credential year, September 1 through August 31, with proof of completion submitted by its last day; up to ten surplus hours carry over, keeping their designation except ethics and BACS supervision hours, and the two-year period for ethics and BACS hours ends in even-numbered years (LAC 46:XXV.1311). No more than ten hours may come from asynchronous virtual learning or teaching, though synchronous interactive webinars count as in-person; the Board may approve more for medical conditions, residence outside U.S. territories, or good cause (1313).
First-year proration, inactive status, and emeritus
In the first year of a credential the hours are prorated by the month it issued: none for June through August, 20 for September through November, 15 for December through February, and 10 for March through May (LAC 46:XXV.1315). A credentialed social worker may petition for inactive status, keeping half the continuing education and renewing annually, for no more than five consecutive years without a new petition and ten cumulative years in all, and returns to active status by written notice and the full hours for that year (325). Emeritus status is open at age 60 with 15 years credentialed, on a disability designation with 15 years, or after 30 years; it allows only volunteer practice, at half the hours and half the fee, indefinitely (327). The Board may waive hours in a governor-declared emergency and grant extensions (R.S. 37:2714(F), (G)).
StatusLouisiana
After August 31 the credential lapses; six months later you are a new applicant
A credential not renewed by August 31 lapses, and a social worker who has not renewed shall not practice (R.S. 37:2714(C)). Lapsed six months or less, it is renewed on a renewal application with twice the normal fee, which the Board accepts through the end of February; lapsed six months or longer, the applicant is a new applicant paying the initial application fee (2714(C); LAC 46:XXV.313; LABSWE renewal page). Lapsed at least six months and up to sixty, reinstatement takes 20 hours of continuing education (an LCSW's including ten clinical and three ethics) and the Board's exam on the Practice Act and rules; lapsed more than sixty months, 40 hours (an LCSW's including twenty clinical and three ethics) and the exam (2714(D), (E)). Practicing with a lapsed credential is itself a ground for discipline (2717(A)(13)).
Post the credential, use the right designation, report addresses and arrests
The license, certificate, or registration, a copy, or the Board's current identification card must be kept conspicuously posted at the place of business (R.S. 37:2709(A); LAC 46:XXV.303(G)). The designation follows the social worker's name in all written communications relating to practice, including advertising, correspondence, and client records (119(A)). A change of address is filed within 15 business days, and any arrest or charge, including DWI and DUI, is reported within 30 calendar days regardless of disposition (117(E); 119(E)). An LCSW lists on the renewal every LMSW and CSW under supervision for licensure and their agency settings (311).
Where the Oklahoma figures come from. The Social Worker's Licensing Act, 59 O.S. 1250 through 1273 (definitions in 1250.1, the license requirement and exemptions in 1251, the Board's powers in 1256.1, the duty to report in 1256.2, qualifications and the five licenses in 1261.1, renewal in 1261.1a, reciprocity in 1261.4, the provisional license in 1261.5, confidentiality in 1261.6, titles in 1264 through 1265, discipline in 1266.1, and penalties in 1270), read on the Oklahoma State Courts Network in September 2026; the Board's rules in Oklahoma Administrative Code Title 675 (Chapter 1 fees, Chapter 10 licensure, Chapter 12 supervision, Chapter 15 continuing education, Chapter 20 the Code of Professional Conduct), read on the Secretary of State's administrative rules site with amendments effective July 25, 2025 and June 11, 2026; and the Board's forms, FAQ, and Compact pages. The licensing body is the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers (OSBLSW), 3700 Classen Boulevard, Suite 162, Oklahoma City, OK 73118, (405) 521-3712, info@oswb.ok.gov; applications are online through the Board's licensee portal. Oklahoma enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact effective November 1, 2025 (59 O.S. 1281 through 1296) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The five licenses
LicenseOklahoma
LSWA · Licensed Social Work Associate
A bachelor's degree in social work from a Board-approved program, meaning one accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and the examination (59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(1); OAC 675:10-1-1.1, 10-1-3). The statute also allows a master's or doctoral degree holder who has passed the examination to hold it. An LSWA practices basic generalist social work, including psychosocial assessments, social histories, and home studies, within a private setting or an agency, and shall not engage in the private practice of clinical social work or practice independently (10-1-5(e)). No supervision is required for the LSWA itself, and an LSWA may begin Board-approved supervision toward the LSW, LSW-ADM, or LCSW (1261.1(G); 12-1-2(e)).
LicenseOklahoma
LMSW · Licensed Master's Social Worker
A master's degree in social work from a Board-approved program and the examination (59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(2); OAC 675:10-1-1.3). No supervised experience is required (12-1-2(b)). An LMSW practices under the auspices of public, voluntary, or proprietary agencies and institutions, in community organization, program planning, administration, assessment, coordination, advocacy, and policy, and shall not engage in the private practice of clinical social work or practice independently (10-1-5(b)). This is the license most MSW graduates hold while earning the LCSW, since postgraduate supervision for licensure requires LSWA or LMSW status first (1261.1(G)).
LicenseOklahoma
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A master's degree in social work, 3,000 hours of postgraduate experience in the practice of social work under professional supervision by an LCSW, LSW-ADM, or LSW, including at least 100 hours of face-to-face educational supervision, final evaluations that meet expectations, and the examination (59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(3); OAC 675:10-1-2; 12-1-2(c)). An LSW may engage in independent social work practice, meaning nonclinical practice outside an organized setting, providing counseling toward specific goals, assessment and planning, advocacy, consultation, and training, but shall not engage in the private practice of clinical social work (1250.1(20); 1261.1(F); 10-1-5(c)).
LicenseOklahoma
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
A master's degree in social work, 3,000 hours of postgraduate supervised clinical experience under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, which the rule says includes 3,000 hours of direct client contact and at least 100 hours of educational supervision, final evaluations meeting expectations, and the examination (59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(4); OAC 675:10-1-1.2; 12-1-2(a)). Clinical social work practice includes assessment and diagnosis of behavioral disorders, treatment planning, intervention, case management, referral to a physician when diagnosis or treatment is in question, and individual, marital, couple, family, and group counseling and psychotherapy, but not biological or medical treatment; it may include private or independent practice (1250.1(9)). Only an LCSW may engage in the private practice of clinical social work (1261.1(E)).
LicenseOklahoma
LSW-ADM · Licensed Social Worker with Administration Specialty
A master's degree in social work, 3,000 hours of postgraduate experience in the administrative practice of social work under professional supervision by an LSW-ADM, including at least 100 hours of educational supervision, final evaluations meeting expectations, and the examination (59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(5); OAC 675:10-1-2.1; 12-1-2(d)). An LSW-ADM supervises program staff, develops program goals, manages budgets, and may practice independently, but shall not engage in the private practice of clinical social work (10-1-5(d); 1261.1(F)).
TitlesOklahoma
"Social worker" itself is a licensed title
No person may engage in the practice of social work for compensation, hold themselves out as performing the services of a social worker, participate in the delivery of social work services except under a licensee's supervision, or use any title, abbreviation, sign, card, or device incorporating the words "social worker" or a derivative without a license (59 O.S. 1251(A)). The titles and initials LSW, LCSW, LMSW, LSW-ADM, and LSWA are each reserved to their holders (1264 through 1265). Employees of state agencies and of state-licensed health care facilities are exempt as to their duties, unless they hold a Board license (1251(C)); other licensed professions may practice within their own standards without describing it as social work (1251(B)); students in an approved program are exempt during internships and other program requirements (1270(B)(7)). Using a designation implying licensure, or using one while suspended or revoked, and practicing social work or clinical social work without the license are misdemeanors, and the Board may fine up to $500 for each offense after a hearing (1270). Providing social work services to an individual in Oklahoma by telephone or electronically is the practice of social work wherever the social worker sits (1270(B)(4)).
CompactOklahoma
A Compact member since November 2025
The Social Work Licensure Compact is codified at 59 O.S. 1281 through 1296, added by Laws 2025, c. 121, effective November 1, 2025. The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Oklahoma when read in September 2026, and the Board's Compact page, updated December 2025, said full implementation was at minimum 18 to 24 months away and that licensees must verify each state's requirements until then; the Board's Executive Director sits on the Commission (OSBLSW Compact page).
The Board approves social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, deciding international programs case by case with the Council (OAC 675:10-1-1.1). The LMSW, LSW, LCSW, and LSW-ADM each require a master's degree in social work from an approved program, and the official transcript with the degree conferred goes to the Board; a registrar's letter is not accepted (59 O.S. 1261.1(C); 10-1-9; OSBLSW FAQ).
Apply online for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, take the exam on the provisional license
The online application carries the $150 fee, an official transcript, a photograph taken within 12 months, an affidavit of legal status, and the state and national criminal history record check, scheduled with IdentoGO under the Board's service code and paid separately at cost (59 O.S. 1261.1(A); OAC 675:1-1-9; 10-1-9; OSBLSW forms page). Once the documentation is in, the Board office approves the application without waiting for a meeting and issues a one-time provisional license valid for one year, and the applicant registers with ASWB to test; the provisional license becomes the permanent license when the passing score is recorded, and an applicant who fails may retest every 90 days within the year (1261.5; 10-1-10; 10-1-16; FAQ).
Cost
$150 application; the background check at cost, listed on the Board's FAQ at $51.25 for electronic prints; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (OAC 675:1-1-9; OSBLSW FAQ; ASWB).
Get a job with a clinical job description, sign a supervision contract, and file it before the first hour
A supervision contract, Form 201, is negotiated with the supervisor and submitted online to the Board before supervision begins; any supervision completed before the contract is approved is not accepted, and approval requires the job description, since the Board must confirm the position fits the goals of clinical supervision (OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(4); OSBLSW FAQ). Contracts are generally approved the day they are received, and the approval letter states the effective start date (FAQ; forms page). The supervisor is either a licensee within the agency who holds the license sought and is two years past passing the exam, or a Board Approved Supervisor if the supervision is contracted from outside the agency (12-1-6(a), (d)).
3,000 hours of direct clinical work, 100 hours of supervision, two evaluations
The LCSW requires 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience, which the rule says includes 3,000 hours of direct client contact, and at least 100 hours of educational supervision, at no less than an average of one continuous hour a week for a supervisee working 20 hours or more, with evaluations filed at 50 supervision hours and 1,500 practice hours and again at 100 and 3,000 (59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(4); OAC 675:10-1-1.2; 12-1-6(c)(3), (5)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Apply for the LCSW, take the Clinical exam on a second provisional license
The LCSW application is a new online application with the $150 fee, a new criminal history check, and the verification of supervision, and every applicant who has met all requirements except the examination receives a one-time provisional license with one year to pass; an applicant who does not pass within the year must reapply and remain under Board-approved supervision until a passing score is confirmed, an applicant who cannot pass in the provisional year plus two further approval years must complete 4,000 additional supervised hours before applying again, and anyone who fails after five approval years permanently loses eligibility (59 O.S. 1261.5; OAC 675:10-1-9; 10-1-10; 10-1-16).
Cost
$150 application; the background check at cost; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (OAC 675:1-1-9; OSBLSW FAQ; ASWB).
Renew every year by December 31 with 16 hours, three of them ethics
Every license expires at the end of each calendar year and is renewed online through the licensee portal for $100, with 16 clock hours of Board-approved continuing education earned January through December, at least three of them ethics; hours are waived in the calendar year the licensure exam was passed (59 O.S. 1261.1a; OAC 675:1-1-9; 10-1-6; 10-1-12.1). A license not renewed by December 31 lapses and may still be renewed through March 31 with the $50 late fee and verification of the hours; after the 90 days there is no renewal, only a new application with re-examination (10-1-12.1(c); 10-1-13; 1261.1a(D)).
Cost
$100 a year, plus $50 if renewed after December 31 (OAC 675:1-1-9).
Three years licensed elsewhere means a license here; otherwise reciprocity or endorsement
An applicant licensed as an LSWA, LMSW, LSW, LCSW, or LSW-ADM in good standing in another state for at least three years continuously since initial full licensure, past any provisional term, who complies with all other state requirements shall be licensed (59 O.S. 1261.1(D)). Otherwise a new resident licensed by a state granting a like privilege who meets Oklahoma's education and experience requirements may be licensed by reciprocity, and where reciprocity does not exist the Board may endorse another board's action on proof that the applicant met Oklahoma's education and supervision requirements there and passed the same or a more stringent examination; transfers are only to the equivalent designation, and the applicant must show every license is current and has never been suspended, revoked, or restricted except for nonrenewal or continuing education (1261.4; OAC 675:10-1-15). The application takes the affidavit of legal status, the background check, verification from every state of licensure, and an ASWB score transfer (OSBLSW forms page). Non-residents may hold an Oklahoma license, documenting the reason, and a military spouse licensed elsewhere gets expedited endorsement or a temporary license (10-1-11; 25-1-3).
Fingerprints for every application, and the felony test
Every applicant submits to a national criminal history record check with two classifiable sets of fingerprints sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, at the applicant's cost, paid separately from the application fee (59 O.S. 1261.1(A)(6); OAC 675:10-1-9(b)). If the check shows a conviction or plea to a felony that substantially relates to the occupation of a social worker, meaning the conduct has a direct bearing on fitness to perform its duties, and poses a reasonable threat to public safety, meaning it involved an act or threat of harm against another, the application may be disapproved with no further action (1261.1(B), (H)). False or fraudulent information on the application is itself a ground for denial (10-1-9(c)), and a licensee whose license expires must repeat the record check on reinstatement (1261.1a(E)).
StudentsOklahoma
Students are exempt during the internship, and the provisional license covers the exam wait
Students currently participating in an approved social work program are exempt from licensure while enrolled in or participating in an internship, externship, or other social work experience requirement of the program (59 O.S. 1270(B)(7)). After graduation, an applicant who has met every requirement except the examination receives a provisional license, issued once, for one year, with the permanent license replacing it on a passing score (1261.5; OAC 675:10-1-16). Postgraduate supervision toward the LSW, LSW-ADM, or LCSW begins only after LSWA or LMSW licensure (1261.1(G)).
TelehealthOklahoma
Services to a person in Oklahoma are practice in Oklahoma
The provision of social work services to an individual in this state, through telephonic, electronic, or other means, regardless of the location of the social worker, constitutes the practice of social work and is subject to regulation (59 O.S. 1270(B)(4)). Educational supervision may be completed in person or on electronic platforms (OAC 675:1-1-1.1). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue, and the Board says that is at least 18 to 24 months from December 2025 (1281 through 1296; OSBLSW Compact page). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application processing fee, any license
$150
OSBLSW
National criminal history record check, each application
at cost ($51.25 electronic, per the FAQ)
IdentoGO
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Annual renewal, each license
$100
OSBLSW
Late renewal fee, January 1 through March 31
$50
OSBLSW
Licensee request for approval of a continuing education program
$40
OSBLSW
Board Approved Supervisor application
$150
OSBLSW
Supervisor training workshop
$100
OSBLSW
Written verification of licensure
$20
OSBLSW
Duplicate or replacement certificate
$25
OSBLSW
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $380 plus the background check, being $150 to the Board and $230 to ASWB. LCSW on top of it: $410 more, being a second $150 application and $260 for the Clinical exam, plus a second background check, and $100 a year in renewals while the hours accrue. The Board's fees are in OAC 675:1-1-9, the background check is IdentoGO's and the Board's FAQ lists it at $51.25 for electronic prints, and ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalOklahoma
16 clock hours a year, 3 of ethics, 6 more for each additional license
Sixteen clock hours of continuing education, meaning sixty-minute hours of instruction, for each license held, earned during the January through December renewal period and approved by the Board, with at least three hours categorized as ethics training; a licensee holding more than one license needs six additional hours for each additional license, and ethics may be earned under either (59 O.S. 1250.1(13); 1261.1a(B); OAC 675:10-1-6(a); 15-1-3). The Board recognizes activities provided or approved by ASWB or ASWB-accredited providers, NASW national or state chapters, NBCC, the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, other state social work boards, academic institutions, Board-approved providers, the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health, the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors board, or any other reputable provider it approves; a licensee may seek approval of an unapproved program on Form 505 for $40 (15-1-2; 15-1-5(e); 1-1-9). The FAQ sorts hours into Category I workshops, including interactive webinars, Category II professional meetings, and Category III individual learning such as online courses.
Exam-year waiver, hardship exemptions, and the audit
Continuing education is waived for the calendar year in which the licensee passed the licensure exam, and for current Board members (OAC 675:10-1-6(a)(4), (5)). A licensee with a physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances may request a partial or complete exemption with supporting documentation, considered case by case (10-1-6(a)(3)). Each renewal certifies the hours, Board staff may audit randomly or for cause, audited licensees submit verification with the renewal, and failing to produce it makes the application incomplete, denies the renewal, and lapses the license; a renewal obtained by misrepresentation brings Board action (10-1-6(b)). Active-duty service members' licenses are extended and placed inactive during service and a year after, with fees and hours waived on request (25-1-2).
StatusOklahoma
Ninety days of grace, then a new application and a new exam
A license lapses on the last day of the calendar year and may be renewed through March 31 on a complete renewal application, the renewal fee, the $50 late fee, and verification of continuing education (OAC 675:10-1-12.1(c)). A license lapsed beyond 90 days lapses with no option to renew; the social worker must submit a new application and meet all current requirements, including re-examination, and the statute makes anyone who fails to apply within 90 days of expiration reapply as an initial applicant and pass the current exam, except that a former Oklahoma licensee who has continually practiced in another state under its license may renew on the continuing education and fee (10-1-13; 59 O.S. 1261.1a(D)). Anyone whose license expired after January 1, 2012 also submits to a new national criminal history record check on reinstatement, may practice pending the result, and is suspended if the fingerprints and fee are not received within 30 days of reinstatement (1261.1a(E)).
Post the license, post the complaint procedure, report within 30 days
The license must be posted in a conspicuous place where the social worker's services are rendered, and information on how to report unethical or illegal practice under the Act must be available to the public at that location (59 O.S. 1251(D)). A social worker reports to the Board within 30 days of the event or of learning of it: an applicant's or licensee's sexual contact with a client or former client (only when the client consents to the report), failure to report as required by law, impairment, improper or fraudulent billing, fraud in the licensure process or other false statements to the Board, conviction of a felony or a crime reasonably related to practice, or violation of a Board order, and any other conduct constituting grounds for discipline when the client's functioning has been affected negatively; a licensee reports the same about themselves, and good-faith reporters are immune (1256.2). A licensee who fails to report another jurisdiction's adverse action within 10 business days faces a hearing (OAC 675:3-1-4(a)(10), (11)).
Where the Iowa figures come from. Iowa Code chapter 154C (definitions and scope in 154C.1, the license requirement in 154C.2, requirements, reciprocity, renewal, and supervision in 154C.3, confidentiality in 154C.5, and exemptions in 154C.7), chapter 147 (grounds in 147.55, injunctions in 147.83, penalties in 147.86), chapter 147I (the Social Work Licensure Compact), and chapter 272C (sanctions in 272C.3), read in the 2026 Iowa Code on legis.iowa.gov; the Board's rules in Iowa Administrative Code 481, Chapter 880 (licensing, as amended effective August 13, 2025 and October 7, 2026), Chapter 881 (continuing education), Chapter 882 (discipline), Chapter 884 (practice), and rule 481-507.19 (fees), read in the September 2, 2026 compilation; and the Department's social work licensure page, supervision plan, and supervision report forms, read in September 2026. The licensing body is the Board of Behavioral Health Professionals, which absorbed the Board of Social Work under 2024 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2385, within the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, 6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321, 515-281-0254, pld-licensure@dial.iowa.gov; applications are online through the Department's licensing portal. Iowa enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (Iowa Code chapter 147I) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses
LicenseIowa
LBSW · Licensed Bachelor Social Worker
A bachelor's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education at graduation, the ASWB Bachelors examination, and an undertaking to practice under the Board's standards (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(a); IAC 481-880.3(3), 880.4(5)(a)). Bachelor social workers provide psychosocial assessment and intervention through direct contact or referral, including social histories, problem identification, goals and monitoring, interviewing, counseling, administration, supervision, evaluation, consultation, and research (154C.1(3)(a)). Persons trained or employed as bachelor social workers are not required to be licensed, but only a licensee may use the title (154C.2(2), (3)).
LicenseIowa
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program, or a doctorate the Board approves, and the ASWB Masters examination (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(b); IAC 481-880.3(3), 880.4(5)(b)). Master social workers are qualified for everything a bachelor social worker does and for psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, including psychosocial histories, evaluation of symptoms and behavior, psychosocial therapy with individuals, couples, families, and groups, treatment goals, differential treatment planning, and consultation (154C.1(3)(b)). No supervised experience is required for the LMSW, and it is the license most social workers hold while earning the LISW, but private practice belongs only to the independent social worker (154C.1(4)).
LicenseIowa
LISW · Licensed Independent Social Worker
The same degree, the ASWB Clinical examination, and supervised practice: the statute requires practice under supervision for at least two years as a full-time employee or for 4,000 hours before taking the examination, and the Board's rule requires a supervised clinical experience of at least two years, 3,000 hours of total practice, 1,500 hours of direct client contact, and 110 hours of direct supervision (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(c); IAC 481-880.7(1); 880.3(3)). Independent social workers are qualified to perform the practice of master social workers as a private practice, meaning practice by an independent social worker who is self-employed or in a partnership or group practice providing diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders (154C.1(3)(c), (4)). Only an LISW may be a supervisor for the LISW, along with LMFTs and LMHCs (880.7(2)).
TitlesIowa
A license to practice, and titles reserved to licensees
A person shall not engage in the practice of social work unless licensed, and a person not licensed shall not use words or titles implying licensure as a bachelor, master, or independent social worker; a social worker also may not use LBSW, LMSW, or LISW or hold out a level of licensure without holding it (Iowa Code 154C.2(1); IAC 481-884.4(12)(q)). Nurses, psychologists, marital and family therapists, mental health counselors, physicians, physician assistants, attorneys, clergy, and other qualified professions may provide and advertise services of a social work nature within their own standards without a social work title, and students of social work are exempt within a course of professional education (154C.7). Persons trained or employed as bachelor social workers need no license (154C.2(2)). Practicing on an inactive license invites discipline, an injunction, and prosecution as a serious misdemeanor (880.13(5); 147.83; 147.86).
CompactIowa
A Compact member since 2024, with a $60 state fee for a privilege
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted in Iowa Code chapter 147I (2024 Iowa Acts, ch. 1136). The Board's rule incorporates the Compact Commission's rules, allows a social worker with a current compact privilege to practice in Iowa without a Board license, sets the state fee for a compact privilege at $60, collected by the Commission and waived for active duty military members and their spouses, and subjects privilege holders to the Board's practice, continuing education, and discipline chapters (IAC 481-880.19). The Commission's list of member jurisdictions included Iowa when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org and the Department for whether multistate licenses are being issued.
One application fee, and renewals that rise with the level
The license fee for a license to practice social work is $120, nonrefundable, and the Department's page lists $123 for the online application (IAC 481-507.19(1); DIAL social work page). Biennial renewal is $72 for an LBSW, $120 for an LMSW, and $144 for an LISW, the late fee is $60, and reactivation is $132, $180, or $204 by level (507.19(2) through (4)). The criminal history background check is assessed separately to the applicant, and the examination fees are ASWB's (880.2(7)(b)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The LMSW and LISW rest on a master's degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education at the time of graduation, or a doctorate in social work from a program the Board approves; foreign-trained applicants provide an equivalency evaluation from IERF, a CSWE certificate of equivalency, or a NACES member service at their own expense (IAC 481-880.4(5)). Official transcripts go directly from the school to the Board (880.2(7)(c)).
Apply online for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, and pass the Masters exam
The online application carries the $120 fee, waivers and fingerprints for the DCI and FBI criminal history check at the applicant's cost, official transcripts, and verification of any license held elsewhere with disclosure of any complaints; the Board accepts the ASWB Social Work Registry in place of transcripts and license verifications (IAC 481-880.2(7)). The applicant takes and passes the ASWB Masters examination at the ASWB passing score, with results sent directly to the Board, and a student in the last semester of an approved MSW program may test early on written request with a school letter stating the expected graduation date (880.3(3)). An initial license issued within six months before a renewal date is not renewed until the renewal two years later (880.2(7)(f)).
Cost
$120 application; the DCI and FBI check at cost; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam (IAC 481-507.19(1); 880.2(7)(b); ASWB).
Prior to beginning supervision, the supervisee submits a written supervision plan to the Board on its current form, and another plan before beginning with any new supervisor; the form records the agency, each supervisor's license and three years of independent practice, the planned frequency and format of individual and group supervision, in person or by videoconference, and the goals and content areas, and it warns that supervisees may not operate their own private practice or a group practice consisting solely of supervisees (IAC 481-880.7(3); supervision plan form). A supervisee may use up to four supervisors at once and must tell each about the others (880.7(1)(f)).
Two years, 3,000 hours, 1,500 of them with clients, and 110 hours of supervision
The supervised clinical experience runs at least two years and consists of at least 3,000 hours of total practice, at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact, and at least 110 hours of direct supervision equitably distributed, of which no more than 50 may be group supervision, in person or by videoconference, with supervision continuing after the 110 hours until the experience ends (IAC 481-880.7(1)). The statute itself describes the requirement as at least two years as a full-time employee or 4,000 hours under supervision before the examination (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(c)(4)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
File the supervision report, apply for the LISW, and pass the Clinical exam
When supervision is complete, or when any supervisor stops, the supervisee ensures a completed supervision report on the Board's form reaches the Board, and if the supervisor reports the supervisee is not adequately prepared or reports rule violations, the Board may require more supervision or training before licensure (IAC 481-880.7(4)). The LISW application is a new online application with the $120 fee, a new background check, transcripts, and license verifications, and the applicant takes the ASWB Clinical examination (880.2(7); 880.3(3)).
Cost
$120 application; the DCI and FBI check at cost; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam (IAC 481-507.19(1); ASWB).
Renew every two years by December 31 of even years, with 27 hours
The biennial renewal period begins January 1 of odd-numbered years and ends December 31 of the next even-numbered year, and the licensee renews online before expiration with 27 hours of Board-approved continuing education, at least three in social work ethics, plus the child and dependent adult abuse mandatory reporter training every three years if the licensee treats children or adults (IAC 481-880.13(1) through (3); 881.2(3), (12)(b)). A first-time licensee is exempt from continuing education for the first renewal (880.13(2)(b)). A license not renewed by expiration may be renewed in the 30-day grace period with the $60 late fee, after which it is inactive and the licensee may not practice until reactivated (880.1; 880.13(4), (5); 507.19(3)).
Cost
$72 LBSW, $120 LMSW, or $144 LISW every two years; $60 more in the grace period (IAC 481-507.19).
A reciprocal license on similar or equal requirements
The Board shall issue an appropriate license to an applicant licensed to practice social work in another state which imposes licensure requirements similar or equal to Iowa's (Iowa Code 154C.3(2)). The application is the standard one: online application and fee, the background check, transcripts, verification of the most recent license sent directly from that jurisdiction or a web verification showing name, initial licensure date, status, and any discipline, disclosure of any public or pending complaints elsewhere, and the examination, with the ASWB Social Work Registry accepted for transcripts, licenses, and scores (IAC 481-880.2(7); 880.3(3)(e)). A Compact privilege is the other route once multistate licensure operates (880.19). Military service members, veterans, and spouses of active duty members have the Department's uniform reciprocity rules (885.1(2)).
Fingerprints with every application, and the Department's conviction rules
Every applicant for a social work license submits the required waivers and fingerprints under the Board-approved process for a national criminal history background check by the Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI, at the applicant's cost, paid separately (IAC 481-880.2(7)(b)). Fraud in procuring a license is a ground for discipline, and the Department's model rules on the use of criminal convictions in eligibility and initial licensing decisions in 481-Chapter 502 govern how a conviction is weighed (Iowa Code 147.55(1); 885.1). A licensee reactivating after two or more inactive years without proof of practice elsewhere repeats the check (880.14(6)(b)(3)).
StudentsIowa
Students are exempt, and early testing is available in the last semester
Chapter 154C does not apply to students of social work whose activities are conducted within a course of professional education in social work (Iowa Code 154C.7(2)). A student in the last semester of an approved master of social work program may be authorized on written request to sit for the examination before the transcript arrives, filing the LMSW application and fee and a school letter stating enrollment and the expected graduation date, with the transcript to follow (IAC 481-880.3(3)(d)). The supervised clinical experience toward the LISW cannot begin until all graduate coursework except the thesis is complete (880.7(1)(a)).
TelehealthIowa
A client in Iowa makes it Iowa practice
Social work services provided to an individual in this state through telephonic, electronic, or other means, regardless of the location of the practitioner, constitute the practice of the profession and are subject to regulation in Iowa (IAC 481-880.16; 884.4(1)(e)). A social worker providing electronic services informs clients of the limitations and risks, assesses suitability at first contact and throughout, and takes reasonable steps to verify identity, capacity to consent, and location (884.4(1)(e), (19)). The Compact privilege covers multistate practice once issued (880.19). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
License application, any level
$120 ($123 on the online portal)
Board
DCI and FBI criminal history check, each application
at cost
vendor
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Biennial renewal, LBSW
$72
Board
Biennial renewal, LMSW
$120
Board
Biennial renewal, LISW
$144
Board
Late fee, within the 30-day grace period
$60
Board
Reactivation, LBSW / LMSW / LISW
$132 / $180 / $204
Board
Compact privilege to practice in Iowa (state fee)
$60
Compact Commission
Duplicate certificate or verification of license
$20
Board
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $350 plus the background check, being $120 to the Board and $230 to ASWB. LISW on top of it: $380 more, being a second $120 application and $260 for the Clinical exam, plus a second background check, and $120 every two years in LMSW renewals while the hours accrue. The Board's fees are in IAC 481-507.19, the Department's portal lists the application at $123, the background check is the vendor's, and ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalIowa
27 hours every two years, 3 in ethics, half carried over
Each biennium, January 1 of the odd year through December 31 of the even year, a social worker completes at least 27 hours of Board-approved continuing education, including a minimum of three hours in social work ethics (IAC 481-881.2(3), (12)(b)). Qualifying activities are organized programs that contribute to professional competency, in the listed content areas of human behavior, assessment and treatment, research, management and policy, education, ethics, or an area the licensee shows relates to their own practice; academic coursework counts at 15 hours per semester hour; ASWB ACE and NASW CEU approved programs count; and pro bono service, teaching, presenting, and authorship each earn up to three hours, practicum supervision one hour per 100 hours up to six, with LISW supervisors adding three hours in supervision (881.2(9), (12)). Up to 50 percent of the requirement may be carried into the next biennium from excess hours (881.2(7)).
Mandatory reporter training every three years, and the first renewal exemption
A licensee who examines, attends, counsels, or treats children in Iowa completes two hours of training in child abuse identification and reporting within six months of starting and every three years after, and one who treats adults completes dependent adult abuse training on the same cycle, both using the Department of Health and Human Services curriculum, certified on the renewal and documented for three years; the Board may suspend the requirement for active military duty or a hardship waiver (Iowa Code 232.69(3); 235B.16(5); IAC 481-880.13(3)). Those licensed for the first time are not required to complete continuing education for the first renewal, and hours earned from initial licensure to the second renewal may be used then (880.13(2)(b)).
StatusIowa
Thirty days of grace, then inactive, then reactivation with hours or practice
A license not renewed by expiration stays active for a 30-day grace period during which it may be renewed with the late fee, and then becomes inactive; an inactive licensee keeps the privilege of licensure but shall not practice until reactivated (IAC 481-880.1; 880.13(4), (5)). Reactivation takes the application, the fee, verification of the most recent license elsewhere, and 27 hours of continuing education within the prior two years or 2,080 hours of active practice in another jurisdiction in those two years; after more than five years inactive, also a passing ASWB score within five years at the appropriate level or two years of practice elsewhere immediately before, and after two or more inactive years without practice verification, a new background check (880.14(6); 507.19(4)). A revoked, suspended, or surrendered license is reinstated under the Department's contested case rules and then reactivated (880.15).
DutyIowa
Display the license, report what the rules require, and stay licensed to advance
Persons licensed to practice social work keep their renewal licenses displayed in a conspicuous public place at the primary site of practice (IAC 481-880.13(2)(c)). A social worker whose Iowa license is delinquent, closed, retired, surrendered, suspended, or revoked cannot advance to a higher level until it is active again (880.13(2)(e)). A social worker shall not fail to notify the appropriate licensing authority of any human services professional who is practicing or teaching in violation of the laws or rules of their discipline (884.4(12)(f)). An impairment may be self-reported to the Board for confidential monitoring by the impaired practitioner review committee (884.4(13)(b)).
Where the Utah figures come from. Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 60, the Mental Health Professional Practice Act (definitions in 58-60-102, licensure required in 103, renewal in 104, continuing education in 105, transition in 106, exemptions in 107, discipline in 108, unlawful conduct and penalties in 109 and 111, confidentiality in 114, endorsement in 115) and its Part 2, the Social Worker Licensing Act (definitions in 202, classifications in 204, qualifications in 205, scope in 207), as amended through the 2026 General Session, with Chapter 60b (the Social Work Licensure Compact) and Chapter 1 (renewal in 58-1-308, exemptions in 307, penalties in 502), read on le.utah.gov; the Division's Mental Health Professional Practice Act Rule, R156-60e, effective May 26, 2026, read on adminrules.utah.gov; and the Division of Professional Licensing's social work application, renewal, exam, endorsement, and supervisor pages and December 2025 application forms, read in September 2026. The licensing body is the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) in the Department of Commerce, advised by the Behavioral Health Board, Heber M. Wells Building, 160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, P.O. Box 146741, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6741, (801) 530-6628; applications are online through My License One. Utah enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (Utah Code 58-60b) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses
LicenseUtah
SSW · Social Service Worker
A bachelor's degree in social work from a CSWE- or CASWE-accredited program; or a master's degree in a field the Division approves, which the rule lists as clinical mental health counseling, education and human development, human and social services, marriage and family therapy, psychology, social, behavioral, or health sciences, or social work; or a bachelor's degree in any field with three semester hours each in social welfare policy, human growth and development, and social work practice methods plus 2,000 hours of qualifying experience under a mental health therapist in an agency under an approved job description; or the first academic year of a CSWE-approved MSW curriculum and practicum (Utah Code 58-60-205(3); R156-60e-302.2(2), (3)). There is no examination (DOPL exam page). An SSW performs general entry level services under the general supervision of a mental health therapist, including nonclinical psychosocial assessments, home studies, drafting treatment plans for mild to moderate symptoms that a therapist reviews and approves, case management, supportive counseling and psychosocial education, manualized interventions under an approved plan, co-facilitating group therapy, referrals, advocacy, and care navigation, but not diagnosing or treating mental illness or providing psychotherapy (58-60-202(1)).
LicenseUtah
CSW · Certified Social Worker
A master's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, or a doctorate with a clinical social work concentration and practicum the Division approves, and a criminal background check (Utah Code 58-60-205(2)). The 2025 session removed the examination requirement for the CSW, and the Division's exam page says there is none (58-60-205(2), as amended by 2025 ch. 443; DOPL). A CSW may practice mental health therapy only under the supervision of a clinical supervisor and as an employee of another person, may practice everything else in certified social work without supervision, including private, independent practice as a self-employed individual so long as the CSW does not practice unsupervised psychotherapy, and may supervise social service workers (58-60-207(2)). A CSW who never completed a clinical practicum in the master's program commits unprofessional conduct by practicing supervised mental health therapy (R156-60e-502.2(2)). This is the license held while the LCSW hours accrue.
LicenseUtah
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The same degree, a case work, group work, or family treatment course sequence with a clinical practicum, not less than 1,200 direct client care hours obtained after the degree, of which not less than 100 are direct clinical supervision hours under a clinical supervisor, not less than 25 are direct observation hours, and not more than 25 are group supervision hours, two hours of Division-approved suicide prevention training after the degree, the ASWB Clinical examination or the alternate examination pathway, and a background check (Utah Code 58-60-205(1); R156-60e-302.2(4)). The statute adds 3,000 hours or two years of clinical supervision where federal law requires it for Medicare eligibility, and the Division's page lists 3,000 total hours for every applicant (58-60-205(1)(d); DOPL LCSW page). An LCSW engages in all acts of clinical social work without supervision, in private and independent practice or as an employee, limited only by education, training, and competence (58-60-207(1)).
TitlesUtah
Licensed titles, and "social worker" for degree holders
Only a person licensed under the chapter or another listed practice act, or exempt, may engage in or represent that they engage in mental health therapy, clinical social work, or certified social work, and only a licensee may practice as or use the title of social service worker (Utah Code 58-60-103). It is unlawful conduct to practice clinical social work, certified social work, or social service work without the classification, or to use the titles clinical social worker, certified social worker, social service worker, or mental health therapist without a current license, or to use the title social worker without certified transcripts showing a CSWE- or CASWE-accredited bachelor's or master's degree in social work or an approved clinical doctorate (58-60-109). Using LCSW, CSW, or SSW without the license is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.1(1)). An act of unlawful conduct under 58-60-109 is a third degree felony (58-60-111), and the general licensing act adds a class A misdemeanor and an administrative fine of up to $1,000 per instance (58-1-502).
CompactUtah
A Compact member since 2024
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted in Utah Code Chapter 58-60b, added by 2024 General Session ch. 103, and the Division may report investigative information to the Compact's coordinated licensure information system (58-60-108(8)). The Compact Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Utah when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org and the Division for whether multistate licenses are being issued.
Application fees by license, and a renewal every two years
The Division's December 2025 application forms list a nonrefundable application-processing fee of $152 for the LCSW and the CSW and $85 for the SSW, with the fingerprint background check paid to the vendor (DOPL application forms). Renewal is $103 with 40 hours of continuing education for a master's-level license and $88 with 20 hours for the SSW, due September 30 of even-numbered years (DOPL renewal page). The examination fee is ASWB's, and only the LCSW tests.
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with a clinical practicum
The CSW and LCSW rest on a master's degree in a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, including programs in candidacy on the day the applicant finished, or a doctorate with a clinical social work concentration and practicum the Division approves; the LCSW also requires a case work, group work, or family treatment course sequence with a clinical practicum, meaning a track established to prepare the student for clinical mental health therapy (Utah Code 58-60-202(4); 58-60-205(1)(c), (g); R156-60e-102.2(2)). Certified transcripts go to the Division (58-60-205(2)(c)).
Apply online for the CSW, with fingerprints and no exam
The CSW application is online through My License One with the $152 processing fee, certified transcripts, answers to the qualifying questionnaires with documentation for any yes, and fingerprints at an approved vendor or mailed to the Division for the criminal background check, which enrolls the licensee in the FBI Rap Back System (Utah Code 58-60-205(2); 58-60-102(11); DOPL CSW page and application). No examination is required, so the CSW issues on the degree and the check (DOPL exam page).
Cost
$152 application-processing fee; the fingerprint vendor's fee (DOPL certified social worker application, v20251211).
Sign a supervision contract with a Division-approved clinical supervisor, file the association form, then the contract
Before beginning any clinical supervised training the CSW enters a written supervision contract with the clinical supervisor that meets the rule, submits a signed clinical supervisor association form to the Division, and within 30 days of starting submits the contract and a clearly defined job description consistent with the CSW's scope (R156-60e-309.1(1)(a)). The supervisor must be a mental health therapist licensed at least two years who has completed the supervisor training and requested Division-approved status, and the hours must be earned as an employee providing clinical mental health services at a public agency or private clinic, meaning a mental health agency, hospital, educational institution, nonprofit, or government agency (R156-60e-305.1; 304.1(1); 102.1(17)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
1,200 direct client care hours, 100 hours of supervision, 25 of them observed
Not less than 1,200 direct client care hours after the degree, of which not less than 100 are direct clinical supervision hours, not less than 25 are direct observation hours, and not more than 25 are group supervision hours, with the supervisor meeting the supervisee at least weekly if full time or at least twice a month, for at least 50 minutes, and up to ten supervision hours counting in any 30-day period (Utah Code 58-60-205(1)(e); R156-60e-307.1(2)(a); 308.1(2)(e)). The Division's page lists 3,000 total hours alongside the 1,200 and 100, and the statute requires 3,000 hours or two years of clinical supervision where federal law requires it for Medicare (58-60-205(1)(d); DOPL). Two hours of suicide prevention training complete the file (58-60-205(1)(f)).
Get ASWB's approval, pass the Clinical exam, then apply for the LCSW
The Division no longer pre-approves exam candidates; the applicant applies to ASWB directly for approval, registers, and does not submit the LCSW application until after passing (DOPL exam page; R156-60e-302.2(4)). An applicant who fails may use the alternate pathway: one documented attempt after May 1, 2024, a signed supervisor association form choosing the pathway before any further hours, 500 additional direct client care hours under one supervisor including 25 direct clinical supervision and 5 direct observation hours, and recommendation letters from the direct clinical supervisor and from another mental health therapist who observed the applicant's care (58-60-205(1)(h)(ii); R156-60e-303.1). The LCSW application carries the $152 fee, the supervisor's verification of supervision hours and competency evaluation, the suicide prevention certificate, and fingerprints (58-60-205(1); R156-60e-308.1(2)(d); DOPL).
Cost
$260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; $152 application-processing fee; the fingerprint vendor's fee (ASWB; DOPL LCSW application, v20251211).
Renew by September 30 of even years with 40 hours, 6 of ethics or law, 2 of suicide prevention
Licenses run on a two-year cycle, and social work renewals are due September 30 of even-numbered years (Utah Code 58-60-104; DOPL renewal page). A master's-level licensee completes 40 hours of ongoing professional development each cycle, including six hours of professional ethics, law, or ethics of technology and two hours of suicide prevention, with no more than ten hours through asynchronous distance learning and up to ten excess hours carried forward; an SSW with a bachelor's degree completes 20, with the same six and two (58-60-105; R156-60e-402.1(1) through (3)). Hours are prorated by the date of licensure within the cycle, documentation is kept two years, and the Division audits randomly (402.1(4), (6), (8)).
Cost
$103 every two years for a CSW or LCSW, $88 for an SSW (DOPL renewal page).
Endorsement on 4,000 hours of practice, or one year on an equivalent license
The Division issues a license by endorsement to a person who applies, pays the fee, documents current licensure in good standing in a state, district, or territory to practice the profession, documents at least 4,000 hours of lawful practice of that profession of which 1,000 hours are in mental health therapy, passes the profession-specific jurisprudence examination if one is required of new applicants, and has no disciplinary action pending or in effect anywhere (Utah Code 58-60-115). The Division's endorsement guide adds a faster route for an applicant licensed at least one year as an LCSW in a jurisdiction it deems equivalent, with proof of passing the ASWB Clinical exam, and lists the equivalent jurisdictions; otherwise the 4,000 hours are verified by each employer or, for private practice, a colleague, counting only hours after independent licensure (DOPL endorsement page and guide). A CSW or SSW licensed elsewhere may likewise apply by endorsement (DOPL CSW and SSW pages).
Fingerprints for the CSW and LCSW, and individualized review of a conviction
An applicant for the CSW or LCSW consents to and completes a criminal background check, meets any related standard the Division sets by rule, and discloses the criminal history the Division requests (Utah Code 58-60-205(1)(i), (2)(d)); the Division enrolls licensees in the FBI Rap Back System (58-60-102(11)). Where the Division would refuse or decline to renew a license solely for a conviction, it gives individualized consideration and determines whether the conviction bears a substantial relationship to safe and competent practice, and it publishes criminal history guidelines and offers a preliminary criminal history determination (58-1-401(7); DOPL criminal history pages). The Division may not act on a license solely because the licensee seeks or participates in mental health or substance abuse treatment (58-60-108(7)).
Students and interns are exempt, but their hours do not count
A student engaged in the practice of a regulated profession while in training in a recognized school the Division approves is exempt to the extent the activities are supervised by qualified faculty or staff and are a defined part of the program, and the exemption ends when supervision by qualified faculty ends; an individual in an internship or Division-approved on-the-job training program under qualified supervision is likewise exempt (Utah Code 58-1-307(1)(b), (c); 58-60-107(2)(e)). An applicant exempt as a student or trainee may not obtain supervision hours while exempt; the on-the-job program runs at most 60 days from the end of coursework until licensure under weekly in-person supervision (R156-60e-304.1(3); 102.1(15)). Supervision hours toward the LCSW require an active CSW (304.1(1)(d)).
TelehealthUtah
Remote practice is within the definition, and a relocating client gets 90 days
The practice of mental health therapy includes treatment or prevention of mental illness whether in person or remotely, meaning by internet, telephone, or other real-time audio or visual means (Utah Code 58-60-102(17), (18)). An individual licensed in good standing in another state may provide short-term transitional mental health therapy remotely to an existing client who relocates to Utah for the 90 days after the move, while remaining in the licensing state, and any out-of-state licensee treating a client in Utah remotely must know how to access Utah emergency services and Utah's reporting laws (58-60-107(2)(j), (3)). Providing services remotely without meeting professional standards, protecting electronic data, or storing and disposing of it appropriately is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.1(11)). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (58-60b). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application-processing fee, CSW or LCSW
$152
DOPL
Application-processing fee, SSW
$85
DOPL
Fingerprint-based criminal background check
vendor's fee
vendor
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt (LCSW only)
$260
ASWB
Two-year renewal, CSW or LCSW
$103
DOPL
Two-year renewal, SSW
$88
DOPL
Reinstatement of an expired license
renewal fee plus a reinstatement fee the Department sets
DOPL
$
What it adds up to. CSW: $152 plus the fingerprint vendor, and nothing to ASWB, since the CSW has no exam. LCSW on top of it: $412 more, being $260 for the Clinical exam and a second $152 application, plus fingerprints again, and $103 every two years in CSW renewals while the hours accrue. The application fees are on the Division's December 2025 forms, the renewal fees on its renewal page, and ASWB's fee is ASWB's; the reinstatement fee is set by the Department and was not on the pages read (Utah Code 58-1-308(5)).
Keeping the license
RenewalUtah
40 hours a cycle, 6 in ethics or law, 2 in suicide prevention, 10 at most asynchronous
Each two-year renewal cycle a licensee with a master's degree or higher completes 40 hours of ongoing professional development, and a bachelor's-level licensee 20, including six hours of professional ethics, law, or ethics of technology and two hours in suicide prevention through a qualifying course (R156-60e-402.1(1)). Courses must be approved, conducted, or sponsored by an accredited institution, a government agency, a professional association involved in mental health therapy, or a mental health agency, be relevant to the licensee's scope, and be taught by a qualified presenter; formats include lecture, conference, seminar, training, synchronous distance learning, asynchronous distance learning up to ten hours, specialty certification, certifiable clinical readings up to ten, supervising a licensee toward advanced licensure up to ten, volunteer board or leadership service up to six, volunteer mental health services up to ten, peer consultation up to ten, and peer direct observation up to ten, each verified by a certificate showing the attendee, provider, instructor, date, title, hours, objectives, and format (402.1(3)). The Division's page reads the rule as 10 hours of online self-study and 30 in person or by live interactive webinar (DOPL renewal page).
Carryover, proration, and the supervisor's extra six
A licensee who exceeds the requirement may carry up to ten hours into the next cycle, or five for a bachelor's-level license, counting only hours completed after the license was granted (R156-60e-402.1(2), (5)). Hours are increased or decreased proportionately by the date of licensure within the cycle, which the Division states as 1.6 hours for each month licensed for a master's-level license and 0.8 for the SSW in the first cycle (402.1(6); DOPL). Documentation is kept for two years after the cycle ends, the Division audits randomly each renewal window, and it may defer or waive the requirement under its general rule (402.1(4), (7), (8)). A Division-approved clinical supervisor adds six hours specific to clinical supervision each cycle to keep the approval (402.1(9)).
StatusUtah
Expired at midnight, reinstated within two years, reviewed between two and five
A license not renewed by its expiration date automatically expires, and continuing to practice on an expired license is unlawful conduct, a criminal offense, and a basis for discipline even after the license is later renewed (Utah Code 58-1-308(2)(b); 58-1-501(1)(a); DOPL). An expired license may be reinstated within two years on an application, the renewal fee plus a reinstatement fee, and proof of the renewal qualifications, and a license reinstated within 120 days of expiring is retroactive to the expiration date (58-1-308(5)). Between two and five years, an applicant whose license was unencumbered may be asked to meet with the Board's Qualification and Professional Development Advisory Committee and, on its recommendation, to complete up to 1,200 hours of supervised direct client care on a CSW-level license or up to 40 hours of continuing education before reinstatement; after that the holder qualifies only as a new applicant (R156-60e-403.1(5); 58-1-308(6)).
Tell clients who you are and who supervises you, update your address in 10 business days, report within 10 days
A pattern of failing to give clients the licensee's name as licensed, license type and number, and contact information, the same for any required supervisor, a plain language statement that a dual, romantic, financial, or sexual relationship with a provider is never appropriate and should be reported to the Division, the client's rights to a second opinion, more information, and termination, and the Division's contact information and how to complain is unprofessional conduct, and the notice may be given on the practice website or by paper or electronic document to each client (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(e); R156-60e-502.1(10)(l)). A licensee notifies the Division of any change of address or email within 10 business days (58-1-301.7; DOPL). A licensee who learns of another licensee's unlawful or unprofessional conduct that results in discipline by a facility, practice group, or professional society, or in a significant adverse impact on public health, safety, or welfare, reports it in writing to the Division within 10 days, with immunity for good-faith reports (58-60-112).
Where the Kansas figures come from. The Social Workers Licensure Act, K.S.A. 65-6301 through 65-6325 (definitions in 6302, prohibited acts in 6303, qualifications and the community-based license in 6306, titles in 6307, private practice in 6308, temporary licenses and permits in 6309 and 6309a, discipline in 6310 and 6311, renewal and reinstatement in 6313, fee caps in 6314, confidentiality in 6315, diagnosis in 6319, disclosure in 6320, reciprocity in 6322, provisional licenses in 6323, background checks in 6324, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in 6325), read on ksrevisor.gov in September 2026; the Board's regulations in K.A.R. 102-2 (definitions 1a, applications 2a and 2b, fees 3, continuing education 4a and 5, program approval 6, unprofessional conduct 7, supervision 8, examinations 9, renewal and audit 11 and 11a, clinical licensure 12, physician consultation 13, telehealth 15), read on rules.ks.gov; and the Board's social workers page and forms. The licensing body is the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB), 700 SW Harrison Street, Suite 420, Topeka, KS 66603, 785-296-3240, advised by its Social Work Advisory Committee; renewals are online through the state licensing portal. Kansas enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024 (K.S.A. 65-6325) and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses
LicenseKansas
LBSW · Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker
A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university including completion of a social work program the Board recognizes, which is a CSWE-accredited program or one meeting K.A.R. 102-2-6; the ASWB Bachelors examination; satisfying the Board that the applicant merits the public trust, shown by two references from social workers licensed at or above the bachelor's level and a third from the practicum supervisor; and the application and license fees (K.S.A. 65-6306(a); K.A.R. 102-2-2a; BSRB). A graduate of a program in candidacy may hold a temporary candidacy license for 24 months under a restricted title (65-6306(b)). An LBSW practices social work, but not the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and not private clinical practice (65-6319; 65-6308).
LicenseKansas
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's degree from an accredited college or university including completion of a Board-recognized social work program, the ASWB Masters examination, the public-trust references, and the fees (K.S.A. 65-6306(c); K.A.R. 102-2-2a; BSRB). An LMSW may diagnose and treat mental disorders in the DSM edition the Board designates, but only when practicing under the direction of a licensed specialist clinical social worker, a licensed psychologist, a physician, or another independent mental health licensee whose license allows diagnosis and treatment, and must consult the client's physician or psychiatrist about possible medical causes unless the client waives it in writing (65-6319; K.A.R. 102-2-13). An LMSW in private clinical practice must be supervised by an LSCSW (65-6308; 102-2-8(d)(1)(B)). This is the license held while the LSCSW hours accrue.
LicenseKansas
LSCSW · Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker
A master's or doctor's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work; three graduate credit hours in psychopathology and DSM diagnosis, which the regulation frames for degrees earned since July 1, 2003 as 15 graduate credit hours supporting diagnosis or treatment including a three-hour discrete psychopathology course; a graduate-level supervised clinical practicum; not less than two years of postgraduate supervised professional experience under a Board-approved clinical supervision plan totaling not less than 3,000 hours, including at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact and not less than 100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision of which at least 50 are individual; the ASWB Clinical examination; the public-trust references; and the fees (K.S.A. 65-6306(e), (f); K.A.R. 102-2-12; BSRB). An LSCSW may diagnose and treat DSM mental disorders and engage in private, independent clinical practice, consulting the client's physician or psychiatrist about medical causes unless the client waives it in writing (65-6306(f)(2); 65-6308).
TitlesKansas
A license to practice for compensation, and Board-prescribed titles
No person shall engage in the practice of social work for compensation or hold forth as performing the services of a social worker unless licensed, nor participate in delivering social work service except under a licensee's supervision, and a violation is a class B misdemeanor; qualified members of other professions may work within their own standards without a social work title (K.S.A. 65-6303). A licensee may use the title and abbreviations the Board prescribes for the license held, no one else may, and a violation is a class C misdemeanor (65-6307). Temporary, candidacy, community-based, and provisional licensees may not use LBSW, LMSW, or LSCSW independently and use "licensed" only with the qualifier the statute assigns (65-6306(b), (d), (i); 65-6309(g); 65-6323(c)). Anyone providing social work services to individuals located in Kansas, from anywhere, must hold a Kansas license (K.A.R. 102-2-15).
CompactKansas
A Compact member since 2024, with a $25 home-state fee cap
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted at K.S.A. 65-6325 (2024 ch. 32), the Board may charge up to $25 in addition to other fees for a home-state license with the privilege to practice under the Compact, and applicants for a multistate license are fingerprinted for the KBI and FBI check (65-6314(a)(12); 65-6324(a)(3)). The Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Kansas when read in September 2026, and the Board's page links to the Compact site; check swcompact.org and the Board for whether multistate licenses are being issued.
A $50 application, a license fee on approval, and renewals by level
Every applicant pays a $50 application fee, and on notice that eligibility is met pays the original license fee, $100 for the LBSW or $150 for the LMSW or LSCSW; an expedited application adds $100 (K.A.R. 102-2-3(a) through (c); K.S.A. 65-6306). Renewal every two years is $50 for the LBSW, $75 for the LMSW, and $100 for the LSCSW, and a late reinstatement within a year adds a penalty equal to the renewal fee (102-2-3(d), (f)). Temporary, temporary candidacy, and community-based licenses are $50 each, the out-of-state temporary permit is $200, and the statute caps every application, license, or renewal fee at $150 (102-2-3; 65-6314). The examination fees are ASWB's, and the KBI charges for the background check (65-6324(c)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW with a clinical practicum and DSM coursework
The LMSW and LSCSW rest on a master's degree from an accredited college or university including a social work program the Board recognizes, meaning a CSWE-accredited program or one in substantial compliance under K.A.R. 102-2-6; the LSCSW also requires 15 graduate credit hours supporting diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders, including a three-hour discrete course in psychopathology, and a graduate-level supervised clinical practicum integrating DSM diagnosis and treatment (K.S.A. 65-6306(c), (f); K.A.R. 102-2-12(b)). The transcript goes directly from the institution to the Board (102-2-2a).
Apply for the LMSW with three references, register for the Masters exam, and get fingerprinted
The LMSW application carries the $50 fee, the transcript sent by the school, two professional references on Board forms from social workers licensed or academically eligible at or above the master's level, and a third from the field education supervisor or, failing that, the field director or faculty liaison, all going to whether the applicant merits the public trust (K.A.R. 102-2-2a; BSRB). An applicant may register for the examination within four months of completing the degree, and the ASWB exam is offered daily once the Board has registered the applicant (102-2-9(b); BSRB). Every applicant for initial licensure submits to a state and national criminal history record check (K.S.A. 65-6324). An applicant who has met everything but the exam may hold a temporary license for up to 24 months under supervision (65-6309).
Cost
$50 application; $230 to ASWB for the Masters exam; $150 license fee on approval; the KBI's background check fee (K.A.R. 102-2-3; BSRB; K.S.A. 65-6324(c)).
Write the clinical supervision training plan with an LSCSW and get it approved before the first hour
Each supervisor and supervisee develop and cosign a written clinical supervision training plan at the beginning of the relationship, and the supervisee submits an official position description and the plan to the Board and receives Board approval before any supervised professional experience hours for clinical licensure can begin to accrue (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(6); 102-2-12(c)(1)). The supervisor must be an LSCSW who has practiced two years beyond clinical licensure in a position including assessment, diagnosis, and psychotherapy, with professional responsibility for the supervisee's practice, no dual relationship, and knowledge of the client population, methods, and setting, from the practice setting's staff or outside it under the regulation's conditions (102-2-8(d)(3), (4)). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Two to six years, 3,000 hours, 1,500 with clients, 100 of supervision
At least 3,000 hours of satisfactorily evaluated postgraduate supervised clinical social work practice in not less than two and not more than six years, at least 1,500 of them direct client contact conducting psychotherapy and assessments with individuals, couples, families, or groups, with at least one hour of clinical supervision for each 15 hours of direct client contact to total 100 hours, at least 50 of them individual, in at least two sessions a month, face to face in person or by confidential synchronous video (K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(D); K.A.R. 102-2-12(c)). Changes to the plan go to the Board within 45 days or the hours between the change and approval are lost (102-2-8(d)(7)).
Pass the Clinical exam and apply with the supervisor's documentation
The LSCSW application carries the $50 fee, references from two social workers licensed or eligible at the clinical level and a third from a work supervisor, and the supervisor's documentation: a summary of the types of clients and situations dealt with in supervision, how far the goals and objectives were met, the practice setting and activities, whether the applicant merits the public trust, and an evaluation of the supervised experience (K.A.R. 102-2-2a; 102-2-12(d); BSRB). The applicant passes the ASWB Clinical examination, which the Board opens once registered, and pays the $150 license fee on approval (K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(G); 102-2-9; BSRB).
Cost
$50 application; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical exam; $150 license fee on approval; the background check (K.A.R. 102-2-3; BSRB).
Renew every two years from issuance with 40 hours, 3 of ethics, 3 of diagnosis and treatment
Every license expires 24 months from its issuance date and is renewed on or before that date with the fee and a signed statement that the license is not revoked or suspended and that the continuing education is complete: 40 units per period including not less than three hours of professional ethics, and for an LMSW or LSCSW not less than three hours on diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders on and after July 1, 2025, plus six hours of social worker safety awareness training at the first renewal of any license, once (K.S.A. 65-6313(a) through (c); K.A.R. 102-2-4a; BSRB). A licensee who cannot finish may ask, 30 days before expiration, for up to three more months, not in consecutive periods (65-6313(d)). Ten percent of expiring licenses are audited each month (102-2-11a).
Cost
$50 LBSW, $75 LMSW, or $100 LSCSW every two years (K.A.R. 102-2-3(d)).
Equivalent standards, or 12 months on a similar license, and two of three for the clinical level
The Board may license an applicant currently licensed elsewhere if the other jurisdiction's standards at that level are substantially equivalent to Kansas's, or if the applicant has been licensed at that level with a similar scope for at least 12 months immediately before applying, has no serious disciplinary action, and holds the degree from a regionally accredited university (K.S.A. 65-6322(a), (b)). An LSCSW applicant must also be currently licensed at the clinical level in another state and show competence to diagnose and treat mental disorders by two of three: passing a Board-approved national clinical examination, three years of clinical practice diagnosing or treating mental disorders, or an attestation from an independently licensed diagnosing professional or physician (65-6322(c); K.A.R. 102-2-2b). A clinical licensee elsewhere may instead practice up to 30 days a year on a $200 temporary permit with quarterly reports (65-6309a). The examination is waived for an applicant who already passed the equivalent (65-6309(a); 102-2-9(c)).
Fingerprints at initial licensure, renewal, and reinstatement, and a felony needs a two-thirds vote
The Board requires an applicant for initial licensure, renewal, or reinstatement to submit to a state and national criminal history record check, may skip it at renewal if one was done within five years, fingerprints multistate applicants for the KBI and FBI, uses the results to verify identity and determine fitness, and may charge the KBI's fee (K.S.A. 65-6324). A felony conviction, or a misdemeanor against persons, without a showing of sufficient rehabilitation to merit the public trust, and a current listing on a child abuse or adult protective services registry, are grounds for refusal, and a new or reinstated license for an applicant with a felony conviction requires a two-thirds Board vote (65-6311(a)(2) through (4), (b)). Merits the public trust means the high standard of good moral character and fitness the regulation describes (K.A.R. 102-2-1a).
StudentsKansas
Students work under a licensee, and the temporary license bridges the exam
No person may participate in the delivery of social work service unless under the supervision of a licensee, and a licensee supervising nonlicensed students delineates their duties and keeps a written agreement consistent with the academic program (K.S.A. 65-6303(a); K.A.R. 102-2-8(b)). After graduation, an applicant who has met every requirement but the exam receives a temporary bachelor's or master's license for up to 24 months, once, under the supervision of a licensed social worker with at least one supervision hour per 40 hours of service, and may not use LBSW or LMSW independently (65-6309; 102-2-8(c)). Employees of community mental health centers, FQHCs, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, and private treatment facilities may instead hold a 24-month community-based license under independent-level supervision (65-6306(i)).
TelehealthKansas
A client in Kansas requires a Kansas license
Each person, regardless of the person's location, who performs any act of social work practice on or for one or more individuals located in Kansas, or represents themselves as a social worker available to do so, is engaged in social work practice in Kansas and must hold the appropriate Kansas license (K.A.R. 102-2-15). Direct client contact for supervision purposes may be remote through real-time, two-way audio, visual, or audiovisual communication with confidentiality protected, but not by email, messaging, texting, or fax (102-2-1a(i)). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (K.S.A. 65-6325). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application fee, any license
$50
BSRB
Expedited application, in addition
$100
BSRB
State and national criminal history record check
KBI's fee
KBI
ASWB Bachelors or Masters exam, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical exam, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Original license fee, LBSW
$100
BSRB
Original license fee, LMSW or LSCSW
$150
BSRB
Temporary, temporary candidacy, or community-based license
$50
BSRB
Two-year renewal, LBSW / LMSW / LSCSW
$50 / $75 / $100
BSRB
Reinstatement penalty, expired under one year
equal to the renewal fee
BSRB
Six-month reinstatement temporary license
$50
BSRB
Out-of-state temporary permit, 30 days a year
$200
BSRB
Replacement license
$20
BSRB
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $430 plus the background check, being $50 to apply, $230 to ASWB, and $150 on approval. LSCSW on top of it: $460 more, being $50 to apply, $260 for the Clinical exam, and $150 on approval, plus $75 every two years in LMSW renewals across the two to six years of supervision. The Board's fees are in K.A.R. 102-2-3 and on its social workers page, capped by K.S.A. 65-6314; the KBI's fee is the KBI's; ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalKansas
40 units every two years, no carryover, with caps by type
Each two-year renewal period requires 40 units of documented, Board-approved continuing education oriented to social work practice, values, ethics, skills, or knowledge, with no carryover of excess units; a unit is 50 minutes of classroom instruction or an hour of another acceptable activity (K.A.R. 102-2-4a(a), (d)). Acceptable types include academic courses at 15 units per credit hour, audited courses, programs and workshops, self-study with a posttest, self-study without a posttest up to 10, cross-disciplinary offerings up to 10, Board-approved self-directed projects up to 10, supervising practicum students or specialty applicants at up to four units a semester and 16 total, approved-provider programs, single programs the Board approves, first-time presentation of a course at 10 units each up to 20, first publication or presentation up to 10, and service in a professional organization up to 12 with six a year; first aid, CPR, job orientation, in-service training, and repeated identical programs do not count (102-2-4a(e), (f)). At least three units are professional ethics, and for the LMSW and LSCSW at least three hours are diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders under the statute as amended for July 1, 2025, though the regulation still reads six (K.S.A. 65-6313(b); 102-2-4a(b), (c); BSRB).
Safety training at the first renewal, the audit, and the three-month extension
An applicant for first-time renewal of any social work license completes six hours of social worker safety awareness training, and need not repeat it at a later level (K.S.A. 65-6313(b)(3)). The Board randomly audits the continuing education of 10 percent of the licenses expiring each month; a selected licensee submits the audit forms and original documents within 30 days after expiration, units earned after the Board receives the renewal do not count for that period, and failure to comply is unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-11a; 102-2-5). A licensee unable to finish the hours may request, not later than 30 days before expiration, up to three additional months with reasons and a plan, must still renew on time and report the units completed, and may not receive extensions in consecutive periods (65-6313(d)).
StatusKansas
Expired at 24 months, reinstated with a penalty, or on a six-month temporary license
A license expires at the end of 24 months from issuance, and practicing social work after one's license expires is unprofessional conduct (K.S.A. 65-6313(a); K.A.R. 102-2-7(yy)). A person whose license has expired applies for reinstatement with the renewal fee, an additional fee equal to the renewal fee if expired one year or less, and evidence of one period's continuing education completed in the previous 24 months, and states whether they practiced after expiration (65-6313(e)(1); 102-2-11(e), (f)). A person expired more than a year who has not completed the hours may apply for a six-month reinstatement temporary license for $50, complete the hours before it expires, and notify the Board; it cannot be extended or renewed (65-6313(e)(2); 102-2-3(e)). Reinstatement also brings a new criminal history record check (65-6324(a)(1)).
Notify the Board of address changes, other licensees' discipline, and your own
A licensee notifies the Board within 30 days after any change of permanent address (K.S.A. 65-6313(g)). Except for information from a confidential relationship, a licensee must notify the Board within a reasonable time that any person the Board regulates, including oneself, has had a license or professional membership limited, suspended, revoked, refused, or surrendered during an investigation, has been disciplined by a credentialing board or professional association, has been demoted, terminated, suspended, reassigned, or asked to resign for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance, has been convicted of a felony, or has practiced in violation of the profession's laws (K.A.R. 102-2-7(b)). A licensee cooperates with any Board request within 30 days or bears the burden of showing timeliness (102-2-7(i)).
Where the Nevada figures come from. Chapter 641B of the Nevada Revised Statutes (definitions in 641B.030, exemptions in 641B.040, preliminary qualifications and fingerprints in 641B.200 and 641B.202, the four licenses in 641B.220 through 641B.240, examinations in 641B.250, endorsement in 641B.270 and 641B.272, provisional licenses in 641B.275, renewal and continuing education in 641B.280, delinquent licenses in 641B.290, inactive status in 641B.295, fee caps in 641B.300, discipline in 641B.400 through 641B.450, and unlicensed practice and titles in 641B.500 through 641B.530), read on leg.state.nv.us in September 2026; the Board's regulations in NAC 641B (applications 090, education 100, examinations 105, renewal and restoration 110 and 111, provisional licenses 112, fees 115, telehealth 124, endorsement 126, internships 140 through 170, continuing education 186 through 194, and standards of practice 200 through 240), together with the amendments the Legislative Commission approved on June 18, 2024 as R103-23, which the Board posts because they were not yet merged into the published code; and the Board's licensing pages, fee schedule, licensure-level narrative, and internship policy. The licensing body is the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers (BESW), 4600 Kietzke Lane, #O-264, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 688-2555, socwork@besw.nv.gov, five members appointed by the Governor; applications, renewals, and verification are online. Nevada was not on the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions when read in September 2026, and chapter 641B contains no Compact enactment.
The four licenses
LicenseNevada
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A baccalaureate or master's degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or a candidate for accreditation, or a foreign equivalent evaluated by CSWE, plus an examination prescribed by the Board (NRS 641B.220(1); 641B.204). The regulation assigns the ASWB Bachelors examination to a BSW holder and either the Bachelors or Masters examination to an MSW holder, and the Board's application for this license is only for BSW holders; an MSW holder applies for the LMSW (NAC 641B.105(2)(a); BESW). An LSW may supervise another person engaged in the practice of social work (641B.220(3)). The associate license, LASW, has not been issued since 1995, and an existing associate may become an LSW with a related-field degree and 3,000 hours of Nevada employment (641B.210; 641B.220(2)).
LicenseNevada
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's or doctoral degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited or candidate program, or a CSWE-evaluated foreign equivalent, plus the examination, which R103-23 fixes as the ASWB Masters examination (NRS 641B.225(1), added by the 2021 Legislature; R103-23 section 9). An LMSW may engage in social work independently, and in clinical social work, only as part of a Board-approved internship program completing the supervised hours for the LISW or LCSW, and may supervise other persons engaging in the practice of social work (641B.225(2)). This is the license held while the LCSW or LISW hours accrue, and the Board requires it before an internship is approved (BESW).
LicenseNevada
LCSW · Licensed Clinical Social Worker
A master's or doctoral degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited or candidate program or a CSWE-evaluated foreign equivalent; 3,000 hours of supervised, postgraduate, clinical social work approved by the Board; and the examination, which the regulation fixes as the ASWB Clinical examination (NRS 641B.240(1); NAC 641B.105(2)(c)). The hours are earned in a Board-approved internship of not less than two years while holding the LMSW (NAC 641B.150; BESW). An LCSW may engage in social work independently or within an agency, engage in clinical social work, and supervise others (641B.240(2)). Clinical social work is the application of social work methods and psychotherapeutic methods and techniques to persons, families, and groups to help in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional conditions (641B.030(3)).
LicenseNevada
LISW · Licensed Independent Social Worker
The same degree; 3,000 hours of supervised, postgraduate social work approved by the Board; and the examination, which the regulation fixes as the ASWB Advanced Generalist examination (NRS 641B.230(1); NAC 641B.105(2)(b); 641B.140). An LISW may engage in social work independently or within an agency, engage in clinical social work only as part of a Board-approved internship toward the LCSW, and supervise others (641B.230(2)). The Board describes the LCSW and LISW as the two advanced practice licenses, each requiring a post-graduate internship, and its Scope of Practice Table reserves diagnosis, psychotherapy, and clinical private practice to the LCSW (BESW).
TitlesNevada
A license to call yourself a social worker at all, and levels for independent and clinical work
It is unlawful for any person to represent himself or herself as a social worker within the meaning of the chapter unless licensed (NRS 641B.500), to use a licensee's title or otherwise imply licensure (641B.510), or to engage in the practice of social work without an active license at some level; the independent practice of social work, meaning unsupervised practice for compensation other than for a public employer, requires the LCSW or LISW, or the LMSW within an approved internship, and the clinical practice of social work requires the LCSW, or the LISW or LMSW within an approved internship (641B.505). A violation is a misdemeanor and may be enjoined (641B.520; 641B.530). The chapter does not apply to a person who engages in social work in regular governmental employment without holding out to the public as a social worker, or to a student under supervision in a Board-recognized training facility, who must be titled "student of social work" or "trainee in social work" (641B.040(12), (13)). An intern uses the title "intern" in all communications within the scope of practice (NAC 641B.240(2)).
FeesNevada
$50 to apply, $125 on issuance, and annual renewals of $125 or $187.50
Every applicant pays a $50 initial application fee, and one application fee covers more than one license applied for at once; initial issuance other than by endorsement is $125 at every level; a provisional license is $93.75; endorsement is $125, or $62.50 for an active member of the Armed Forces, a spouse, a veteran, or a surviving spouse (NAC 641B.115 as amended by R103-23; NRS 641B.300(2); BESW fee schedule). Annual renewal is $125 for the LSW, LMSW, and LASW and $187.50 for the LCSW and LISW; renewal of a delinquent license adds $100; restoration of an expired license is $200 and of a revoked license $150 (NAC 641B.115). The statute caps the application at $200, initial issuance at $250 for the LSW and LMSW and $350 for the LCSW and LISW, and renewals at $175 and $225 (641B.300(1)). The examination fees are ASWB's, and the fingerprint fees are the Central Repository's and the FBI's (NAC 641B.090(4)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The LMSW, LCSW, and LISW each rest on a master's or doctoral degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or a candidate for accreditation, or a foreign program CSWE evaluates as equivalent (NRS 641B.225(1)(a); 641B.240(1)(a); 641B.204). The college or university forwards a certified transcript directly to the Board (NAC 641B.100). A student in the last semester may take the examination before the degree is awarded, and may apply before graduation with the university's written verification of the graduation date (NAC 641B.105(3); BESW).
Apply online for the LMSW, get fingerprinted, and get Board approval to sit the Masters exam
An applicant must be at least 21, hold a Social Security number or an ITIN, and submit fingerprints for the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History and the FBI, either two sets of cards with the repository's fees or through the Board's fingerprint waiver process (NRS 641B.200; 641B.202; NAC 641B.090(4); 641B.095; BESW). Before taking the examination the applicant must obtain the Board's approval, which requires satisfying the Board on age, character, and education; the application for initial licensure then expires nine months after the approval to test, and a failed examination may be retaken every 90 days until it does (NAC 641B.090(9); 641B.105(3), (6)). The Board's summary of R103-23 says an applicant who fails may request an exam waiver from ASWB when the score is within ten correct answers of passing, up to twice in 12 months, with no Board role (BESW).
Cost
$50 application; $230 to ASWB for the Masters examination; the Central Repository's and FBI's fingerprint fees; $125 license fee on approval (NAC 641B.115; 641B.090(4); ASWB).
Apply for the post-graduate internship: an approved site, an approved supervisor, and an approved plan, before the first client
The 3,000 hours must be undertaken in a program the Board approves before the applicant begins it, including an appropriate setting, supervision by a Board-approved supervisor, and a Board-approved plan of supervision, at not more than three agencies at once (NAC 641B.150(1)(a), (2)). The Board's policy requires the LMSW and a passing Masters score, a Board-approved site with an existing hybrid mental health program, a Board-approved job description, and a supervision contract completed by the supervisor; the application is complete only when both parts are approved, and the intern may not practice until approval (BESW Clinical Internship Program Policy, amended June 2026). The Board keeps lists of approved sites and approved supervisors for northern and southern Nevada (NAC 641B.155(4); BESW). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Two to three years, 3,000 hours, 2,000 of them psychotherapy, 104 of supervision
Not less than 3,000 hours of supervised, postgraduate clinical social work, completed not earlier than two years and not later than three years after the Board approves the program, with at least 2,000 hours in psychotherapeutic methods and techniques with persons, families, and groups and the rest in other clinical social work; at least 1,000 hours are supervised by a Board-approved LCSW (NAC 641B.150(1)(b), (3), (4)). The Board's policy divides the total into 2,000 clinical hours, 1,000 administrative hours, and 104 supervision hours, with at least one individual hour of supervision a week and no more than 24 hours of group supervision, a 40-hour weekly cap, a monthly tracking spreadsheet, and progress reports every six months (NAC 641B.160(3), (5); BESW). Hours reported late, or under an unapproved supervisor or agreement, are disallowed (641B.160(7), (8); 641B.155(7)).
Request exam approval at the halfway point, pass the Clinical exam, and finish the internship
Once the intern has 1,000 clinical hours, 500 administrative hours, and 50 supervision hours, the intern and supervisor email the Board's exam approval request; the approval is good for nine months, the examination is ASWB's Clinical examination, and a failed examination taken during an internship may be retaken every 90 days (BESW infosheet; NAC 641B.105(2)(c), (6)(b)). The internship is complete when the intern has 24 months of practice, the required hours in each category, and a passing score; if the hours and months finish first the internship closes and the intern applies for a new one with the hours banked (BESW policy). The supervisor submits a final report, the intern submits the termination form, and supervision continues until the LCSW issues; the $125 license fee is paid on approval (NAC 641B.160(3)(c); NAC 641B.115; BESW).
Cost
$260 to ASWB for the Clinical examination; $125 license fee on approval; annual LMSW renewals of $125 across the internship (NAC 641B.115; ASWB).
Renew every year by your birth month, with 36 hours of continuing education every two years
Every license is renewed annually by applying, paying the fee, and submitting evidence of the continuing education the Board requires; after the first year, a license becomes delinquent on the last day of the licensee's birth month and expires 60 days later, with no grace period and a $100 delinquent fee (NRS 641B.280(1); 641B.290; NAC 641B.110; BESW). Continuing education is collected every two years: 36 hours for the LCSW and LISW, or 30 for the LSW, LMSW, and LASW, including four hours of ethics, two of suicide prevention and awareness, six of cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion, and 12 or 10 in the licensee's field of practice, with the certificates for the mandated topics uploaded at the collection-cycle renewal (NAC 641B.187 as amended by R103-23; NRS 641B.280(2); BESW).
Cost
$187.50 a year for the LCSW or LISW; $125 a year for the LSW or LMSW (NAC 641B.115).
Endorsement of a corresponding license, with Nevada's own qualifications still required, on a 45-day clock
The Board may license without examination a person holding a current license from a state whose requirements when it issued were substantially equivalent (NRS 641B.270), and may issue an expedited license by endorsement to an applicant holding a corresponding valid and unrestricted license in another state, the District of Columbia, or a territory who has not been disciplined or investigated there and has not been held liable for malpractice, with fingerprints, an affidavit, and the application fee; the Board notifies the applicant of anything missing within 15 business days and issues the license within 45 days after the application is complete, and may grant a provisional license in the meantime (641B.272). The regulation requires that the license be in good standing and never suspended, revoked, or restricted, or the Board reviews the circumstances, and that the applicant meet the Nevada qualifications for the level sought; the Board's narrative adds that endorsement requires the equivalent ASWB examination, the CSWE degree, and, for the LCSW or LISW, 3,000 hours of post-graduate internship, so being licensed elsewhere is not by itself enough (NAC 641B.126; BESW). An endorsement application expires six months after receipt (NAC 641B.090(10)). Military members, spouses, veterans, and surviving spouses pay half the initial issuance fee (641B.300(2)).
Fingerprints for every applicant, and the grounds the Board may weigh
Each applicant submits a complete set of fingerprints that the Board may forward to the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History and the FBI, and the Board's narrative states that every applicant must pass a state and federal background check (NRS 641B.202; NAC 641B.090(4); BESW). The Board may refuse a license to an applicant who is not of good moral character as it relates to the practice of social work, submitted a false credential, was disciplined in another state, committed an act that is a ground for discipline, or was convicted of a crime demonstrating unfitness to engage in social work (641B.260(2)); the grounds for discipline include conviction of a felony relating to the practice of social work, any offense involving moral turpitude, or a controlled substance or dangerous drug offense, fraud in applying or in the examination, professional incompetence, and an alcohol or other substance use disorder that impairs the ability to practice (641B.400). The Board's staff page directs applicants with a legal history or a license sanction history to the Executive Director (BESW).
StudentsNevada
Two provisional licenses: 90 days while you wait for the exam, or up to three years while you finish the MSW
The Board grants a provisional license to a degree holder who applies to take the next available examination and is otherwise eligible for the LSW, LISW, or LCSW, and to a person with a baccalaureate or master's degree in a related field who presents evidence of enrollment in a CSWE-accredited or candidate social work program; the statute caps the first at nine months and the second at three years (NRS 641B.275). The regulation sets the exam-candidate provisional license at 90 days, ending on a failed examination, unavailable to anyone who failed the examination within the past five years, and never issued twice; the related-degree provisional license requires two semesters or four quarters completed in the program, is renewed annually with evidence of enrollment, and ends three years after issuance or at graduation, whichever is first (NAC 641B.112 as amended by R103-23; BESW narrative). The Board's fee for either is $93.75, with an annual $93.75 renewal for the student license (NAC 641B.115).
A client in Nevada requires a Nevada license, and a client elsewhere requires that state's permission
The provision of social work services remotely to a client within Nevada through any means, including electronic means or telecommunication technologies, regardless of the location of the social worker, constitutes the practice of social work and is subject to chapter 641B and the Board's regulations (NAC 641B.124). R103-23 adds to the standards of practice that a licensee shall not provide services through telehealth to a client located outside Nevada unless authorized to do so under the laws of the jurisdiction where the client is located, and the Board's internship policy bars interns from treating clients outside the state (NAC 641B.200(19) as amended; BESW). Nevada is not a Compact member, so multistate practice under the Compact is not available from a Nevada license.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Initial application, any license (one fee for several at once)
$50
BESW
Fingerprint processing
Central Repository's and FBI's fees
Central Repository
ASWB Bachelors or Masters examination, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist examination, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Initial issuance of a license, any level, other than by endorsement
$125
BESW
Initial issuance by endorsement
$125 (military, veterans, and spouses $62.50)
BESW
Provisional license, and annual renewal of the student provisional license
$93.75
BESW
Annual renewal, LSW, LMSW, or LASW
$125
BESW
Annual renewal, LCSW or LISW
$187.50
BESW
Renewal of a delinquent license, in addition
$100
BESW
Restoration of an expired license
$200 plus past renewal fees
BESW
Restoration of a revoked license
$150
BESW
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $405 plus fingerprinting, being $50 to apply, $230 to ASWB, and $125 on approval. LCSW on top of it: $385 more, being $260 for the Clinical examination and $125 on approval, plus $125 a year in LMSW renewals across the two to three years of the internship, and any supervision fee the intern and supervisor agree to. The Board's fees are in NAC 641B.115 and on its fee schedule, capped by NRS 641B.300; the fingerprint fees are the Central Repository's and the FBI's; ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalNevada
36 hours every two years for the LCSW and LISW, 30 for the others, with the mandated topics uploaded
During each two-year reporting period an LCSW or LISW completes at least 36 continuing education hours, and an LASW, LSW, or LMSW at least 30, in Board-approved programs: four hours on ethics in the practice of social work, which the regulation illustrates with boundaries, confidentiality, dual relationships, documentation, billing, telehealth, supervision, social media, mandated reporting, scope of practice, and impaired professionals among other topics; two hours of evidence-based suicide prevention and awareness, which the Board will not waive; six hours of cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion under NRS 641B.280(2), addressing persons of various gender, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, LGBTQ persons, children and seniors, veterans, and persons with mental illness or disabilities; and 12 or 10 hours in the licensee's field of practice (NAC 641B.187 as amended by R103-23; NRS 641B.280(2)). The first reporting period runs from initial licensure to the second renewal deadline, and each licensee is on an even-year or odd-year collection cycle shown in the online verification (NAC 641B.186; BESW). A program may not repeat material taken in the immediately preceding period (641B.187(4)).
What the Board accepts automatically, the affidavit, and the audit
Since June 18, 2024 the Board automatically accepts continuing education approved by ASWB's ACE program, by any of Nevada's four behavioral health boards, by any other state's behavioral board, or by any national behavioral association such as NASW, AAMFT, APA, NBCC, and NAADAC, and keeps a list of approved in-state providers; anything else needs a paper request for approval (NAC 641B.189 as amended; BESW). Beginning with the second renewal and every two years after, the renewal carries an affidavit of completion and the certificate for the suicide prevention hours; the Board audits 100 percent of the legislatively mandated certificates and randomly audits the rest, and the licensee keeps documentation for at least three years (NAC 641B.188; BESW). Failing to provide participation information within 30 days of a Board request, or submitting false information, is grounds for discipline (641B.187(5)). The Board may waive the hours for good cause or for a period spent enrolled in a BSW, MSW, or doctoral social work program, and a retired licensee of at least 60 may renew completing only the mandated topics (641B.187(3) as amended; BESW).
StatusNevada
Delinquent at the birth month, expired 60 days later, restored within a year, or inactive for up to five
If the renewal is not received by the last day of the birth month the license is delinquent, the Board sends notice within 30 days, and the licensee may renew within 60 days by completing the renewal and paying the $100 delinquent fee; a delinquent or expired licensee may not practice (NRS 641B.290(1) through (3); NAC 641B.110(3)). If not renewed within the 60 days the license expires without further notice, and the person may apply for restoration within one year after expiration with all past renewal fees, the $200 restoration fee, fingerprints, evidence of all past continuing education, and evidence of passing the examination or holding an equivalent license in good standing elsewhere; after one year the person applies as a new applicant, and the Board's page notes an ASWB score transfer avoids retesting (641B.290(4); NAC 641B.110(5) and 641B.111 as amended by R103-23; BESW). A licensee in good standing who will not practice in Nevada may instead place the license on inactive status for up to five years without continuing education, and reactivates with an application, a cycle's continuing education, new fingerprints, and the renewal fee (641B.295; BESW).
Tell the Board within 30 days about license actions, arrests, lawsuits, and treatment, and keep your address current
Under R103-23 a licensee notifies the Board in writing within 30 days after an action against a professional license or credential issued by any state or territory; a sanction, restriction, or disciplinary action filed by an insurer, other third party, or regulatory entity; an arrest for, charge with, or conviction of a criminal offense other than a misdemeanor traffic offense, including driving under the influence; a civil action, including malpractice, filed for any act relating to the practice of social work; a settlement or judgment in such an action; or entering a program for the treatment of a substance use disorder or other behavioral disorder affecting the ability to deliver essential social work services (NAC 641B.200(22) as amended). A licensee furnishes the Board written notice of a new home or professional address within 30 days after moving, and under R103-23 the addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses on file are confidential (NAC 641B.085 as amended). An LCSW renewing reports any training in the treatment of trauma following an emergency or disaster and whether willing to respond, which cannot be a ground for denial (NRS 641B.282).
Where the Arkansas figures come from. The Social Work Licensing Act, Arkansas Code Annotated 17-103-101 through 17-103-402 (definitions in 103, exemptions in 104, violations and penalties in 105 and 106, privileged communications in 107, the Board in 201 through 205, license requirements and endorsement in 301 and 302, renewal in 304, discipline in 305, qualifications in 306, background checks in 307, the licensure certificate in 308, electronic practice in 309, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in 401 and 402), read from the Board's posted copy and checked against the 2025 code in September 2026; the Rules of the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board effective January 1, 2022 (applications II, provisional licenses III, examination IV, endorsement V, supervision VI, fees VII, renewal VIII, continuing education IX, the Code of Ethics X, unprofessional conduct XI, discipline XII, professional corporations XIII, and telemedicine XIV); and the Board's FAQ, application checklist, renewal packet, supervision guidelines, and fee letter. The licensing body is the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (ASWLB), a board within the Arkansas Department of Health, 5800 West 10th Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72204, (501) 372-5071, swlb@arkansas.gov, nine members appointed by the Governor including three LCSWs, two LMSWs, one LSW, a psychiatrist, a public member, and a member representing the elderly; it meets the second Monday of each month, and applications and renewals are online. Arkansas enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2025 and appears on the Compact Commission's list of member jurisdictions.
The three licenses
LicenseArkansas
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or the Canadian Association for Social Work Education, or a social work degree earned before June 17, 1986 from an accredited institution; the ASWB Bachelors examination; a state and national criminal background check; physical and mental competence; no plea or finding of guilt to a felony listed in 17-3-102 or an offense involving violence, dishonesty, fraud, deceit, breach of client trust, or abuse of the vulnerable, absent a waiver; no drug or alcohol use affecting competency; and no fraud in the application (A.C.A. 17-103-306(a); Board FAQ). An LSW conducts a basic generalist practice of assessment, case management, information and referral, advocacy, nonclinical counseling, client education, research, community organization, and program administration, is not qualified to diagnose and treat mental illness or provide psychotherapy, practices only in organized settings such as a social, medical, or governmental agency, and only under supervision, never privately or independently (17-103-103(3)).
LicenseArkansas
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's degree in social work from a CSWE- or CASWE-accredited program, or a master's in social work earned before June 17, 1986; the ASWB Masters examination; the background check; good moral character; and the same competence, criminal history, substance use, and honesty conditions (A.C.A. 17-103-306(b); Board FAQ). An LMSW applies specialized knowledge and advanced practice skills in assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, implementation and evaluation, case management, information and referral, mediation, client education, counseling, advocacy, supervision of nonclinical baccalaureate-level social workers and nonlicensed master's-level employees, nonclinical consultation, research, community organization, administration, and outcome evaluation, practices under supervision within a recognized organized setting, and shall not practice privately or independently (17-103-103(2)). This is the license held while the LCSW hours accrue.
LicenseArkansas
LCSW · Licensed Certified Social Worker
The master's degree; at least 24 months of supervised social work experience under a licensed certified social worker, including at least 4,000 hours in a social work position under the supervision of an LCSW or a social worker the Board determines to have equivalent qualifications; the ASWB Clinical examination; the background check; good moral character; and the same conditions (A.C.A. 17-103-306(c)); the Board's checklist describes the 4,000 hours as time in a master's-level clinical position with 100 direct supervision hours (ASWLB checklist). An LCSW applies social work theory, knowledge, methods, and the professional use of self to restore or enhance social, psychosocial, or biopsychosocial functioning; practices with specialized knowledge and advanced clinical skills in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders; may operate a private practice; may practice macro social work independently; and may do everything an LMSW may do (17-103-103(1)). Only an LCSW may engage in the private independent practice of social work or in social work consultation (17-103-301(b), (c)).
TitlesArkansas
A license to practice or call yourself a social worker, and the LCSW for private practice
A person shall not practice or offer to practice social work unless licensed, a student under the chapter, or otherwise entitled, and shall not engage in the private independent practice of social work or in social work consultation unless licensed as an LCSW (A.C.A. 17-103-301). Representing oneself as a social worker or practicing without a license, entering private independent clinical practice without the LCSW, obtaining a license by bribery or fraud, and knowingly making a false statement on a Board form are violations, each a Class A misdemeanor; the Board first sends a registered letter and then refers continued practice to law enforcement (17-103-105; 17-103-106). The chapter does not restrict clergy, physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors, and attorneys working within their own professions, hospital employees, students enrolled in a CSWE-accredited program, or state family service, social service, and adult protective services workers, so long as none of them hold themselves out as social workers (17-103-104).
CompactArkansas
A Compact member since 2025
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted at A.C.A. 17-103-401, added by Act 639 of 2025, and the Board is the Compact administrator for the state, may adopt implementing rules, and is not required to adopt the Commission's rules for them to be effective; the General Assembly or Legislative Council holds the state's authority to reject a Commission rule (17-103-402). The Commission's alphabetical list of member jurisdictions included Arkansas when read in September 2026; check swcompact.org and the Board for whether multistate licenses are being issued and on what terms.
A $100 application and an $80 renewal in the rules, cut to $5 and $4 for the year that ended June 30, 2026
The rules set a $100 application fee, an $80 two-year renewal fee, an $80 late renewal fee, $20 for a replacement license or an endorsement to another state, and $25 and $10 for a professional corporation's certificate of registration and its renewal, with the examination fee being ASWB's (Rule VII.A). Under Act 114 of 2023 the Department of Health reduced the application fee to $5 and the renewal fee to $4, and the replacement, endorsement, and certificate fees to $1, from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, stating that the reduction may or may not apply in future years; the Board's 2025 application checklist and renewal packet still show the reduced amounts, so confirm the current fee with the Board before paying (ASWLB fee letter, May 16, 2025). The statute caps the application, renewal, and late fees at $150 each (A.C.A. 17-103-205). The Board waives the initial licensing fee for an applicant receiving Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, TANF, or Lifeline assistance, approved for unemployment within the past 12 months, or with income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines (Rule VII.B). The background check fee is the Arkansas State Police's (17-103-307(c)).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The LMSW and LCSW each rest on a master's degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (A.C.A. 17-103-306(b)(1)(A), (c)(1)(A)). The official transcript with the degree posted goes directly from the college or university to the Board, or the Board accepts a transcript on file with ASWB (Rule II.C). A currently enrolled student in an accredited program may do social work without a license so long as the student does not represent himself or herself as a social worker (17-103-104(c)).
Apply for the LMSW online, complete the background check, and take the Masters exam on a one-year provisional license
The application is submitted online or on the Board's form with the fee, the transcript, and a signed release for the state and federal criminal background check administered by the Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau, with the applicant paying the fee; the Board must have the results before it issues a provisional license or approves the applicant to test (Rule II.B through II.D; A.C.A. 17-103-307; checklist). Once approved, a first-time LSW or LMSW applicant receives a provisional license, issued once and expiring exactly one year after issuance, and eligibility to register with ASWB for the Masters examination; the approved application is good for one year or three attempts, with a 90-day wait between attempts, and expires six months after filing if not completed (17-103-306(b)(2); Rules II.I, III, IV; FAQ). An applicant with a conviction may first petition for a pre-licensure determination of whether the record disqualifies or a waiver is available (Rule II.A).
Cost
$100 application in the rules ($5 during the reduction that ran through June 30, 2026); $230 to ASWB for the Masters examination; the Arkansas State Police's background check fee (Rule VII; ASWLB; A.C.A. 17-103-307).
Take a master's-level clinical job, agree on a plan with an LCSW three years licensed, and file it within 60 days
To provide supervision toward the LCSW, an LCSW or a social worker the Board determines to have equivalent qualifications must be fully licensed for three years (Rule VI.B.1). The supervisee, a PLMSW or LMSW, must be employed in a master's-level clinical social work position for the supervision to count, and the supervisor and supervisee agree on a supervision plan on the Board's form, which must reach the Board in legible form within 60 days from the beginning date of supervision; it is the supervisee's responsibility to verify receipt, and emailed plans are acknowledged (Rule VI.C; ASWLB supervision guidelines). If the supervisor is outside the agency, a dated letter on agency letterhead confirming the supervisor's access to records and policies goes with the plan (plan form). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
24 months, 4,000 hours, 100 direct supervision hours, one a week
At least 24 months of supervised social work experience under an LCSW, including at least 4,000 hours in a social work position under the supervision of an LCSW or Board-approved equivalent (A.C.A. 17-103-306(c)(1)(B)). During the 24 months the applicant must have at least 100 direct supervision hours, with no more than two hours counted in any one week, in direct contact with the supervisor at least one hour a week; group supervision counts only with no more than four supervisees and for no more than half of the total (Rule VI.B.2, B.3; guidelines). A new plan and an evaluation of the prior period are required whenever the supervisee's job or the supervisor changes, and an updated plan whenever duties or goals change, each within the same 60 days (guidelines).
Submit the evaluation form, apply for the LCSW, and pass the Clinical exam
When supervision ends the LCSW supervisor completes the Supervision Evaluation Form with the supervisee, both sign, and the supervisee submits it within 60 days of the last date of supervision; the beginning date must match the plan on file, and the Board totals the months, hours, and supervision from the evaluation forms (guidelines; Rule II.F). The LCSW application carries the fee, the transcript or ASWB record, a new background check release, and the documentation of supervision; on approval the applicant registers for the ASWB Clinical examination, with the same 90-day wait and three attempts, and no provisional license is available at this level (A.C.A. 17-103-306(c); Rules III.A, IV; checklist).
Cost
$100 application in the rules ($5 during the reduction); $260 to ASWB for the Clinical examination; the background check fee (Rule VII; ASWLB).
Renew every two years with 30 hours, 3 of them ethics, and no more than 15 independent
Every license is valid for two years after issuance and expires on the last day of that month; the Board sends a reminder about two months before, and the licensee submits the renewal application and fee online or by mail before the expiration date with evidence of 30 hours of social work continuing education completed during the two-year period, at least three in professional ethics and no more than 15 by independent study (A.C.A. 17-103-304; Rules VIII.B, IX.B). There is no grace period for practice: an expired licensee may not practice, a license lapsed less than three months is renewed with the late fee and an attestation of no practice, and one lapsed three months or more is not renewable and the person applies as a new applicant, examination included (17-103-304(d); Rule VIII.B.3 through B.5; FAQ).
Cost
$80 every two years in the rules ($4 during the reduction that ran through June 30, 2026), any level (Rule VII; ASWLB fee letter).
Endorsement of a substantially equivalent license, with the exam waived and the LCSW hours documented or excused after three years
The Board may grant a license without examination to a person meeting the chapter's other requirements who is licensed as a social worker by a similar board of another state, territory, district, or Canadian province whose standards the Board finds substantially equivalent (A.C.A. 17-103-302). The examination is waived for an applicant currently licensed elsewhere who passed the examination that jurisdiction approved and holds a CSWE- or CASWE-accredited degree; an LCSW applicant documents 24 months of supervision and 4,000 hours in a master's-level position under an LCSW, which the Board may waive for an applicant who has practiced at the independent clinical level for the last three years and met the independent clinical requirements of the current state, and a master's-level provisional license is available to an LCSW applicant who meets everything but the examination (Rule V). The applicant sends the Board's verification form to every state where a social work license, certification, or registration is or was held, requests an ASWB score transfer, and completes the Arkansas background check (checklist). Uniformed service members stationed in Arkansas, veterans who reside here, and their spouses receive automatic licensure on a similar-scope license in good standing (Rule II.G).
Fingerprints for every applicant, a list of disqualifying offenses, and a waiver the Board may grant
Each applicant applies for a state and national criminal background check conducted by the Division of Arkansas State Police and the FBI, with fingerprints, signs a release, and pays the fee; the results go only to the Board and the applicant (A.C.A. 17-103-307). The Board shall refuse to issue, and shall revoke, the license of a person found guilty of a felony listed in 17-3-102 or a criminal offense involving violence, dishonesty, fraud, deceit, breach of client trust, or abuse of the vulnerable unless the person requests and the Board grants a waiver, which the Board weighs on the age at the offense, the circumstances, the time elapsed, work history, employment and character references, the relevance of the offense to the license, and other evidence that licensure poses no threat to public health or safety; the request accompanies the application in writing (17-103-305(b); 17-103-306; Rule II.E). A person may petition for a pre-licensure determination before applying, which is not appealable but is kept on file (Rule II.A).
StudentsArkansas
Students practice without a license, and the provisional license carries a graduate through the exam year
The chapter does not limit the activities and services of a graduate or undergraduate student currently enrolled in a CSWE-accredited social work program who does not represent himself or herself as a social worker (A.C.A. 17-103-104(c)). After graduation, the Board issues a Provisional Licensed Social Worker or Provisional Licensed Master Social Worker license one time only to an approved applicant, good for one year and up to three attempts to pass the examination; it cannot be renewed and is not available at the LCSW level (17-103-306(a)(2), (b)(2), (c)(2)(C); Rule III). A provisional licensee practices under the same supervision rules as the full license: weekly supervision by an LMSW, an LCSW, or another qualified professional from a related field in a clinical position, or reporting to a supervisor in a nonclinical one (Rule VI.A). The Board's guidelines let a PLMSW begin LCSW supervision in a master's-level clinical position (ASWLB supervision guidelines).
A client in Arkansas requires an Arkansas license, and a relationship established before any treatment
The provision of social work services to a client within Arkansas through any means, including electronic means or by telephone, regardless of the social worker's location, constitutes the practice of social work subject to the chapter and the rules (A.C.A. 17-103-309). Under the telemedicine rule a social worker exhibits gross negligence by providing or recommending any treatment via telemedicine without first establishing a proper social worker-client relationship, which requires an in-person psychosocial assessment, a face-to-face assessment by real-time audio and visual technology at least equal to an in-person one, or an existing professional relationship, plus arranged follow-up; a questionnaire, email, patient-generated history, text, or fax does not create one, and emergencies and generic information are excepted (Rule XIV.B through F). The Compact will govern multistate practice as multistate licenses issue (17-103-401). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Filing of an application, any license
$100 (reduced to $5 for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026)
ASWLB
State and national criminal background check
Arkansas State Police's fee
Arkansas State Police
ASWB Bachelors or Masters examination, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical examination, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Two-year renewal, any level
$80 (reduced to $4 for the same year)
ASWLB
Late renewal, lapsed under three months, in addition
$80
ASWLB
Replacement license
$20 (reduced to $1)
ASWLB
Endorsement of the Arkansas license to another state
$20 (reduced to $1)
ASWLB
Professional corporation certificate of registration, and annual renewal
$25 and $10 (reduced to $1 each)
ASWLB
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $330 plus the background check at the rule fees, being $100 to apply and $230 to ASWB, with no separate license fee on approval; during the reduction year it was $235. LCSW on top of it: $360 more at the rule fees, being $100 to apply and $260 for the Clinical examination, plus one $80 LMSW renewal across the two years of supervision. The Board's fees are in Rule VII and its fee letter, capped by A.C.A. 17-103-205; the low-income waiver is in Rule VII.B; the background check fee is the Arkansas State Police's; ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalArkansas
30 clock hours every two years, 3 in ethics, no more than 15 independent, no carryover, no pre-approval
Each licensee completes 30 credit hours of social work continuing education during each two-year licensure period, at least three in professional ethics and no more than 15 by independent study; a credit hour is one clock hour of actual activity in segments of at least 15 minutes, one academic credit equals 15 clock hours once the course is complete, and volunteer service under the Arkansas Volunteer Health Care Act counts at eight hours per credit (Rule IX.A, IX.B.1). Acceptable activities are seminars, workshops, and courses oriented to social work practice, values, skills, and knowledge, including cross-disciplinary offerings clearly related to social work and employer in-service training by staff or outside presenters, but not agency policy and procedure training; academic social work or related courses taken for credit or audited; first-time presentation of a course or workshop, with preparation, up to 10 hours; preparation of a first professional publication up to 10 hours; and independent home study or online courses up to 15 hours, with live and interactive webinars counting as face-to-face (Rule IX.C). The Board does not pre-approve workshops; the licensee judges applicability, the Board may ask for a written description, disallowed hours must be replaced within three months without counting in the next period, and a course may not repeat within a period (Rule IX.B.5, IX.D, IX.E).
The summary sheet, the two-year file, the audit, and the extension request
Continuing education is reported on the Board's form or an equivalent list, which may be a typed employer training list signed by the licensee and the supervisor or employer; the licensee keeps documentation for two years after the renewal date, and after each renewal period the Board audits a percentage of renewals and requires each audited licensee to document every hour on the summary sheet (Rule IX.B.2 through B.4; renewal packet). Renewals should not be submitted more than two months before expiration (renewal packet). A licensee who cannot complete the hours because of extenuating circumstances submits an extension request 30 days before expiration with the completed renewal packet, the fee, a summary of hours completed so far, a signed attestation not to practice after expiration unless the extension is granted, a letter explaining the circumstances, a physician's letter if health related, a work history for the period, and a plan to finish the hours, which the Board reviews individually (Rule VIII.B.6; IX.F).
Expired at two years, renewable with a penalty for three months, then a new application and the exam
A license not renewed before its expiration date lapses on the last day of the month exactly two years from issuance, and the person may no longer practice social work (A.C.A. 17-103-304(d)(1); Rule VIII.B.3). A license lapsed less than three months is renewed by submitting the renewal application, the renewal fee and the late penalty, which the statute frames as twice the renewal fee, an attestation that the licensee has not practiced since the lapse and will not until the Board approves the renewal, and the summary of 30 hours completed during the prior period; the three months do not allow practice or extra time to earn hours (17-103-304(d)(2); Rule VIII.B.4; FAQ). A license expired three months or longer is not renewable, and the person is a new applicant subject to every current requirement including the examination, though a former Arkansas licensee in good standing who was never revoked, suspended, or placed on probation may be reinstated on application, fee, and background check (17-103-304(d)(3), (4); Rule VIII.B.5, VIII.D; FAQ).
Report a new name or address within 30 days, discipline elsewhere, and a lapsed license to your clients
The licensee is responsible for providing and updating accurate information on any change of name or address within 30 days of the change, and the Board is not responsible for misdirected renewal notices (Rule VIII.E; FAQ). Failing to report to the Board an adverse action taken by another licensing jurisdiction, or the surrender of a license or authorization to practice elsewhere, is unprofessional conduct, as is being disciplined elsewhere on the same grounds (Rule XI.N, XI.O). A licensee in independent private practice displays the license and immediately notifies clients if it expires without renewal or is suspended or revoked, and any licensee whose license lapses or is suspended or revoked immediately notifies the employer, employees, and partners and removes the certificate and card from display (A.C.A. 17-103-308).
Where the Mississippi figures come from. Title 73, Chapter 53 of the Mississippi Code (public policy in 73-53-1, definitions in 73-53-3, exemptions in 73-53-5, titles and penalties in 73-53-7, the Board in 73-53-8 through 73-53-11, qualifications in 73-53-13, licensure and fees in 73-53-15, grounds in 73-53-17, discipline in 73-53-19 through 73-53-27, confidential communications in 73-53-29, and the Social Work Licensure Compact in Article 3, 73-53-51 through 73-53-81, added by Laws 2025, chapter 448), read in September 2026; and the Board's Rules and Regulations, Title 30 Part 1901 (authority, character and fitness, standards, complaints, military licensure, and universal recognition) and Part 1902 (social work definitions, licenses, supervision, examinations, license status, standards of practice, continuing education, renewal, and fees), as amended April 18, 2022 and published effective November 17, 2022. The licensing body is the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, P.O. Box 4508, Jackson, MS 39296-4508, (601) 987-6806, info@swmft.ms.gov, ten members appointed by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, six of them social workers; applications, renewals, and verification run through the Board's licensee portal. Mississippi enacted the Compact in 2025 and appears on the Compact Commission's list of jurisdictions that have passed it.
The three licenses
LicenseMississippi
LSW · Licensed Social Worker
A baccalaureate degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and a passing score on the ASWB Bachelors examination (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(a); Rule 1902-2.2 C.1). The entry level of practice usually includes a wide range of direct services under the supervision of an LMSW or other qualified professional, with tasks such as data gathering, assessment, planning and contracting, generalist interventions, educational and supportive groups, and evaluation of one's own practice; an LSW should not provide clinical social work services or psychotherapy or engage in autonomous practice, and the Board's rule prohibits an LSW from diagnosing, treating, or conducting therapeutic groups or psychotherapy (Rule 1902-3.2 A; Rule 1901-2.2 A).
LicenseMississippi
LMSW · Licensed Master Social Worker
A master's or doctoral degree from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and a passing score on the ASWB Masters examination (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(b); Rule 1902-2.2 C.2). Master's social work practice is the application of social work theory, knowledge, methods, and ethics and the professional use of self, including assessment, treatment planning, implementation and evaluation, case management, information and referral, counseling, supervision, consultation, education, research, advocacy, community organization, and program administration, and under supervision it may include the practices reserved to clinical social workers (73-53-3(c)). An LMSW may provide clinical services only under the supervision of an LCSW or another licensed clinical professional such as a psychiatrist or a doctoral-level clinical psychologist, may work only as an employee in an agency or organizational setting, may not engage in autonomous practice, and may not hold out as a clinical social worker (Rule 1902-3.2 B).
LicenseMississippi
LCSW · Licensed Certified Social Worker
A current LMSW in good standing who has completed the Board's post-master's supervision process and passed the ASWB Clinical examination (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(c); Rule 1902-2.1 C, 2.2 C.3). The statute frames the experience as 24 months of professional supervision and clinical or macro social work practice acceptable to the Board; the rules set it at a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 36 months with 100 hours of face-to-face supervision and 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact. An LCSW performs everything in the LMSW scope, functions independently, and uses the DSM, ICD, and other diagnostic systems in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment; only a licensed certified social worker who completed clinical supervision and took the Clinical examination may hold out to the public as a "clinical social worker," and an LCSW who took the Advanced Generalist examination may not, while LCSWs licensed before July 1, 2020 may continue as they were (Rule 1902-2.1 C, 3.2 C).
TitlesMississippi
Title protection with a fine that climbs, and the exemptions
No person or business may use or advertise the words "social worker," "licensed social worker," "licensed master's social worker," "licensed certified social worker," or "licensed clinical social worker," the letters SW, LSW, LMSW, or LCSW, or anything implying that social work services are supplied, unless the services are provided by a current licensee, by a person supervised as the Board's rules provide, or by a compact privilege holder; a person without a license or privilege may not practice social work or advertise the practice (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-7(1)). A violation is a misdemeanor punished by a fine of up to $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second, and $5,000 for a third and each later one (73-53-7(3)). The chapter does not reach other licensed professionals or ministers and counselors working within their own training so long as they do not use the chapter's titles, federal employees acting within their duties, a person serving a family member without compensation, or a student whose activities are part of a supervised course of study under a licensee (73-53-5).
CompactMississippi
A Compact member since 2025
The Social Work Licensure Compact is enacted as Article 3 of the chapter, Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-51 through 73-53-81, added by Laws 2025, chapter 448, effective July 1, 2025, and the 2025 amendments to the definitions and the title statute recognize a person holding a compact privilege as a licensed social worker who may practice and advertise in Mississippi (73-53-3(n); 73-53-7(1)). Mississippi appears on the Compact Commission's alphabetical listing of jurisdictions that have passed the Compact; check swcompact.org and the Board for whether multistate licenses are being issued and on what terms. A license issued under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act is valid only in Mississippi and does not make the holder eligible to be part of an interstate compact (Rule 1901-3.5 D).
A $27 application, $75 or $110 to issue, and the same to renew
The Board's schedule sets an application processing cost of $27, an initial license fee of $75 for the LSW and $110 for the LMSW and LCSW, biennial renewal of $75 for the LSW and $110 for the LMSW and LCSW, $32 to upgrade from LSW to LMSW or from LMSW to LCSW, a $55 late renewal fee, $35 for inactive or retired status plus the renewal cost, $38 to reinstate plus the renewal cost, $25 for a replacement license and $5 for a duplicate card or seal, $80 to approve a post-graduate supervision plan, $55 to certify an LCSW supervisor, $25 for the supervisor test, $10 for a name change, and $25 to verify the license to another state (Rule 1902-4.3 B). All fees and costs are non-refundable and are paid by cashier's check, money order, or, for online renewals, credit card (Rule 1902-4.3 A). The statute caps initial and renewal fees at $200 for the LSW, $250 for the LMSW, and $350 for the LCSW, and limits any increase to ten percent of the previous year's fee (73-53-15(3)). Examination fees go directly to ASWB (Rule 1902-2.4 C).
The order it happens in
Step 1National
Finish a CSWE-accredited MSW
The LMSW and the LCSW both rest on a master's or doctoral degree from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(b)(i); Rule 1902-2.2 C.2). A graduate student certified by the program director as being in the final year of an accredited program may apply to take the licensure examination before the degree is conferred, and verification of the degree is required before the license issues (Rule 1902-2.4 A.1). A student's activities are exempt from licensure while they are part of a supervised course of study under a licensee (73-53-5(4)).
Apply through the portal with fingerprints and a sex offender registry check
Every applicant must be at least 21, be of good moral character as the rules define it, hold United States citizenship or legal resident alien status, be free of a felony related to the practice of social work within the last ten years, be mentally competent with no standing decree of incompetence, be currently free from dependency on alcohol, drugs, or other addiction, have no pending disciplinary action, and hold an acceptable degree for the level sought (Rule 1902-2.2 B; 73-53-13(d)). The application carries the fee, verification of the degree, an acceptable Mississippi Sex Offender Registry check conducted by the Board, and a fingerprint criminal history record check conducted within 180 days of the completed application and sent to the Board directly by the governmental authority, not by the applicant (Rule 1902-2.2 C.1, C.2; 73-53-11(1)(u)).
Cost
$27 application processing; $110 initial license fee for the LMSW; the fingerprint vendor's fee; $230 to ASWB for the Masters examination (Rule 1902-4.3 B; ASWB).
ASWB requires the Board's verification before an applicant may sit, so the Board sends written approval and that approval expires one year from its date (Rule 1902-2.4 A). An application is considered abandoned if the examination has not been attempted within six months of the date the Board received it, and any later application is treated as new with all fees again (Rule 1902-2.2 D). An applicant may retake the examination every 90 calendar days, must reapply with all applicable fees if a passing score is not attained within one year of the initial application date, and after four failed attempts may appeal to the Board, which may recommend remedial techniques (Rule 1902-2.4 D). Candidates download the handbook and register directly with ASWB (Rule 1902-2.4 B).
Step 4Mississippi
Get the supervision plan approved before the first supervised hour
All plans for post-master's supervision must be approved by the Board before supervision begins, and no approval is retroactive (Rule 1902-2.3 B). The LMSW submits an Application to Enter into Contract for Supervision toward LCSW status with the $80 processing cost and a Plan of Supervision on the Board's outline, naming a Board-approved LCSW supervisor and stating that the candidate intends to take the ASWB Clinical examination; supervision may not start until the Board's approval letter arrives (Rule 1902-2.3 C; Board quickstep guide). Supervision must occur within an agency, institution, or group practice setting, and an LMSW practicing independent of such a setting is outside the rules and may face discipline (Rule 1902-2.3 E.1). The rest is in Supervision & Practicum.
Two to three years, 100 supervision hours, 1,000 client contact hours, four evaluations
The supervisee meets the supervisor at least one hour a week face to face for a minimum of 100 hours across a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 36 consecutive months, and completes at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact during the period (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c, E.2.d). Written evaluations go to the Board at six-month intervals and each must be approved before the next six-month period begins, so the process runs in four approved phases (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.e; Board quickstep guide). With the fourth evaluation the candidate submits the LCSW application, the Termination of Supervision form, the verification of face-to-face client contact, and three reference letters from licensed mental health professionals who have known the applicant at least a year during supervision, at least one of them an LCSW other than the supervisor (Rule 1902-2.2 C.3; 2.3 E.3).
Step 6Mississippi
Pass the Clinical exam, then renew every two years with 40 hours
Once the Board approves the final evaluation it sends the letter authorizing the ASWB Clinical examination, which since July 1, 2020 is the only examination accepted for LCSW status; the candidate may keep practicing under the LMSW license while testing, may retake every 90 days, and receives the LCSW on the passing score and Board approval (Rule 1902-2.4 D, E.3; Board supervision guide). Licenses renew biennially, LSWs in September and LMSWs and LCSWs in April, odd-numbered licenses in odd years and even-numbered in even years, with 40 approved continuing education hours including four in ethics, two in cultural diversity, and one in mandated reporting (Rule 1902-4.1 C, 4.2 A).
Cost
$27 application processing and $110 initial license fee for the LCSW, or $32 to upgrade; $260 to ASWB for the Clinical examination; $110 every two years to renew (Rule 1902-4.3 B; ASWB).
Reciprocity on an equal-or-greater license, and universal recognition at the same practice level
An applicant holding a valid license from another state may be licensed by reciprocity or endorsement if the examination completed is the same ASWB examination Mississippi prescribes for that level, the license is in good standing from a state whose qualifications equal or exceed Mississippi's current requirements, with examinations administered by individual states not accepted as equal, no complaint or disciplinary action is pending, and the applicant holds the degree the current rules require (Rule 1902-2.2 C.4; Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(a)(ii), (b)(iii), (c)(iv)). Separately, under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act the Board issues a license at the same practice level to a person who has held a similar-scope license in good standing in another state for at least one year and meets the Act's conditions, or who worked at least three years in a state that does not license the occupation; the Board decides within 120 days and issues a temporary practice permit within 30 days if processing will take longer than two weeks, with the permit lasting up to 365 days (Rule 1901-3.5; 73-50-2). The Board warns universal recognition applicants to apply at the level their current scope supports, because applications beyond it may be denied.
Fingerprints, the sex offender registry, and what good moral character means
The Board conducts a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the FBI for applicants and for licensees under investigation, charges the applicant the cost, and keeps the results confidential and exempt from the Public Records Act except when introduced at a licensure hearing (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-11(1)(u)). Applicants also undergo a Mississippi Sex Offender Registry check (Rule 1902-2.2 B.4). Good moral character means a pattern of behavior conforming to the profession's ethical standards and showing honesty, truthfulness, integrity, respect for the rights of others, and an absence of moral turpitude; the Board weighs convictions and pleas, discipline on any professional credential, conduct that would be grounds for discipline, civil and administrative actions involving fraud, misrepresentation, theft, or assault, prior unlicensed practice, conduct violating the NASW or AAMFT codes, and dishonesty, then considers the nature, age, number, and severity of the offenses, completion of probation and restitution, and whether ten years have passed (Rule 1901-2.1). The burden of showing good moral character rests on the applicant.
StudentsMississippi
Seniors and final-year students may sit for the exam early
Baccalaureate social work majors certified as having attained senior standing at a CSWE- or SACS-accredited college or university may apply to take the licensure examination, as may graduate students certified as being in the final year of a CSWE-accredited program and doctoral students in their final year if not already licensed as an LMSW; certification comes from the social work program director on the Board's form, and verification of the degree is required before any license issues (Rule 1902-2.4 A.1). Until then the student practices under the exemption for activities that are part of a supervised course of study (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-5(4)). The Board posts a separate student application checklist.
The practice of LSW, LMSW, or clinical or certified social work with an individual in this state or another state through telephonic or electronic social work services or other means, regardless of the location of the practitioner, constitutes the practice of social work and is subject to the rules and regulations of the state where the practitioner provides services and the state where the client receives them (Rule 1902-3.4 B). Electronic social work services are defined broadly to include computers, the internet, social media, online chat, text, email, smartphones, landlines, and video technology used to provide services, communicate with clients, manage confidential information, store records, or arrange payment (Rule 1902-3.4 A). Social workers providing them must take all necessary measures to comply with practice standards and ethics (Rule 1902-3.4 B). The Compact will govern multistate practice as multistate licenses issue (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-51).
What it costs
Item
Fee
Paid to
Application processing cost
$27
Board
Fingerprint criminal history records check
the vendor's and agency's fees
Department of Public Safety
ASWB Bachelors or Masters examination, each attempt
$230
ASWB
ASWB Clinical examination, each attempt
$260
ASWB
Initial license fee, LSW
$75
Board
Initial license fee, LMSW or LCSW
$110
Board
Upgrade, LSW to LMSW or LMSW to LCSW
$32
Board
Post-graduate supervision plan approval
$80
Board
Biennial renewal, LSW / LMSW / LCSW
$75 / $110 / $110
Board
Late renewal fee
$55
Board
Reinstatement, plus the renewal cost
$38
Board
Inactive or retired status, plus the renewal cost for inactive
$35
Board
LCSW supervisor certification, and the supervisor test
$55, and $25
Board
$
What it adds up to. LMSW: $367 plus the background check, being $27 to apply, $230 to ASWB, and $110 on issuance. LCSW on top of it: $479 more, being $80 for the supervision plan, $27 to apply, $260 for the Clinical examination, and $110 on issuance, or $32 if the Board treats it as an upgrade, plus one $110 LMSW renewal across the two to three years of supervision. The Board's fees are in Rule 1902-4.3 B, capped by Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-15(3); ASWB's fees are ASWB's.
Keeping the license
RenewalMississippi
40 hours every two years: 4 ethics, 2 cultural diversity, 1 mandated reporting
Forty approved continuing education hours are required for each renewal period, including four hours of approved professional ethics, two hours of cultural diversity, multicultural issues, or cultural competency awareness, and, since July 1, 2020, one hour of training in mandated reporting for all client populations; a continuing education hour is a 60-minute clock hour that excludes registration, meals, and organizational business (Rule 1902-4.1 B.1, C.5 through C.7). At least 20 hours each period must be in-person learning, and offerings that are live and transmitted over the internet on interactive audiovisual platforms count as in person; no more than 20 hours may be remote learning, including self-directed learning, distance learning, online courses, and prerecorded webinars and conferences (Rule 1902-4.1 C.9, C.10). Board-approved LCSW supervisors add two hours of continuing education in supervision each renewal period (Rule 1902-2.3 D.1.b). LSWs do not submit continuing education at their first renewal, nor do LMSWs holding no previous license, while an LMSW upgrading from LSW and an LCSW upgrading from LMSW do submit at the first renewal (Rule 1902-4.1 C.1 through C.3).
Unused hours, the four-year file, and the ten percent audit
Continuing education hours completed within the three years before a license's current expiration date that were not submitted for a previous renewal may be carried over as unused hours, except that ethics, cultural diversity, and mandated reporting hours may not; the licensee, not the Board, keeps track of them, and the Board's online system maintains them for licensees who renew in the portal rather than by mail (Rule 1902-4.1 C.4; Board renewal instructions). The licensee alone must obtain verification of attendance, provide proof and an attestation to the Board, and maintain records and official verification for four years (Rule 1902-4.1 F). The Board may annually audit at least ten percent of the continuing education reports accompanying renewals; an audited licensee has 30 calendar days to provide documentation or the license is subject to suspension, and a licensee found short at audit may be renewed on the condition that the deficiency is cured within six months, with those hours not counting toward any other period (Rule 1902-4.1 G).
StatusMississippi
Lapsed at the expiration date, reinstatable for two years, then a new application
A licensee who fails to renew biennially before the expiration date has a lapsed license and may not practice social work during the lapse; the Board may reinstate within 24 months on a reinstatement application, payment of the renewal costs, the fingerprint and sex offender registry checks, and documentation of all the continuing education that would have been required for the entire lapsed period (Rule 1902-2.6 I, J; 4.2 D.1). A license lapsed more than two years cannot be renewed or reinstated, and the person applies as a new applicant under the rules in effect at the time, including the appropriate ASWB examinations; an LCSW with a lapse of any duration also submits three current letters of reference (Rule 1902-2.6 I, K; 4.2 D.2). Inactive status is available to a licensee in good standing who does not practice or hold out in Mississippi, lasts two years with one two-year extension on written request, and ends in lapse if no extension is granted (Rule 1902-2.6 D). Retired status is for a licensee no longer receiving compensation in the field, requires an affidavit and the processing cost, and may be reinstated within four years with 40 continuing education hours (Rule 1902-2.6 E, F).
Report a name or address change within 30 days, and discipline anywhere
All licensees must inform the Board in writing on its forms of a change of address, name, or other identifying information, and a name change must be reported no later than 30 calendar days after it, in writing, signed and notarized, with a certified copy of the legal document and the fee; practicing under a name different from the one on the certificate is a violation of the standards of practice (Rule 1902-2.5; 1901-2.2 B). Failure to notify the Board of the suspension, probation, or revocation of any past or current license in social work, marriage and family therapy, or any other health care field in this or another state, or of any disciplinary action by a licensing board or professional association, is itself a standards violation, as is failure to report to the appropriate board known or suspected violations by other mental health professionals (Rule 1901-3.1 B.18, B.24). The licensee is responsible for keeping an accurate mailing address on file, and failure to receive a renewal notice does not excuse a late renewal (Rule 1902-4.2 B.2).
People use the word “supervision” for several different arrangements with different rules, different qualifying supervisors, and very different consequences if you get them wrong. What students may do in field placement, how many hours a clinical license takes, who may sign for them, and what can void them are all set by each state. The one thing every program shares comes first. Pick your state for the rest.
What holds in every state comes first. Choose a state for its exams, fees, hours, and renewal rules. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
What holds in every state
StudentsNational
Field hours your program must provide
Under CSWE's 2022 accreditation standards, programs must provide a minimum of 400 hours of field education at the baccalaureate level and 900 hours at the master's level.
Worth being clear about
These are accreditation minimums your program has to meet, not licensure hours. The supervised experience for a clinical license is counted after the degree, under your state's rules, and each state decides when that clock starts.
Field education is governed by your program and CSWE. Licensing boards regulate licensees and, in most states, people registered on the way to a license; students in an accredited program are covered by their program's arrangements and their state's exemption for supervised students. What you may call yourself, what tasks you may perform, and whether any of it counts later are state questions, answered below once you pick a state.
STATE
Pick your state above. The license names, the exams beyond ASWB, the supervised hours, every fee, and the renewal rules are set by each state's board. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
TX
Where the Texas figures come from. The Texas supervision rules were substantially rewritten effective 18 March 2026; everything below reflects that version of the Behavioral Health Executive Council's rulebook.
Practicum and internship
StudentsTexas
Why you can practice without a license
Not a loophole and not an oversight. Occupations Code §505.003(a)(3) puts activity conducted by a social work student, intern, or trainee outside the Act entirely, so long as it is in connection with an institution of higher education accredited by CSWE.
The condition that matters
The exemption attaches to the connection with your accredited program, not to you personally. Work you pick up outside the placement your program arranged is not covered by it, even if the tasks look identical.
TitleTexas
What you may and may not call yourself
The practice exemption is not a title exemption. Protected titles under the Act belong to licensees, and a student using one is a separate problem from whether the underlying activity was permitted.
Safe framing
Identify yourself by your training status, for example social work intern, practicum student, or BSW student. Let the agency's own job titles do the rest, and do not let a business card or an email signature imply a license you do not hold.
Agency StaffTexas
The exemption that covers unlicensed shelter staff
Useful for understanding your coworkers. Under §505.003(a)(2), a volunteer or staff member is outside the Act as long as they do not represent the service as social work, represent themselves as a social worker, or use a title implying social work licensure.
Why it matters in DV work
Advocates, case aides, and hotline staff often do work that overlaps with social work tasks. They are lawfully doing it. The line is title and representation, not the substance of the help.
SupervisorsTexas
Taking students earns you CE
If you serve as a field or practicum instructor, you may claim one hour of continuing education per hour of college credit awarded to the student, capped at 10 hours per renewal period. Those hours cannot count toward the ethics or distinct population requirements.
The five kinds of supervision
781.402
These are not interchangeable, and the difference between the second and third is where people lose time. An LPC or psychologist can supervise your clinical practice. Only an LCSW holding supervisor status can supervise you toward the LCSW. Working for two years under the wrong one does not produce hours you can use.
Type 1Texas
Administrative or work-related oversight
Ordinary employment supervision of an employee, contractor, or volunteer, unconnected to licensure, specialty recognition, a disciplinary order, or a condition of licensure. It requires no recognition from the Council, and most of the rules in this section do not apply to it.
Type 2Texas
Clinical supervision of an LMSW, not toward licensure
Supervision of an LMSW who is providing clinical services, where the point is safe practice rather than accruing hours. This may be provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Psychologist, LMFT, LCSW, or psychiatrist.
The trap
This is legitimate supervision and it is not qualifying supervision. If your goal is the LCSW, confirm in writing which type you are in before you start.
Type 3Texas
Clinical supervision toward the LCSW
Supervision of an LMSW providing clinical services under a supervision plan, for the purpose of qualifying for the LCSW. This must be provided by an LCSW who holds supervisor status. No other license qualifies, however experienced the person is.
Type 4Texas
Non-clinical supervision toward IPR
Supervision of an LMSW or LBSW providing non-clinical social work services toward independent non-clinical practice recognition.
Type 5Texas
Council-ordered supervision
Supervision imposed by a disciplinary order or as a condition of new or continued licensure. The supervisor must understand the order, address the behaviors that led to discipline, and help build strategies to avoid repeating them.
Applies To AllTexas
Supervisors are limited to their own competence
Rule 781.402(c) is one sentence and easy to skip: a supervisor shall supervise only supervisees whose services fall within the supervisor's own competency. A supervisor with no trauma or DV background taking on a shelter caseload is a problem for both of you.
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstTexas
The supervision plan comes before the hours
Under 781.405(a), to accrue supervised clinical experience the LMSW and the LCSW supervisor must complete a supervision plan on a Council form (or one with substantially equivalent information), signed by both. Hours worked before a signed plan exists are hours you are hoping someone will accept later.
Keep it current
The supervisor must update the plan whenever your employing agency, job function, supervision goals, or method of supervision changes. A plan describing a job you left is not a current plan.
Do FirstTexas
Verify your supervisor's status, not just their license
Active license and supervisor status are two separate things, and you need both. A supervisor must maintain the license, the status, and the qualifications throughout, and providing supervision without them is itself grounds for discipline.
Why this is on you too
See the card below on voided hours. The consequence of your supervisor's lapse lands on your timeline, not only theirs, so check the licensee search periodically rather than once at the start.
Do FirstTexas
Outside supervision needs your employer in writing
If your supervisor is not at your agency, rule 781.403(a)(2) requires written approval from your employer, and a copy has to live in the supervisor's file. A verbal understanding with a program director does not satisfy it.
RecordsTexas
What your supervisor is required to keep
A supervision file on each supervisee containing the supervision plan; a clear job description and responsibilities for every position you hold during the supervised experience, including duties not subject to supervision; a list of locations where you provide services; a log of experience and supervision showing the date and duration of every meeting and accumulated hours; the employer's written approval for outside supervision; and a copy of any remediation plan.
The item nobody thinks about
The file must also contain an established plan for custody and control of your supervision records if the supervisor dies, becomes incapacitated, or closes their practice. Ask to see it. It is the only thing standing between you and reconstructing two years of hours from memory.
Protections you have
ProtectionTexas
They cannot bill you twice for the same hour
Rule 781.403(a)(3): a supervisor who is otherwise compensated for supervisory duties may not charge or collect a fee, or anything of value, from the supervisee for that supervision. If your employer pays someone to supervise you as part of their job, they cannot also invoice you for it.
ProtectionTexas
Structural conflicts are prohibited outright
Your supervisor may not be employed by you or under your employment supervision, and may not be a family member. Both of you are also required to avoid forming any relationship that impairs objective professional judgment or ethical behavior.
Small-town note
In a rural county the pool of LCSW-S supervisors is small and these constraints bite quickly. See the small town cards in Foundations & Ethics; the analysis there applies, but the family and employment bars here are hard rules rather than judgment calls.
ProtectionTexas
Thirty days to hand over your verification
Under 781.405(c), when you request it, your LCSW supervisor shall submit the completed and signed supervision verification form to the Council within 30 days. This exists because supervisors sometimes stall, and a supervisee with no leverage cannot get licensed. It is a deadline, not a courtesy.
ProtectionTexas
If your supervisor loses their status, you are owed a refund
Rule 781.404(g): a supervisor who loses authorization, whether by failing to maintain their license and status or through disciplinary action, must immediately inform every supervisee, assist them in finding alternate supervision, and refund all supervisory fees paid after the date they ceased to hold supervisor status.
What can cost you your hours
781.403(g)
This is the one to worry about. If either your license or your supervisor's is revoked, suspended, placed on probated suspension, or becomes delinquent or expired during supervision, the hours accumulated during that period will not be accepted unless the Council approves them. A supervisor who simply forgets to renew can quietly erase months of your work, and you will not find out until you submit. Check their status on the Council's licensee search on a schedule, and keep your own parallel log of hours.
Watch ForTexas
Finishing your hours does not release you
Rule 781.405(d) is explicit: an LMSW who has completed clinical supervision may not provide clinical social work services outside of appropriately supervised practice until the LCSW license is actually issued. The gap between your last hour and the license arriving is still supervised time.
Watch ForTexas
No private practice while you are on the way
Rule 781.407(a): an LMSW planning to apply for the LCSW may not own or operate a private practice providing clinical social work. More broadly, a licensee without independent practice recognition and not under a non-clinical supervision plan must not engage in independent practice at all.
How they decide what counts
The Council applies IRS and Texas Workforce Commission tests for employee versus independent contractor, looking at behavioral control, financial control, and the relationship of the parties. Being called a contractor does not settle it either way.
Watch ForTexas
A remediation plan follows you
If your supervisor concludes you lack the skills to practice under an independent license, rule 781.403(d) requires them to write and implement a remediation plan. If you receive one, you are obligated to give a copy to any other current or future supervisor, along with documentation of successful completion.
Watch ForTexas
The temporary license has a short fuse
You can get a temporary license before examination if you meet every other requirement. You then must take the exam within six months, and the license is valid only until you attempt the exam or those six months run out.
If you fail
The temporary license is immediately invalid. You must cease and desist from using the license and title, and return the certificate and card to the Council. You also cannot begin supervision toward independent clinical practice on a temporary license; that waits for the regular license.
How supervision actually runs
FormatTexas
Group size, remote sessions, and the monthly cap
Supervision may be one-on-one, group, or a mix. Groups must have at least two and no more than six supervisees. Remote supervision is permitted where it complies with HIPAA and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 611, though the Council states a preference for shared physical location for a substantial part of the experience, and the plan must explain how the format serves your growth and protects confidentiality.
Pacing
Supervision must occur in proportion to hours actually worked, and no more than 10 hours count in any 30-day period. You cannot bank supervision in a burst at the end.
DutyTexas
Your billing has to say you are supervised
Rule 781.403(f): if you provide client services for payment or reimbursement, the billing submitted to the client or third-party payer must clearly show the services provided, who provided them, your licensure category, and the fact that you are under supervision. This is a disclosure obligation, not an internal formality.
DutyTexas
Tell your supervisors about complaints
Both supervisor and supervisee bear professional responsibility for the supervisee's professional activities. If you are notified of a pending complaint against you, rule 781.403(e) requires you to inform each of your supervisors.
DutyTexas
Scope is the supervisor's problem too
Before entering a supervision plan the supervisor must know the actual or intended terms of service between you and your clients, and shall not provide supervision if you are practicing outside your license's scope. If they believe you are, the rule requires them to report it to the Council.
RecordsTexas
What you should keep independently
The rules require your supervisor to keep the official file, but the documentation you must produce on request is partly yours: employment status, pay vouchers, and supervisory evaluations. Your application will need the names and contact details of all supervisors, beginning and ending dates, job descriptions, and average hours of social work activity per week.
Practical
Keep your own running log from day one with dates, durations, and topics, plus copies of every signed evaluation. If a supervisor becomes unreachable, that log is what you have.
Where the California figures come from. The Board of Behavioral Sciences' Statutes and Regulations (January 2026 edition) and its Handbook for Future LCSWs (May 2024). Section numbers are from the Business and Professions Code (BPC) unless marked 16 CCR. California has one supervised pathway, the ASW toward the LCSW, so there is no non-clinical track and no supervisor credential to apply for; supervisors qualify by meeting the rules below.
Practicum and internship
StudentsCalifornia
The Board does not regulate students
The Board of Behavioral Sciences regulates LCSWs and registered ASWs. In its own words, it does not regulate students who are gaining a degree in social work. Your field placement is governed by your program and CSWE, not by the Board.
What that means for your hours
Nothing from the practicum counts toward the LCSW. Every one of the 3,000 hours must be post-master's (BPC §4996.23(a)); the only pre-registration hours that count are post-degree hours under the 90-Day Rule. Marriage and family therapy trainees may count up to 1,300 pre-degree hours in California (BPC §4980.43); ASWs may count none.
TitleCalifornia
What you may call yourself, and what you must say
Once registered you are an Associate Clinical Social Worker, ASW. Before performing any professional service you must tell each client that you are unlicensed and under the supervision of a licensed professional (BPC §4996.18(g)). That disclosure is a legal duty on you, not on your employer.
90-Day RuleCalifornia
The gap between graduating and getting your number
Apply for ASW registration within 90 days of your degree date, get Live Scan fingerprinted by the employer before you start, stay out of private practice settings, and the hours you gain while the Board processes your application count once the registration is granted (BPC §4996.23(b)). Miss the 90 days and those hours are gone.
The numbers
CA
3,000 hours, at least 104 weeks, inside six years. All of BPC §4996.23 turns on those three limits. The hours must be gained within the six years immediately before the Board receives your licensure application, and no more than 40 hours may be credited in any seven consecutive days.
MinimumCalifornia
1,700 hours under an LCSW
At least 1,700 of the 3,000 must be supervised by a licensed clinical social worker (BPC §4996.23(d)(1)). The remainder may be under a psychiatrist certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, an LPCC, an LMFT, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed educational psychologist, though an LEP may supervise at most 1,200 hours and only educationally related services.
MinimumCalifornia
2,000 clinical hours, 750 of them psychotherapy
Clinical psychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment must total at least 2,000 hours, and at least 750 of those must be face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy provided in the context of clinical social work (BPC §4996.23(d)(2)).
MaximumCalifornia
1,000 nonclinical hours
Client-centered advocacy, consultation, evaluation, research, direct supervisor contact, and supervisor-approved workshops, seminars, trainings, and conferences directly related to clinical social work cap out at 1,000 hours (BPC §4996.23(d)(3)).
WeeklyCalifornia
One unit of supervision for every week you claim
In each work setting, every week you credit hours must contain at least one hour of direct supervisor contact, and a week in which you provide more than 10 hours of clinical services in a setting needs one hour more (BPC §4996.23.1(a)). Supervision must fall in the same week as the hours (§4996.23.1(e)). No more than six hours of supervision are credited in any week.
What counts as a unit
One hour of individual supervision (one supervisor, one supervisee), one hour of triadic supervision (one supervisor, two supervisees), or two hours of group supervision with no more than eight in the group. Real-time two-way video counts as face-to-face; the supervisor must assess whether video is appropriate for you within 60 days of starting, and document it.
WeeklyCalifornia
52 of the 104 weeks must be individual or triadic
Group supervision can carry at most half your weeks. Of the 52 weeks of individual or triadic supervision, at least 13 must be under an LCSW (BPC §4996.23.1(f), (g)).
AfterCalifornia
Finishing your hours does not end supervision
Once the 3,000 hours are in, you still owe at least one hour of direct supervisor contact per week for each setting where you do direct clinical work, until you are licensed (BPC §4996.23.1(i)). Supervision of nonclinical work at that point is at the supervisor's discretion.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsCalifornia
Two years licensed, two years practicing, training done
A supervisor must hold an active California license (or equivalent out-of-state license) as an LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, psychologist, LEP, or ABPN-certified psychiatrist for at least two of the five years before supervising, and must have practiced psychotherapy or supervised it for two of those five years (BPC §4996.20(a)). The license must be active and not under suspension or probation. Check it any time at search.dca.ca.gov.
Training
15 hours of supervision training before supervising for the first time in California, taken within two years before or 60 days after starting; six hours of supervision professional development in every renewal period they supervise; six hours to return after two years away. A current AAMFT, ABECSW, CAMFT, or CCE approved supervisor credential substitutes for all of it (16 CCR §1871).
SupervisorsCalifornia
Who is ruled out
Your spouse, domestic partner, or relative cannot supervise you, nor can anyone who has provided you therapy, nor anyone with a past or present personal, professional, or business relationship that undermines the supervision (BPC §4996.20(a)(4), (6), (7)). Hours gained under a spouse or relative are not credited, full stop (§4996.23.2(e)).
SupervisorsCalifornia
A cap of six in nonexempt settings
In a nonexempt setting such as a private practice or professional corporation, a supervisor may serve as individual or triadic supervisor for no more than six pre-licensed people at one time (BPC §4996.23.3(c)). If you are in a private practice, your supervisor must be employed by, contracted by, or an owner of that practice, and must either see clients there or hold a written contract giving them the same access to your records that employees have (§4996.23.3(b)).
ProtectionCalifornia
Your hours survive your supervisor's paperwork failures
The Board shall not deny hours because the supervisor did not complete the training, coursework, or professional development required of supervisors (16 CCR §1871(e)). The Board can audit supervisors, who must keep proof of their qualifications for seven years after supervision ends (BPC §4996.21). Their lapse is their problem, not your hours.
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstCalifornia
Sign the Supervision Agreement within 60 days
For any supervisory relationship formed on or after 1 January 2022, you and your supervisor must sign the Board's Supervision Agreement within 60 days of starting (16 CCR §1869(c)). It carries the supervisory plan, goals, and objectives. You keep the original and submit it with your licensure application.
Outside supervisor? Get the oversight agreement signed before hour one
When your supervisor is not employed by your employer, or is a volunteer, the supervisor and employer must sign a written oversight agreement before supervision begins (BPC §4996.23.3(d); 16 CCR §1869(a)). It gives the supervisor access to your clinical records and commits the employer not to interfere. On employer letterhead, signed and dated, and it goes in with your application.
RecordsCalifornia
A weekly log, signed weekly
You must keep a log of every hour claimed, signed by your supervisor each week, and retain it until you are licensed; the Board can demand any part of it (16 CCR §1869(d)). Logs are not submitted with the application. What is submitted is the Experience Verification form, one per supervisor and employer, with original signatures, completed when that supervision ends.
Experience only counts in a setting that lawfully and regularly provides clinical social work, mental health counseling, or psychotherapy, and that provides oversight to keep your work inside the experience and supervision rules and the scope of practice (BPC §4996.23.2(c)). Only work in the position you were hired or volunteered for counts (§4996.23.2(d)).
What can cost you your hours
CA
W-2 or volunteer. Never a contractor. An ASW may perform services only as an employee or a volunteer, never as an independent contractor (BPC §4996.23.2(a)). You will hand the Board your W-2s for every year claimed, or a letter verifying volunteer status. A 1099 arrangement, however it is described to you, produces hours the Board will not accept.
Watch ForCalifornia
Letting the registration lapse
Hours earned while your ASW registration is expired do not count, and most employers will not let you work on one. The usual cause is the Law and Ethics Exam: it must be taken before your first expiration date and once per cycle until passed, or you cannot renew (16 CCR §1877.3). Renew on time, every year.
Watch ForCalifornia
Private practice before the number arrives
You may not be employed by, or volunteer in, a private practice or professional corporation until the Board has issued your ASW registration (BPC §4996.23(c)). The 90-Day Rule does not cover those settings. And a subsequent registration number, the kind issued after the six-year limit, bars private practice entirely (§4996.28(c)).
Watch ForCalifornia
Money flowing the wrong way
You may not accept any payment from clients; only your employer may pay you (BPC §4996.23.2(h)). You may not hold any ownership interest in the employer, and you may not rent space, or pay for furnishings, equipment, supplies, or any other obligation of the employer (§4996.23.2(i)). Arrangements where the associate pays the practice are exactly what this rule targets.
Watch ForCalifornia
The six-year window closes behind you
Only hours gained within the six years before the Board receives your application count (BPC §4996.23(d)(4)). Take a long break in the middle, or miss the one-year clinical exam deadline and have to reapply, and your earliest hours can age out.
Watch ForCalifornia
Supervision that is really consultation
Consultation and peer discussion are not supervision and do not produce supervised experience (BPC §4996.20(b)). Supervision means responsibility for and control of the quality of your services: reviewing your notes, monitoring your assessments and treatment decisions, and, with client consent, observing or reviewing recordings of your sessions.
Watch ForCalifornia
Working where the employer does not do business
You may only provide services at places where your employer permits business to be conducted (BPC §4996.23.3(a)). Telehealth within scope is allowed for ASWs (§4996.23.2(j)), but the employer still has to be the one offering the service.
Protections you have
ProtectionCalifornia
A week's written notice before a supervisor stops signing
A supervisor must give you at least one week's written notice of an intent not to sign for further hours. Without that notice, the supervisor must sign for hours you gained in good faith where supervision was actually provided (16 CCR §1870(b)).
ProtectionCalifornia
You get a copy of every assessment of you
Supervisors must complete ongoing assessments of your strengths and limitations and give you a copy of each one (16 CCR §1870(a)(10)). They must also give you written procedures for reaching them, or an on-call alternate, in a crisis (§1870(a)(11)).
ProtectionCalifornia
Stipends and loan repayment do not make you a contractor
A stipend or loan repayment from a program built to bring underrepresented groups into the profession or to staff underserved settings still leaves you an employee for these purposes, as does reimbursement of actual expenses while volunteering (BPC §4996.23.2(f), (g)). Keep the paperwork; the Board may audit and the burden is on you.
ProtectionCalifornia
Cover during your supervisor's absence
Alternative supervision may be arranged during a supervisor's vacation or sick leave, provided the substitute meets every supervisor requirement and signs your supervision agreement and weekly log (BPC §4996.23.1(h); 16 CCR §1870.3). For 30 days or less the substitute follows your existing supervisory plan; beyond 30 days a new plan is required and the substitute verifies those hours.
Where the Florida figures come from. Chapter 491, Florida Statutes (2026), and Board rules in Chapter 64B4 F.A.C. as published on flrules.org; the supervision definition in 64B4-2.002 and the supervisor duties in 64B4-2.0025 were last amended effective 6 July 2026, and everything below reflects that version. Florida has one supervised pathway, the registered intern toward the LCSW.
Practicum and internship
StudentsFlorida
Why you can practice without a license
F.S. 491.014(4)(c) exempts a student pursuing a degree in a profession regulated by Chapter 491 who provides services in a training setting as part of a supervised course of study, provided the student uses the title "student intern." The exemption is tied to the program's placement, not to you personally.
StudentsFlorida
Practicum hours must be finished before internship hours count
A registered intern must complete all hours associated with the clinical practicum, either through the graduate program or under a qualified supervisor, before any hours toward the experience requirement may be counted (64B4-3.0085(5) F.A.C.). If your program did not provide the placement Chapter 491 expects, a qualified supervisor can file a supervision plan and later a verification form to make it up outside the academic setting (491.0045(1); 64B4-3.0085(6), (7)).
Agency StaffFlorida
The exemption that covers unlicensed agency staff
Salaried employees of government agencies, licensed mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability facilities, child-placing agencies, certified domestic violence centers, accredited academic institutions, and research institutions need no license or registration while performing the duties they were trained and hired for inside that setting, as long as they are not held out to the public as a clinical social worker (F.S. 491.014(4)(a)). Salaried staff of private nonprofits counseling children and families at no charge are covered too (491.014(4)(b)).
TitleFlorida
What you may call yourself
Once registered you are a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern, and those words must appear on every card, brochure, advertisement, and sign that names you; the registration itself must be displayed at each location where you gain hours (F.S. 491.0149(2)). Using "clinical social worker," "licensed social worker," or "psychotherapy" to describe yourself or your services before licensure is a misdemeanor (491.012).
The numbers
FL
Two years, 100 weeks, 100 hours of supervision, 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy. F.S. 491.005(1)(d) requires at least two years of post-master's clinical social work experience under a qualified supervisor. Rule 64B4-2.002(1) credits the time only if you received at least 100 hours of supervision in no fewer than 100 weeks, provided at least 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients, and received at least one hour of supervision every two weeks.
ContentFlorida
Supervision works from raw data, not summaries
Supervision must focus on the raw data from your face-to-face psychotherapy, which you make available through written clinical materials, direct observation, and audio or video recordings. It is distinct from personal psychotherapy and from didactic instruction (64B4-2.002(2) F.A.C.).
FormatFlorida
Individual is one supervisor with up to two interns; group is three to six
Group supervision must alternate hour for hour with individual supervision, and group sessions must be held with everyone physically present (64B4-2.002(4) F.A.C.). A qualified supervisor may supervise no more than 25 registered interns at once (2.002(5)).
FormatFlorida
Video is allowed for half of it
Supervisory sessions may be held by face-to-face electronic means, but at least 50 percent of the required interactions must be in person, and the first meeting must be in person before any online supervision starts (64B4-2.002(3) F.A.C.). A supervisor may go fully electronic, telephone included, only on a professional judgment that it is necessary to protect the health, safety, or welfare of the supervisor or intern and is not detrimental to clients (2.002(7)).
TelehealthFlorida
Telehealth sessions count as face-to-face psychotherapy, on conditions
Psychotherapy by electronic means counts toward the 1,500 hours if you and your supervisor have a written telehealth protocol and safety plan that keeps the supervisor readily available during sessions, and you have both judged that electronic delivery is not detrimental to the client (64B4-2.002(6) F.A.C.). In a private practice setting the plan must also provide a licensed mental health professional reachable by synchronous electronic means, which satisfies the "on the premises" rule (2.002(8)).
ExamFlorida
Exam eligibility arrives at 18 months
You may take the ASWB Clinical exam after 18 months of documented experience in clinical settings, not counting the practicum (64B4-3.003(2)(a) F.A.C.). Passing it early is also what unlocks the hardship extension if the five-year registration runs out.
AfterFlorida
Finishing your hours does not release you
You must continue in supervision and keep using the intern title until you are in receipt of the license or a Department letter saying you are licensed, even after the two-year requirement is satisfied (64B4-3.008(1) F.A.C.). Provisional licensees owe at least one face-to-face hour a month with a Florida-licensed supervisor until the license arrives (3.008(2)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsFlorida
An LCSW with four years of experience and supervisor training
A qualified supervisor for clinical social work holds an active Florida LCSW (or the out-of-state equivalent), has four years of clinical social work experience, of which two may be the post-master's internship and two must be post-licensure, and has completed supervisor training after licensure: a graduate course in supervision, a Board-approved 12-hour live continuing education course meeting 64B4-6.0025, a post-graduate field instructor course, or AAMFT Approved Supervisor designation (64B4-11.007(3) F.A.C.).
LMFTs and LMHCs
May qualify as your supervisor if they can show nine semester hours of graduate social work coursework across three of six listed content areas (64B4-11.007(1)(c)).
A supervisor must file the Qualified Supervisor Statement (DH-MQA 5049) before supervising any intern, send the Board a signed letter agreeing to supervise you, and must not begin until they have confirmed your registration status and received the Board's approval letter for you (64B4-2.0025(4), (5)(a), (b) F.A.C.). Changing or adding a supervisor needs a new letter and a new approval before those hours count (64B4-3.0085(3), (4)).
SupervisorsFlorida
What the supervisor owes the Board, and you
Under 64B4-2.0025(5): keep the Supervision Log (DH-MQA 5078) and give you access to a copy; report scope or standard-of-care violations to the Board within seven days; file the Verification of Clinical Experience (DH-MQA 1181) within seven days after supervision ends; notify the Board within seven days if supervision ends for any reason; keep both of you current on continuing education and rule changes; and terminate the relationship if they cannot supervise adequately. Failing any of it is a disciplinary violation for the supervisor.
SupervisorsFlorida
The supervision contract
A supervisor is deemed within scope by following a written policy that includes entering a supervision contract with the intern covering expectations, meetings, and cost, providing training and feedback throughout, keeping you current on the Code of Ethics, documenting supervisory sessions, and setting clear personal and professional boundaries (64B4-2.0025(7) F.A.C.). Ask for the contract before the first session; it is the document that settles fee disputes later.
What can cost you your hours
FL
Hours before registration, and hours before approval, do not exist. Time spent completing the experience requirement before registering as an intern does not count (F.S. 491.0045(4)), and experience under a supervisor the Board has not yet approved does not count either (64B4-3.0085(4) F.A.C.). Get the registration number and the approval letter, then start.
Watch ForFlorida
The five-year registration
The registration expires 60 months after issue with no renewal (F.S. 491.0045(6)). Plan the two years, the 18-month exam eligibility, and the application inside it. The one-time 24-month extension exists only for a documented hardship after you have passed the exam and finished all coursework, requested at least 30 days before expiry (64B4-3.0085(10), (11)).
Watch ForFlorida
Private practice without a licensed professional on the premises
A licensed mental health professional must be on the premises when a registered intern provides clinical services in a private practice setting (F.S. 491.005(1)(d)). Since July 2026 "on the premises" includes a licensed professional present and available by synchronous electronic means, but only if your written telehealth protocol and safety plan says so (64B4-2.002(8) F.A.C.).
Watch ForFlorida
Two weeks without supervision
The rule credits your time only if you received at least one hour of supervision every two weeks (64B4-2.002(1)(c) F.A.C.). A supervisor's month-long absence with no cover is a gap in the record, and the Verification of Clinical Experience form is what the Board reads.
Watch ForFlorida
Group sessions that do not alternate
Each hour of group supervision must alternate with an hour of individual supervision, and group means three to six interns in the room, in person (64B4-2.002(4) F.A.C.). Two consecutive group hours do not both count.
Watch ForFlorida
Titles and promotional material
Every piece of promotional material naming you must carry "registered clinical social worker intern," and the registration must be displayed where you work (F.S. 491.0149(2)). Calling yourself a clinical social worker or offering "psychotherapy" in your own name before licensure is a first-degree misdemeanor (491.012).
Watch ForFlorida
A provisional license closes the intern door
Someone who has held a provisional license may not apply for an intern registration in the same profession (F.S. 491.0045(7)). If your experience is not actually complete, a provisional license is the wrong tool.
Protections you have
ProtectionFlorida
Your hours are filed within seven days of the end
The supervisor, not you, must submit the completed Verification of Clinical Experience to the Board within seven days after supervision concludes, and must respond to Board requests for corrections within seven days (64B4-2.0025(5)(g), (k) F.A.C.). A supervisor who sits on the form is in violation.
ProtectionFlorida
You have a right to the log
The supervisor must document supervision on the Board's Supervision Log and provide you access to a copy (64B4-2.0025(5)(e) F.A.C.). Keep your own copy as it accrues; the Board reads the supervisor's verification, but the log is your evidence if the two ever disagree.
ProtectionFlorida
Cost is part of the contract
The supervision contract the rule expects covers expectations, meetings, and cost (64B4-2.0025(7)(a) F.A.C.). Get the fee, the schedule, and what happens on cancellation in writing before hour one.
ProtectionFlorida
Out-of-state hours can count
Supervision received in another jurisdiction counts if the supervisor was licensed or certified there, or lived where licensure was not required, and met Florida's education and experience standards for the LCSW (64B4-11.007(1)(b) F.A.C.). The Board reviews alternative verification case by case when the standard form cannot be completed (64B4-3.0015(2)).
FL
Forms the Board expects to see: the Qualified Supervisor Statement (DH-MQA 5049), the Supervision Log (DH-MQA 5078), the Verification of Clinical Experience (DH-MQA 1181), and, where the practicum was not satisfied in your program, the Supervision Plan and Practicum Verification forms. All are on the Board's resources page.
Where the Washington figures come from. Chapter 18.225 RCW and Chapter 246-809 WAC, read from the Legislature's site. The supervision standards in WAC 246-809-020 took effect 22 May 2025 and the social work hours in WAC 246-809-330 on 12 June 2025; everything below reflects those versions. Washington calls the person accruing hours a licensure candidate, and the supervisor an approved supervisor.
Practicum and internship
StudentsWashington
Why you can practice without a license
RCW 18.225.030(3) places outside the chapter a regular student in an educational program based on recognized national standards and approved by the Department, whose services are pursuant to a regular course of instruction or assignments from an instructor and under the instructor's general supervision. The exemption is tied to the program and the assignment, not to you.
StudentsWashington
Practicum hours are not licensure hours
The 3,000 hours for either license are postgraduate supervised experience (WAC 246-809-330), accrued after the degree under an approved supervisor, for most people on an associate license or a pending associate application. Nothing from the MSW field placement counts.
TitleWashington
What you may call yourself, and what the client must be told
Once licensed you are a Licensed Social Worker Associate, Advanced or Independent Clinical, and the title is protected (RCW 18.225.020). During the first professional contact every client gets a disclosure form stating that you are an associate under the supervision of an approved supervisor (RCW 18.225.145(3); WAC 246-809-710(2)). Both of you communicate the nature of the supervisory relationship to clients, other professionals, and the public (WAC 246-809-020(2)(a)).
Agency StaffWashington
Who is outside the chapter
Government employees performing duties prescribed by state or federal law, practice under the auspices of a religious organization, and individuals credentialed under another part of the health professions title practicing within that scope are not restricted by Chapter 18.225 (RCW 18.225.030). Everyone else offering social work for a fee needs a license or associate license.
The numbers
WA
3,000 hours for either license, and one supervision hour for every 80 hours of practice. The totals are in RCW 18.225.090 and WAC 246-809-330; the pace is in WAC 246-809-020(2)(b), which requires regular supervision of at least one hour for every 80 hours of the candidate's clinical practice time.
Of the 3,000 hours, 800 must be direct client contact. Ninety hours must be direct supervision by an LICSW, an LASW, or an equally qualified licensed mental health professional, with the supervising social worker licensed at least two years; at least 40 of those hours are one-to-one and the other 50 may be one-to-one or group (RCW 18.225.090(1)(a)(i); WAC 246-809-330(1)).
LICSWWashington
LICSW: 1,000 client hours, 100 supervision hours, 70 with an LICSW
Over not less than two years: 1,000 hours of direct client contact supervised by an LICSW, and 100 hours of direct supervision, at least 70 with an LICSW who has at least one year of experience supervising others, the rest with an equally qualified practitioner; at least 60 of the 100 must be one-to-one (RCW 18.225.090(1)(a)(ii); WAC 246-809-330(2)).
FormatWashington
One-to-one, or a group of six, in person or by video
One-on-one supervision is one supervisor and one candidate; group supervision is one supervisor and no more than six candidates. Both may be face-to-face or virtual (WAC 246-809-310(4), (7)).
Who CountsWashington
Equally qualified practitioners
Beyond the LICSW (and, for LASW candidates, the LASW), supervision may come from a licensed mental health counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed psychologist, physician practicing as a psychiatrist, or psychiatric nurse practitioner (WAC 246-809-310(2), (3)), inside the LICSW minimums above.
CreditWashington
Substance use disorder professionals get a discount
Three years of practice as a substance use disorder professional within the ten years before applying reduces the total to 2,880 hours for the LASW and 2,600 for the LICSW; the client-contact and supervision minimums do not change (WAC 246-809-330(1)(b), (2)(b)).
ContentWashington
What a supervision hour has to cover
Your services, caseload and treatment plans, the theory and practice behind your work, Washington laws and rules, standards of practice, coordination with other professionals, and relevant literature and research (WAC 246-809-020(2)(d)). For a candidate on a pending application, the supervisor must review and agree with every assessment or diagnosis before it goes to the client (020(2)(c)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsWashington
Two years licensed, 15 hours of training, 25 hours of practice
An approved supervisor holds an unrestricted license that has been active and in good standing for the previous two years, has two years of post-licensure clinical experience, has completed at least 15 clock hours of clinical supervision training through a course, CE, or supervision of supervision, and has 25 hours of experience supervising clinical practice (WAC 246-809-334(1), (4)).
SupervisorsWashington
The declaration, on the Department's form, before you start
Before supervision begins the supervisor must give you a declaration on the Department's form that they meet WAC 246-809-334 (334(3)). They must also attest to thorough knowledge of your practice setting, recordkeeping, financial management, ethics, and your backup plan for coverage when you are unavailable to clients (334(5)).
A blood or legal relative, a cohabitant, a peer (a co-worker who is not your employer or supervisor), or anyone who has been your therapist in the past two years cannot be your approved supervisor (WAC 246-809-334(2)).
SupervisorsWashington
What the supervisor owes
To qualify and to tell you immediately if they stop qualifying; to have the expertise to supervise your work; to make sure you have the education and preparation for it; to provide enough training and supervision to keep clients safe; and to keep documentation of the supervision provided (WAC 246-809-020(3)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstWashington
Have the application in, then start the 120-day clock
Hours count on an associate license or, since 1 October 2025, on a pending associate application for up to 120 days after the Department receives it (RCW 18.225.145(2); WAC 246-809-097). The 120 days end at issue or denial, whichever is first, and cannot be extended. If the license has not issued by day 120, you stop.
Do FirstWashington
Declaration, disclosure, and the record
Collect the supervisor's declaration (WAC 246-809-334(3)), give every client the associate disclosure at first contact (246-809-710(2)), and keep client records that include a signed and dated disclosure statement, the fee arrangement, session dates, presenting problem, consults, and progress notes; the associate must also give the supervisor all relevant clinical information, and the supervisor must have a thorough understanding of the clinical work (246-809-035(1)).
RecordsWashington
Five years, and a plan for when you are gone
You, or your supervisor, must keep all client records for five years after the last visit, safely and with limited access, and must make provisions for retaining or transferring them if you go out of business, die, or become incapacitated (WAC 246-809-035(4), (5)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForWashington
Independent work for a fee
An associate may not provide independent social work for a fee, monetary or otherwise (RCW 18.225.145(2); WAC 246-809-710(2)). Any arrangement in which you bill clients yourself, outside a supervised setting, is outside the license.
Watch ForWashington
Letting the yearly renewal lapse
The associate license renews every year on the date of issue, with 16 hours of CE attested each year (WAC 246-809-990(2); 246-809-632). A lapsed license means the late penalty, reissuance fee, and a gap in supervised practice.
Watch ForWashington
Too few supervision hours for the practice hours
One hour of supervision for every 80 hours of clinical practice time is the floor (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b)). Full-time practice at 40 hours a week means a supervision hour at least every two weeks; more if the week is heavier.
Watch ForWashington
The wrong supervisor for the LICSW minimums
Hours under an equally qualified practitioner count only inside the limits in WAC 246-809-330: at least 70 of the 100 LICSW supervision hours, and all 1,000 client-contact hours, must be under an LICSW (020(4); 330(2)).
Watch ForWashington
A supervisor who no longer qualifies
Supervisors must notify their candidates immediately if they stop meeting the qualifications (WAC 246-809-020(3)(a)). Check the license status in the Department's provider credential search at the start and periodically after.
Watch ForWashington
Missing the suicide assessment training
Social work associates must complete the six-hour suicide assessment, treatment, and management training after initial licensure and before the first renewal (WAC 246-809-632(5)). It is a renewal condition, not an optional topic.
Protections you have
ProtectionWashington
No renewal cap on the associate license
The six-renewal limit was repealed in 2024, and anyone whose associate license was not renewed because of it is treated as simply expired and may return it to active status under the standard rules (RCW 18.225.145(6)). Your hours are not on a fixed clock.
ProtectionWashington
The rules in force when you apply are the ones that count
Only rules in effect on the date a completed associate application for the full license is submitted apply; a rule change between submission and issue is not a reason to deny (RCW 18.225.090(2)).
ProtectionWashington
Supervision must be documented, by the supervisor
Approved supervisors must maintain documentation of the supervision they provide (WAC 246-809-020(3)(e)). Keep your own log too, but the duty to document sits with them.
ProtectionWashington
A year licensed elsewhere ends the hours question
If you move to Washington after a year or more holding the equivalent license in good standing elsewhere, the supervised experience requirement is deemed met (WAC 246-809-330(1)(a), (2)(a)).
WA
Supervisor directory. The Department keeps a licensed counselor supervisor directory that approved supervisors and facilities may join (WAC 246-809-070 to -072); it is a place to look, not a substitute for the declaration.
Where the New York figures come from. Education Law Article 154, Part 74 of the Commissioner's Regulations (74.3 experience, 74.4 limited permits, 74.6 supervision), and the Office of the Professions' LCSW requirements page, read from op.nysed.gov in September 2026. New York calls the person accruing hours a qualified individual; in practice that is an LMSW or a limited permit holder.
Practicum and internship
StudentsNew York
Why you can practice without a license
Article 154 restricts practice to licensed or exempt persons, and Education Law §7706 lists the exemptions. Students in a registered program practice under the program's field placement, and the 900-hour practicum is a degree requirement the Department checks at licensure (Part 74.1), not licensure hours.
StudentsNew York
Nothing before the MSW counts toward the LCSW
The three years of supervised clinical experience begin after the MSW; in New York the hours must be earned as an LMSW or a limited permit holder, and only in limited circumstances will the Department accept other post-MSW experience in an authorized setting under a qualified supervisor (Part 74.3(b)).
TitleNew York
What you may call yourself, and what the client must be told
An LMSW is a licensed social worker and may use that title; clinical work is lawful only under supervision. The supervisor or employer must ensure clients are informed that the LMSW practices clinical social work only under supervision, that the supervisor is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment, and how to reach the supervisor with concerns (Office of the Professions, LCSW requirements: informed consent).
Agency StaffNew York
The exemption for state-regulated programs
Chapter 420 of the Laws of 2002, section 9, as amended, provides that nothing in the licensing act prohibits the activities of a person employed by a program operated, regulated, funded, or approved by the Office of Mental Health, OCFS, DOCCS, OTDA, the Office for the Aging, the Department of Health, a local governmental unit, or a social services district, though it authorizes no Article 154 title. It has been extended repeatedly and is tied to the adoption of Department regulations; confirm its current status with the Office of the Professions before relying on it.
The numbers
NY
Three years, 2,000 client contact hours, 100 supervision hours, inside six years. Education Law §7704(2) requires three years of full-time supervised post-MSW clinical experience, or the part-time equivalent, over a continuous period not exceeding six years. Part 74.3 defines full-time as not less than 2,000 client contact hours over at least 36 months, and Part 74.6 requires at least 100 hours of individual or group clinical supervision distributed appropriately across the period. More hours in less time does not shorten the 36 months.
What CountsNew York
Only diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning
An LMSW may do a wide range of work, but the only experience that counts toward the LCSW is in diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning as defined in §7701 (Office of the Professions). Case management, advocacy, and concrete services do not accrue.
SupervisionNew York
What a supervision hour has to be
Contact during which you apprise the supervisor of the diagnosis and treatment of each client, your cases are discussed, the supervisor provides oversight and guidance in diagnosing and treating, and regularly reviews and evaluates your work; at least 100 hours of in-person individual or group clinical supervision over the period, and face-to-face may use secure video acceptable to the Department (Part 74.6(c)(1)).
Not Toward LicensureNew York
An LMSW doing clinical work without seeking the LCSW: two hours a month
Supervision of an LMSW providing clinical services under §7701(1)(d) who is not accruing toward licensure must still meet the same content standard and provide at least two hours per month of individual or group clinical supervision (Part 74.6(d)).
The RNew York
After the LCSW: 2,400 hours toward the psychotherapy privilege
36 months and 2,400 client contact hours of psychotherapy after LCSW licensure, at least 400 in any twelve-month period, with a client contact hour meaning at least 45 minutes of psychotherapy; supervision of at least two hours a month of individual or group consultation, or enrollment in a Regents-chartered psychotherapy program (Part 74.5; Appendix A). Concrete services and record-keeping do not count.
PlanNew York
File the plan first, for $10
You may submit a Plan for Supervised Experience (Form 6) with a $10 fee before starting, with proof the setting is acceptable, a copy of the supervisor's license, the supervision plan and the supervisor's attestation of responsibility, and, for third-party supervision, the setting's affirmation (Part 74.6(b)). An approved plan does not guarantee the hours; Form 4B from the named supervisor is what the Department credits. Skipping the plan means individual evaluation later.
RecordsNew York
The supervisor keeps the count
The supervisor is responsible for maintaining records of client contact hours and supervision hours and for verifying them to the Department on Form 4B when the experience ends (Part 74.6(e)). If the supervisor has died or is unavailable, a licensed colleague with direct knowledge may verify, attesting to the supervisor's qualifications and the dates and hours.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsNew York
An LCSW, a psychologist qualified in psychotherapy, or a psychiatrist
A licensed clinical social worker (or the equivalent, for out-of-state supervision); a psychologist licensed where the supervision occurred who is qualified in psychotherapy on the Department's review of their training; or a physician who is a diplomate in psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the equivalent (Education Law §7704(2); Part 74.6(c)(2)). New York sets no separate supervisor training course or years-licensed minimum for LCSW supervision.
SupervisorsNew York
No family, and the supervisor belongs to the employer
A supervisor may not have a familial relationship with the applicant; such dual relationships may be charged as unprofessional conduct (Office of the Professions). Where supervision comes from a third party, a written agreement among the employer, the supervisor, and the LMSW must specify the supervisor's access to clients and records, the supervisor must be engaged by the employer rather than by the LMSW, and clients must be told how confidential information is handled.
SupervisorsNew York
Out-of-state supervisors get reviewed
Experience completed in another jurisdiction must be post-MSW, in a setting authorized there, under a supervisor acceptable to the Department; the supervisor files Form 4Q so the Department can judge their qualifications in diagnosis, psychotherapy, and assessment-based treatment planning (Part 74.3(b); Office of the Professions).
SupervisorsNew York
The supervisor is legally responsible for every client
The supervisor is legally and professionally responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of each client and must have access to all relevant information; the employer is responsible for providing appropriate supervision, since an LMSW may only practice clinical social work under it (Office of the Professions, LCSW requirements).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstNew York
Confirm the setting is one the law allows
Only an acceptable setting produces countable hours: a PC, PLLC, or LLP authorized for clinical social work, a licensee's sole proprietorship or professional partnership, a program operated, regulated, funded, or approved by OMH, OCFS, DOCCS, OTDA, the Office for the Aging, DOH, a local governmental unit or social services district, an entity holding a Department waiver, a federal facility, a public school, or an entity otherwise authorized under law (Part 74.6(a)). A general business corporation or an unauthorized nonprofit cannot lawfully employ you for restricted services. Ask for the certificate of incorporation or operating certificate before you accept the job; your supervisor will have to file it.
Do FirstNew York
Be registered, not just licensed
Hours in New York must be gained as a licensed and currently registered LMSW or as a limited permit holder (Part 74.3(b); Office of the Professions). Registration lapses every three years; a lapse is a gap in countable practice and, if you keep working, practice without registration.
Do FirstNew York
Get the third-party agreement in writing
If your supervisor is not on the employer's staff, the employer, the supervisor, and you sign an agreement that gives the supervisor access to clients and records, and clients are told about it (Office of the Professions). The Plan for Supervised Experience must carry the setting's affirmation that it will ensure appropriate supervision (Part 74.6(b)(4)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForNew York
A private practice of your own
A limited permit is never issued for a practice the applicant owns or operates (Part 74.4), and an LMSW may practice clinical social work only under supervision in an acceptable setting. Hours generated in your own practice before the LCSW are not hours the Department can accept.
Watch ForNew York
The six-year window, and the three-year floor
All of the experience must fall within a continuous period of not more than six years (§7704(2)), and it can never be shorter than 36 months no matter how many client hours you log (Office of the Professions).
Watch ForNew York
Supervision from the wrong license
An LMSW, a mental health counselor, or a marriage and family therapist cannot supervise hours toward the LCSW; only an LCSW, a qualified psychologist, or a psychiatrist can (Part 74.6(c)(2)). A limited permit holder in clinical social work must be under an LCSW specifically (Part 74.4(b)).
Watch ForNew York
The permit clock
A limited permit lasts at most twelve months and cannot be renewed (§7705; Part 74.4). It is issued only after the Department finds every requirement but the exam met, so file early and sit the exam inside the year.
Watch ForNew York
A supervisor with too many permit holders
No supervisor may supervise more than five limited permit holders at one time (Part 74.4). A sixth permit holder's hours are outside the rule.
Watch ForNew York
Verification that never gets filed
Only Form 4B from the supervisor documents your hours. Leave a job without it and you are dependent on a former supervisor's cooperation years later; the fallback for a deceased or unavailable supervisor is a licensed colleague's attestation, and a false one is misconduct for both of you (Part 74.3(e); Office of the Professions).
Protections you have
ProtectionNew York
The employer, not you, owes the supervision
It is the responsibility of the employer to provide appropriate supervision, and the supervisor must be employed or engaged by the employer, not by the LMSW (Office of the Professions). An arrangement where you pay for your own third-party supervision inverts the rule.
ProtectionNew York
A plan the Board approved is a record
An approved Form 6 plan documents that the setting and supervisor were acceptable when you began (Part 74.6(b)). It is your evidence if a setting's authority or a supervisor's qualification is questioned later.
ProtectionNew York
Good-faith experience can be accepted
The Department may, for good cause, accept experience gained in a setting that would have qualified for a waiver but had not obtained one, or experience obtained in good faith in the belief that the setting was authorized, provided everything else about it qualifies (§7704(2)(c)).
ProtectionNew York
Verification survives a supervisor's death
Where a supervisor has died or is unavailable, a licensed colleague meeting the supervisor definition may attest to the supervisor's name and qualifications, the dates, and the hours (Part 74.3(e)).
NY
Forms the Department expects: Form 1 (application), Form 2 (education, from the school), Form 6 (plan for supervised experience, $10), Form 4B (verification of experience, from each supervisor, with the setting's authority attached), Form 4Q (out-of-state supervisor qualifications), Form 5 (limited permit).
Where the Pennsylvania figures come from. 49 Pa. Code §47.1 and §47.1a (definitions and supervisor qualifications), §47.12c (supervised clinical experience), and §47.12d (standards for supervisors), with the Act's definitions, all read from pacodeandbulletin.gov in September 2026. Pennsylvania calls the person accruing hours a supervisee; in practice that is an LSW.
Practicum and internship
StudentsPennsylvania
Why you can practice without a license
Pennsylvania's Act protects the licensed titles and reserves only the independent practice of clinical social work to the LCSW (Act §§4, 16.1). A student in a field placement, working under the agency's supervision and not calling themselves licensed, is inside the law. The Act's own definition of "social worker" includes anyone with an accredited social work degree (§3).
StudentsPennsylvania
Nothing before the MSW counts toward the LCSW
The 3,000 hours must be completed after the master's degree in social work (§47.12c(a)(5)). Practicum hours are degree hours. The Act also accepts, in place of the hours, an NASW Academy of Certified Social Workers certificate issued before 1 January 2001, a door that closed a generation ago.
TitlePennsylvania
Tell every client you are a supervisee, in writing
A supervisee must disclose their status as a supervisee to each patient and obtain written permission to discuss the patient's case with the supervisor (§47.12c(b)(3)); the supervisor is responsible for making sure it happens (§47.12d(7)). Build it into the intake paperwork on day one.
The numbers
PA
3,000 hours, two to six years, two supervision hours for every 40. 49 Pa. Code §47.12c(b): the experience runs no less than two years and no more than six, with at least 500 and no more than 1,800 hours credited in any twelve-month period; the supervisor meets you for a minimum of 2 hours for every 40 hours of supervised clinical experience, at least 1 of them individually and in person, the other permitted in a group and in person. That is 150 supervision hours across 3,000, half of them one-to-one.
What CountsPennsylvania
Half clinical, in a setting built for it
Acceptable experience is experience as a supervisee in a setting organized to prepare you for clinical social work practice, and at least half of it must be assessment, psychotherapy, other psychosocial-therapeutic interventions, consultation, family therapy, or group therapy (§47.12c(b)(1)). The other half may be the rest of the job.
SettingPennsylvania
One setting, at a real pace
Supervised work counts only if it takes place in a single setting for either at least 30 and no more than 50 hours a week over at least three months, or at least 15 hours a week over at least six months (§47.12c(b)(8)). Scattered per-diem hours across several agencies do not accrue.
SupervisionPennsylvania
What a supervisor has to do
Set objectives; review practice and ethics; keep notes or records of every scheduled session and give them to the Board on request; observe your client sessions or review recordings of them; discuss your level of work; write evaluations of your strengths and weaknesses and go over them with you at least quarterly; recommend further study; encourage multidisciplinary work; stay accessible for consultation (§47.12d). Supervisors attest to all of this on the verification of experience form, and the Board may make them prove it.
LimitsPennsylvania
Six supervisees, two weeks' notice, a substitute when absent
A supervisor may supervise no more than six supervisees at once, unless a written hardship exception is granted (§47.12c(b)(6)). A supervisor who wants to end supervision must give two weeks' written notice so you can find another qualified supervisor, and may never terminate in a way that abandons your clients (§47.12c(b)(7)). A supervisor temporarily unable to supervise must designate a substitute, and remains ultimately responsible (§47.12c(b)(4)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsPennsylvania
An LCSW with five years in the last ten, or a licensed related-field clinician with the same
A supervisor holds either a clinical social work license and five years of experience as a clinical social worker within the last ten, or a license and a master's or doctoral degree in a related field (psychiatry, psychology, marriage and family therapy, counseling, art, dance/movement, drama, or music therapy, human services, counseling education) and five years in that field within the last ten (§47.1a; §47.1). At least half of your 3,000 hours must be supervised by someone in the first category, the LCSW (§47.12c(b)(2)).
SupervisorsPennsylvania
Not a relative, not your therapist, not in a dual relationship
The supervisor may not be a relative by blood or marriage, may not be in a dual relationship that obliges them to you, and may not treat you (§47.12d(2)). They must also be qualified by training and experience in your areas of practice (§47.12d(1)).
SupervisorsPennsylvania
A suspended or revoked supervisor stops on the spot
A person whose license has been actively suspended or revoked by any licensing board does not qualify. If it happens during supervision, the supervisor must tell you immediately and stop; hours completed before the discipline are credited, and you find a new supervisor for the rest (§47.12d(3)).
SupervisorsPennsylvania
The supervisor can veto activities, and the hours go with them
The supervisor is empowered to recommend interrupting or ending your services to a client and, if necessary, to end the supervisory relationship; any hours accumulated for activities the supervisor did not approve do not count toward the 3,000 (§47.12d(6)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstPennsylvania
Confirm the supervisor's category, and the LCSW half
Ask which category of §47.1a your supervisor meets and count their years. If your supervisor is a psychologist, LPC, or LMFT, you will still need an LCSW for at least 1,500 of the hours; plan both from the start.
Do FirstPennsylvania
Put the disclosure and consent in the intake packet
Written client permission to discuss the case with your supervisor is a condition of the hours (§47.12c(b)(3)). A packet that says who you are, who supervises you, and asks for that permission covers it for every client.
Do FirstPennsylvania
Check the pace against the calendar
No fewer than 500 and no more than 1,800 hours in any twelve months, no less than two years total, no more than six (§47.12c(b)(9)). A 40-hour week at 1,800 a year finishes in twenty months of hours but still needs the two-year floor; a very part-time job may fall under 500 and lose the year.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForPennsylvania
Below 500 hours in a year
Any twelve-month period with fewer than 500 hours is outside the rule (§47.12c(b)(9)). Leaves and gaps are not forbidden, but the hours around them have to still fit the floor and the six-year ceiling.
Watch ForPennsylvania
The wrong setting pattern
Hours at a second job under 15 hours a week, or a placement shorter than three months, do not meet §47.12c(b)(8) and are not counted, however good the supervision was.
Watch ForPennsylvania
Supervision that was not in person, or was not logged
The rule says the individual hour and the group hour are each in person, and the supervisor must keep notes or records of scheduled sessions for the Board (§47.12c(b)(5); §47.12d(10)). If your supervisor has no log, you have no proof; keep your own.
Watch ForPennsylvania
Independent practice before the LCSW
Advertising or engaging in the independent practice of clinical social work without the LCSW is unlawful (Act §16.1), a third-degree misdemeanor with a possible $10,000 civil penalty (Act §17). "Independent" means you regulate your own practice and treatment and are affiliated with no other practice, facility, or agency (Act §3). Accrue your hours inside an agency or an LCSW's practice.
Protections you have
ProtectionPennsylvania
Quarterly written evaluations you get to see
The supervisor must prepare written evaluations of your progress, strengths, and weaknesses and discuss them with you at least quarterly (§47.12d(14)). Ask for copies; they are your record if a later supervisor disputes your competence.
ProtectionPennsylvania
Hours before a supervisor's discipline are credited
If the supervisor's license is suspended or revoked mid-way, credit is given for the hours completed before the action (§47.12d(3)(i)). The rule protects the past; the future is on you to re-place.
ProtectionPennsylvania
Two weeks' notice, and no abandonment
A supervisor cannot walk away without two weeks' written notice, and cannot end supervision where that would abandon your clients (§47.12c(b)(7)).
ProtectionPennsylvania
A hardship exception to the six-supervisee cap
Where the cap leaves you without a supervisor, you and the supervisor may ask the Board in writing for an exception, stating why the cap is a hardship and why no other qualifying supervisor is available (§47.12c(b)(6)).
PA
Forms the Board expects: the LCSW application on PALS, and the verification of experience form completed by each supervisor with their attestation to the §47.12d standards. The Board's clinical social worker snapshot and licensure guide walk through both. Clinical social worker snapshot (Board) ↗
IL
Where the Illinois figures come from. 225 ILCS 20/9 and 20/9A (the experience requirements, in both the current text and the text that takes effect 1 January 2027 under Public Act 104-702), 20/10(c) (supervised clinical practice), and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.20 and 1470.97, read from ilga.gov in September 2026, with IDFPR's LCSW qualification sheet. Illinois has no special name for the person accruing hours; the form is the VE-SW, one per supervisor and site.
Practicum and internship
StudentsIllinois
Why you can practice without a license
The Act does not prohibit the practice of a student pursuing a course of professional education when the services are part of the student's supervised course of study (225 ILCS 20/4(1)(c)). Separately, a person obtaining experience for licensure may practice social work if designated by a title that clearly indicates training status (20/4(1)(d)). Say intern or trainee; do not say social worker, which in Illinois is itself a licensed title.
StudentsIllinois
Nothing before the MSW counts toward the LCSW
The 3,000 hours of supervised clinical professional experience must be completed subsequent to the master's degree (20/9(3)(a); 1470.20(a)(1)). Practicum hours are degree hours. A social work doctorate cuts the requirement to 2,000 hours after that degree.
TitleIllinois
The 2027 change, in one sentence
For hours earned on or after 1 January 2027, you must hold the LSW, or be lawfully practicing under a pending LSW application that is later granted, for the hours to count; hours earned before that date count if they would have counted under the rule in force when you earned them (20/9 as amended by P.A. 104-702). Since the LSW has no exam and costs $50, apply for it at graduation.
The numbers
IL
3,000 hours, an average of four supervision hours a month, no fixed calendar. 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.20(a): 3,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience after the master's degree, earned full time at 30 to 40 hours a week or part time at no more than 29, with the supervisor meeting you an average of at least four hours each month to discuss client cases and treatment procedures. Illinois sets no minimum number of years and no maximum; the statute and rule are silent on both.
What CountsIllinois
Clinical social work practice, as the Act defines it
Experience directly related to clinical social work practice: mental health services for the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders in individuals, families, and groups, including individual, marital, family, and group psychotherapy (1470.20(a)(4); 225 ILCS 20/3(5), (6)). Case management alone is social work, not clinical social work, and does not accrue toward the LCSW.
SupervisionIllinois
Individual or group, inside or outside the agency, paid or free
Supervision may be individual or in a group of no more than five supervisees; it may come from within the agency of employment or from outside it; you may contract with an LCSW to provide it; and it may be paid or unpaid (1470.20(a)(4)(E) to (H)). The supervisor must evaluate the experience as satisfactory (1470.20(a)(4)(D)).
Under Whose ControlIllinois
Two different questions: who controls the work, and who signs the hours
An LSW providing clinical services in an independent practice must work under the order, control, and full professional responsibility of an LCSW, a licensed clinical psychologist, a licensed clinical professional counselor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, or a psychiatrist (225 ILCS 20/10(c)). That answers who may be responsible for your clinical work. Only an LCSW's supervision produces hours toward the LCSW (1470.20(a)(4)(C); 1470.97(b)). A psychologist or LCPC can lawfully direct your work and still leave you with no countable hours.
Employee, Not ContractorIllinois
An LSW in a private practice is an employee
When providing clinical services in the independent practice of clinical social work, an LSW shall always operate and represent themself as an employee of the practice and may not work as an independent contractor under IRS rules (1470.97(c)). A 1099 arrangement in an LCSW's practice is a rule violation for both of you.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsIllinois
An LCSW, and in Illinois an Illinois LCSW
Since 1 January 1995, only experience supervised by a licensed clinical social worker is acceptable toward the LCSW; experience earned in Illinois must be supervised by an Illinois-licensed clinician (1470.20(a)(4)(C), (I)). Illinois sets no supervisor training course and no minimum years licensed; the license is the qualification.
SupervisorsIllinois
Out of state: the highest credential that jurisdiction offers
If the supervision took place in a jurisdiction that does not license clinical social workers, the supervisor must have been engaged in clinical social work and credentialed at the highest level that jurisdiction requires (1470.20(a)(4)(C)). Another state's board can send its copies of your documented experience to IDFPR (LCSW qualification sheet).
SupervisorsIllinois
Supervising a trainee is a conduct duty
Permitting an intern or trainee under your supervision to perform, or to pretend to be competent to perform, services beyond their training is unprofessional conduct, and disclosure of the intern's status and the supervisor's name to clients is required (1470.96(a)(11)). Sexual contact with a supervisee is grounds for discipline (1470.96(a)(9)).
SupervisorsIllinois
For the BSW route to the LSW, a wider pool
The three years of supervised professional experience that carries a BSW to the LSW may be supervised by an LSW, an LCSW, a diplomate in clinical social work, an ACSW member, or another supervisor the Board approves, at an average of four hours a month (1470.20(b)). The Act allows other disciplines where no licensed social worker is available (20/9A(3)(b)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstIllinois
Get the LSW, now
No exam, $50, and after 1 January 2027 the hours do not count without it. Apply at graduation and practice under the pending application in the meantime (225 ILCS 20/9B).
Do FirstIllinois
Confirm your supervisor is an LCSW, and set the four hours a month in writing
The two things IDFPR checks on the VE-SW are the supervisor's license and the average of four hours a month. Put both in a written supervision agreement with dates, and keep your own log alongside the supervisor's.
Do FirstIllinois
Set the weekly hours in the right band
Full time means 30 to 40 hours a week and part time means 29 or fewer (1470.20(a)(3)); a week over 40 does not accrue faster.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForIllinois
A supervisor who is not an LCSW
However senior, a psychologist, counselor, or MFT supervising your clinical hours produces nothing toward the LCSW (1470.20(a)(4)(C)). The exception exists only for the exam alternative hours and the BSW route, not for the 3,000 clinical hours.
Watch ForIllinois
Independent practice before the LCSW
Regulating your own practice or treatment procedures is the definition of independent practice, and an LSW may not do it (225 ILCS 20/10(c); 1470.97(a)). Practicing or claiming to practice as a clinical social worker without the license carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense (20/10.5).
Watch ForIllinois
Hours after 2026 without the LSW
The single largest trap in this state from 1 January 2027: clinical hours earned while unlicensed and not under a pending application will not count (20/9 as amended by P.A. 104-702).
Watch ForIllinois
An application that goes quiet
An application is active for three years from receipt; if the process is not completed within three years the application is denied, the fee is forfeited, and you reapply under whatever rules are then in force (1470.10(a)(2)(C); 20/12.5).
Protections you have
ProtectionIllinois
Supervision from outside the agency, on contract
You may contract with an LCSW to provide supervision, inside or outside your employer (1470.20(a)(4)(E), (F)). An employer with no LCSW on staff is not a dead end.
ProtectionIllinois
Experience you cannot document can be redone
A person who cannot successfully document an experience already completed is permitted to complete new experiences (LCSW qualification sheet). Painful, but the door stays open.
ProtectionIllinois
The exam is not the only way through
Someone who has attempted the Clinical exam since 2019 and not passed can qualify with 3,000 additional supervised professional hours, which may be case management, school social work, administration, or clinical work, supervised by any of six licensed disciplines (20/8.2; 1470.10(a)(2)). No other state on this site offers an alternative to the exam.
ProtectionIllinois
Practice pending the license
From 1 January 2026, temporary authority to practice under supervision begins as soon as IDFPR acknowledges the application and lasts until the license issues or the application fails (225 ILCS 20/9B).
IL
Forms IDFPR expects: the CORE application, a Certification of Education form or official final transcript, and a VE-SW (version 2024 or later) completed by each supervisor for each site. IDFPR: LCSW qualifications sheet (PDF) ↗
OH
Where the Ohio figures come from. ORC 4757.26 and 4757.27, OAC 4757-19-02 (the LISW experience rule), 4757-21-02 (the LSW scope), 4757-23-01 (social work supervision), and 4757-1-10 (trainee registration), with the Board's LISW instructions, read from codes.ohio.gov and cswmft.ohio.gov in September 2026. Ohio distinguishes clinical or work supervision, which any LSW doing social psychotherapy needs for as long as they do it, from training supervision, which builds the hours toward the LISW.
Practicum and internship
StudentsOhio
Why you can practice without a license
Chapter 4757 does not apply to a student in an accredited educational institution carrying out activities that are part of the prescribed course of study, supervised as the institution requires, who does not hold themself out as licensed or registered (ORC 4757.41(A)(6)). Say student or intern; "social worker" is a licensed title in Ohio (4757.02(B)(2)).
StudentsOhio
The optional SWT registration
A master's student in a practicum, internship, or field course may register as a Social Worker Trainee; the Board does not require it, but a placement site can. It takes BCI and FBI checks and proof of enrollment, lasts the course dates plus 60 days, and can be extended six months after graduation for someone who has applied for the LSW, at the same site only (OAC 4757-1-10; Board trainee instructions). Registered trainees are expected to be more closely supervised than licensees.
StudentsOhio
Nothing before the MSW and the LSW counts toward the LISW
The two years of experience must be post-MSW, and the hours count only for time during which the applicant held licensure as a social worker (OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2)(a)). Get the LSW in the final semester so the clock starts at graduation.
The numbers
OH
Two full years, 3,000 hours, no more than 1,500 in any twelve months, 150 supervision hours. OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2): at least two complete years of supervised experience including 3,000 hours of work for a fee, salary, or other consideration while engaged in the practice of social work and licensed as an LSW, with no more than 1,500 hours credited in any twelve-month period. OAC 4757-23-01(F)(1): one hour of individual or group training supervision for every 20 hours of work, no less than 150 hours in total. The Board reads "two years" as 24 unique full months: if you pass 1,500 hours before twelve months are up, the extra does not carry, and if you fall short, the period stretches until you reach it.
What CountsOhio
Practice of social work, for pay, as an LSW
The hours are hours of the practice of social work as the Act defines it: applying social work theory and specialized knowledge to directly assist individuals, families, and groups in a clinical setting to improve or restore social functioning, including counseling, psychosocial interventions, and social psychotherapy (ORC 4757.01(C)). The work must be paid (OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2)(a)); the supervision may be paid or unpaid.
SupervisionOhio
Individual is two at most, group is eight at most
Training supervision begins with an initial face-to-face meeting; after that it may be in person, by videoconference, or by phone. Individual supervision is one supervisor with no more than two supervisees; group supervision is one supervisor with no more than eight (OAC 4757-23-01(A)(2)).
RecordsOhio
You keep the log; the supervisor signs it quarterly
Records of training supervision are maintained by the supervisee, showing dates, content, and goals, on paper or electronically; the supervisor signs them at least quarterly and has no obligation to keep a copy. Logs must be produced to the Board on request (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(3)). When the hours are complete, your last LISW-S submits every accrued hour to the Board online from your logs, without duplicating what earlier supervisors already filed (4757-23-01(F)(4); Board).
Two KindsOhio
Clinical supervision is not the same as training supervision
Any LSW doing social psychotherapy, in an agency or in a practice, needs clinical or work supervision from an LISW, LPCC, IMFT, psychologist, psychiatrist, or a psychiatric-mental-health APRN: someone who evaluates your work, approves your intervention plans, assumes responsibility for your clients, reviews your notes, and approves assessments, diagnoses, treatment plans, and terminations (OAC 4757-23-01(A)(1), (B)). Only an LISW-S's training supervision counts toward the LISW (4757-23-01(F)(2)). Many people have both from one LISW-S; some need two.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsOhio
An LISW-S, and in Ohio an Ohio one
Employment experience toward the LISW obtained after 1 September 2008 must be supervised by an independent social worker with the supervision designation (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(2)). If the training supervision takes place in Ohio, both the supervisee and the supervisor must be licensed in Ohio (4757-23-01(F)(7)). Hardship exceptions may be requested in writing (4757-23-01(F)(8)).
SupervisorsOhio
What the S requires of them
Demonstrated competence in the area supervised; training in supervision theory and practice; training in legal and ethical issues relevant to counseling, psychosocial intervention, and social psychotherapy; forwarding every Board-required supervision evaluation within 30 days of completing supervision; and non-discriminatory service delivery (OAC 4757-23-01(C)). An LISW-S renews with 3 of the 30 CE hours in supervision (4757-9-01(C)(2)).
SupervisorsOhio
No direct family
There shall be no direct family relationship between supervisor and supervisee if the experience is to count toward licensure (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(6)).
SupervisorsOhio
The recommendation is not automatic
A supervisor is not obligated to recommend independent licensure if they have determined the supervisee is not yet qualified for independent practice, but a supervisor who fails to submit the hours on request may be disciplined, and the evaluation cannot be filed before the requirements are complete (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(5)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstOhio
Check the S on eLicense, not just the LISW
Look the supervisor up on eLicense Ohio and confirm the supervision designation. An LISW without the S can be your clinical supervisor and cannot give you a single countable hour (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(2)).
Do FirstOhio
Put the supervision disclosure on your paperwork
An LSW diagnosing and treating mental and emotional disorders must disclose on all printed and electronic materials that they are under the supervision of an appropriately licensed mental health professional, and name the supervisor (OAC 4757-23-01(A)(1)). Cards, intake forms, and the practice website all count.
Do FirstOhio
Start the log on day one, with the dates the rule wants
The dates the experience was obtained, not the application date, decide which version of the rule applies to you (OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2)(c)). A log with dates, content, and goals, signed quarterly, is what the Board will ask for.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForOhio
Hours before the LSW issued
Experience counts only while you held licensure as a social worker (OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2)(a)). Work done between graduation and the LSW, however well supervised, is outside the rule; apply in the final semester so the license is waiting when the degree confers.
Watch ForOhio
More than 1,500 hours in a year
No more than 1,500 hours are credited in any twelve-month period, so a 2,000-hour year yields 1,500 and the rest is lost (OAC 4757-19-02(D)(2)(a)). Two years is the floor no matter how fast you work.
Watch ForOhio
A solo practice as an LSW
A licensed social worker may not be in solo private practice; an LSW must be employed by or contracted with an agency, practice, or independently licensed professional who provides clinical supervision (OAC 4757-23-01(G); ORC 4757.26(C)). An LSW may be an independent contractor (4757-21-02(C)), but never an unsupervised one.
Watch ForOhio
Supervision from the right license without the S
A psychologist, LPCC, or IMFT may lawfully be your clinical supervisor and none of that time counts toward the LISW (OAC 4757-23-01(B), (F)(2)). Confirm which relationship you are in before you rely on it.
Protections you have
ProtectionOhio
Supervisors who sit on your hours can be disciplined
Supervisors who fail to timely submit supervision hours upon a supervisee's request may be subject to disciplinary action (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(5)), and a clinical supervisor who fails to provide proper supervision to a dependent licensee is subject to discipline (4757-23-01(A)(1)).
ProtectionOhio
Your log is the record
Because the rule places the record with the supervisee, a change of supervisors or a supervisor's departure does not erase your hours; the last LISW-S files them from your log (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(3), (4)).
ProtectionOhio
Video and phone supervision after the first meeting
After an initial face-to-face meeting, training supervision may be by videoconference or phone (OAC 4757-23-01(A)(2)), which keeps a rural LSW within reach of an LISW-S in another county.
ProtectionOhio
Hardship exceptions exist
Requests for exceptions to the supervision rule on grounds of hardship go to the committee in writing (OAC 4757-23-01(F)(8)), and the Board's instructions say the LISW-S requirement itself can be relaxed on a granted hardship request.
OH
What the Board expects: the LISW application on eLicense, the Professional Employment Reference filed by your last supervisor with the hours and their recommendation, the ASWB Clinical exam, official transcripts, BCI and FBI checks within a year, and the Laws and Rules video attestation. CSWMFT Board: LISW license instructions ↗
MI
Where the Michigan figures come from. MCL 333.18506 and 333.18509, and the Social Work General Rules R 338.2939, R 338.2941, R 338.2947, R 338.2949, R 338.2951, and R 338.2953, with the Bureau of Professional Licensing's limited license guides revised January 2026, read from legislature.mi.gov, ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us, and michigan.gov in September 2026. Michigan's word for the meetings is supervisory review: time in which the supervisor reviews your active work functions and your work records (R 338.2921(1)(e)).
Practicum and internship
StudentsMichigan
Why you can practice without a license
A student in a health profession training program approved by the Board is exempt from licensure while performing the duties assigned in the course of training (MCL 333.16171(a)). Say student or intern: "social worker" is a title reserved to the LBSW and LMSW (333.18503(2)).
StudentsMichigan
Field hours do not count toward the license
The 4,000 hours are post-degree hours, earned after the program has verified that every requirement for graduation is complete, and only while you hold a Michigan limited license (R 338.2941(3)(a); R 338.2949(3)(a); R 338.2953(b)(i)). Nothing from the practicum carries over.
StudentsMichigan
Apply for the limited license before the first day
Because the hours count only under the limited license, the LLBSW or LLMSW application on MiPLUS, with the transcript, fingerprints, and the two required trainings, belongs in the last weeks of the program. The Bureau lists the limited license at $44 for the application and first year (Board guides).
The numbers
MI
4,000 hours, at least two years, no more than 2,080 in any twelve months, and four hours of supervisory review a month. R 338.2949(1)(b) and (3) for the master's license, R 338.2941(1)(b) and (4) for the bachelor's: at least 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised work experience accrued over not less than two years; supervisory review of at least four hours per month, at least two of them individual, in person or by a live, simultaneous telecommunication method; no more than 2,080 hours credited in any twelve-month period; and an average of at least 16 and not more than 40 hours of experience a week, with a Board waiver available to someone who has the 4,000 hours but not the weekly pattern.
What CountsMichigan
Clinical hours for the clinical designation
Experience for the clinical designation must include one or more of: assessment, treatment, and intervention through a specialized, formal professional relationship with an individual, couple, family, or group; advocating for care; protecting the vulnerable; forensic practice functions; increasing social well-being; education and resources; psychotherapy; case management for complex and high-risk cases; community committee service; or clinical supervision or direction of clinical programs (R 338.2953(b)(iii)). You must function as a master's social worker using the knowledge and techniques acquired in your education (R 338.2949(3)(f)).
What CountsMichigan
Macro hours for the macro designation
Experience for the macro designation is administration, management, and supervision of human service organizations; collaboration and consultation among organizations and communities; community organizing and development; research and evaluation; legislative, social action, and advocacy work; social planning and policy; and social work education and training, or the advanced application of macro processes to improve services through planned interventions (R 338.2951(b)(iii)). Its exam is the Advanced Generalist.
SupervisionMichigan
Individual, live remote, or group with half individual
Supervisory review may be individual and in person, individual by a telecommunication method with live and simultaneous contact, or in a group modality that keeps 50 percent of the supervision as individual contact, during which your active work functions and records are reviewed (R 338.2949(3)(b); R 338.2941(4)(a)). Two of the four monthly hours must be individual (R 338.2949(3)(c)).
SettingMichigan
A Board-approved setting, which means one where an LMSW practices
A limited licensee confines practice to an agency, health facility, institution, or other entity approved by the Board (MCL 333.18506). The Board approves any setting where a master's social worker engages in the practice of social work at the master's level (R 338.2947(3); R 338.2939(3)). A solo practice with no LMSW on site is not that.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsMichigan
A Michigan LMSW with the designation you want
Master's-level experience is completed under a Michigan-licensed master's social worker who holds the macro designation, the clinical designation, or both, as applicable, with a license in good standing throughout the supervision (R 338.2949(2)). Clinical hours need a clinical LMSW and macro hours a macro LMSW (R 338.2951(b)(ii); R 338.2953(b)(ii)). Bachelor's-level experience is completed under any Michigan LMSW in good standing (R 338.2941(3)(b)).
SupervisorsMichigan
No supervision credential to look for, so check the designation
Michigan has no separate supervisor certification; the rule asks for the license and the designation. Look the supervisor up on the state's license verification search before you start and confirm both. A limited licensee practices under an LMSW by statute (MCL 333.18506); extra clinical supervision an employer arranges from a psychologist or counselor is fine, and none of that time counts toward the license.
Every Michigan supervisor you worked under completes the Supervisor's Verification of Social Work Experience form for the bachelor's or master's license, and the forms together must show the 4,000 hours; they go to bpldata@michigan.gov, and the subject line "SW Exam Eligibility" is what opens the exam (Board guides). For a social service technician, agency staff who know the work may verify it if the supervisor is unavailable (R 338.2933(4)(d)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstMichigan
Hold the limited license, in hand, before day one
Supervised work experience may only be earned while holding a Michigan limited license (R 338.2949(3)(a); R 338.2941(3)). Work done between the degree and the license issue date is lost, however good the supervision.
Do FirstMichigan
Decide clinical or macro before you pick a supervisor
The designation you apply for decides which LMSW may supervise you and what kind of hours count (R 338.2951; R 338.2953). Adding the second designation later takes another 2,000 hours over at least a year, 50 more hours of supervisory review, the other exam, and a $16.50 fee (R 338.2949(4); Board guide).
Do FirstMichigan
Plan the calendar: six renewals, then nothing
The limited license lasts one year and may be renewed no more than six times, relicensure included, and the Bureau says there is no provision to extend it (R 338.2947(4); Board guide). Two years is the floor; seven years is the ceiling. Track hours per twelve months against the 2,080 cap and the 16-to-40-hour weekly average from the start.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForMichigan
More than 2,080 hours in a year
No more than 2,080 hours of supervised work experience may be accumulated in any twelve-month period (R 338.2949(3)(d)); overtime past that is not credited, and two years remains the minimum.
Watch ForMichigan
Under 16 hours a week on average
The rule expects an average of at least 16 hours a week; someone with 4,000 hours who does not meet it must ask the Board for a waiver rather than assume one (R 338.2949(3)(e)).
Watch ForMichigan
A supervisor with the other designation
Clinical hours under a macro-only LMSW, or macro hours under a clinical-only LMSW, do not meet R 338.2951(b)(ii) or R 338.2953(b)(ii). Many LMSWs hold both; confirm before relying on it.
Watch ForMichigan
A lapsed limited license
Sixty days after its expiration date an unrenewed license is null and void (MCL 333.16201(3)); hours worked while it is void are hours worked without a limited license. Renew on MiPLUS in the 90-day window before it expires (Board guide).
Protections you have
ProtectionMichigan
Live video and phone supervision count
Individual supervisory review may use any telecommunication method that provides live and simultaneous contact, including for the two required individual hours (R 338.2949(3)(b)(ii), (c)(ii)), so a rural limited licensee is not tied to the county.
ProtectionMichigan
A waiver exists for the weekly pattern
An applicant who has the 4,000 hours but not the 16-to-40-hour weekly average may seek a waiver from the Board (R 338.2949(3)(e)); the rule names the waiver, so the request is ordinary.
ProtectionMichigan
Volunteer hours count at the bachelor's level
For the bachelor's license the experience may be earned in an employment or volunteer capacity (R 338.2941(4)(f)); the master's rule does not say the same, so plan on paid or formally placed work for the LMSW.
ProtectionMichigan
The supervisor's duty runs to the Board too
Negligent delegation to or supervision of others is a ground for discipline against any licensee (MCL 333.16221(a)), and a licensee who knows of another licensee's violation must report it (333.16222(1)).
MI
What the Bureau expects when the hours are done: the completed Supervisor's Verification of Social Work Experience form from each supervisor, emailed with "SW Exam Eligibility" in the subject line; the ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist score sent directly by ASWB; and the full-license application on MiPLUS with a new background check. LARA: Master's Social Work Licensing Guide and FAQs ↗
MA
Where the Massachusetts figures come from. 258 CMR 9.02, 9.03, 9.04, and 9.05 (licensure), 258 CMR 12.01 through 12.04 (scope of practice by level), M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 131 and 134, and ASWB's Massachusetts new applicant instructions, read from mass.gov, malegislature.gov, and aswb.org in September 2026. Massachusetts stacks the licenses: the LCSW comes straight from the MSW and exam with no hours, and the supervised hours are what turn an LCSW into an LICSW.
Practicum and internship
StudentsMassachusetts
Why you can practice without a license
A student enrolled in a CSWE-accredited school of social work may practice without a license under the direct personal supervision of an LICSW, an LCSW, a public employee who meets those requirements, or a faculty member, while identified at all times as a "social work student," "social work intern," or "social work trainee," and never as licensed (258 CMR 9.02(2); M.G.L. c. 112, § 134). The confidentiality rules of 258 CMR 22.00 apply to students in full (22.01(3)).
StudentsMassachusetts
Your field supervisor is one of your three references
An LCSW application needs three references, one from the most recent advanced field placement supervisor documenting the placement completed as part of the MSW curriculum; an LSW application by BSW needs a field placement supervisory reference the same way (258 CMR 9.04(3); 9.05(4); ASWB instructions). Ask before the placement ends.
StudentsMassachusetts
Field hours are not LICSW hours
The 3,500 hours toward the LICSW are counted from the date the Board issued your LCSW (258 CMR 9.03(3)). Nothing from the practicum, and nothing between graduation and the LCSW, carries over, which is why the LCSW application goes in the week the degree confers.
The numbers
MA
3,500 clinical hours, at least two years from the LCSW, 100 hours of individual face-to-face supervision. 258 CMR 9.03(3) and (4): at least 3,500 hours of clinical social work services within the LCSW scope over a period of not less than two years from the date of LCSW licensure, and at least 100 hours of individual face-to-face clinical supervision during that experience from an LICSW, a public employee who meets LICSW requirements, or an out-of-state independent clinical licensee the Board finds equivalent. ASWB applies the Board's rate of one supervision hour for every 35 hours worked, with a maximum of one hour per week, prorated when you work fewer than 35 hours a week (ASWB instructions; 258 CMR 12.02(1)).
What CountsMassachusetts
Clinical services as an employee
Qualifying hours are clinical social work services under 258 CMR 12.02(1) or (2): assessment, diagnosis, treatment, counseling, and psychotherapy of a non-medical nature, or case management applying clinical knowledge, provided as an employee of an agency, health care facility, or unrelated individual under an LICSW's supervision (9.03(3); 8.03). Non-clinical services, which an LCSW may provide autonomously, are not clinical hours.
SupervisionMassachusetts
Weekly, individual, face-to-face
An LCSW providing clinical services must receive at least one hour per week, or the pro rata amount for part time, of face-to-face individual clinical supervision from an LICSW or someone eligible for that license, and the Board prorates down to no less than one hour a month at one hour per 35 hours worked (258 CMR 12.02(1)). That is the supervision that also builds the 100 hours (9.03(4)).
RecordsMassachusetts
The supervisor documents the hours on the reference
There is no Board hours log. The clinical supervisor, an LICSW, documents your qualifying clinical experience and supervision on the supervisory reference form when you apply, and all of it must be complete as of the application date (ASWB instructions; 258 CMR 9.03(6)). Keep your own running record so the reference can be filled in accurately.
Two KindsMassachusetts
Clinical supervision versus everything else
Only clinical supervision from an LICSW counts toward the LICSW. An LCSW may receive non-clinical supervision from anyone the agency assigns, and an LCSW may give non-clinical supervision, but an LCSW may not provide clinical supervision to any mental health practitioner; doing so is practice beyond scope (258 CMR 12.02(4), (7)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsMassachusetts
An LICSW, licensed where the supervision happens
The 100 hours come from an individual who holds a Massachusetts LICSW, a state, county, or municipal employee who meets LICSW requirements but is exempt from licensure, or an out-of-state independent clinical licensee whose license the Board finds substantially equivalent (258 CMR 9.03(4)). ASWB adds that supervisors must be licensed in the jurisdiction where the supervision takes place, so an out-of-state supervisor cannot supervise work done in Massachusetts (ASWB instructions).
SupervisorsMassachusetts
No supervisor credential, so verify the license
Massachusetts issues no separate supervisor designation; the LICSW itself carries the authority to supervise (258 CMR 12.01(5)). Check the supervisor on the state's Check a License search before the first hour, and check again if they move jobs.
Besides the supervisor's reference, the LICSW application takes two professional references from people licensed as an LICSW, psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialist in Massachusetts, or in clinical social work, psychiatry, clinical psychology, or psychiatric nursing elsewhere; ASWB's list also names LMHCs and LMFTs (258 CMR 9.03(6); ASWB instructions).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstMassachusetts
Get the LCSW first; the clock runs from its issue date
The two years and 3,500 hours are measured from the date the Board issued the LCSW (258 CMR 9.03(3)). Work as an unlicensed MSW does not count, however well supervised, with one exception: an exam-approved applicant working as a "social work intern" under 9.02(3), which the rule cross-references.
Do FirstMassachusetts
Be an employee, not a contractor
An LCSW may provide clinical services only as an employee of an agency, health care facility, or unrelated individual, and may not do so as an independent practitioner, which the rules define to include an independent contractor in a group practice (258 CMR 12.02(1); 8.03). A 1099 arrangement is the wrong setting for LICSW hours.
Do FirstMassachusetts
Confirm the supervisor will sign the reference
The supervisory reference is a Board form the LICSW completes, and at least one of your three references must come from the person who provided the clinical supervision (258 CMR 9.03(6)). Agree at the start who will document the hours and how they will be tallied.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForMassachusetts
Group or phone supervision
The rule says individual and face-to-face (258 CMR 9.03(4); 12.02(1)); group supervision is named only for LSWs and LSWAs (12.03, 12.04). Time in group case review does not become supervision hours.
Watch ForMassachusetts
Supervision from an LCSW or another profession
An LCSW may not clinically supervise anyone (258 CMR 12.02(7)), and the LICSW rule names only LICSW-level supervisors (9.03(4)). A psychologist or psychiatrist may be a fine reference and cannot be the supervisor of record for the 100 hours.
Watch ForMassachusetts
An old exam score
The Clinical exam must have been passed not more than two years before the application (258 CMR 9.03(5); 9.10(5)). Time the exam for when the hours are nearly done, not the year after the MSW.
Watch ForMassachusetts
A lapsed LCSW while you work
An LCSW who misses the birthday renewal is unlicensed from the next day (258 CMR 9.09(5)). Hours worked while the license is expired are not hours as an LCSW; reinstate within the year with the late fee.
Protections you have
ProtectionMassachusetts
Part time is prorated, not penalized
Supervision is prorated to hours worked at one per 35, with a floor of one hour a month, so a part-time LCSW is not held to a full weekly hour (258 CMR 12.02(1); ASWB instructions). The two-year minimum still applies.
ProtectionMassachusetts
Practice while your application is pending
An applicant approved to sit the exam who has not failed it more than once may practice under the direct personal supervision of an LICSW or LCSW as a "social work intern" or "social work trainee" until the Board decides the application (258 CMR 9.02(3); Board notice, March 2024). Someone already licensed keeps practicing within that license while applying for the next level.
ProtectionMassachusetts
Confidentiality covers you and your supervisor
Disclosure to a clinical supervisor is permitted without the client's written consent when the client has been told in advance and has not objected, and the supervisor is bound to the same confidentiality (258 CMR 22.04(1); 22.01(4)). Communications that are part of a required supervisory process are outside the statutory confidentiality bar (M.G.L. c. 112, § 135A(a)).
ProtectionMassachusetts
The Board hears complaints against supervisors too
Permitting a licensee to work beyond their scope, and negligent or incompetent practice, are unprofessional conduct for the supervisor as much as the supervisee (258 CMR 20.01(6); 20.04), and anyone may file a complaint with the Board (30.01).
MA
What ASWB expects when the hours are done: the LICSW application with your LCSW number, the transcript sent by the school, the supervisory reference from the LICSW documenting the 3,500 hours and 100 supervision hours, two professional references, the notarized CORI form, the photo, and, after approval, the Clinical exam. ASWB: Massachusetts new applicant instructions ↗
NJ
Where the New Jersey figures come from. N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1 (the LCSW experience rule), 13:44G-8.1 (clinical supervision), 13:44G-3.2 (the LSW scope), and 13:44G-10.4, with the Board's Proposed Plan page and FAQs, read from law.cornell.edu and njconsumeraffairs.gov in September 2026. New Jersey counts the hours in three buckets, face-to-face, psychotherapy, and everything else, and puts unusually specific duties on the supervisor.
Practicum and internship
StudentsNew Jersey
Why you can practice without a license
A student enrolled in a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program, practicing as part of a supervised course of study and clearly designated "social work intern," is outside the Act (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-5(b)). Use that title; "social worker" and every abbreviation of it are reserved to credential holders (45:15BB-4(b)).
StudentsNew Jersey
Pick the clinical electives now
The LCSW transcript must show 12 semester hours of graduate coursework in clinical methods, exclusive of field placement, drawn from diagnosis and assessment, models of psychotherapy, clinical supervision and consultation, and intervention with special populations (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(b)3ii). Missing credits after graduation mean more tuition.
StudentsNew Jersey
Nothing counts until the MSW and the LSW
The 3,000 hours are earned after the master's degree, and only while you hold the LSW or work in a setting the Act exempts from licensure (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(a), (b)6). Apply for the LSW in the final semester so the license is waiting at graduation.
The numbers
NJ
3,000 hours in two to four years: 1,920 face-to-face, 960 of those psychotherapy, and one hour of supervision a week. N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(a): two years of full-time clinical social work means 3,000 hours under direct supervision after the MSW, completed in no less than two years and no more than four; at least 1,920 of the hours are face-to-face client contact, half of those, 960, in psychotherapeutic counseling; the remaining 1,080 may be supervision or other social work services. N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b)1v: at least one hour a week of face-to-face individual or group clinical supervision, of which individual supervision by HIPAA-compliant synchronous video may make up no more than half of the total. The work must have been completed within the five years before you apply (4.1(b)4).
What CountsNew Jersey
Clinical social work services
Clinical assessment, including a mental status examination and psychosocial history and the use of the DSM; clinical consultation; and psychotherapeutic counseling, meaning ongoing interaction to resolve symptoms of mental disorder, psychosocial stress, relationship problems, or difficulty coping (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-1.2). Social work services such as case planning, advocacy, and community organization fill the 1,080 non-contact hours, not the 1,920.
SupervisionNew Jersey
What a supervision hour must contain
Contact in which you apprise the supervisor of the diagnosis and treatment of each client, your cases are discussed, the supervisor gives oversight and guidance in diagnosing and treating, and the supervisor regularly reviews and evaluates your work (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b)1i to iv). Group supervision is limited to four supervisees; a supervisor may oversee no more than six people pursuing the LCSW at once (8.1(f)).
RecordsNew Jersey
Quarterly written progress reports, and the Board's form at the end
The supervisor gives you and your employer a written progress report at least quarterly, assessing your ability to establish a professional relationship, assess needs and plan interventions, intervene appropriately and flexibly, judge your own capacities, work one-to-one, in groups, and at the systems level, and any areas of concern (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(h)). At the end every supervisor completes the Documentation of Supervised Clinical Experience form for each title and location (Board). Keep the quarterly reports; they are your proof if a supervisor disappears.
Two KindsNew Jersey
Who refers, and who gets paid
Unless you are employed by an agency and supervised there, the supervisor refers the clients to you, and the supervisor or the supervisor's employer receives the fee clients pay for your work (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b)5, 6). The supervisor retains responsibility for the standard of care (8.1(b)4). This is the rule that makes an LSW's "private practice" impossible: the practice is the supervisor's.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsNew Jersey
A New Jersey LCSW, three years at the clinical level, with the 20-credit course
Clinical supervision is rendered by a clinical social worker licensed by New Jersey who has been licensed as an LCSW for at least three years and has completed at least 20 continuing education credits of Board-approved postgraduate coursework in clinical supervision; a Seminar in Field Instruction does not count (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b)2, 3). The Board confirmed in May 2024 that the three years need not all have been in New Jersey, but the supervisor must hold the New Jersey LCSW now (Board FAQ).
Before the supervisory relationship begins, you give the supervisor proof of your LSW and the supervisor verifies it, and you confirm theirs (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(e)). Ask for the supervision course certificate at the same time; the Board wants a copy with your application and with any proposed plan.
Where no supervision is available on site, you may arrange off-premises supervision with the employer's written consent, and you must get the client's written consent to share records with the outside supervisor (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(i)). The Board wants that consent as a notarized letter on agency letterhead with a contact for verification (Board FAQ).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstNew Jersey
Upload a Proposed Plan of Supervised Clinical Experience
Not required, but the Board strongly recommends it before your start date, while supervision is ongoing, or whenever supervisor or job changes, so the Board can approve, deny, or comment before the hours are spent. Upload it to your LSW profile with the supervisor's course certificate, the official HR job description for your title, and the outside-supervision letter if any; there is no fee (Board).
The Board requires the agency's standard job description for each title you held, on agency letterhead and issued by Human Resources as the description on file when you were hired; a letter written for you by a supervisor or executive is refused (Board). Ask HR for it on day one, while it is easy.
Do FirstNew Jersey
Tell clients you are supervised, and by whom
An LSW under supervision must disclose to each client that they are practicing under supervision and identify the supervisor (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(g)). Put it in the intake paperwork.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForNew Jersey
A private practice you own any part of
An LSW providing clinical services under supervision shall not provide them through a private practice the LSW owns wholly or in part; employment or volunteering at a practice owned by a licensed mental health professional is allowed (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(a)).
Watch ForNew Jersey
More than half your supervision by video
Individual supervision by synchronous video may be no more than half of the total supervision hours; the rest is face-to-face (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b)1v). The pandemic waiver covers only LSWs who began supervision between 13 March 2020 and 1 April 2024; everyone else needs a written waiver request uploaded to their profile to exceed half (Board FAQ).
Watch ForNew Jersey
Finishing too fast, too slow, or too long ago
Fewer than two years or more than four years disqualifies the hours (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(a)), and work completed more than five years before the application does not count (4.1(b)4). A change of jobs mid-way is fine; a gap that pushes the whole block past four years is not.
Watch ForNew Jersey
A supervisor without the course, or from another state
Out-of-state hours count only if the supervisor met every New Jersey requirement, New Jersey LCSW included, and the Board recommends a proposed plan first; otherwise finish that state's license and come through reciprocity (Board FAQ). A supervisor who has not taken the 20-credit course cannot give countable hours (13:44G-8.1(b)3ii).
Protections you have
ProtectionNew Jersey
An affidavit when the supervisor is gone
If you cannot get the supervisor's certification, submit a notarized affidavit explaining why, with the dates, the supervisor's name and eligibility, the face-to-face hours, weekly supervision hours, your title, and the HR job description (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-4.1(b)4; Board FAQ). The quarterly progress reports make that affidavit credible.
ProtectionNew Jersey
The Board will read your plan before you spend the hours
The proposed plan exists so that a bad arrangement is caught early; the Board says not to bother only when a few months remain (Board). It costs nothing and it puts the Board's view in writing.
ProtectionNew Jersey
Conflicts of interest apply to the supervisory relationship
The relationship between supervisor and supervisee may not violate the conflict-of-interest rule (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b)7; 10.4), and sexual contact with a supervisee or supervisor is sexual misconduct (10.7(c)).
ProtectionNew Jersey
Hardship waivers go to the Board in writing
Any regulation, including the in-person supervision rule, can be the subject of a waiver request: a letter uploaded to your profile explaining the difficulty, the employment details, and how much you are asking to change, considered at the next Board meeting (Board FAQ).
NJ
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application and fee, the transcript with the 12 clinical credits, a Documentation of Supervised Clinical Experience form from every supervisor with their course certificate, the HR job description for every title, any outside-supervision consent letter, the background check, and, after approval, the ASWB Clinical exam score. Board: LCSW application page ↗
NC
Where the North Carolina figures come from. G.S. 90B-7(f), 21 NCAC 63 .0210 (associate licenses) and .0211 (work experience), .0505(4), and the Board's LCSW Associate page, LCSWA FAQs, and Clinical Supervision Manual, read from ncleg.gov, the Office of Administrative Hearings, and ncswboard.gov in September 2026. North Carolina is a reporting state: the Board hears from you every six months, not once at the end.
Practicum and internship
StudentsNorth Carolina
Why you can practice without a license
A student completing a clinical requirement for graduation in a CSWE-accredited or candidacy program may engage in clinical social work without the license (G.S. 90B-10(b)(2)), and anyone holding an accredited social work degree may use the title "social worker" (90B-16(a)). Use the student or intern title your program assigns.
StudentsNorth Carolina
Nothing from the practicum counts
Practicum or internship experience gained as part of any educational program shall not be included in the 3,000 hours (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(1)). The clock starts with paid clinical employment under the LCSWA.
StudentsNorth Carolina
Line up the supervisor and the crisis plan before graduation
An associate may not practice until the Employment Verification form, the supervisor's Position Statement, and the Emergency Crisis Plan are on file (21 NCAC 63 .0210(b), (c)). A field supervisor who is an LCSW with two years past licensure is the natural first ask; one of your three references must be a past or present supervisor (63 .0204(c)).
The numbers
NC
3,000 paid clinical hours in two to six years, one supervision hour per 30 practice hours, 100 at least, every two weeks. 21 NCAC 63 .0211(a): two years of post-MSW clinical social work experience means 3,000 clock hours of work or employment for a fee or salary while engaged in clinical social work, accumulated over not less than two years nor more than six consecutive years; appropriate supervision is provided on a regular basis, no less than once every two weeks, with at least one hour of supervision during every 30 hours of experience and a minimum of 100 hours. No more than 25 hours may be group supervision, and no more than 50 hours may be by technology unless the Board approves more in advance. The Board's own gloss: 890 practice hours in a six-month period need at least 30 supervision hours, or the excess practice hours are cut (Board FAQ).
What CountsNorth Carolina
Clinical social work experience, by function not title
The professional application of master's-level theory, knowledge, methods, and ethics to restore or enhance functioning through assessment, diagnosis, and treatment including psychotherapy of mental, emotional, addictive, behavioral, or developmental disorders, plus clinical case management, information and referral, mediation, client education, and clinical supervision and consultation tied to a treatment plan (21 NCAC 63 .0102(11)). The Board reviews your job description against that definition when you file the Employment Verification form; job title and agency type decide nothing (Board FAQ).
SupervisionNorth Carolina
Individual, group, and technology
Individual supervision is one-on-one, face-to-face, where the LCSW reviews and discusses cases, reviews documentation, and gives evaluative comments and direction; group supervision is the same in a group, capped at 25 of the 100 hours (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(3)). Supervision by technology must be synchronous with audio and video throughout and confidential, and is capped at 50 hours unless the supervisor's written request for more is approved case by case (.0211(a)(4); Board request form).
RecordsNorth Carolina
The Six-Month Review, the supervisory log, and the case narrative
Every six months the associate files the Six-Month Review: employment, the period supervised, in-person individual and group hours, technology hours individual and group, clinical practice hours, the supervisor's ratings on eleven competencies, and a narrative on growth, with the supervisor's acknowledgment that the position statement and crisis plan are on file, a supervisory log is kept, and a case narrative for the period has been prepared and reviewed (21 NCAC 63 .0210(e)). Originals only, no fax; a separate review for each employer and each supervisor; keep copies, because the Board does not send confirmations (Board FAQ). Case narratives stay with the supervisor at least three years after services end.
A crisis consultant within one hour, for every location
Before practicing, an associate shows in writing that a licensed mental health professional has agreed to give emergency clinical consultation within one hour, in an Emergency Crisis Plan for each practice location listing the setting, the contact hierarchy with response times, the follow-up plan with the supervisor, and the signatures and license numbers of the associate, the LCSW supervisor, and the back-up (21 NCAC 63 .0210(b)). Any change is re-filed within seven days.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsNorth Carolina
An LCSW with an MSW, two years past the LCSW, in good standing
Appropriate supervision comes from an MSW who is also an LCSW in good standing with the Board, with an additional two years of clinical experience after LCSW licensure; a supervisor disciplined by any credentialing body may not supervise associates without the Board's written permission (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(2)). The Board publishes a roster of LCSWs who have identified themselves as available to supervise, and the license lookup shows standing.
The supervisor signs a Position Statement, the Board's form, and it must be on file before the associate practices; a new one is filed with every change of supervisor, along with a new crisis plan (21 NCAC 63 .0210(e)(4)(A); Board FAQ). An LCSW supervising associates must evaluate their work without bias and share the evaluations, and may not exploit the supervisory position for personal or financial gain (63 .0505(4)).
Off-site supervisors are allowed; private practice is discouraged
The Employment Verification form records whether the supervisor is on-site or off-site, and the Board accepts either (21 NCAC 63 .0210(c)(5)). It strongly discourages independent private practice during the associate period and approves it only when satisfied that every case is closely supervised by a North Carolina LCSW and a 24-hour emergency back-up plan is in place (Board FAQ).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstNorth Carolina
Three forms on file, then start
Employment Verification with the job description on agency letterhead, the supervisor's signed Position Statement, and the Emergency Crisis Plan; the Board does not acknowledge them unless there is a problem, and practice may begin once they are submitted (21 NCAC 63 .0210(b), (c); Board FAQ). Send them with tracking.
Do FirstNorth Carolina
Confirm your duties are clinical, in writing
Ask the supervisor and employer whether you are authorized to provide clinical services and whether the duties meet the definitions in 21 NCAC 63 .0102(10) to (12) and (18); the Board will read the job description the same way (Board FAQ). A case-management job with no diagnosis or treatment produces no hours.
Do FirstNorth Carolina
Start the supervisory log on day one
You and your supervisor keep an ongoing log of supervision hours showing the 1:30 ratio and which hours were in person and which by technology (Board FAQ); the supervisor attests every six months that the log exists and is available on request (21 NCAC 63 .0210(e)(4)(C)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForNorth Carolina
Too few supervision hours for the practice hours
The Board reduces reported practice hours to what the supervision supports at one per 30 (Board FAQ; 21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(3)). Front-load supervision rather than catching up later.
Watch ForNorth Carolina
The six-year clock, which nonpracticing status does not stop
All LCSW requirements must be met within three renewal cycles, six years from the associate license's issuance, or the hours expire and a new associate license requires passing the exam first (G.S. 90B-7(f)). Time on nonpracticing status or suspended for non-renewal counts against the six years (21 NCAC 63 .0404(c); Board FAQ).
Watch ForNorth Carolina
A missed Six-Month Review
Filing the review on time is the licensee's responsibility, and failing to report is a violation that can bring action against the license (Board). A lapsed LCSWA also means practice without a license: renew or file the Short Form at least 30 days before expiry (21 NCAC 63 .0210(f)).
Watch ForNorth Carolina
Out-of-state hours
Credit for supervision and practice earned elsewhere comes only through substantial equivalency based on a current, active license at an equivalent level in that jurisdiction, with no exceptions (Board). Hours earned in another state without its license do not transfer.
Protections you have
ProtectionNorth Carolina
Your hours are on file with the Board as you go
Because every six-month review is filed and kept, a supervisor who leaves takes nothing with them; keep your own copies and the Board has the rest (21 NCAC 63 .0210(e); Board FAQ). A change of employer or supervisor just needs new forms.
ProtectionNorth Carolina
Technology supervision can be extended on request
When the 50 technology hours are used up, the supervisor submits the Request for Supervision Via Technology with the circumstances, decided case by case (21 NCAC 63 .0211(a)(4); Board).
ProtectionNorth Carolina
Supervisors answer to the ethics rules
A supervising LCSW must evaluate fairly and share the evaluation, may not have a sexual relationship with a supervisee, and may not abuse the supervisory power for gain; violations are grounds for discipline (21 NCAC 63 .0505(4); .0501(b)).
ProtectionNorth Carolina
A predetermination before you invest two years
Anyone with a criminal history may petition the Board for a predetermination of whether it is likely to disqualify them, before applying (21 NCAC 63 .0215; Board FAQ).
NC
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW Short-Form Application signed by you and your supervisor with the supervisor's recommendation, the final Six-Month Review, the continuing education list, the $145 fee, and a passing Clinical exam score already on file. Board: LCSWA FAQs ↗
GA
Where the Georgia figures come from. O.C.G.A. 43-10A-3 (the definitions of direction, supervision, and supervisor), 43-10A-7(b), and 43-10A-12, and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.03, 135-5-.04, 135-7-.04, and 135-11-.01, read from codes.findlaw.com and rules.sos.ga.gov in September 2026. Georgia uses two words that mean different things: direction is administrative oversight by an employer or superior, and supervision is clinical review of your work with clients by a qualified supervisor.
Practicum and internship
StudentsGeorgia
Why you can practice without a license
Students of a recognized educational institution preparing to become practitioners are exempt from licensure as long as their services are under supervision and direction and their status is clearly designated by the title "trainee" or "intern" (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7(b)(4)). Use one of those two words.
StudentsGeorgia
The first year after the MSW
An MSW graduate may practice social work under direction and supervision for up to one year after the degree while preparing for the Masters exam, without any license (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7(b)(5); 135-5-.03(2)(b)). The exam application must go in within that year (135-5-.03(2)(c)). Hours in that year count toward the LCSW only if the practice is clinical and the supervision meets 135-5-.04.
StudentsGeorgia
A doctorate with a supervised internship buys a year
An MSW holder who also has a doctorate in social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, medicine, psychiatric nursing, applied psychology, pastoral counseling, or applied child and family development, with a supervised clinical internship in the program, substitutes it for one year: 2,000 hours in 24 to 72 months with 80 supervision hours instead of 3,000 and 120 (135-5-.04(2)(c); O.C.G.A. 43-10A-12(a)(2)(B)).
The numbers
GA
3,000 hours over three to nine years, the first 2,000 under direction, 120 hours of supervision. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.04(2)(b): a minimum of 3,000 hours of post-MSW supervised experience practicing clinical social work, acquired over not less than 36 months and not more than 108 months; the first 2,000 hours under both supervision and direction; 120 hours of supervision, no more than half in group, and at least half provided by a licensed clinical social worker who meets the supervisor requirements. The statute frames it as three years of full-time supervised experience, the first two under direction, with at least one year inside the two years before you apply (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-12(a)(2)). Individual supervision means one supervisor with at most two supervisees; group means at most six (135-5-.04(5)(d)).
What CountsGeorgia
Clinical social work, as the rule describes it
Psychosocial evaluation through data collection and analysis of mental, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, couples, families, and groups; interpreting the psychosocial dynamics of a situation and recommending and implementing a course of action, in settings from private practice and family service agencies to health care facilities and schools (135-5-.04(1)). Directed experience means time under direction engaged in exactly those activities (135-5-.04(5)(c)). Administrative social work, community organization, and policy do not build LCSW hours.
SupervisionGeorgia
What supervision is, and by whom
Supervision is direct clinical review, for training or teaching, of your interaction with clients, through case presentations, audio or video recordings, and direct observation, to develop your clinical skills (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-3(19); 135-5-.04(5)(d)). The supervisor is an LCSW, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist who has practiced in that specialty at least 2,000 clock hours over at least two years after licensure (135-5-.04(5)(e)); at least half of your 120 hours must come from an LCSW (135-5-.04(2)(b)1).
RecordsGeorgia
A contemporaneous log, kept by both of you
Supervisors and supervisees are each required to maintain a contemporaneous record of the date, duration, type (individual, paired, or group), and a brief summary of each supervision session, to be submitted to the Board on request; if hours are disputed, the Board asks for that documentation (135-5-.04(2)(b)2). There is no periodic report to the Board; the supervisor's verification comes with the LCSW application.
DirectionGeorgia
Direction is the employer's job
Direction is the ongoing administrative oversight of your work by an employer or superior in the chain of command who is responsible for the quality of your services and for ensuring qualified supervision or intervention where a situation exceeds your expertise (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-3(9); 135-5-.04(5)(a), (b)). The first 2,000 hours must be under direction, so a solo arrangement with only an outside supervisor does not satisfy them.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsGeorgia
Five licenses qualify, with two years and 2,000 hours behind them
A supervisor is licensed as a clinical social worker, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist and has practiced in that specialty for at least 2,000 clock hours over a minimum of two years after licensure (135-5-.04(5)(e)). Georgia has no separate supervisor credential for social work; check the license on the Secretary of State's verification search and ask about the two years.
Of the 120 supervision hours, at least 50 percent must be provided by a licensed clinical social worker who meets the supervisor requirements (135-5-.04(2)(b)1). A counselor or psychologist can supply the rest, and a psychiatrist, but not the majority.
SupervisorsGeorgia
Supervision by video needs nine training hours on the supervisor's side
Before providing supervision through technology, the supervisor must have nine continuing education hours in TeleMental Health, three of them on supervising telehealth, taken within the last five years, and must obtain your verbal and written consent (135-11-.01(b)2). Supervisors and supervision must still meet 135-5-.04. The Board says an MSW may receive supervision by phone, computer, or video where both have the training (Board FAQ).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstGeorgia
Get the LMSW, then the clinical setting under direction
The LMSW itself needs no hours, so take the Masters exam in the last semester or the first year and apply (135-3-.03(2)(c)). Then choose an employer who provides direction and a supervisor who qualifies; without direction the first 2,000 hours do not count (135-5-.04(2)(b)1).
Do FirstGeorgia
Agree in writing who supervises, how often, and who logs it
Georgia files no supervision contract for social workers, so write your own: supervisor, license, meeting cadence, individual versus group, and the shared log format that 135-5-.04(2)(b)2 requires. The Board will ask for the log if the hours on the application do not add up.
Do FirstGeorgia
Plan the calendar around 36 months and the two-year window
Hours may not be compressed below 36 months or stretched past 108, and at least one year of the experience must fall within the two years before the application, or you show a year of clinical continuing education instead (135-5-.04(2)(b); O.C.G.A. 43-10A-12(a)(2)(B)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForGeorgia
Psychotherapy in private practice as an LMSW without supervision
After two years an LMSW may enter private practice, but counseling and psychotherapy in it stay under supervision until the LCSW, and an LMSW who qualifies for the LCSW must apply within 60 days and take the first scheduled exam; failing three times ends private psychotherapy practice until the exam is passed (135-5-.03(1)(c), (d)).
Watch ForGeorgia
Too much group, or too little from an LCSW
More than 60 of the 120 hours in group, or fewer than 60 from an LCSW, leaves the application short (135-5-.04(2)(b)1). A supervisor who has not practiced 2,000 hours over two years since licensure does not qualify at all (135-5-.04(5)(e)).
Watch ForGeorgia
Nine years, or a stale block of hours
Experience acquired over more than 108 months does not meet the rule, and experience with no year inside the two before applying needs the continuing education substitute; the Board may extend the period only on a showing of hardship or good cause (135-5-.04(2)(b), (3)).
Watch ForGeorgia
A lapsed LMSW
A license not renewed by the end of the late period is treated as revoked, and continued practice after 31 October of the renewal year is unlawful practice (135-6-.03(4), (5)). Hours worked on a revoked license are hours without a license.
Protections you have
ProtectionGeorgia
Your own log is evidence
Because the rule requires the supervisee, not only the supervisor, to keep the contemporaneous record, your log stands on its own if a supervisor leaves or a count is disputed (135-5-.04(2)(b)2).
ProtectionGeorgia
Hardship extensions exist
The Board, in its discretion, may extend the period in which supervision or experience must be acquired on an adequate showing of hardship or good cause (135-5-.04(3)), and rule variances and waivers go through the petition process in O.C.G.A. 50-13-9.1 (135-3-.01(3)(b)2).
ProtectionGeorgia
Supervisors owe you an honest evaluation
A supervisor aware that a supervisee is engaging in unethical, unprofessional, or deleterious conduct must give a forthright evaluation and recommendations, must tell an unlicensed supervisee the legal limits of unlicensed practice, and must keep a supervisee's confidences; sexual activity with a trainee or student is unprofessional conduct (135-7-.04(2)(b) to (d); 135-7-.02(2)(c)).
ProtectionGeorgia
Video supervision is allowed
TeleMental Health supervision, including review of case presentations and recordings by video, is recognized by rule once the supervisor has the training and your consent (135-11-.01(a)7, (b)2).
GA
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application on GOALS with the fee, the transcript, the supervisor's verification of the 3,000 hours and 120 supervision hours, references, the fingerprint check, and then the Clinical exam scheduled with ASWB at the next available date. Board: FAQs ↗
VA
Where the Virginia figures come from. 18VAC140-20-10 (definitions), -37, -40, -49, -50, -70, and -150, §§ 54.1-3701 and 54.1-3705 of the Code of Virginia, and the Board's supervisor information, LCSW, and examination pages, read from law.lis.virginia.gov and dhp.virginia.gov in September 2026. Virginia's word for you during the hours is Supervisee in Social Work: a status the Board registers before the first hour, with its own form, contract, and fee.
Practicum and internship
StudentsVirginia
Why you can practice without a license
The activities or services of a student pursuing a course of study in social work at an institution the Board recognizes, or under the supervision of a licensee, are exempt from licensure when they are part of the course of study and adequately supervised (§ 54.1-3701(2)).
StudentsVirginia
The 600-hour clinical practicum
A clinical course of study includes a clinical practicum of at least 600 hours, integrated with the clinical coursework and supervised by a licensed clinical social worker or by someone with a master's or doctorate in social work and at least three years of clinical experience after the degree (18VAC140-20-49(B)). If the placement fell short of 600 hours, the shortfall is made up with an equal number of supervised clinical hours on top of the 3,000 required for the LCSW (18VAC140-20-49(B)). Keep the field evaluation; the transcript alone may not show the practicum hours.
StudentsVirginia
After the MSW, before registration
Salaried employees and volunteers of government agencies, of agencies they fund, and of community-sponsored nonprofits can practice without a license (§ 54.1-3701(4)), so an unlicensed graduate can work in most public and nonprofit agencies. Those hours do not count toward the LCSW unless the supervision was registered with the Board first (18VAC140-20-50(A)); register on the way in, not after.
The numbers
VA
3,000 hours in two to four consecutive years, 1,380 of them face-to-face with clients, 100 hours of supervision. 18VAC140-20-50(A)(2): a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised post-master's experience in the delivery of clinical social work services and the ancillary services that support it, acquired in no less than two and no more than four consecutive years; at least 1,380 hours of face-to-face client contact in clinical social work services; a minimum of one and a maximum of four hours of face-to-face supervision for every 40 hours of work, at least 100 hours in total; no more than 50 of the 100 in group, and no group larger than six unless the Board approves in advance. Face-to-face includes real-time, interactive technology (18VAC140-20-10). After four years you may request an extension of up to 12 months with evidence of extenuating circumstances (18VAC140-20-50(A)(3)).
What CountsVirginia
Clinical services, plus the ancillary work that supports them
The hours are in the delivery of clinical social work services and in ancillary services that support that delivery; ancillary services are activities such as case management, recordkeeping, referral, and coordination of services (18VAC140-20-50(A)(2); 18VAC140-20-10). The floor of 1,380 face-to-face client contact hours must be met inside the 3,000; the rest may be ancillary (18VAC140-20-50(A)(2)(b)). Purely administrative, policy, or community work is neither.
SupervisionVirginia
What supervision means here
A professional relationship in which the supervisor directs, monitors, and evaluates your social work practice while promoting the development of your knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide social work services ethically and competently (18VAC140-20-10). The supervisor reviews and approves the diagnostic assessment and treatment plan of a representative sample of your clients, across gender, age, diagnosis, length, and method, and it is your job to make the sample representative (18VAC140-20-50(C)(2)).
RecordsVirginia
The supervisor keeps five years of records; the Board gives you a log
The supervisor must keep documentation, for five years after supervision ends, of which clients were the subject of supervision, and must ensure the Board is told of any change in supervision or when it ends (18VAC140-20-50(C)(7), (8)). The Board posts a supervision log template, a sample supervisory contract, and the Verification of Clinical Supervision form the supervisor signs when you apply; there is no periodic report in between.
Your name, your degree initials, and "Supervisee in Social Work"
During the supervised experience you sign all written communications with your name, the initials of your degree, and the title "Supervisee in Social Work"; clients are told in writing of your status and of the supervisor's name, professional address, and telephone number; you may not bill directly for services, represent yourself as independent or as an LCSW, or supervise anyone else's clinical work (18VAC140-20-50(D)(1) to (4)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsVirginia
An LCSW with two years and supervision training
The supervisor holds an active, unrestricted LCSW license in the jurisdiction where the clinical services are rendered, with at least two years of post-licensure clinical social work experience, and has completed a three-credit graduate course in supervision or at least 14 hours of continuing education in supervision from a Board-recognized provider, plus at least seven more hours of supervision CE in the five years before your registration (18VAC140-20-50(B)(1), (2)). The supervisor may not be a family member or anyone with whom the supervisor has a dual relationship (18VAC140-20-50(B)(3)).
The Board keeps a public list of people currently approved to supervise LCSW candidates, searchable by city, zip code, or name, and lets a supervisee add or change to anyone on it without prior Board approval (§ 54.1-3705(8), (9); Board). A supervisor who is not on the registry can still qualify under 18VAC140-20-50(B), but adding one takes the Add/Change of Supervision application and a $25 fee (Board LCSW page; 18VAC140-20-30).
The Board may accept a supervisor with commensurate qualifications where the applicant shows an undue burden from geography or disability, or where the supervision happened in another state; supervision from another jurisdiction that met that jurisdiction's rules can count, including from supervisors that state did not license or did not designate as clinical (18VAC140-20-50(A), (B)(1), (B)(4)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstVirginia
File the registration, the contract, and the transcript
Before the onset of supervision: register on the Board's form, submit a supervisory contract completed by you and the supervisor, an official transcript documenting the graduate degree and clinical practicum, and the $50 fee (18VAC140-20-50(A)(1)). The Board publishes a sample contract; the regulation defines a supervisory contract as an agreement outlining the expectations and responsibilities of both of you under the Board's rules (18VAC140-20-10).
Look the supervisor up on the registry or the license lookup, and ask for the supervision-training certificates: the initial course or 14 hours, and the seven hours within the last five years (18VAC140-20-50(B)(2)). The Board can discipline a licensee for failing to provide supervision in accordance with the regulation (18VAC140-20-160(9)), which does not restore your hours.
Plan the calendar around two years, four years, and 40-hour blocks
The hours cannot be finished in under two consecutive years or stretched past four without an extension, supervision runs one to four hours per 40 hours worked, and the LCSW application must be filed within two years of finishing (18VAC140-20-50(A)(2), (3); 18VAC140-20-40(2)). Track the 1,380 face-to-face hours separately from the ancillary ones from the first week.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForVirginia
Hours before the registration
Supervised post-master's experience without prior written Board approval will not be accepted toward licensure, except supervision obtained in another United States jurisdiction that met that jurisdiction's requirements (18VAC140-20-50(A)). The registration date is the start date.
Watch ForVirginia
A new supervisor who is not on the registry, added without the form
Registration is required again whenever there is an addition or change of a supervisor to one not currently approved by the Board (18VAC140-20-50(A)(1)). Only a supervisor on the Approved Supervisor Registry can be added without prior approval (§ 54.1-3705(9)).
Watch ForVirginia
Too much group, too little supervision, or a group of seven
No more than 50 of the 100 supervision hours may be in group, no group may exceed six supervisees without advance Board approval, and supervision under one hour per 40 hours of work leaves the block short (18VAC140-20-50(A)(2)).
Watch ForVirginia
Billing in your own name, or dropping the title
Supervisees may not directly bill for services or represent themselves as independent, autonomous practitioners, or licensed clinical social workers, and must use "Supervisee in Social Work" in all written communications (18VAC140-20-50(D)(1), (2)). Practicing contrary to the standards of practice is a ground for discipline (18VAC140-20-160(5)).
Watch ForVirginia
Two exam windows, then a year back under supervision
Exam approval lasts two years; an applicant who has not passed by the end of a second two-year approval period must register for supervision and complete one additional year as a supervisee before a third window is granted (18VAC140-20-70(B), (C)). The Board has no authority to extend an exam window (Board exam FAQ).
Protections you have
ProtectionVirginia
Written duties on both sides
The regulation lists what the supervisor owes you: responsibility for your social work activities once the arrangement is accepted, review of a representative sample of assessments and treatment plans, supervision only in areas where both of you are competent, a documented evaluation of minimal competencies including risk assessment and reporting law, regularly scheduled availability, five years of records, and notice to the Board of changes (18VAC140-20-50(C)). The supervisory contract puts it in writing (18VAC140-20-10).
ProtectionVirginia
Extensions and alternatives for hardship
A 12-month extension is available after four years on evidence of extenuating circumstances, the Board may consider alternatives to face-to-face supervision for hardship, disability, or geography, and may accept supervisors with commensurate qualifications for the same reasons (18VAC140-20-50(A)(2), (A)(3), (B)(1)). Real-time video already counts as face-to-face without any waiver (18VAC140-20-10).
ProtectionVirginia
No family, no dual relationship, no romance
A supervisor may not supervise a family member or anyone with whom the supervisor has a dual relationship (18VAC140-20-50(B)(3)), and licensees may not have any romantic or sexual relationship with, or establish a therapeutic relationship with, a current supervisee or student, and must avoid nonsexual dual relationships with a supervisee that risk exploitation or harm (18VAC140-20-150(D)(3)).
ProtectionVirginia
A supervisor who leaves
If a former supervisor has died or cannot be located when you apply, a notarized affidavit from the chief executive of the agency where you were supervised, giving the dates, duties, supervisor's name and last address, and the hours, takes the place of the supervisor's verification (18VAC140-20-40(2)(a)). Changing to a registry supervisor needs no Board approval (§ 54.1-3705(9)); the Board also posts a termination-of-supervision form.
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application by examination within two years of finishing, with the supervisor's Verification of Clinical Supervision form, the official transcript, the NPDB self-query, and the $165 fee; then Board approval, ASWB registration, and the Clinical exam inside the two-year window, staying under supervision until the license issues. Board: social work supervisor FAQs (PDF) ↗
MN
Where the Minnesota figures come from. Minn. Stat. 148E.010 (definitions), 148E.0551, 148E.060, 148E.065, and 148E.100 through 148E.130, read on the Revisor's site, and the Board's supervised practice, clinical supervision, and students pages, read from mn.gov/boards/social-work in September 2026. Minnesota calls it licensing supervision, and it comes after the license, not before: every LSW and LGSW is licensed first and then supervised for the first 4,000 hours, and a clinical LGSW or LISW stays supervised until the LICSW.
Practicum and internship
StudentsMinnesota
Why you can practice without a license
An internship, externship, or any other social work experience required to complete an accredited program does not constitute the practice of social work, and the student may use the title "social work intern" (Minn. Stat. 148E.065, subd. 2). An intern is a student in field placement working under the supervision of a social worker to fulfill the program's requirements (148E.010, subd. 9).
StudentsMinnesota
The temporary license between graduation and the standard license
A graduate who has applied for the standard license, submitted the background check, passed the exam, and completed every degree requirement may hold a temporary license for six months, nonrenewable, practicing as a Temporary License Graduate Social Worker within the LGSW scope; supervision obtained under it counts toward the standard license's supervised practice, and so does continuing education (148E.060, subd. 1). Students may apply for the standard license six months before graduation and take the exam no more than six months before finishing the degree (148E.055, subd. 3(2); Board).
The provisional license, for those who skip the exam
A provisional licensee documents 37.5 hours of supervision in the first 2,000 hours of practice, at least three hours per 160 hours, half one-on-one in person or by eye-to-eye video, with a supervision plan within 30 days of starting, a supervisor's evaluation every six months, and a final attestation; the supervisor must have 30 hours of supervision training (148E.116; 148E.126; 148E.0551, subd. 6). Those hours do not count toward the standard license's supervised practice, which starts fresh once the standard license issues (148E.0551, subd. 5).
The numbers
MN
Clinical: 200 hours of supervision over 4,000 to 8,000 hours of practice, 1,800 of them direct clinical client contact. Minn. Stat. 148E.106: an LGSW engaged in clinical practice obtains a minimum of four and a maximum of eight hours of supervision for every 160 hours of practice, at least 200 in all, in no less than 4,000 and no more than 8,000 hours of postgraduate clinical practice, including at least 1,800 hours of direct clinical client contact; 100 of the 200 hours are one-on-one, in person or via eye-to-eye electronic media with visual contact, and the other 100 are one-on-one or group, in person, by telephone, or by video, never by email, with groups limited to six supervisees. Nonclinical: 100 hours in the first 4,000 hours. An LSW or a nonclinical LGSW obtains at least four hours of supervision per 160 hours of practice, 100 in all, 50 of them one-on-one, during the first 4,000 hours after licensure, and is not supervised after that (148E.100; 148E.105). The Board's page puts it in calendar terms: 160 hours is about a month full time, 4,000 hours about two years, 8,000 about four.
What CountsMinnesota
Clinical practice, and direct clinical client contact
Clinical practice is applying social work knowledge, skills, and values in the differential diagnosis and treatment of psychosocial function, disability, or impairment, including addictions and emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders, with treatment based on a plan from a differential diagnosis and including psychotherapy across the life span (148E.010, subd. 6). Direct clinical client contact is in-person or electronic media interaction with a client, including client systems and service providers, related to the client's mental and emotional functioning, differential diagnosis, and treatment (148E.010, subd. 7a). Both diagnosis and treatment must be part of your practice to qualify for the LICSW (148E.055, subd. 5(a)(3)).
SupervisionMinnesota
What supervision covers
Supervision is a professional relationship in which the supervisor evaluates and directs the supervisee's social work practice and promotes the supervisee's continued development to practice ethically and competently (148E.010, subd. 18). The supervisee must, to the supervisor's satisfaction, practice competently and ethically and receive supervision in five content areas: development of professional values and responsibilities, practice skills, authorized scope of practice, ensuring continuing competence, and ethical standards of practice, plus clinical practice where applicable (148E.106, subd. 5; 148E.125).
RecordsMinnesota
Two forms, like bookends: the plan and the verification
The supervision plan goes to the Board within 60 days of starting a social work position, and again within 60 days of a new supervisor, a new position, a substantial change in scope or hours, or a change in the type of supervision; one plan per position, and multiple supervisors can share a plan (148E.125, subd. 1; Board). The verification, on the Board's form from each supervisor for each position, lists the hours and dates of each type of supervision, the content areas, a declaration that you practiced ethically and competently, and, for clinical practice, the population, diagnoses, modalities, and diagnostic process; it is due at every renewal, even before the hours are complete, and with the LISW or LICSW application (148E.125, subd. 3). Keep your own running log so the form can be filled from it.
Eight thousand hours, then the LICSW or a hardship petition
An LGSW or LISW must not engage in clinical practice under supervision for more than 8,000 hours; to keep practicing clinically past that point the LICSW is required, unless the Board grants, on a petition showing personal hardship, an extension of up to 2,000 more supervised hours (148E.106, subd. 7; 148E.110, subd. 3, 10). Supervisee and supervisor are expected to adjust the rate of supervision within the four-to-eight range so the 200 hours land inside the 4,000 to 8,000 window (148E.106, subd. 1(3)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsMinnesota
Clinical: an LICSW with 2,000 hours since licensure and 30 hours of training
Clinical licensing supervision comes from an LICSW who has at least 2,000 hours of authorized social work practice, including 1,000 hours of clinical practice, after obtaining the LICSW, and who has completed 30 hours of training in supervision through coursework or continuing education, is competent in the activities supervised, and attests to the Board on its form that the requirements are met (148E.106, subd. 4; 148E.120, subd. 1). Supervisors keep six hours of supervision content in every 40-hour CE term (148E.130, subd. 1(a)(3)). The supervisor can be inside or outside your agency, and the Board's license lookup has a "Licensing Supervisor" filter by county (Board).
Nonclinical: any licensee who has finished their own hours
An LSW's supervision may come from an LSW who has completed the supervised practice requirements, an LGSW, an LISW, or an LICSW; a nonclinical LGSW's from an LISW, an LGSW who has completed the requirements, or an LICSW; in every case the supervisor also needs the 30 hours of supervision training and the attestation (148E.100, subd. 4; 148E.105, subd. 4; 148E.120, subd. 1).
SupervisorsMinnesota
Alternate supervisors: a quarter by another profession, or all of it in five situations
The Board approves up to 25 percent of the required hours from a mental health professional qualified to supervise under their own board, which in Minnesota means a psychiatric nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist, marriage and family therapist, or professional clinical counselor (148E.120, subd. 2(a); 245I.04, subd. 2). It approves up to 100 percent when there are five or fewer qualifying supervisors in your county, the supervisor is an unlicensed social worker with equivalent qualifications supervising in an exempt setting, the supervisor practices in Iowa, Manitoba, North Dakota, Ontario, South Dakota, or Wisconsin with equivalent qualifications, or you practice outside Minnesota with an equivalent supervisor or credentialed mental health professional; the request goes in the supervision plan with the alternate's name and qualifications (148E.120, subd. 2(b), (c)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstMinnesota
Get licensed, then file the plan within 60 days
Supervised practice for the standard license starts after the license issues, whether standard or temporary (148E.100, subd. 1; 148E.106, subd. 1; 148E.060, subd. 1(f)). The plan is due 60 days after you begin the position; late plans cost $40 at renewal, and the Board must approve both the supervisor and the plan (148E.125, subd. 1). A separate plan is needed for each social work position you hold (Board).
Do FirstMinnesota
Check the supervisor's 2,000 hours and 30 hours of training
Ask a prospective clinical supervisor for the LICSW issue date, the 1,000 clinical hours since, and the supervision training certificates; the supervisor attests to all of it on the Board's form and the Board may audit (148E.120, subd. 1). The license lookup shows who has registered as a licensing supervisor (Board).
Do FirstMinnesota
Plan the ratio and the 1,800 direct hours from the first month
Four to eight supervision hours per 160 practice hours is a floor and a ceiling; at full time that is roughly a month per block. Track direct clinical client contact separately from documentation, meetings, and other work, because 1,800 direct hours are required inside the 4,000 to 8,000 (148E.106, subd. 2).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForMinnesota
Supervision by email, a group of seven, or too little one-on-one
Supervision must not be provided by email, group supervision is limited to six supervisees, and at least 100 of the 200 clinical hours (50 of 100 nonclinical) must be one-on-one, in person or by eye-to-eye video with visual contact; one-on-one by telephone counts only toward the second half (148E.106, subd. 3; 148E.100, subd. 3).
Watch ForMinnesota
Fewer than four, or more than eight, hours per 160
The ratio is a minimum of four and a maximum of eight supervision hours during every 160 hours of practice; hours outside it do not fit the statute, and the supervisee and supervisor are told to adjust the rate to comply (148E.106, subd. 1, 2).
Watch ForMinnesota
A new job or supervisor without a revised plan
A revised supervision plan must reach the Board within 60 days of a new supervisor, a new position, a substantial change in scope, content, or hours, or a change in the type of supervision; failing to file it means the late fee and a renewal that cannot be approved until it arrives (148E.125, subd. 1(f), (g), (d)).
Watch ForMinnesota
Passing 8,000 hours still supervised
Clinical practice under supervision beyond 8,000 hours is not allowed without the LICSW or a Board-granted hardship extension of up to 2,000 hours (148E.106, subd. 7; 148E.110, subd. 3). Practicing outside the authorized scope is a ground for action (148E.190, subd. 4(1)).
Watch ForMinnesota
A stale exam score
An ASWB exam passed eight or more years before the application is not valid for licensure at any level (148E.055, subd. 2 to 5).
Protections you have
ProtectionMinnesota
A supervisor who cannot be found
The Board may accept alternative verification of supervised practice when a supervisee demonstrates an inability to locate a former supervisor to complete the form (148E.125, subd. 4; 148E.126, subd. 3).
ProtectionMinnesota
Video counts in full, and rural counties get alternates
The Board must allow all of the required one-on-one hours to be provided by eye-to-eye electronic media with visual contact (148E.106, subd. 3(1)), and it approves up to 100 percent of hours from an alternate supervisor where five or fewer qualifying supervisors practice in your county (148E.120, subd. 2(b)(1)).
ProtectionMinnesota
Boundaries with supervisors are written into the standards
A social worker practicing as a supervisor must not engage in or suggest sexual conduct with a supervisee during the period of supervision, must not use the relationship for personal, financial, or other benefit, and must not sexually harass a supervisee or intern (148E.220, subd. 3, 9, 10). Supervisors who learn of a supervisee's misconduct have their own reporting duties to the Board (148E.240, subd. 5).
ProtectionMinnesota
Hardship extension past 8,000 hours
On a petition showing personal hardship, the Board may allow an LGSW or LISW to continue clinical practice under supervision for up to 2,000 additional hours beyond the 8,000-hour limit (148E.106, subd. 7(b); 148E.110, subd. 3(b)).
MN
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LICSW application with the fee, the official transcript if not already on file, the 360 clinical clock hours forms, and a Clinical Supervision Verification form from each supervisor for each position, then exam approval by letter, the ASWB Clinical exam, and the prorated license fee. Board: standard license supervised practice FAQs ↗
MO
Where the Missouri figures come from. RSMo 337.600 (the definitions of qualified clinical, advanced macro, and baccalaureate supervisors), 337.615, 337.643, 337.645, 337.653, and 337.665, and the Committee's rules 20 CSR 2263-2.030 (supervised experience), 2263-2.031 (acceptable supervisors), and 2263-2.032 (registration), current through June 30, 2026, together with the Committee's supervisor page, read in September 2026. Missouri's system is built around a registered supervisor: the Committee approves the person and the setting before the first hour.
Practicum and internship
StudentsMissouri
Why you can practice without a license
The licensing sections regulate the licensed titles and the practice of clinical social work; a student's field placement is part of a degree program and is not held out as licensed practice. The title rule is separate: a person may hold out as a social worker with a CSWE-accredited BSW or MSW, a social work doctorate, or a license (RSMo 337.604), so a student uses "intern" or the program's title until the degree is conferred.
StudentsMissouri
The exam in the final semester
The Bachelors and Masters exams may be taken in the final semester of the program with a letter from a designated official of the CSWE-accredited program that the student is on track to graduate; an exam taken before the final semester is not acceptable (20 CSR 2263-2.050(4)(E)2, 3). The Committee posts a request form for sitting before graduation (Committee LCSW and LMSW pages).
StudentsMissouri
Nothing counts before the LMSW
Supervision of an applicant for the LCSW or LAMSW shall not begin, and is acceptable to the Committee only, after the license as a master social worker issues; for the LBSW independent practice certificate, after the LBSW issues (20 CSR 2263-2.030(1); 2263-2.032(3)(A)). Practicum hours and pre-license work do not carry forward.
The numbers
MO
3,000 hours in no less than 24 and no more than 48 consecutive months, two hours of individual supervision every two weeks. RSMo 337.615.2(2) and 20 CSR 2263-2.030(3): a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience with a qualified clinical supervisor; the 48-month window runs in consecutive calendar months from the start and includes unemployment, part-time work, and leave, so hours outside a consecutive 48-month period are not eligible; a minimum of two hours of individual face-to-face supervision every two weeks, which may be consolidated into four hours per four-week period; up to 50 percent of each month's supervision in group supervision of two to six supervisees; electronic supervision acceptable when confidentiality is maintained and the communication is verbally and visually interactive. The same 3,000 hours and window apply to the LAMSW with a qualified advanced macro supervisor and to the LBSW independent practice certificate with a qualified baccalaureate supervisor (337.645.1(2); 337.653.3). The Committee's page gives the arithmetic: months times 4.2 times hours worked per week.
What CountsMissouri
Clinical social work, under full professional responsibility
Clinical social work is the application of social work theory, methods, and techniques, including psychotherapy and counseling, to assessment, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and amelioration of mental and emotional conditions (RSMo 337.600(2)). The supervisee's practice must be performed under the oversight, guidance, control, and full professional responsibility of the Committee-approved supervisor, at the settings the Committee approved (20 CSR 2263-2.030(3)(C); 2263-2.032(4)). The supervisor's duties include preliminary screening of every potential client to decide whether the supervisee can handle the assessment, intervention, and referral, and thorough knowledge of the entire workload and each case (2263-2.031(6)).
SupervisionMissouri
Individual, group, and video
Two hours of individual face-to-face supervision every two weeks is the floor, or four hours per four weeks when consolidated; group supervision of two to six supervisees may supply up to half of a month's hours; video counts when it is verbally and visually interactive and confidentiality is protected (20 CSR 2263-2.030(3)(A)). The supervision hours are included in the 3,000, and a supervisor may carry no more than six supervisees at once without a written petition to the Committee (2263-2.031(5)).
RecordsMissouri
Annual reports, a log, and the attestation within 14 days
The supervisor files an annual progress report with the Committee on the anniversary of the initial approval at months 12, 24, and 36, covering knowledge of the statutes and rules, scope of practice, ethical conduct, growth areas, and the hours so far (20 CSR 2263-2.031(6)(L); 2263-2.032(12)). Within 14 days of the end of supervision the supervisor completes the Attestation of Supervision form, keeps it for 48 months, and sends it directly to the Committee with your application; a recommendation with reservation must be explained in writing, with a copy to you and 14 days for your response (2263-2.031(7); 2263-2.050(4)(C)). The Committee posts a Record of Supervision log and a running count of attested hours (Committee).
An LMSW under registered supervision may be employed in the supervisor's private practice or another's, but not in a practice the supervisee operates, manages, or owns; the supervisor bills for the supervisee's services and the supervisee never bills clients directly, except that a Medicaid reimbursement number may be used when the reimbursement runs through the employing setting rather than to the supervisee (20 CSR 2263-2.031(8); 2263-2.032(6)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsMissouri
An LCSW with supervisor training, registered with the Committee
The statute defines a qualified clinical supervisor as an LCSW who has practiced as a licensed social worker in the field for at least three years and completed at least 16 hours of supervisory training from ASWB, NASW, an accredited university, or a Committee-approved program (RSMo 337.600(19)); the Committee's rule adds the CSWE degree, a Missouri license or an equivalent one from another state, the 16-hour course covering the six components the rule lists, and five years of post-licensure experience (20 CSR 2263-2.031(1)(A)). To supervise for licensure in Missouri the supervisor must be both licensed here and registered with the Committee; unregistered or unlicensed licensure supervision is cause for discipline (2263-2.032(14)).
An LCSW may supervise LCSW, LAMSW, and LBSW independent practice registrants; an LAMSW may supervise LAMSW and LBSW independent practice registrants; a Missouri LBSW with the independent practice certificate, or an equivalent LBSW from another state, may supervise an LBSW registrant (20 CSR 2263-2.031(1)(B) to (D)). A supervisor with an equivalent out-of-state license may supervise in that state, and that supervision registers here if the Committee finds the license substantially similar, but may not supervise in Missouri (2263-2.031(4); 2263-2.032(2)).
SupervisorsMissouri
Not a relative, not under discipline, not outside the agency without a written agreement
The supervisor cannot be a relative, defined down to aunts, uncles, in-laws, and anyone with another dual relationship (20 CSR 2263-2.031(2)). A supervisor under probation, suspension, or revocation may not supervise, and one whose license was ever disciplined needs prior Committee approval (2263-2.031(3)). A supervisor from outside your agency needs a written agreement with the agency's administration on the purpose, content, role, and limits of the supervision, and if the same person is your employment supervisor the contract must say so and address the dual relationship (2263-2.031(6)(H), (I)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstMissouri
Register the supervisor and the setting, and wait for the letter
Submit the registration of supervision form with the $25 fee per setting before supervision begins; the Committee will not review it until the form, the fee, and the license are all in, and it notifies both of you in writing of approval or refusal (20 CSR 2263-2.032(1), (3), (7)). The Committee's page asks for the form within 14 days of the start date; the rule says register first.
Do FirstMissouri
Check the supervisor's training, years, and registration
Ask for the 16-hour supervisory training certificate and confirm the years of post-licensure practice the rule requires; look the license up on the Division's licensee search and confirm there is no current probation, suspension, or revocation (20 CSR 2263-2.031(1), (3)).
The clock runs in consecutive calendar months from the first approved hour, gaps included, and hours outside any 48-month span are lost (20 CSR 2263-2.030(3)(B)). The Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam opens after 2,250 hours and 18 months (2263-2.050(4)(E)4, 5), and supervision older than 48 months when you apply is not recognized (2263-2.032(10)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForMissouri
Hours before registration, or before the LMSW
Supervision counts only after the LMSW issues and only when registered for approval before it begins; the Committee may deny hours not completed in compliance with the rules (20 CSR 2263-2.030(1), (4); 2263-2.032(1)).
Watch ForMissouri
A change of supervisor or setting without the form in 14 days
Whenever a supervisee changes or adds a supervisor or setting, a change of status form with the registration fee must reach the Committee in writing within 14 days; failure means those hours are not calculated toward the 3,000 (20 CSR 2263-2.032(5)). The supervisor must report terminations and site changes within 14 days too (2263-2.031(6)(J), (K); 2263-2.032(11)).
Watch ForMissouri
Fewer than two individual hours every two weeks
Two hours of individual face-to-face supervision every two weeks is a minimum, consolidated at most into four hours per four weeks; group hours may not exceed half of the month (20 CSR 2263-2.030(3)(A)).
Watch ForMissouri
Running past 48 months
If the hours are not complete within 48 months of the start, the supervisee must submit a detailed written plan, co-signed by the supervisor, for the Committee's approval; the Committee may ask for more information or require either or both of you to appear (20 CSR 2263-2.032(13)). Statute caps supervised practice of the LCSW's reserved work by an LMSW at 48 consecutive months (RSMo 337.643.2).
Watch ForMissouri
Billing in your own name, or owning the practice
A supervisee may not bill clients directly and may not be in a private practice the supervisee operates, manages, or owns (20 CSR 2263-2.031(8); 2263-2.032(6)); an LMSW may not practice the LCSW's scope independently at all (RSMo 337.643.2).
Protections you have
ProtectionMissouri
An approval letter, and a right to answer a bad attestation
The Committee notifies both supervisee and supervisor in writing when a registration is approved, so the arrangement is confirmed before the hours accrue (20 CSR 2263-2.032(7)). A supervisor who declines to recommend you, or recommends with reservation, must explain in writing with any exhibits, deliver a copy to you, and you may respond within 14 days in writing or ask to appear before the Committee (2263-2.031(7)(A) to (C)).
ProtectionMissouri
Exceptions on request
A supervisee seeking an exception to the supervised experience requirements may submit a written request, considered case by case at the Committee's discretion (20 CSR 2263-2.030(6)), and the 48-month window is built to include unemployment, part-time work, and leave the Committee deems appropriate (2263-2.030(3)(B)).
ProtectionMissouri
Safeguards against a compromised evaluation
Where the supervisor and supervisee have a relationship that could affect the supervisor's employment or benefits, or could bias the evaluation, acceptable safeguards must be built into the contract; a supervisor may not exploit a supervisee sexually, economically, or otherwise, and may not engage in sexual contact with a supervisee (20 CSR 2263-2.031(6)(H); 2263-3.060(3), (5)).
ProtectionMissouri
Video supervision is allowed
Electronic communication satisfies the supervision requirement when confidentiality is maintained and the exchange is verbally and visually interactive (20 CSR 2263-2.030(3)(A)4), which makes rural placements workable with a registered supervisor elsewhere in Missouri.
MO
What the Committee expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application with the $70 fee, the transcript if not on file, proof of the two-hour suicide training within the prior two years, fingerprints, and the Attestation of Supervision from each registered supervisor sent directly to the Committee; then approval to sit for the Clinical exam, ASWB's score report, and the license, with supervision continuing until it is approved. Committee: LCSW application (includes the attestation form) ↗
TN
Where the Tennessee figures come from. T.C.A. 63-23-103, 63-23-104, and 63-23-105, and Rules 1365-01-.01 (definitions), 1365-01-.04 (licensure requirements), and 1365-01-.08 (supervision) of the Board of Social Worker Licensure, revised September 2024, read from codes.findlaw.com, the Secretary of State's rules site, and the Board's page on tn.gov in September 2026. Tennessee does not register supervision plans; the Board sees the supervision only when the LCSW or LAPSW application arrives, which puts the burden of getting it right at the start on you.
Practicum and internship
StudentsTennessee
Why you can practice without a license
The Practice Act protects the four licensed titles and independent clinical practice; it does not license students, and the general title rule lets anyone with a CSWE-accredited BSW or MSW hold out as a social worker (T.C.A. 63-23-113). A student in a field placement uses the program's title and works under the placement's supervision; the hours do not count toward any Tennessee license.
StudentsTennessee
The LMSW comes first, always
Every hour toward the LCSW or LAPSW is practice as a licensed master's social worker or temporarily licensed master's social worker under an approved supervisor; licensure as an LMSW or temporary LMSW must be obtained before filing the application or beginning the supervised experience, and it must stay active until the advanced license issues (T.C.A. 63-23-105(b)(5); Rule 1365-01-.04(4)(a)7(i)). The temporary LMSW exists only for graduates of programs still awaiting accreditation (Rule 1365-01-.04(6)).
StudentsTennessee
A clinical practicum is not required by the rule
Tennessee's rules set no minimum clinical practicum hours or clinical coursework for the LCSW beyond the CSWE-accredited MSW itself (Rule 1365-01-.04(4)); what matters is the 3,000 post-LMSW clinical experience hours. Clinical experience means applying social work theory and skill to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and addictions, through individual, marital, couple, family, and group therapy, counseling, advanced case management, and psychotherapy (Rule 1365-01-.01(6)(b)).
The numbers
TN
3,000 hours over not less than two and not more than eight years, 100 supervision hours on top, about one for every thirty. Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(a): after becoming an LMSW or temporary LMSW, the LCSW applicant completes 3,000 hours of clinical experience over not less than two years and not more than eight years measured from the date the application and fee are received, under an LCSW, with 100 supervisor contact hours in addition to the 3,000, spread at reasonable intervals of approximately one supervision hour to every 30 clinical experience hours; at least 60 of the 100 are individual supervision, no more than 40 are group with no more than four supervisees, and no more than 75 percent of the individual hours may be by teleconference or video. The statute puts it as not less than two years of work as an LMSW under LCSW supervision (T.C.A. 63-23-105(b)(5)). The LAPSW path is the same arithmetic in nonclinical advanced practice under an LCSW or LAPSW (Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(b)).
What CountsTennessee
Clinical experience, and what supervision must focus on
Clinical experience is the application of social work theory, knowledge, methods, values, ethics, and the professional use of self to restore or enhance functioning of people adversely affected by social or psychosocial stress or health impairment, through assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and addictions (Rule 1365-01-.01(6)(b)). Supervision focuses on data from your work made available through oral and written reports, direct observation, or audio recordings, on mutually set learning goals, and on the supervisor's review of your specific cases and evaluation of your skill development (Rule 1365-01-.08(1)(a), (b)).
SupervisionTennessee
Individual, group of four, and the video cap
Individual supervision is a live, face-to-face meeting of one supervisor and one supervisee, which includes teleconferencing, multimedia, and video technology (Rule 1365-01-.01(11)); group supervision is no more than four supervisees with an LCSW or LAPSW working on problems similar in nature and complexity for all of them (1365-01-.01(8)). Supervision may not take place by email, instant message, text, or any format without visual contact (1365-01-.08(1)(c)), and no more than 75 percent of the individual hours may be by technology (1365-01-.08(2)(a)3). Administrative supervision and group seminars or consultation do not count toward the 100 (1365-01-.08(2)(a)5).
RecordsTennessee
A log both of you sign, filed with the application
Both supervisor and supervisee must keep records of the experience and the supervision process; verification of supervision is submitted by both when the application for licensure is filed, and the Board's recommended supervision logs signed by both are sufficient (Rule 1365-01-.08(3)). The supervisor also submits, with your application, proof of three years of continuous LCSW licensure before the supervision began and of the twelve hours of supervision-related continuing education (1365-01-.08(4), (6)). The Board posts an LCSW verification of supervision form on its page.
Supervision must occur at reasonable intervals and continue at reasonable intervals until the necessary hours are complete and the license is granted (Rule 1365-01-.08(1)(e)); the one-to-thirty ratio must be spread throughout the experience rather than bunched at the end (1365-01-.08(2)(a)1). The LMSW stays supervised, in or for an agency, until the LCSW issues (T.C.A. 63-23-103(a)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsTennessee
An LCSW licensed three years, with twelve hours of supervision training
An LCSW supervisor must hold an active LCSW license and document that it has been continuously held for at least three years before the supervision began (Rule 1365-01-.08(4)). Since January 1, 2023, supervisors also document twelve hours of continuing education specific to providing clinical or nonclinical advanced practice supervision, cumulative rather than annual, including three hours on Tennessee's licensing rules; a first-time supervisor completes them before starting or during the first calendar year of supervising (1365-01-.08(6)). For the LAPSW path an LAPSW licensed three years qualifies as well (1365-01-.08(5)).
No member of any other mental health or medical discipline may qualify as an approved supervisor for LCSW or LAPSW licensure (Rule 1365-01-.08(8)). A psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist can be your employer or consultant, but none of those hours count.
SupervisorsTennessee
Out-of-state supervision, and the conflict-of-interest list
An applicant from another state must show supervision by an LCSW (or LAPSW for that license) or the equivalent where the supervision happened, and the supervisor must have passed the ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam; where the state licenses no one or the supervisor was unlicensed, the supervision must come from a Tennessee LCSW or LAPSW (Rule 1365-01-.08(7)). Supervision by a parent, spouse, former spouse, sibling, child, cousin, in-law, step-child, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, employee, or anyone sharing your household is not accepted; a supervisor paid only for the supervision hours is not your employee (1365-01-.08(9)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstTennessee
Hold the LMSW, then secure the supervisor
Hours count only after the LMSW or temporary LMSW issues and only once a supervisor has been secured (Rule 1365-01-.04(4)(a)7(i); 1365-01-.08(1)(d)). Because nothing is filed with the Board at the start, put the arrangement in writing between you: the supervisor's LCSW issue date, the supervision training, the cadence, individual versus group, and who keeps the log.
Do FirstTennessee
Verify the three years and the training
Look up the supervisor's license on the Department's verification search and confirm the LCSW has been continuous for three years; ask for the certificates showing twelve hours of supervision-related continuing education with three on Tennessee rules (Rule 1365-01-.08(4), (6)). Both documents go in with your application, and an unqualified supervisor means unqualified hours.
One supervision hour per 30 experience hours, spread throughout, means a two-hour meeting roughly every 60 hours of clinical work; 60 of the 100 must be individual and at least a quarter of those in person (Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(a)). The two-to-eight-year window runs from the date the Board receives the application and fee, so the application can be filed with the hours still under way; ask the Board office how it wants the timing handled before you file.
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForTennessee
Hours before the LMSW, or before a supervisor was secured
Experience is counted only as a licensed or temporarily licensed master's social worker under an approved supervisor, and a supervisor must be secured before hours accumulate (Rule 1365-01-.04(4)(a)7; 1365-01-.08(1)(d)).
Watch ForTennessee
A supervisor with fewer than three years, or no supervision training
Supervision by an LCSW who had not been continuously licensed for three years when it began, or who cannot document the twelve training hours, does not meet the rule (Rule 1365-01-.08(4), (6)); neither does supervision by any other profession (1365-01-.08(8)) or by a relative, employee, or housemate (1365-01-.08(9)).
Watch ForTennessee
Too much group, too much video, or supervision by text
More than 40 group hours, a group larger than four, individual hours more than 75 percent by video, or any supervision by email, instant message, or text falls outside the rule (Rule 1365-01-.08(1)(c), (2)(a)2, 3).
Watch ForTennessee
Taking direct payment as an LMSW
A licensed master's social worker may not provide services in exchange for direct payment or third-party reimbursement and may not practice privately or independently (T.C.A. 63-23-103(a)); an LAPSW practicing clinically under supervision may not be paid for the clinical work either (63-23-104(a)). Fraud, deception, or illegal practices connected with the practice of social work are grounds for discipline (63-23-108(a)(4)).
Watch ForTennessee
The twelve-month exam window
Once the Board approves you to sit, you have twelve months to pass; failing that, the application closes and you reapply, unless the Board waives the limit for documented extraordinary circumstances (Rule 1365-01-.06(5) to (7)).
Protections you have
ProtectionTennessee
Your own signed log is the verification
Because verification comes from both supervisor and supervisee and the Board's recommended log signed by both is sufficient, your copy of the log stands as evidence of the hours and the supervision (Rule 1365-01-.08(3)).
ProtectionTennessee
Eight years, and video for most of it
The window to finish is eight years, four times the minimum, and three quarters of the individual supervision may be by teleconference or video, which opens supervisors across the state to a rural LMSW (Rule 1365-01-.08(2)(a)).
ProtectionTennessee
The NASW Code binds your supervisor too
Every licensee must comply with the NASW Code of Ethics as adopted by the Board, and engaging in sexual activities with current or former clients, exploiting relationships, and fee splitting are named unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10). Unprofessional or unethical conduct and conduct reflecting unfavorably on the profession are statutory grounds for discipline (T.C.A. 63-23-108(a)(7), (9)).
ProtectionTennessee
Reciprocity for supervision done elsewhere
Supervision completed in another state under an LCSW or equivalent who passed the ASWB Clinical exam is recognized, and an applicant who documents supervision meeting the rule need not have held the Tennessee LMSW before applying to sit for the exam (Rule 1365-01-.08(7); 1365-01-.04(5)(b)).
TN
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application with the application, license, and state regulatory fees, the photo, the background check, the transcript, a copy of the active LMSW, the signed supervision verification from you and each supervisor with the supervisor's license history and training documentation, then approval to sit and a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam within twelve months. Board of Social Worker Licensure ↗
IN
Where the Indiana figures come from. IC 25-23.6-1-3.3 and 1-11 (experience definitions), 25-23.6-4-2 (exemptions), 25-23.6-5-2, 5-3.1, 5-3.5, 5-4, and 5-11.5, the Board's rules at 839 IAC 1-3-2 and 1-3-5, and the Board's LCSW application instructions (Forms I, II, and III), read from codes.findlaw.com, the Indiana Register, and in.gov in September 2026. Indiana counts the experience in years and hours rather than a single hour total, and it registers nothing with the Board until you apply.
Practicum and internship
StudentsIndiana
Why you can practice without a license
The article does not limit social work or clinical social work services by a student, intern, or trainee pursuing a course of study to gain licensure in a CSWE-accredited institution, or by a graduate accumulating experience required for licensure, if the services are performed under qualified supervision as part of the supervised course of study or other supervision, and the person uses a title containing "intern", "student", or "trainee" (IC 25-23.6-4-2(a)(2)). The title itself is otherwise reserved: professing to be a social worker without a license is a Class A misdemeanor (IC 25-23.6-4-1; 4-4).
StudentsIndiana
The direct-practice field placement is part of the degree requirement
For the LCSW the graduate program must have included a required supervised field placement in an advanced concentration in direct practice, during which you provided clinical services directly to clients, alongside required coursework in clinical social work and related areas (IC 25-23.6-5-3.1(a)). Form III asks you to list those courses exactly as they appear on the transcript (Board). A doctoral internship may be applied toward the supervised clinical experience (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(d)).
StudentsIndiana
The temporary LSW permit starts the clock
A graduate who meets the LSW education requirement and has filed the primary application may hold a one-year, nonrenewable temporary permit once approved for the exam, and clinical hours earned under it count toward the LCSW for four years, or longer with Board approval (IC 25-23.6-5-11.5; 5-3.5(i); Board). Clinical hours earned in Indiana before the LSW or the permit do not count (5-3.5(c)).
The numbers
IN
Two years of clinical social work experience after the graduate degree, at least 1,500 paid full-time hours a year, four hours of supervision a month. IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(b): at least two years of clinical social work experience after receiving the graduate degree, under a qualified supervisor as determined by the Board. 839 IAC 1-3-2(b), (c): experience means full-time paid experience of at least 1,500 hours per year, with part-time experience considered if you can verify 4,500 hours in total, 3,000 of them after the graduate degree; supervision is face-to-face contact between supervisor and supervisee for the purpose of learning the skills of clinical social work practice, for a minimum of four hours per month. Clinical social work experience means providing clinical services, including evaluation and treatment, with at least 50 percent of the time in counseling services directly to clients (IC 25-23.6-1-3.3). The Board's instructions add that the two years can never be met in less than 24 months, and that in Indiana the hours must be earned under an active LSW or temporary LSW permit.
What CountsIndiana
Clinical work in the twelve listed settings
Experience is earned as an employee in one of the settings the rule names: social service agencies, schools, institutions of higher education, hospitals, private practice, mental health centers, correctional institutions, home health agencies, long-term health care facilities, employee assistance programs, occupational social services, and military facilities (839 IAC 1-3-2(d)). It may be performed at or away from the supervisor's premises, except that independent private practice of clinical social work away from any place where a qualified supervisor is available does not count (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(e), (f)).
SupervisionIndiana
Four hours a month, face to face or on video
At least four hours per month of face-to-face supervision aimed at learning clinical skills (839 IAC 1-3-2(c)). Virtual supervision, on an electronic platform with synchronous audio and video in real time that complies with HIPAA, may account for up to 100 percent of the hours; telephone calls, email, and text messages are not virtual supervision (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(a), (h)). The statute and rule set no group limit and no individual-versus-group split; the Board's Form I asks the supervisor to verify the monthly hours.
RecordsIndiana
Forms I and II at the end, and hours that never expire
Nothing is filed while the experience runs. At application, each supervisor completes Form I verifying at least four hours of face-to-face supervision for each month of experience during employment over no less than 24 months, and Form II verifies two years of paid, full-time, supervised clinical experience, with 1,500 hours counted as one year (Board). Hours accumulated after the LSW issues do not expire and may be used whenever you apply (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(g)).
Two years is the floor, and the Board says the requirement can never be met in less than 24 months (Board). The article sets no upper limit on how long the experience may take, and the hours do not lapse, so a part-time path is workable once the 4,500-hour verification is met (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(g); 839 IAC 1-3-2(b)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsIndiana
A qualified supervisor, as the Board determines, which its forms read as an LCSW
The statute requires supervision by a qualified supervisor as determined by the Board (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(b)); the Board's Form I instructions state the supervision must be provided by a licensed clinical social worker (Board). Indiana sets no minimum years of licensure and no supervisor training requirement in the article or rules for LCSW supervision, and it keeps no supervisor registry; confirm the supervisor's LCSW on the PLA's free license search before the first month.
The LSW's own two years, for those licensed under the old bachelor's route
A bachelor's-level applicant licensed under the pre-2019 LSW route needed two years of social work experience under a licensed social worker, a licensed clinical social worker, or an equivalent supervisor as determined by the Board (IC 25-23.6-5-1(1)(A)); the LSW by MSW and the LBSW carry no post-degree experience requirement, and LBSW hours never count toward the LCSW (IC 25-23.6-5-1(1)(B); 5-1.5(d)).
SupervisorsIndiana
Supervision earned in another state
An applicant licensed elsewhere at the clinical level who passed the equivalent ASWB exam applies by reciprocity and is not asked to re-document Indiana-style supervision (IC 25-23.6-5-10.5). An applicant by examination with out-of-state experience submits Forms I and II from that supervisor; the Board decides what a qualified supervisor is (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(b)), so ask the PLA before relying on a supervisor who is not an LCSW.
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstIndiana
Get the LSW or the temporary permit
In Indiana, clinical social work experience toward the LCSW must be obtained while licensed as a social worker or under the temporary permit (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(c), (i)). Apply in the last term with the letter of good standing so the license or permit is in hand when the job starts (IC 25-23.6-5-4(c); 5-11.5).
Do FirstIndiana
Confirm the supervisor and the setting
Verify the LCSW on the PLA search, confirm the job is in one of the twelve settings and is paid employment, and confirm that if you are in a private practice a qualified supervisor is available at that place (839 IAC 1-3-2(d); IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(f)). Put the monthly four hours and the virtual platform in writing, since only the supervisor's signature on Form I will prove them later.
Do FirstIndiana
Keep your own monthly ledger
Form II counts years at 1,500 hours each and Form I counts supervision by month, so track paid hours and supervision hours by calendar month from the first week; a part-time path needs 4,500 verifiable hours with 3,000 after the degree (839 IAC 1-3-2(b)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForIndiana
Hours before the LSW or permit, or under an LBSW
Clinical experience obtained in Indiana counts only while licensed as a social worker or under the temporary permit (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(c), (i)), and employment and supervision hours earned under a bachelor's degree social worker license may not be counted toward the LCSW (IC 25-23.6-5-1.5(d)).
Watch ForIndiana
Fewer than four supervision hours in a month
Supervision is a minimum of four face-to-face hours per month (839 IAC 1-3-2(c)); Form I asks the supervisor to verify that figure for each month of experience (Board). A month that falls short is a month the supervisor cannot certify.
Watch ForIndiana
Solo private practice with no supervisor on site
The clinical requirement may not be performed away from the qualified supervisor's premises when the work is the independent private practice of clinical social work at a place without a qualified supervisor available (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(f)).
Watch ForIndiana
Phone, email, or text supervision
Virtual supervision means synchronous, real-time audio and video on a HIPAA-compliant platform and does not include telephone calls, electronic mail, or text messages (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(a)).
Watch ForIndiana
Letting the exam approval lapse
An applicant approved to sit must take the exam within one year of the initial Board approval or the approval is invalid and a new application, with all documentation, is required; no extensions (839 IAC 1-3-5(a); Board). Failing three times brings a study plan and a Board appearance before the fourth attempt (839 IAC 1-3-5(d); Board).
Protections you have
ProtectionIndiana
Your hours do not expire
Any supervised clinical social work experience hours accumulated after the LSW issues do not expire and may be used to satisfy the requirement whenever you apply (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(g)); hours under the temporary permit count for four years, longer with Board approval (5-3.5(i)).
ProtectionIndiana
All of the supervision may be virtual
Up to 100 percent of the supervised experience may be accounted for through virtual supervision by a qualified supervisor (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(h)), which lets a rural LSW keep an LCSW supervisor anywhere in the state.
ProtectionIndiana
Part-time paths are recognized
Part-time experience is considered when the applicant can verify 4,500 hours in total with 3,000 after the graduate degree (839 IAC 1-3-2(b)), and a doctoral internship applies toward the requirement (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(d)).
ProtectionIndiana
The standards of practice bind your supervisor
The Board's standards forbid exploiting relationships with clients for personal gain and require honest presentation of qualifications; the general discipline statute reaches a practitioner who lets a license be used by someone practicing beyond their competence, and lewd or immoral conduct in delivering services (839 IAC 1-3-4(b); IC 25-1-9-4(a)(5), (6)).
IN
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application online with the $50 fee, the background check, official transcripts, Form III listing the clinical coursework, Form I from each supervisor, and Form II verifying the two years, then exam approval and the ASWB Clinical exam within a year; the license issues when ASWB releases the passing score. Board: LCSW application instructions ↗
WI
Where the Wisconsin figures come from. Wis. Stat. 457.08(3), (4), and (5) (the experience and supervisor requirements), 457.02 and 457.04 (exemptions and titles), 457.14 (temporary credentials), the Examining Board's rules at MPSW 3.07 and 3.09 (the affidavits), MPSW 4.01 (supervised practice), MPSW 5.01 (exam timing), and MPSW 20.02(31) (withholding a supervisee's hours), and the DSPS Licensed Clinical Social Worker page, read on docs.legis.wisconsin.gov and dsps.wi.gov in September 2026. Wisconsin counts the clinical experience in hours after the CAPSW, registers no supervision plan, and puts the record in a supervisor's affidavit when you apply.
Practicum and internship
StudentsWisconsin
Why you can practice without a credential
Chapter 457 reserves titles and clinical practice rather than every act of social work: no person may use the title "social worker" or the higher titles without the credential, and no one may practice clinical social work or psychotherapy except as the statute and rules allow (Wis. Stat. 457.04(1) to (4), (7)). A student in a field placement practices under the program's and agency's supervision without using the reserved titles, and the subchapter does not require a credential to practice within the scope of another state license or, in a DHS-certified outpatient clinic, to practice psychotherapy as a qualified mental health professional within that clinic's supervision (457.02(6)). The psychotherapy rules under 457.03 and 457.035 govern who may deliver it, so confirm the placement's arrangement with the agency before the first client.
StudentsWisconsin
The clinical concentration and supervised clinical field training are part of the degree requirement
The LCSW requires that, as part of the master's or doctoral program or postgraduate studies, the applicant completed a clinical social work concentration and supervised clinical field training, both approved by the Section (457.08(4)(b)2.). The school certifies them on the certificate of professional education, and DSPS Forms 2673 and 2672 document the coursework and the field placement (MPSW 3.09(1); DSPS). A graduate whose program lacked the field training may substitute 1,500 hours of supervised clinical social work experience in not less than one year in a primary clinical setting, including at least 500 hours of face-to-face client contact, supervised under MPSW 4.01 (MPSW 3.09(1)); those substitute hours are separate from the 3,000 that follow.
StudentsWisconsin
The CAPSW starts the clock, and the temporary certificate can bridge to it
The clinical rule counts hours only after the master's or doctorate and after certification as an advanced practice social worker or independent social worker (MPSW 3.09(3)). Both CAPSW exams may be taken before the degree is finished (MPSW 5.01(6)), and a graduate who meets every CAPSW requirement except the exams may hold a temporary certificate permitting use of the title "advanced practice social worker" for up to nine months, renewable once (457.14(1)(b), (2); MPSW 3.11(2)). The temporary credential fee is $10 (440.05(6)). The clinical rule speaks of certification, and neither it nor DSPS says in terms whether hours under a temporary certificate count, so ask the Section in writing before relying on them.
The numbers
WI
3,000 hours of clinical social work practice after the degree and the CAPSW, 1,000 of them face to face with clients, 600 of those in DSM diagnosis and treatment, with a supervision hour every week on average. Wis. Stat. 457.08(4)(c): after receiving the master's or doctorate, the equivalent of at least 3,000 hours of clinical social work practice, including at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact that includes DSM diagnosis and treatment of individuals, supervised by a qualifying supervisor. 457.08(5) lets the Board set a DSM hour figure no higher than 600, and MPSW 3.09(3) sets it at 600 of the 1,000. MPSW 4.01(1): face-to-face individual or group supervision sessions of at least one hour during each week of supervised practice, averaged over the supervision period at the supervisor's discretion; MPSW 4.01(2): a group holds no more than six supervisees per supervisor, social time is not credited, and a session with two supervisors counts once. Wisconsin sets no overall time limit and no expiration on the hours in the statute or rules.
What CountsWisconsin
Clinical social work practice under a Section-approved supervisor
The 3,000 hours are clinical social work practice: services for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders through interventions including psychosocial evaluation, counseling of individuals, families, or groups, referral, advocacy, organizational change, and individual, marital, and group psychotherapy (457.01(1n)). All hours must be accumulated under a supervisor approved by the Section (MPSW 3.09(3)). The rule names no list of settings; what it asks is a supervisor who can competently supervise every service the supervisee undertakes (MPSW 4.01(1)). Hours earned outside Wisconsin count if they meet the same requirements under a supervisor acceptable to the Section (MPSW 3.09(3m); DSPS).
SupervisionWisconsin
One hour a week on average, face to face, individual or group of six
Supervision is the direction of social work practice in face-to-face individual or group sessions of at least one hour during each week of supervised practice; the supervisor may vary frequency, duration, and intensity to reach an average of one hour per week over the period (MPSW 4.01(1)). Groups hold no more than six supervisees per supervisor, and time that is primarily social is not credited (4.01(2)). The rule says face to face and does not define whether synchronous video qualifies; ask the Section before relying on video for the hours. Supervision may be exercised by a person other than the employment supervisor (4.01(1)).
RecordsWisconsin
The supervisor's affidavit and the hours summary at the end
Nothing is filed while the hours run. At application, the supervisor signs Form 2560, the affidavit of post-graduate clinical experience, and you submit Form 2771 summarizing the hours; a separate form covers a supervisor who is no longer available (DSPS). The rule's affidavit states that the applicant, after the degree and the CAPSW or CISW, completed the 3,000 hours with 1,000 face to face and 600 in DSM diagnosis and treatment under a Section-approved supervisor (MPSW 3.09(3)). At the end of the period the candidate must have demonstrated to the supervisor competence in evaluation and assessment, planning, and intervention (MPSW 4.01(3), (4)).
The statute counts the equivalent of 3,000 hours rather than years (457.08(4)(c)), and the rules set no minimum number of months, no maximum period, and no expiration for the hours. The weekly supervision average is what paces it: a full-time caseload with a weekly hour reaches 3,000 hours in roughly a year and a half, and part-time work simply takes longer under the same average (MPSW 4.01(1)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsWisconsin
Five kinds of LCSW supervisor, one of them approved in advance
For LCSW applications the supervisor may be an individual licensed as a clinical social worker with a social work doctorate, an LCSW who has engaged in the equivalent of five years of full-time clinical social work, a psychiatrist or psychologist licensed under ch. 455, an LCSW with a master's degree in social work, or any other individual approved in advance by the Section (457.08(4)(c); MPSW 4.01(6)). DSPS says a prospective supervisor who needs approval under MPSW 4.01(6)(e) must obtain it before supervision starts, by clicking "Supervisor" in their own LicensE account and selecting "Request Approval to Supervise" (DSPS). Every supervisor must have adequate training, knowledge, and skill to competently supervise the services undertaken, is legally and ethically responsible for the supervisee's activities, and may interrupt or stop the supervisee's practice in a given case or end the relationship (MPSW 4.01(1)).
The independent social worker certificate requires the equivalent of at least two years of full-time supervised social work practice after the degree and after the CAPSW, under a Section-approved supervisor (457.08(3)(c); MPSW 3.07(3)). For those applications the supervisor may be an LCSW with an MSW or doctorate, a certified independent social worker with an MSW or doctorate, or someone else approved in advance by the Section (MPSW 4.01(5)). The same weekly-average, group-of-six, and three-activity rules apply (4.01(1) to (4)).
SupervisorsWisconsin
Supervision earned in another state
Hours completed outside Wisconsin after the degree may be credited if they meet the requirements of MPSW 3.09(3) and all were accumulated under a supervisor acceptable to the Section (MPSW 3.09(3m), amended effective October 1, 2025; DSPS). An applicant who already holds a clinical license elsewhere applies by reciprocity instead, with the state law exam, if the other state's requirements are substantially equivalent (457.15(1)(d); MPSW 3.12(4)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstWisconsin
Get the CAPSW, or the temporary certificate
Hours count only after certification as an advanced practice social worker or independent social worker (MPSW 3.09(3)). Take both exams in the last term if you can (MPSW 5.01(6)), and if the score is not in when the job starts, the $10 temporary certificate permits the title for nine months (457.14(1)(b); MPSW 3.11(2); 440.05(6)); confirm with the Section whether hours under it count before you rely on them.
Do FirstWisconsin
Confirm the supervisor's category, and get advance approval if needed
Check the supervisor's credential on the DSPS license lookup and match it to one of the four named categories; anyone else needs the Section's approval before the first hour, requested through the supervisor's LicensE account (MPSW 4.01(6); DSPS). Put the weekly average, the group size, and the three activity areas in writing at the start, since the affidavit is the only record the Section sees.
Do FirstWisconsin
Keep a ledger with three columns
Form 2771 will ask for the totals, so track from week one: total clinical hours, face-to-face client contact hours, and the DSM diagnosis and treatment hours within them, plus each supervision session with its date, length, and whether it was individual or group (MPSW 3.09(3); 4.01(1), (2); DSPS).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForWisconsin
Hours before the CAPSW
The affidavit covers hours completed after receiving the degree and after receiving certification as an advanced practice social worker or an independent social worker (MPSW 3.09(3)). Clinical work done between graduation and the certificate, without a temporary certificate, is not part of the 3,000.
Watch ForWisconsin
A supervisor outside the four categories with no advance approval
Someone other than the four named supervisors must be approved in advance by the Section (MPSW 4.01(6)(e)); DSPS states the approval must be obtained prior to starting supervision (DSPS). Hours under an unapproved supervisor have no one qualified to swear to them.
Watch ForWisconsin
Too few face-to-face or DSM hours
Of the 3,000, at least 1,000 must be face-to-face client contact and at least 600 of those must involve DSM diagnosis and treatment of individuals (457.08(4)(c); MPSW 3.09(3)). A case-management or group-only caseload can reach 3,000 without ever reaching 600.
Watch ForWisconsin
Supervision that is social, oversized, or double counted
Time that is primarily social activity with the group or supervisor is not credited, a group larger than six per supervisor does not meet the rule, and a session with more than one supervisor counts only for the time elapsed (MPSW 4.01(2)).
Watch ForWisconsin
Practicing beyond what the supervisor can supervise
The supervisor may not permit a supervisee to engage in any social work practice the supervisor cannot competently supervise, and a CAPSW may engage in psychotherapeutic activities only under supervision by a person authorized by the Board or DHS to supervise clinical social work (MPSW 4.01(1); 6.02). Clinical practice outside that supervision is practice the statute prohibits (457.04(4)).
Protections you have
ProtectionWisconsin
Withholding your hours is unprofessional conduct
Withholding documentation, or approval for submission, of a supervisee's clinical experience hours required to obtain a credential is unprofessional conduct for the supervisor (MPSW 20.02(31)), and DSPS provides a form for documenting experience when a supervisor is unavailable (DSPS).
ProtectionWisconsin
The supervisor need not be your boss
Supervision of pre-licensure practice may be exercised by a person other than an employment supervisor (MPSW 4.01(1)), so an agency with no LCSW on staff can still be a place to earn hours if an approved supervisor outside it takes you on.
ProtectionWisconsin
Exams before the hours are done, and hours that do not expire
Both LCSW exams may be taken before completing the supervised practice (MPSW 5.01(7)), and neither the statute nor the rules put an expiration on the hours once earned.
ProtectionWisconsin
The conduct rules bind your supervisor
Sexual or exploitative conduct with a person receiving supervision, treating one's own supervisees, taking unfair advantage of a professional relationship, and failing to adequately supervise subordinates are each unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(11)(c), (13), (13r), (29)), and the supervisor is legally and ethically responsible for the supervisee's activities (MPSW 4.01(1)).
WI
What the Section expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application through LicensE with the initial credential fee, the certificate of professional education, Forms 2673 and 2672 for the clinical concentration and field training, Form 2560 from the supervisor with Form 2771's hour totals, verification of every credential ever held, and the conviction disclosure; then approval for the ASWB Clinical exam, the Wisconsin statutes and rules exam, and the license once both scores are in. DSPS: Licensed Clinical Social Worker ↗
AZ
Where the Arizona figures come from. A.R.S. 32-3251 (the definitions of direct client contact, indirect client service, and psychoeducation), 32-3271 (exemptions), 32-3293 (the LCSW requirement and the supervisor's attestation), and the Board's rules at R4-6-210 (practice limitations), R4-6-211 (direct supervision and supervised work experience), R4-6-212 and R4-6-212.01 (clinical supervision requirements and exemptions), R4-6-213 and R4-6-214 (the supervisor registry and supervisor training), R4-6-403 and R4-6-404 (the social work hours and who supervises them), and R4-6-306 (temporary licenses), read on azleg.gov and the Legal Information Institute in September 2026. Arizona counts the experience in hours within a 24-month floor, sets the supervision in hours with format limits, and asks for the supervisor's rating on a Board form when you apply.
Practicum and internship
StudentsArizona
Why you can practice without a license
The chapter does not apply to a student, intern, or trainee pursuing a course of study in social work in a regionally accredited institution if the activities are performed under qualified supervision and are part of the supervised course of study (A.R.S. 32-3271(A)(8)). Outside that exemption, practicing behavioral health, meaning psychotherapy to assess, diagnose, and treat, without a license is a class 6 felony (32-3286(C)); the chapter also does not apply to a person who is not providing psychotherapy (32-3271(A)(12)).
StudentsArizona
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
Supervised work experience for licensure must be acquired after completing the degree required for licensure and after receiving certification or licensure from a state regulatory entity (R4-6-211(D)(2)). A practicum is part of the degree, so nothing earned in it goes on the LCSW application. The one exception is the 90-day post-graduation window: a graduate with a fingerprint clearance card who is applying for a license may practice under qualified supervision by someone who supervised the course of study or internship, and may apply direct client contact from those 90 days toward the licensure requirement (32-3271(A)(13)).
StudentsArizona
The temporary license, and what it permits
Within 12 months of the degree, an applicant by examination who has met every requirement except the exam and has never taken it may hold a $50 temporary license for up to one year, practicing only under direct supervision; it expires immediately on a failed exam, cannot be extended, and may be summarily revoked (R4-6-306; 32-3279(C); R4-6-215). A temporary licensee is on the list of licensees who practice only under direct supervision (R4-6-210(7)).
The numbers
AZ
3,200 hours of supervised work experience in no less than 24 months, 1,600 of them direct client contact through psychotherapy, at most 400 of those in psychoeducation, 100 hours of clinical supervision, and at least one supervision hour in any month with client contact. A.R.S. 32-3293(1)(b): at least 24 months of post-master's experience in the practice of clinical social work under supervision, including at least 1,600 hours of direct client contact, with no more than 400 hours in psychoeducation, and at least 100 hours of clinical supervision as the Board prescribes. R4-6-403(A), (B): 3,200 hours in no less than 24 months, at least 1,600 hours of direct client contact involving the use of psychotherapy, no more than 1,600 hours of indirect client service related to psychotherapy, at least 100 hours of clinical supervision, and at least one hour of clinical supervision in any month with direct client contact. R4-6-212(D), (G): each session at least 30 minutes, at least two face-to-face hours in every six-month period, no more than 90 hours by videoconference and telephone with no more than 15 of those by telephone, at least 25 individual hours, up to 75 hours in groups of two, and up to 50 hours in groups of three to six.
What CountsArizona
Direct client contact, indirect service, and psychoeducation
Direct client contact means performing therapeutic or clinical functions related to your practice level of psychotherapy, including diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, and possibly psychoeducation, based on communication with and in the presence of one or more clients (32-3251(3)). Indirect client service means training for and performing functions of the practice level in preparation for or on behalf of a client for whom you also perform direct contact, including case consultation and receiving clinical supervision, and does not include psychoeducation (32-3251(5)). Psychoeducation is educating a client about mental health as part of treatment, and it counts for no more than 400 of the 1,600 direct hours (32-3251(13); R4-6-403(A)(2)). The 3,200 must involve the practice of behavioral health (R4-6-211(D)(4)), and hours tainted by a Board finding of unprofessional conduct are not accepted (R4-6-211(F)).
SupervisionArizona
What each supervision hour must contain
The Board accepts clinical supervision that reviews the ethical and legal requirements of your practice, including the unprofessional conduct list; monitors your activities for safe, competent service; verifies in writing that your clients get written notice of the supervision with the means to obtain the supervisor's name and telephone number; documents each session contemporaneously with the date, duration, topics, both signatures, and whether it was individual or group, kept for at least seven years; confirms the supervisor is not a family member; reviews your clinical documentation on an ongoing basis; instructs you in assessment, diagnosis, treatment plan development, and treatment; and rates your overall performance at least satisfactory on the Board's form (R4-6-212(C)). At least ten of the hours must involve the supervisor observing you provide treatment and evaluation, in person, by videoconference or teleconference, or through audio or video recordings (R4-6-212(E)).
The supervisor's form at the end, and a six-supervisor limit
Nothing is filed while the hours run for a supervisee employed in an entity. At application, each supervisor's documentation on the Board-approved form attests that you were observed to demonstrate satisfactory competency in clinical documentation, consultation, collaboration, and coordination of care, and rates you at least satisfactory overall (32-3293(2); R4-6-212(C)(9)). The Board accepts hours from a maximum of six clinical supervisors (R4-6-212(F)). If a catastrophic event keeps you from obtaining the supervisor's documentation, the Board may consider alternate documentation (R4-6-212(H)).
TimingArizona
Twenty-four months at the least, no cap, and more hours welcome
Direct supervision toward licensure must be for a term of no fewer than 24 months (R4-6-211(D)(5); R4-6-403(A)). The rules set no maximum period and no expiration on hours, and an applicant may submit more than the required 3,200 hours for the Board's consideration (R4-6-403(C)). A part-time path is workable as long as every month with direct client contact carries at least one supervision hour (R4-6-403(B)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsArizona
An independently licensed Board licensee with the supervisor training, half the hours from an LCSW
Clinical supervision is accepted from a clinical social worker, professional counselor, independent marriage and family therapist, or independent substance abuse counselor holding an active, unrestricted Board license who has completed the supervisor education in R4-6-214; from an Arizona-licensed psychologist with that education; or from an independently licensed behavioral health professional providing services in Arizona under a federal tribal health contract or a VA appointment with that education (R4-6-212(A)). For the LCSW, at least 50 of the 100 hours must be supervised by a clinical social worker licensed by the Board, the rest by anyone qualified under R4-6-212(A) or exempted under R4-6-212.01, and none by a substance abuse counselor (R4-6-404(B), (C)). Every supervisor must be employed by the behavioral health entity where you earn the hours unless the Board grants an exemption (R4-6-212(B)).
A qualifying supervisor has completed at least 12 hours of training on clinical supervision covering the supervisor's role, oversight of supervisees who diagnose and treat, supervisory methods, and fair evaluation, or holds the NBCC Approved Clinical Supervisor credential, an IC&RC clinical supervisor certification, or AAMFT approved supervisor designation, plus the Board's three-hour Clinical Supervision Tutorial on Arizona statutes and rules; those trained by the 12-hour route complete nine more hours every three years, and the tutorial again (R4-6-214). The Board keeps a registry of clinical supervisors who have documented that training (R4-6-213). Ask to see the supervisor's registry listing or training certificates before the first hour, since hours from a supervisor without the training are not accepted (R4-6-214(A)).
Exemptions: a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, an outside supervisor, or out-of-state hours
The Board may exempt an applicant from the supervisor qualification rules for a supervisor with the necessary education, training, and experience who has completed the R4-6-214 training and holds an active, unrestricted Arizona license as a physician certified in psychiatry or addiction medicine or as a nurse practitioner certified in mental health (R4-6-212.01(1)(a)). It may exempt the same-entity requirement where the supervisor and the entity have a signed written contract giving the supervisor the same access to your clinical records as employees have, and your clients have authorized release of their records to the supervisor (R4-6-212.01(1)(b)). For supervised work experience acquired outside Arizona, the Board may accept clinical supervision from a supervisor who met Arizona's training rule, complied with the supervisor requirements of that state, or was approved to supervise you there, and may accept the supervisor and entity if they met that state's requirements (R4-6-212.01(2); R4-6-211(E)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstArizona
Get the LMSW, or the temporary license
Supervised work experience counts only after the degree and after certification or licensure from a state regulatory entity (R4-6-211(D)(2)). Apply as soon as the degree posts, and use the 90-day fingerprint-clearance-card window or the temporary license so the months start (32-3271(A)(13); R4-6-306).
Do FirstArizona
Confirm the supervisor's license, training, and employer
Check the supervisor's independent license on the Board's online verification, ask for the R4-6-214 training or registry listing, and confirm the supervisor is employed by the same entity where you will earn the hours or obtain the Board's exemption before you start (R4-6-212(A), (B); R4-6-212.01; R4-6-213). Plan for at least 50 of the 100 hours to come from an LCSW (R4-6-404(B)).
Do FirstArizona
Set up the client notice and the session log
Every client must receive written notice of the supervision with the means to obtain the supervisor's name and telephone number, and the supervisor must verify that in writing (R4-6-212(C)(3)). Keep your own log matching the supervisor's required record: date, duration, topics, individual or group, and mode (in person, video, or telephone), plus a running count of direct, indirect, psychoeducation, and observed hours (R4-6-212(C)(4), (D), (E); R4-6-403).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForArizona
Hours before the LMSW, or in the practicum
Experience acquired before completing the degree or before receiving a state certification or license is not accepted (R4-6-211(D)(2)), apart from the 90-day post-graduation window with a fingerprint clearance card (32-3271(A)(13)).
Watch ForArizona
A supervisor from outside the entity, or without the training
Supervision is accepted only from a supervisor employed by the behavioral health entity where you obtained the hours, unless the Board granted the contract-based exemption, and only from a supervisor who completed the R4-6-214 education (R4-6-212(A), (B); R4-6-212.01(1)(b)). A family member cannot supervise you (R4-6-212(C)(6)).
Watch ForArizona
Too much telephone, too much group, too little face to face
No more than 90 of the 100 hours may be by videoconference and telephone together, no more than 15 by telephone, at least two hours must be face to face in each six-month period, at least 25 must be individual, groups of two are capped at 75 hours, groups of three to six at 50, and a session under 30 minutes does not count (R4-6-212(D), (G)).
Watch ForArizona
A month of client contact with no supervision hour
For any month in which you provide direct client contact, you must obtain at least one hour of clinical supervision (R4-6-403(B)). A month that falls short is a month the supervisor's record cannot support.
Watch ForArizona
Unprofessional conduct during the hours
If the Board finds you engaged in unprofessional conduct related to services rendered while acquiring hours, it will not accept the hours from that period, though hours before and after may still count (R4-6-211(F)). Sexual conduct with a client or former client, exploiting a client, and dual relationships are on the list (32-3251(16)(v), (x), (y)).
Watch ForArizona
Letting the exam window close
Pass the exam within 12 months of the Board's written authorization, in no more than three attempts, or the file closes with no appeal and you start over with a new application and fee; a one-time 90-day extension exists for good cause (R4-6-402(D) to (F)).
Protections you have
ProtectionArizona
Your hours do not expire, and extra hours are considered
Neither the statute nor the rules put an expiration on supervised work experience once earned, and you may submit more than 3,200 hours for the Board's consideration (R4-6-403(C)); a supervisee whose supervisor becomes unavailable after a catastrophic event may offer alternate documentation (R4-6-212(H)).
ProtectionArizona
The rule protects you from exploitation and retaliation
Exploiting a supervisee, meaning taking advantage of the professional relationship for the licensee's benefit or profit, sexually harassing a supervisee, and harassing or retaliating against a supervisee or a complainant are each unprofessional conduct for the supervisor (32-3251(16)(x), (aa), (bb)).
ProtectionArizona
Out-of-state hours can be accepted
Supervised work experience from another state may be submitted, and the Board may accept the supervisor and the entity if they met the requirements of that state, and may exempt the clinical supervision from Arizona's supervisor rules on the same basis (R4-6-211(E); R4-6-212.01(2)).
ProtectionArizona
An LMSW may run their own practice with a Board-approved supervision agreement
A master's-level licensee under practice limitations who operates or manages their own entity may do so with the Board's prior approval of a clinical supervisor who is independently licensed in the same discipline for at least two years, trained under R4-6-214, and not barred by a consent agreement, under a written agreement providing one individual supervision hour for every 20 hours of direct client contact with an onsite meeting every 60 days, client notice, six-month reports to the Board, 30 days' notice before either party ends it, and a stop to practice within 60 days of termination until a new agreement is approved (R4-6-211(B)).
AZ
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the LCSW application packet with the $250 fee (waived if an LMSW fee was paid within 90 days), transcripts, license verifications, the Data Bank self-query, the employment history, and each supervisor's Board form covering the full span of the experience; then written exam authorization, the ASWB Clinical exam within 12 months, and the license. Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners ↗
MD
Where the Maryland figures come from. Health Occupations 19-101 (the definitions of supervision and the practice levels), 19-301 (the student exemption), 19-302(e) and (f) (the LCSW-C hours and the independent practice approval), 19-307 (scope limits), and 19-309.1 (conditional licenses), and the Board's regulations at COMAR 10.42.01.04 and .05 (the experience rules), 10.42.02.03 and .05 (scope and independent practice), and 10.42.08 (supervision: Board-approved supervisors, the written contract, standards, and group supervision), read on the General Assembly's statute site and the Library of Maryland Regulations, with the Board's LCSW-C requirements page, in September 2026. Maryland counts the experience in hours within a two-to-six-year window, requires a Board-approved LCSW-C supervisor under a Board-form contract signed before the first hour, and puts the record in the supervisor's verification when you apply.
Practicum and internship
StudentsMaryland
Why you can practice without a license
The licensure requirement does not apply to a student while pursuing a supervised course of study in a social work program accredited by or in candidacy with CSWE (Health Occ. 19-301(b)(4)). Outside that exemption, practicing social work while representing oneself as a social worker, or practicing clinical social work without the LCSW-C, is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $10,000 or two years and a civil fine of up to $50,000 (19-301(a); 19-407). The title "social worker" belongs to licensees (19-402; COMAR 10.42.01.03).
StudentsMaryland
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW-C
A candidate shall have obtained a master social worker license before beginning to obtain the requisite 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience, and the hours are performed while practicing social work professionally and for compensation (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(3)(c), (5); 10.42.01.05A). Practicum hours are before the degree and before the license, so none of them count; the 12 clinical credits from the degree are what carries forward (10.42.01.04F(2)).
StudentsMaryland
The LMSW starts the clock, and the conditional license if the exam is unavailable
The Board approves a last-semester student to test on the Board's form, and the clock starts when the LMSW issues (COMAR 10.42.01.06A(3)(b); .04F(5)). If the exam is unavailable for at least 15 business days, the Board may issue a conditional LMSW, valid until 180 days after the exam becomes available, for practice only under a Board-approved supervisor (19-309.1); the regulation counts hours obtained as a licensee, and the conditional license is a license under the Act, so ask the Board in writing whether hours under it count before relying on them (19-101(e)(2)).
The numbers
MD
Two years and at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience as an LMSW, 1,500 of them face-to-face client contact, in no less than two and no more than six consecutive years, with at least 100 hours of periodic face-to-face supervision, at three hours a month or one hour per 40 hours worked. Health Occ. 19-302(e)(3): two years as a licensee with supervised experience of at least 3,000 hours, 1,500 in face-to-face client contact, after the master's degree, with a minimum of 100 hours of periodic face-to-face supervision in assessment, formulation of a diagnostic impression, treatment of behavioral health disorders and other conditions, and psychotherapy. COMAR 10.42.01.04F(3): performed in not less than two and not more than six consecutive years, while practicing professionally and for compensation, in compliance with COMAR 10.42.08. COMAR 10.42.08.07C(5) and .08A(2): a minimum of three hours of face-to-face supervision per month or one hour for every 40 hours worked. COMAR 10.42.08.09: group supervision is optional, no more than half the hours, and no more than six supervisees per group. The Board's site counts the two years as not less than 104 weeks (Board).
What CountsMaryland
Clinical social work experience in direct service, half of it face to face
Clinical social work experience means completing assessments, formulating diagnostic impressions or a diagnosis, treating mental disorders and other conditions, treating behavioral health disorders including substance use and addictive disorders, and providing psychotherapy (COMAR 10.42.01.02B(7)). The experience must be in direct service to clients and may not consist solely of telephonic clinical assessment, triage, continued stay reviews, and discharge planning; half of it is face-to-face client contact (10.42.01.04F(7), (9)). An LMSW formulates a diagnostic impression only under an LCSW-C's supervision while obtaining the hours (10.42.01.04F(6)). Hours from another state count if you met that state's licensing requirements while earning them (10.42.01.05B).
SupervisionMaryland
Three hours a month or one per 40 worked, face to face meaning in person or on secure video
The supervisor provides, or ensures the supervisee receives, a minimum of three hours of face-to-face supervision per month or one hour for every 40 hours worked (COMAR 10.42.08.07C(5)). Face-to-face means the physical or electronic presence of both parties, including secure video conferencing, and does not include telephone supervision, written communication over the internet, or any technology that is not visual (10.42.08.02B(3)). Supervision focuses on raw data from the supervisee's practice, with instruction in recognizing patterns of behavior, the helping relationship, confidentiality and privilege, boundaries, limits, cultural diversity, assessing for imminent danger, administrative skills, supervision, and documentation, and for an LCSW-C candidate in billing practices, treatment of mental disorders, and psychotherapy (10.42.08.06B, C; .07C(3)).
The contract before the first hour, six-month evaluations, and five years of session records
The written contract for advanced licensure is on the Board's form, initiated before beginning supervision, and signed by the supervisee, the Board-approved supervisor, and the agency administrator; it goes in with the LCSW-C application (COMAR 10.42.08.02B(8), .05A(4), .07C(9), .08A(5); 10.42.01.07C(1)). Both supervisor and supervisee keep documentation of every session, with dates, duration, and focus, for at least five years (10.42.08.07C(4); .08A(4)). The supervisor gives a written evaluation of progress every six months, completes the supervision verification form, and provides copies of the records on request by the supervisee or the Board (10.42.08.07C(11) to (13)).
Two years at the least, six consecutive years at the most
The 3,000 hours must be performed in not less than two years and not more than six consecutive years (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(3)(b)); the Board's site reads two years as not less than 104 weeks (Board). At the ratio of one supervision hour per 40 hours worked, 3,000 hours need 75 supervision hours, so the 100-hour floor, not the ratio, sets the pace for a full-time candidate (19-302(e)(3); 10.42.08.07C(5)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsMaryland
A Board-approved LCSW-C, and no one else, for the clinical license
A supervisor of a licensee pursuing advanced licensure must be Board-approved before supervision begins (COMAR 10.42.08.03B). An LBSW or LMSW supervisor may not supervise anyone pursuing advanced licensure, and an LCSW supervisor may not supervise a candidate for advanced clinical licensure, which leaves the LCSW-C (10.42.08.03C(3), D(3), E(3)). The Board's site adds that supervision by psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, licensed counselors, or any non-social-work licensed professional cannot be accepted, in Maryland or out of state (Board). A relative, from spouse and parent to aunt and uncle, may not provide supervision (10.42.08.02B(5); .06D).
SupervisorsMaryland
What Board approval takes: 18 months, training, a clean five years, and $20
An LCSW-C becomes a Board-approved supervisor with 18 months of active social work experience after the certified license, the supervision training, a license unencumbered by discipline for the five years before applying, the supervisory registration form and $20 fee, and the Board's approval (COMAR 10.42.08.03F, .04C, .05A; 10.42.05.02A(11)). The training is one graduate social work course in supervision, 12 hours of agency-sponsored supervision training, or 12 continuing education units in social work supervision from a Board-authorized sponsor, in Category I or II (10.42.08.04B). To stay approved, a supervisor shows three units on supervision at every renewal (10.42.08.07C(8); 10.42.06.03A(1)(c)). The Board's roster shows who is approved (10.42.08.11).
A candidate with 3,000 hours from another state, country, or federal entity documents that they met the licensing, certification, or registration requirements there while acquiring the experience (COMAR 10.42.01.05B). For an out-of-state LCSW-C applicant with under five years of practice, the hours must have been earned after the MSW and as a licensed master social worker if that jurisdiction required it, under a supervisor with a license comparable to the LCSW-C, with half the hours face to face (10.42.01.11D). With five years of clinical practice and an equivalent clinical license passed by exam, the hours are not re-examined (19-302.1).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstMaryland
Get the LMSW
The hours count only after the master social worker license issues (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(5); 10.42.01.05A). Apply in the last semester on the Board's form so the license is in hand when the job starts (10.42.01.06A(3)(b)).
Do FirstMaryland
Confirm Board approval on the roster, then sign the contract
Check the Board's roster for the supervisor's LCSW-C and Board-approved supervisor status, then complete the Board's contractual agreement for supervision, signed by you, the supervisor, and the agency administrator, before the first supervised hour; the Board's site says the form must be signed by all parties before supervision is initiated (COMAR 10.42.08.05A(4), .11; Board). A supervisee may contract for supervision outside the employment setting with the agency administrator's approval (10.42.08.08B).
Do FirstMaryland
Start the session log and the face-to-face count
Keep your own record of each supervision session with the date, duration, and focus, since you must retain it five years, and track total hours against face-to-face client contact hours from week one, because half the 3,000 must be face to face and the verification form will ask (COMAR 10.42.08.08A(4); 10.42.01.04F(9)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForMaryland
Hours before the LMSW, or without a signed contract
Experience in Maryland counts only after the master social worker license and only under a written contract for supervision initiated before supervision began, with a Board-approved LCSW-C supervisor (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(5); 10.42.08.03B, .05A(4); Board).
Watch ForMaryland
A supervisor who is not an LCSW-C, or not yet Board-approved
An LCSW, LMSW, or LBSW supervisor may not supervise a candidate for advanced clinical licensure, a non-social-work professional's supervision is not accepted, and approval must precede the supervision (COMAR 10.42.08.03B, C(3), D(3), E(3); Board).
Watch ForMaryland
Telephone supervision, or too much group
Face-to-face supervision excludes telephone, written internet communication, and any nonvisual technology (COMAR 10.42.08.02B(3)); group supervision may not be the sole form and may supply no more than half the hours, in groups of no more than six (10.42.08.09).
Watch ForMaryland
Telephonic work only, or the six-year window closing
Experience consisting solely of telephonic assessment, triage, continued stay reviews, and discharge planning does not count, half the hours must be face-to-face client contact, and the 3,000 must fit within six consecutive years (COMAR 10.42.01.04F(3)(b), (7), (9)).
Watch ForMaryland
Letting the exam approval or the file lapse
Approval to test is valid two years, after which you reapply under the current requirements, and an application not completed within one year of receipt is closed (COMAR 10.42.01.07E to G; 10.42.06.07E). A failed exam may be retaken four times in 12 months, no sooner than three months apart (10.42.01.10).
Protections you have
ProtectionMaryland
Written evaluations, records on request, and notice before the supervisor leaves
The supervisor must give you a written evaluation every six months, provide copies of the supervision documentation on your request, and give you and your employer notice a reasonable time before ending supervision to avoid harm to your clients (COMAR 10.42.08.07C(7), (12), (13)); the supervisor must also arrange emergency supervision by another Board-approved supervisor (10.42.08.07C(10)).
ProtectionMaryland
Video counts, and you may contract outside your employer
Secure video conferencing is face-to-face supervision (COMAR 10.42.08.02B(3)), and a supervisee may contract for supervision outside the employment setting with the agency administrator's approval (10.42.08.08B), so an agency without a Board-approved LCSW-C is not a dead end.
ProtectionMaryland
The Board audits supervisors too
A supervisor must comply with a Board audit of the supervision requirements and responsibilities, and must be knowledgeable of the statute and regulations (COMAR 10.42.08.07B, C(14)); an LBSW or LMSW found short of the independent practice hours may be required to complete up to 1,500 more rather than start over (19-302(f)(1)(ii); COMAR 10.42.02.05I).
ProtectionMaryland
The code of ethics binds your supervisor
A licensee may not sexually harass, verbally abuse, or intimidate supervisees, students, trainees, or colleagues, and may not engage in sexual misconduct with a supervisee, student, or trainee over whom the licensee exercises professional authority (COMAR 10.42.03.04B, .05E); sexual exploitation includes taking advantage of the unequal relationship with a supervisee (10.42.03.02B(7)).
MD
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the online LCSW-C application with the $100 processing fee, the contractual agreement for supervision signed by all three parties before supervision began, the documentation of supervised experience on the Board's forms, transcripts showing the 12 clinical credits, the criminal history records check or Rap Back enrollment, then approval to test, the ASWB Clinical exam, and the $75 license fee. Board: online application and LCSW-C requirements ↗
CO
Where the Colorado figures come from. C.R.S. 12-245-404(2)(c) and (4) (the experience requirement and the candidate registration), as amended by House Bill 26-1002 (signed April 27, 2026), 12-245-406(3) (who may supervise for licensure), 12-245-408 (clinical practice under supervision), 12-245-217(2)(g) (the student exemption), 12-245-224(1)(i) and (n) (relationships with supervisees and adequate supervision), the Board's Rule 1.14 (post-graduate experience, supervisors, hours, and examinations), Rule 1.22 (students), and Rule 1.24 (candidate registration), and DORA's Post Degree Experience and Supervision form, credentials chart, and LCSW application preview, read on leg.colorado.gov, the Legal Information Institute, and dpo.colorado.gov in September 2026. Colorado counts the experience in hours over a 24-month floor, counts hours only under a credential, and puts the record in the supervisor's verified statement when you apply.
Practicum and internship
StudentsColorado
Why you can practice without a license
The Mental Health Practice Act does not apply to students enrolled in a school program who are practicing as part of a school practicum or clinical program, and the Board reads that to include continued practice between school terms up to the date the degree is conferred, as needed for continuity of care (C.R.S. 12-245-217(2)(g); Rule 1.22). A student may not use the protected titles or claim licensure (12-245-218).
StudentsColorado
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
Post-master's experience means experience under approved supervision acquired after the date the degree-granting institution certifies that all requirements for the degree were completed (Rule 1.14C(1)(c)), and DORA's form requires experience and supervision hours to be completed after the date all degree requirements were met, with a department chair's letter if that date precedes the conferral date (DORA). Practicum hours are inside the degree and do not count.
StudentsColorado
The candidate registration is the clock, and it runs three years
Register as a clinical social worker candidate as soon as the degree is complete: the application, the fee, and the jurisprudence examination (12-245-404(4)(a); Rule 1.24). Hours earned before you hold the registration, an LSW, another authorizing license, an unlicensed psychotherapist listing, or a position in an exempt facility do not count, and DORA's form warns that practicing psychotherapy without one of them may be unlicensed practice and cost the accumulated hours (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(2); DORA). The registration expires if the supervised practice and exam requirements are not met within three years, subject to renewal, and continuing professional development is required before a second or later renewal (12-245-404(4)(b)).
The numbers
CO
At least two years and at least 3,000 hours of supervised social work practice, with 96 hours of supervision, 48 of them individual, in person or by telesupervision, over a minimum of 24 months. C.R.S. 12-245-404(2)(c), as amended by HB 26-1002: at least two years of social work practice under the virtual or in-person supervision of a licensed clinical social worker or a person with equivalent experience as the Board determines, including training and work experience in clinical social work practice, and at least 3,000 hours of practice. DORA's Post Degree Experience and Supervision form: 3,000 clock hours documented over a minimum of 24 months, and a minimum of 96 clock hours of supervision, at least 48 of them face-to-face individual supervision, reasonably distributed over the experience. The Board's published Rule 1.14 still states 3,360 hours reasonably uniformly distributed over at least 24 months, at least half of them (1,680) in clinical work, and the same 96 and 48 supervision hours; the Board has proposed revisions to conform the rule to HB 26-1002, with a rulemaking hearing set for November 13, 2026 (Rule 1.14C(4), (5); DORA). Until the rule changes, plan the hours so both figures are satisfied.
What CountsColorado
Social work practice, with half of it clinical
Practice in social work means all services within the statutory definition of social work practice: assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment planning, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, case management, advocacy, supervision, and the rest (Rule 1.14C(1)(d); 12-245-403). For the LCSW, at minimum half of the experience hours must involve a professional relationship of treatment, diagnosis, testing, assessment, or counseling, in activities such as alleviating mental disorders, understanding motivation, resolving emotional or relationship conflicts, or modifying behaviors that interfere with functioning; teaching hours do not count toward that clinical half (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(1), (d)). Consultation between equals is not supervision, and experience under a consultation contract earns no supervision credit (Rule 1.14C(1)(f)).
SupervisionColorado
Personal and responsible direction, individually or in groups of ten
Clinical supervision is personal and responsible direction provided in person or virtually by an approved supervisor: direction the supervisor actually renders, with sufficient knowledge of every client, including face-to-face contact with the client when necessary, to develop and monitor service delivery and the supervisee's treatment plan, and with all decisions requiring a social worker's special skill, from type and duration of services to fees and billing, made in collaboration with and approved by the supervisor (Rule 1.14C(1)(e)). Individual supervision is one supervisee at a time; group supervision is no more than ten (Rule 1.14C(1)(a), (b)). Telesupervision through videoconferencing or telephone qualifies, and at least 48 of the 96 hours must be individual, in person or by telesupervision (Rule 1.14C(1)(g), C(5)(a)).
The supervisor's verified statement at the end, and five years of records
Nothing is filed while the hours run. At application, each supervisor signs, under penalty of law on the Board's form, a verified statement attesting to the applicant's satisfactory completion of the post-degree work experience and supervision hours and to having met generally accepted standards of practice (Rule 1.14C(2)). The supervisor keeps records that allow the exact number of practice hours and supervision hours to be credited, and keeps them available for five years from the date of supervision (Rule 1.14C(3)(b)). DORA takes one form per supervisor and place of employment, uploaded together once all hours are complete, with any corrections initialed by the supervisor and signatures dated no earlier than the last day of experience (DORA).
Twenty-four months at the least, five years at the most from application
The post-degree experience cannot be completed in fewer than 24 months and may involve more than one approved supervisor (Rule 1.14C(4)(a)). Experience and supervision that predate the application by more than five years are not accepted absent good cause, and a passing exam is valid for five years, so the whole sequence sits inside a five-year window looking back from the application; DORA's chart says all requirements, the exam, and the hours must be completed within five years of the date an application is received (Rule 1.14A(3), D(4); DORA). The registration's own three-year life is the earlier deadline (12-245-404(4)(b)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsColorado
An LCSW, licensed where the services were performed
The Board accepts as a supervisor a licensed clinical social worker who, at the time of supervision, was licensed by the Board in the jurisdiction where the applicant's services were performed, or a social worker licensed at the highest level in another jurisdiction where the services were performed, who documents competence in the same field of social work (Rule 1.14C(3)(a)(1), (2)). No person may supervise the practice of social work for licensure purposes unless approved by the Board under 12-245-404 (12-245-406(3)). Colorado sets no minimum years of licensure and no supervisor training requirement for LCSW supervisors in the statute or rule, and keeps no supervisor registry; confirm the LCSW on DORA's license lookup before the first hour.
SupervisorsColorado
A non-LCSW supervisor, only when an LCSW cannot be secured
In rare instances when an LCSW supervisor cannot be secured even through telesupervision, such as military personnel overseas, or when circumstances require in-person supervision and no LCSW is available, the Board may approve a non-LCSW who holds a mental or behavioral health license in good standing from a nationally recognized profession, for no more than half the experience hours and no more than 48 of the 96 supervision hours, on documentation that telesupervision was unavailable or inadequate, the supervisor's competence in social work, completion of social-work-led supervision training, a written attestation of alignment with the social work code of ethics, and documentation of meeting CSWE's competencies (Rule 1.14C(3)(a)(4)). The statute's own phrase is a licensed clinical social worker or other person with equivalent experience as determined by the Board (12-245-404(2)(c)).
SupervisorsColorado
Supervision earned in another state
The Board may, at its discretion, approve hours supervised in another jurisdiction so long as they were supervised fully according to that jurisdiction's laws and rules, as the applicant documents, and will consider post-degree experience from a jurisdiction that did not license social workers at all (Rule 1.14C(3)(a)(2), (3)). An applicant already licensed elsewhere at the clinical level usually comes through the Occupational Credential Portability Program instead, attesting to two years of supervised practice with requirements similar to Rule 1.14 or two years of active clinical practice (Rule 1.12C).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstColorado
Register as a candidate, or license as an LSW
Take the jurisprudence exam and register as a clinical social worker candidate, or obtain the LSW, before the first supervised hour; hours without one of the qualifying credentials do not count and may be unlicensed practice (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(2); 12-245-404(4); DORA).
Do FirstColorado
Confirm the LCSW, and put the terms in writing
Verify the supervisor's active Colorado LCSW on DORA's license lookup, then agree in writing on the schedule of individual and group sessions, the mode, and how the supervisor will keep the hour records the rule requires, since the verified statement is the only proof the Board will see (Rule 1.14C(2), (3)(b)).
Do FirstColorado
Give every client the mandatory disclosure, and keep a four-column ledger
A candidate or LSW gives each client the written mandatory disclosure at the first contact, listing the credential held and the education and training it required (12-245-216(1); Rule 1.5). Track total hours, clinical hours, individual supervision hours, and group supervision hours from week one against both the statute's 3,000 and the rule's 3,360 until the rule is revised (12-245-404(2)(c); Rule 1.14C(4), (5)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForColorado
Hours before the registration or license
Post-degree work experience and supervision count toward licensure only if the applicant held a candidate registration, an LSW, another authorizing license, an unlicensed psychotherapist listing, or an exempt-facility position before accumulating them (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(2)); DORA's form says failure may mean unlicensed practice and denial of the hours (DORA).
Watch ForColorado
Consultation instead of supervision
Consultation is a voluntary relationship between professionals of relatively equal standing, and experience under a contract for consultation is not credited toward supervision (Rule 1.14C(1)(f)). Supervision must be personal and responsible direction by the approved supervisor (Rule 1.14C(1)(e)).
Watch ForColorado
Too much group, too little individual
At least 48 of the 96 supervision hours must be individual supervision, in person or by telesupervision, and group supervision is limited to ten supervisees at a time (Rule 1.14C(1)(b), C(5)(a)). Supervision hours must be reasonably distributed over the experience rather than bunched at the end (Rule 1.14C(5)(b)).
Watch ForColorado
Letting the five-year window or the three-year registration lapse
Experience and supervision more than five years before the application are not accepted absent good cause, an exam pass expires after five years, and the candidate registration expires three years from registration if the requirements are unmet (Rule 1.14A(3), D(4); 12-245-404(4)(b)). Applications stay active one year (Rule 1.14A(2)).
Watch ForColorado
Fewer clinical hours than half
Under the published rule at least half the experience must be clinical work involving treatment, diagnosis, testing, assessment, or counseling, and teaching hours cannot fill that half (Rule 1.14C(4)(c)(1), (d)); the statute itself requires that the practice include training and work experience in clinical social work (12-245-404(2)(c)).
Protections you have
ProtectionColorado
Telesupervision counts, from anywhere
Clinical supervision may be provided in person or virtually, telesupervision by videoconference or telephone is defined into the rule, and the individual hours may be by telesupervision (12-245-404(2)(c); Rule 1.14C(1)(e), (g), C(5)(a)), so a rural candidate can keep an LCSW supervisor across the state.
ProtectionColorado
More than one supervisor, and hours from another state
The experience may involve more than one approved supervisor, and hours supervised under another jurisdiction's rules may be approved at the Board's discretion (Rule 1.14C(4)(a), C(3)(a)(3)).
ProtectionColorado
Good cause for the five-year rule
The Board may accept experience older than five years and may extend an application on a written showing of good cause (Rule 1.14A(2), (3)), and an LSW upgrading to the LCSW with a current license is exempt from the five-year exam validity rule (Rule 1.14D(4)).
ProtectionColorado
The Act binds your supervisor
Maintaining relationships with clients likely to impair judgment or increase exploitation, such as treating employees, supervisees, close colleagues, or relatives, and failing to render adequate professional supervision of persons practicing under one's supervision, are prohibited activities (12-245-224(1)(i), (n)); sexual contact with a client during the therapeutic relationship or for two years after is another (12-245-224(1)(r)). A licensee with direct knowledge of a violation has a duty to report it to the Board within 60 days (12-245-226(8); Rule 1.6).
CO
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the online LCSW application by examination with the fee, a passing ASWB Clinical exam within the last five years, the jurisprudence exam, an official transcript, and one Post Degree Experience and Supervision form per supervisor and employer documenting at least 3,000 hours over at least 24 months with 96 supervision hours; the license issues on approval. DORA: applications and forms ↗
SC
Where the South Carolina figures come from. S.C. Code 40-63-20 (the definitions of clinical supervision, advanced practice supervision, and approved supervisors), 40-63-240 (the 3,000 hours, the 100 supervision hours, the filed plan, the ethics hours, and supervisor qualifications), 40-63-290(4) (the student exemption), Regulation 110-30 (supervised LMSW practice in agencies), and the Board's Guidelines for LISW Supervision, LISW-CP requirements sheet, Supervision Contract, and FAQ on LLR's site, read in September 2026. South Carolina counts the experience in hours within a two-to-four-year window, requires a Board-approved supervision contract before the first hour, and closes with the supervisor's Report of Supervised Experience.
Practicum and internship
StudentsSouth Carolina
Why you can practice without a license
Nothing in the Practice Act prevents students engaged in field placements or other closely supervised practice while enrolled in an accredited program of study leading to a social work degree from practicing social work (S.C. Code 40-63-290(4)). Outside that exemption, offering social work services or using the title without a license is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000 or a year (40-63-30; 40-63-200).
StudentsSouth Carolina
Field hours do not count toward the LISW
The 3,000 hours of supervised practice must have occurred after licensure as a Masters Social Worker (40-63-240(A)(6)(a)); the Board's guidelines and contract repeat that the supervised work experience takes place after the LMSW, within a recognized, organized setting such as a social, medical, or governmental agency (Board guidelines). Practicum hours are before both the degree and the license, and the psychopathology and psychodiagnostics credits are what the degree contributes (40-63-240(A)(5)).
StudentsSouth Carolina
The LMSW starts the clock, and there is no temporary license
A final-semester student may take the Masters exam early with the dean's letter, but the LMSW issues only when the transcript shows the conferred degree, and the Board issues no temporary or provisional licenses (Board LMSW requirements; Board licensure page). Hours before the LMSW, or before the Board approves the supervision contract, do not count (40-63-240(A)(6); Board guidelines).
The numbers
SC
3,000 hours of social work practice under clinical supervision, after the LMSW, over a minimum of two and a maximum of four years, with at least 100 hours of face-to-face supervision equitably distributed, at about one hour for every 30 hours of practice, and no more than 50 hours in groups of six or fewer. S.C. Code 40-63-240(A)(6): satisfactory completion of 3,000 hours of social work practice under clinical supervision, occurring after licensure as a Masters Social Worker over a minimum two-year and maximum four-year period, including face-to-face meetings between the approved clinical supervisor and the supervisee for a minimum of 100 hours of direct clinical supervision equitably distributed, documented by a plan for clinical supervision filed with the Board before supervision begins and a termination evaluation at the end. Board Supervision Contract: one hour of supervision is expected for every 30 hours of clinical or advanced practice, and no more than 50 hours may be group supervision. Board LISW-CP requirements: group supervision with no more than six supervisees. Board FAQ: the 100 hours may be obtained by a HIPAA-compliant two-way video platform.
What CountsSouth Carolina
Social work practice under clinical supervision, in an agency setting
The hours are social work practice under clinical supervision, which the contract describes as assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and conditions; individual, marital, couple, family, and group counseling and psychotherapy; case management; and the other elements of clinical practice (40-63-240(A)(6); 40-63-20(25); Board contract). An LMSW may deliver clinical services only in a social, medical, or governmental agency, and the contract names the setting and its type (Reg. 110-30; Board contract). Hours supervised as advanced practice count toward the LISW-AP, not the LISW-CP, and the reverse, though an applicant may take on a variety of duties within the approved scope (Board FAQ).
SupervisionSouth Carolina
One hour per 30, face to face or by secure video, half of it individual at least
Supervision is an interactional professional and educational relationship in which the approved supervisor evaluates and directs the supervisee's clinical practice and promotes the supervisee's knowledge, skills, and abilities (40-63-20(11)). The contract schedules the meetings by type, individual or group, and frequency, weekly, biweekly, or monthly, at one supervision hour for every 30 hours of practice, and caps group supervision at 50 of the 100 hours in groups of no more than six (Board contract; Board requirements). The statute's face-to-face meetings may take place on a HIPAA-compliant two-way video platform, with the same standards as in person (Board FAQ).
The contract before, the report after, and notice of any change between
The plan for clinical supervision is filed with the Board before the period begins, on the Board's Supervision Contract, signed by the supervisee and the contract supervisor and naming the practice setting and workplace supervisor, and the Board must approve it first (40-63-240(A)(6)(c); Board). If the conditions change or the relationship ends, the supervisor notifies the Board immediately with a notice of the end of supervision and a termination evaluation, and a new contract is approved before hours resume; the supervisor keeps notes of the sessions and issues discussed and, at the end, returns the Report of Supervised Experience with a performance assessment and a recommendation on licensure (40-63-240(A)(6)(c); Board guidelines; Board contract). Practicing outside the approved contract risks loss of the hours (Board contract).
The 3,000 hours must fall within a minimum two-year and maximum four-year period after the LMSW (40-63-240(A)(6)(a)). The Board may review extraordinary circumstances related to supervised practice, and may accept equivalent supervised experience in clinical social work to its satisfaction (40-63-240(A)(6)). At one supervision hour per 30 practice hours, the 100-hour floor and the 3,000-hour total meet exactly, so a part-time path simply stretches toward the four-year ceiling.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsSouth Carolina
A Board-approved Clinical Practice Supervisor, who is an LISW-CP with 4,500 hours and 45 hours of supervision training
Clinical supervision for the LISW-CP comes from an approved clinical supervisor, a licensed clinical social worker who has met the Board's qualifications: an LISW-CP who passed the Board's examination, has at least 4,500 hours of clinical practice earned over not less than three years after receiving the LISW-CP, and has obtained 45 academic or 45 continuing education contact hours in supervision, with official documentation, and who has been approved by the Board on a $45 application (40-63-20(4); 40-63-240(D); Board guidelines; fee schedule). The Board's guidelines add that the supervisor holds a master's or doctorate from a Board-approved social work program and has passed the Clinical or Advanced Generalist level of the ASWB exam (Board guidelines). The contract records the supervisor's approval level and date (Board contract).
An LMSW seeking the LISW must have a workplace clinical supervisor and a contract supervisor. The workplace supervisor is an appropriately credentialed professional employed by the agency, a South Carolina-licensed LISW, psychologist, psychiatrist, LPC, LMFT, or LAC, who is part of the supervision chain and is responsible for the nature and quality of the services and bills for them (Reg. 110-30B, C; Board contract). The contract supervisor, for the licensure hours, must be a Board-approved Clinical Practice Supervisor and need not be employed by the same agency; if the approved supervisor works at the agency, the same person can serve in both roles (Board FAQ; Board contract).
SupervisorsSouth Carolina
Supervision earned in another state
An applicant licensed at the independent level elsewhere applies under 40-63-260 with the Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam, verification from every prior board, and proof of good standing, and is eligible only at the equivalent designation (40-63-260; Board out-of-state requirements). For an LMSW with out-of-state hours, the statute's tests are the same: after an LMSW license, two to four years, 100 face-to-face supervision hours, and a plan filed before the supervision began, or equivalent supervised experience the Board accepts; the Board may review extraordinary circumstances (40-63-240(A)(6)). Ask the Board in writing before relying on hours earned under another state's plan.
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstSouth Carolina
Get the LMSW, then submit the LISW application
Hours count only after licensure as a Masters Social Worker, and the Board's guidelines have the applicant submit the LISW application first, then the supervision contract for approval before supervision starts (40-63-240(A)(6)(a); Board guidelines).
Do FirstSouth Carolina
Confirm the supervisor's Board approval, and the setting
Verify on LLR's license lookup that the contract supervisor is an LISW-CP and a Board-approved Clinical Practice Supervisor, confirm the job is in a social, medical, or governmental agency with a qualifying workplace supervisor, and file the contract; wait for the Board's approval before the first hour (40-63-240(A)(6)(c), (D); Reg. 110-30; Board).
Do FirstSouth Carolina
Plan the ethics hours, and keep a ledger the report can rest on
The 15 academic or 20 continuing education contact hours in professional ethics must be completed during the supervision period, with official documentation, or replaced by the Board's specialty ethics course (40-63-240(A)(7); Board requirements). Track practice hours and supervision hours by month, individual and group separately, since the supervisor's report and the 50-hour group cap depend on them (Board contract).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForSouth Carolina
Hours before the LMSW, or before the Board approved the contract
Supervised practice must occur after the LMSW and under a plan filed before supervision begins, and the contract warns that changes made without notice to the Board can mean loss of the Board's approval and of the hours gained (40-63-240(A)(6); Board contract).
Watch ForSouth Carolina
A supervisor who is not Board-approved, or approved at the wrong level
Only an approved clinical supervisor counts for the LISW-CP, and only an approved advanced practice supervisor for the LISW-AP; clinical supervision does not qualify an applicant for the AP license and advanced supervision does not qualify one for the CP license (40-63-20(3), (4); 40-63-240; Board FAQ).
Watch ForSouth Carolina
Private practice as an LMSW
An LMSW may not practice privately or independently and may deliver clinical services only in social, medical, or governmental agencies under an agency-employed supervisor; clinical work in a private practice setting is outside the license and outside the contract (Reg. 110-30; Board FAQ).
Watch ForSouth Carolina
Too much group, or supervision bunched at the end
No more than 50 of the 100 hours may be group supervision, groups hold no more than six, and the statute requires the hours to be equitably distributed over the period (40-63-240(A)(6)(b); Board contract; Board requirements).
Watch ForSouth Carolina
Running past four years
The 3,000 hours must be completed within a maximum four-year period after the LMSW; the Board may review extraordinary circumstances, but the ceiling is in the statute (40-63-240(A)(6)(a)).
Protections you have
ProtectionSouth Carolina
Video supervision counts
The Board accepts the required 100 hours by an appropriate, HIPAA-compliant two-way video platform, under the same standards as in-person supervision (Board FAQ), so a rural LMSW can keep a Board-approved supervisor anywhere in the state.
ProtectionSouth Carolina
The contract supervisor can be outside your employer
The contract supervisor for licensure hours does not need to be employed by the same agency as the LMSW (Board FAQ; Board contract), so an agency without an approved supervisor on staff is still a place to earn hours.
ProtectionSouth Carolina
The Board reviews extraordinary circumstances
The Board may review extraordinary circumstances related to supervised practice and may accept equivalent supervised experience in clinical social work to its satisfaction (40-63-240(A)(6)), and a change of supervisor is handled by notice and a termination evaluation rather than a restart (40-63-240(A)(6)(c)).
ProtectionSouth Carolina
The ethics regulation binds your supervisor
A social worker shall not exploit professional relationships with supervisors, students, or employees, sexually or otherwise, and shall not engage in sexual harassment, defined as deliberate or repeated unwanted comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature (Reg. 110-20(5)); violating the Board's ethics regulation is a ground for discipline (40-63-110(B)(9)).
SC
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the supervisor's Report of Supervised Experience with the termination evaluation and recommendation, documentation of the psychopathology, psychodiagnostics, and ethics hours, the LISW application file already on record with its $45 fee and fingerprint check, then the Board's approval letter for the ASWB Clinical examination and the LISW-CP on a passing score. Board: LISW-CP requirements (PDF) ↗
AL
Where the Alabama figures come from. Ala. Code 34-30-22 (two years of post-master's experience under LICSW supervision for the LICSW), 34-30-21(c) (the student exemption), 34-30-29 (LBSW supervision), and 34-30-1 (full-time and part-time), with the Board's rules 850-X-2-.02 (the classes and their supervision), 850-X-3-.01 (Board-approved supervisor qualifications), 850-X-3-.02 (supervision requirements binding the supervisor), 850-X-3-.04 (the 96 hours, the monthly rate, the 3,000 work hours, and the windows), 850-X-6-.03 (the provisional twelve months), and 850-X-7-.04 (supervision after inactive status), and the Board's FAQ and Forms A through E, read on Cornell's Legal Information Institute and socialwork.alabama.gov in September 2026. Alabama counts supervision in hours per month over 24 months, with a Board-approved plan before the first hour and a verification form at the end, and requires supervision at every license level, not only for the clinical license.
Practicum and internship
StudentsAlabama
Why you can practice without a license
Students enrolled in recognized programs of study leading to social work degrees are not prevented from practicing social work, provided their practice is performed under the supervision of a licensed certified social worker, the title the 2016 amendments renamed the LICSW, or of one who meets the qualifications for that license (Ala. Code 34-30-21(c); 34-30-20(b)). Outside that exemption, using the title "social worker" or the initials SW without a license is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $500 (34-30-33).
StudentsAlabama
Field hours do not count toward the LICSW
The LICSW rests on at least two years of post-master or post-doctorate experience in the practice of social work under the supervision of an LICSW, and the Board's rule places the 96 supervision hours and the 3,000 work hours after the master's degree, under a plan the Board approves after the LMSW is designated clinical (34-30-22(5)c.2.; 850-X-6-.01(3)(c); 850-X-3-.04(2)(g), (h)). Practicum hours precede the degree and the license; what the degree contributes is the CSWE transcript the Board requires (850-X-4-.01(9)).
StudentsAlabama
The provisional twelve months, and where the clock starts
After the Board approves the examination application, the candidate holds a one-time provisional status for twelve months from the application date and may practice social work and exercise the rights of a licensee while waiting to test; if no license issues in that time the status lapses and practice stops until a new application is approved (850-X-6-.03). The rule ties the LMSW's supervision to "post masters social work practice authorized by law" and to a plan approved before supervision starts, so ask the Board in writing before counting any month worked on provisional status toward the 24 (850-X-3-.04(2)(g), (i)).
The numbers
AL
96 hours of clinical supervision from a Board-approved LICSW, at a minimum of four hours a month for 24 months, completed within 36 months, concurrent with employment of at least 10 hours a week, inside at least 3,000 work hours of post-master's experience earned over two to four years, under a Clinical Supervision Plan the Board approves before the first hour. Rule 850-X-3-.04(2)(g): the clinical supervision must be obtained within a minimum of two and a maximum of three years of post-master's practice, at a minimum of four hours per month for 24 months within a 36-month period, for a total of 96 hours, with no more than two hours in any two weeks recommended. 850-X-3-.04(2)(h): supervision concurrent with employment of no less than 10 hours a week, obtained in no less than 3,000 work hours of post-master's experience within a minimum of two and a maximum of four years. 850-X-3-.04(2)(j): provided by an LICSW who meets 850-X-3-.01. Board FAQ: four hours per month for 24 months, all within 36 months, from an LICSW; if the 24 months are not completed inside the 36-month period, supervision credit is lost. The rule states the two windows differently, three years for the supervision months and four for the work hours; the safe reading is 24 months of supervision inside 36 months, and the 3,000 hours inside four years.
What CountsAlabama
Post-master's social work practice, clinical for the clinical designation, with a job description
The hours are post-master's social work practice authorized by law, concurrent with employment of at least 10 hours a week (850-X-3-.04(2)(h)). The supervisee must have a clearly defined job description and responsibilities, and any billing to clients or third-party payers must show the services, who provided them, the supervisee's licensure category, and the fact that the licensee is under supervision (850-X-3-.02(g), (h)). For the clinical designation the supervision content adds assessment, treatment modalities, and clinical knowledge and skills to the seventeen areas every supervisee covers, from professional values and scope of practice to case analysis (850-X-3-.04(2)(k)). Full-time social work is 35 hours a week and part-time at least 10, counted pro rata (34-30-1(6), (7)).
SupervisionAlabama
Four hours a month, in person favored, secure video accepted, group as the plan describes
Supervision must be obtained at a minimum of four hours per month, and the Board recommends no more than two hours within any two weeks, so the 96 hours spread across the 24 months rather than bunching (850-X-3-.04(2)(g)). The Board favors modalities in which supervisor and supervisee share a place for a substantial part of the time but recognizes that reliable, technologically secure cameras and microphones can allow face-to-face, though remote, interaction; every modality must be described in the plan with how it protects confidentiality and serves the supervisee's growth (850-X-3-.04(2)(i)). The Board's definitions rule treats individual supervision as one supervisee meeting face to face with one supervisor, which can be live, interactive, visual communication, and group supervision as a maximum of six supervisees with similar responsibilities meeting face to face with one supervisor; supervision can occur in an agency, institution, or group practice, and it is the licensee's responsibility to negotiate a supervisory relationship if none is available at work (850-X-2-.03). The plan is where the mix is set and approved (Form B).
The plan before, the notes during, the verification after
The Clinical Supervision Plan, Form B, is submitted by the supervisor and must be approved by the Board prior to the start of supervision; the supervisor updates it whenever the agency, job function, goals, or method of supervision changes (850-X-3-.04(2)(i); 850-X-3-.02(p)). The supervisor keeps legible, accurate, complete, signed supervision notes with the content, duration, and date of each session, and must produce them for the Board on request (850-X-3-.02(a)). Before the first session the supervisor signs and swears the Responsibility Statement for Supervisors of a Social Worker and hands the supervisee the original, which goes to the Board with the licensure application, one for each supervisor (850-X-3-.02(q), (t)). At the end, both sign the Clinical Supervision Verification, Form D, and the supervisor also verifies progress at each of the supervisee's renewals (850-X-3-.04(2)(k), (3); Board forms).
The supervision is a minimum of 24 months and must be completed within 36 months, or credit is lost, and the 3,000 work hours fall inside a minimum of two and a maximum of four years (850-X-3-.04(2)(g), (h); Board FAQ). If either license expires or is revoked or suspended during supervision, hours accumulated in that time are accepted only if the licensee appeals to the Board and is approved (850-X-3-.02(i)). At four hours a month, 24 months is exactly 96 hours, so a missed month has to be made up inside the 36.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsAlabama
A Board-approved LICSW, registered on Form A, trained in supervision
Clinical supervision toward the LICSW must be provided by a licensed independent clinical social worker who is a Board-approved supervisor (850-X-3-.04(2)(j)). To hold that status the licensee is active and in good standing, has filed Form A with the $50 supervision certification fee, has completed a supervisor's training program acceptable to the Board, obtains three hours of continuing education every biennium in supervision theory, skills, strategies, or evaluation, and designates at each renewal the wish to continue; an LICSW may supervise on obtaining the clinical license, while an LMSW needs three years and an LBSW five (850-X-3-.01(1) to (6); 850-X-5-.02). Every supervisor providing clinical supervision must have sufficient experience, training, and education in clinical supervision, and at least three contact hours of supervision training from an approved provider covering the supervision literature, the supervisory relationship, structuring sessions across modalities, cultural and economic context, and clinical practice including mandated reporting and legal issues (850-X-3-.02(r), (s)). Providing supervision without current Board-approved status is a ground for discipline against the supervisor (850-X-3-.02(j)).
Employer, contractor, and the lines the rule draws
A social worker may contract for supervision with the written approval of the employing agency, and a copy of the approval accompanies the plan (850-X-3-.02(b)). A Board-approved supervisor may not charge or collect a fee or anything of value from their own employee or contract employee for supervision; may not be employed by or under the employment supervision of the person supervised; may not be a family member of the supervisee; and supervises only supervisees whose services fall within the supervisor's own competency (850-X-3-.02(c), (e), (f); 850-X-3-.01(1)). Supervisor and supervisee avoid any relationship that impairs objective, professional judgment (850-X-3-.02(l)).
SupervisorsAlabama
Supervision earned in another state
An applicant licensed elsewhere applies by reciprocity where the other state's standards are equivalent, and the other board's sealed statement must include verification of supervision in that state along with the examination taken and any discipline (34-30-24; 850-X-4-.02(2), (3)). For an LMSW who moves here with hours in progress, the rule's tests are Alabama's: a Board-approved plan approved before supervision starts, four hours a month for 24 months inside 36, 3,000 work hours, and an LICSW supervisor holding Alabama's approval (850-X-3-.04(2)). Ask the Board in writing whether months under another state's plan will be credited before relying on them.
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstAlabama
Get the LMSW and designate clinical
The LMSW must make the designation of non-clinical or clinical on receiving the license, and only the clinical designation with LICSW supervision leads to the LICSW (850-X-2-.02(2); 850-X-3-.04(2)).
Do FirstAlabama
Confirm Form A, then file Form B and wait for approval
Confirm that the LICSW holds current Board-approved supervisor status, and if the supervisor is outside your employer, get the agency's written approval; submit the Clinical Supervision Plan and do not start until the Board approves it (850-X-3-.01(8); 850-X-3-.02(b); 850-X-3-.04(2)(i)).
Do FirstAlabama
Get the Responsibility Statement, and keep a ledger by month
Take the original signed Responsibility Statement for Supervisors of a Social Worker before the first session, since the Board wants it with your application, and log hours of practice and hours of supervision by month, because the four-per-month floor and the 3,000-hour total are what Form D verifies (850-X-3-.02(q), (t); 850-X-3-.04(2), (3)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForAlabama
Supervision before the Board approved the plan
The plan must be approved by the Board prior to the start of supervision, and the supervisor must update it when the agency, job, goals, or method changes (850-X-3-.04(2)(i); 850-X-3-.02(p)).
Watch ForAlabama
A supervisor who is not Board-approved, or not an LICSW
Clinical experience toward the LICSW counts only under an LICSW who is a current Board-approved supervisor; an LMSW supervisor covers non-clinical experience only (850-X-3-.01(7); 850-X-3-.04(2)(j)).
Watch ForAlabama
Missing the 36-month window
All supervision must be completed within 36 months; if the 24 months of supervision are not completed within the 36-month period, supervision credit is lost (850-X-3-.04(2)(g); Board FAQ).
Watch ForAlabama
Fewer than four hours in a month, or fewer than ten hours of work a week
The rule sets a minimum of four hours of supervision per month and employment of no less than ten hours a week of social work practice, concurrent with the supervision (850-X-3-.04(2)(g), (h)).
Watch ForAlabama
A lapsed license on either side
Hours accumulated while the supervisor's or supervisee's license is expired, revoked, or suspended are accepted only on appeal to and approval by the Board, and a supervisor under a Board disciplinary order is no longer Board-approved and must tell every supervisee (850-X-3-.02(i), (m)).
Protections you have
ProtectionAlabama
Secure video counts when the plan says so
The Board recognizes that reliable, technologically secure cameras and microphones can allow face-to-face, though remote, supervision; describe the modality in the plan and it can be approved (850-X-3-.04(2)(i)).
ProtectionAlabama
Your employer cannot charge you, and a lapsed supervisor refunds you
A Board-approved supervisor may not charge an employee or contract employee anything for supervision, and if the supervisor's approved status expires or is suspended or revoked, the supervisor must refund all supervisory fees paid after that date (850-X-3-.02(c), (o)).
ProtectionAlabama
The supervisor answers for the plan, and must report scope problems
The supervisor is responsible for the social work information in the plan, must not supervise a licensee practicing outside the license's scope, and must report to the Board a social worker believed to be practicing outside it (850-X-3-.01(2); 850-X-3-.02(d)).
ProtectionAlabama
The conduct standards bind your supervisor
The supervisor must review the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics with you and document it; the standards bar exploiting professional relationships for personal gain and require setting clear boundaries, and violating them is a ground for discipline (850-X-3-.02(k); 850-X-9-.01(1)(d)2.; 850-X-10-.01(1)(y)).
AL
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the Clinical Supervision Verification, Form D, signed by you and your supervisor, the original Responsibility Statement from each supervisor, the Application for Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the $75 examination fee, then the Board's approval to sit for the ASWB Clinical examination within twelve months and the LICSW on a passing score. Board: licensing FAQ ↗
KY
Where the Kentucky figures come from. KRS 335.080(3) and 335.100 (the CSW's clinical contract and the LCSW's two years under supervision), 335.010(8) (the student exemption), and 335.070(2) (the Board's deadlines), with 201 KAR 23:070 (the definitions, supervisor qualifications, contract contents, notice to clients, the 60 percent direct-contact rule, the 150 hours, out-of-state supervision, Board evaluation, contract changes, and the CSW's one-hour course), 23:025 Section 3 (the Supervised Experience Documentation Form), 23:160 (temporary permits), and 23:080 Section 6 (duties to supervisees), and the Board's FAQ, forms, and continuing education pages, read on the Legislative Research Commission's site and bsw.ky.gov in September 2026. Kentucky counts the experience in years of employment at a minimum weekly load rather than a total of practice hours, requires the contract approved before the first hour, and closes with the supervisors' documentation form.
Practicum and internship
StudentsKentucky
Why you can practice without a license
KRS 335.010 to 335.160 do not apply to the activities and services of a student intern or trainee in social work who is pursuing a program of studies at an accredited institution of higher learning, if the activities are performed under supervision and are part of the program of study; for students training in clinical social work, the Board is directed to set supervision standards by regulation after consulting a working group of professionals and educators that includes at least one practicum education director (KRS 335.010(8), as amended effective July 15, 2026). Outside the exemption, practicing or using the titles without a license is punishable by a $50 to $500 fine or up to six months (335.990).
StudentsKentucky
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The LCSW requires a minimum of two years of post-master's degree experience under supervision, and the regulation counts two years of post-master's supervised clinical social work experience with 150 hours of supervision under a Board-approved contract (KRS 335.100(1)(b); 201 KAR 23:025 Section 3(1)). Practicum hours come before the degree, and hours worked under a clinical temporary permit before the CSW issues do not accumulate toward the supervision requirement either (23:160 Section 2(2)).
StudentsKentucky
The CSW starts the clock, and a temporary permit does not
Only a CSW may enter a Clinical Social Work Supervision Contract, and the contract must be approved before supervision begins (335.080(3); 23:070 Section 5). A temporary permit lets an applicant who has done everything but pass the exam work for up to 360 days under a supervisor of record, and a clinical temporary permit needs a qualified LCSW supervisor with at least one hour of individual supervision a week, but the Board's page and the regulation both say those hours will not count toward the LCSW; once the CSW license issues, a new contract must be approved before supervised clinical practice resumes (23:160 Sections 1 and 2; Board licensure page).
The numbers
KY
Two years of post-master's clinical social work practice as a W-2 employee, full time at 30 or more hours a week, or three years part time at 20 or more, with at least 60 percent of the work in direct client contact and at least 150 hours of supervision: individual supervision of at least two hours in every two weeks, at least 100 hours individual in total, and no more than 50 in groups of six or fewer social workers, under a contract the Board approves before the first hour. KRS 335.100(1)(b): a minimum of two years of post-master's experience in the specialty methods of clinical social work under appropriate supervision as the Board establishes by regulation. 201 KAR 23:070 Section 8(2): supervision totals a minimum of 150 hours, including individual supervision of at least two hours during every two weeks of supervised clinical practice over the two-year minimum; virtual supervision counts where supervisor and supervisee can see each other by electronic means; at least 100 hours individual; up to 50 hours group; groups of no more than six, with no supervisees from other behavioral health professions. 23:070 Section 7: at least 60 percent of the experience in a direct client-professional relationship, direct responsibility for clinical services to specific clients, and broad exposure to a variety of disorders, acuity levels, and populations. Board FAQ: full time is at least 30 hours a week for two years and part time at least 20 hours a week for three years; hours worked under 20 a week cannot be counted; the CSW must be an employee with Social Security and taxes withheld, not a 1099 contractor.
What CountsKentucky
Clinical social work as an employee, in a setting with breadth
The practice of clinical social work is the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a mental disorder as related to the individual's total health, resting on psychodynamics, human relations, crisis intervention, psychopathology, and group dynamics, with individual, marital, family, and group psychotherapy, assessment and diagnosis in recognized clinical nomenclature, treatment planning and coordination, evaluation of progress, termination, and face-to-face contact throughout, which may include telehealth (201 KAR 23:070 Sections 1(4) and 3). The CSW must be an employee of an agency, institution, or organization with Social Security and income tax deducted, with no interest in it other than employment, and the contract attaches an individualized job description on agency letterhead signed by the agency head (KRS 335.080(3); 23:070 Section 5(9)(b), (10)). A setting that cannot offer the required variety of disorders and populations can still hold an approved contract, and the Board may consider the hours (23:070 Section 10(3)).
SupervisionKentucky
Two hours every two weeks, face to face or by real-time video, on five subjects
Supervision is the educational partnership between an LCSW supervisor and a CSW supervisee aimed at the supervisee's professional development in clinical services, and it must relate to the qualifying experience and focus on accurate assessment and diagnosis in professionally recognized nomenclature, developing and modifying the treatment plan, treatment skills suited to each phase of therapy, ethical problems and the Code of Ethical Conduct, and the professional use of self (201 KAR 23:070 Sections 1(5) and 8(1)). Electronic supervision means real-time interactive video with audio, individual or group, and must conform to the telehealth and confidentiality laws; the contract states whether you will use it (23:070 Sections 1(3), 5(9)(e), 8(2)(b), (c)). You may meet more than the two-hour minimum in any two weeks (Board FAQ).
The contract before, the client notice at intake, the evaluations every six months, the form at the end
The Clinical Social Work Supervision Contract is submitted online for approval before supervision begins and carries the supervisee's and supervisors' names and license numbers, the agency, a detailed description of the clients, therapies, treatment lengths, and disorders, the hours of supervision per week, the individual and group split, how case information is transmitted, a 30-day written termination notice to everyone including the employer, six-month evaluations by both supervisor and supervisee, the supervisor of record's statement of accountability to the Board for the care of your clients, and the CSW's one-hour course certificate (201 KAR 23:070 Section 5; Board forms). During supervision the CSW notifies each client in writing at the start of treatment of the supervisor of record's name, office address, telephone, e-mail, and license number and that the CSW is licensed by the Board; the Board accepts the notice posted on the office wall (23:070 Section 6; Board FAQ). Each supervisor records and submits documentation of the individual and group hours at the end of the period or when the contract terminates, on the Supervised Experience Documentation Form (23:070 Section 5(11); 23:025 Section 3(1)).
Two years at the least, and no ceiling in the rule
The statute and regulation set a two-year minimum of post-master's supervised practice and no maximum; the Board's FAQ makes it two years at 30 or more hours a week or three years at 20 or more (KRS 335.100(1)(b); 201 KAR 23:070 Section 8(2)(a); Board FAQ). A CSW must be licensed for two years full time or three years part time before applying to take the LCSW exam, and must remain under supervision from the exam approval until the LCSW is issued, with the supervisor's Continued Supervision after Clinical Exam Approval form on file (Board FAQ; Board forms). At two hours every two weeks, two years yields about 104 individual hours, so the 100-hour individual floor is met by keeping the biweekly minimum without a break.
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsKentucky
An approved LCSW with two years of clinical practice and the six-hour course, from the Board's list
The supervisor is a licensed clinical social worker who provides supervision under KRS 335.080(3) and 335.100(3), has no unresolved citation from the Board, no suspended or probated license, and no previous or existing personal relationship with the supervisee, has practiced clinical social work for two years after licensure as an independent clinical social worker in Kentucky or another jurisdiction, has completed the initial Board-approved six-hour course on supervisory practices and methods, and completes a Board-approved three-hour refresher each renewal period; supervision received in Kentucky from a supervisor without the courses is not approved (201 KAR 23:070 Section 4(1), (2)). Approval takes a Request to Provide Supervision with the training certificate, submitted online or on paper, and the Board publishes the approved supervisor list in two PDFs (23:070 Section 4(4); Board CE page; Board FAQ). A supervisor of record may hold contracts with no more than six CSWs at once, including any temporary permit holders, and no more than two temporary permit holders (23:070 Section 4(3); 23:160 Section 2(4), (5)).
Supervisor of record, additional supervisors, and a supervisor in Kentucky
The supervisor of record is the LCSW who assumes responsibility for the CSW's practice and is held accountable to the Board for the care given to the supervisee's clients; additional supervisors are other Kentucky LCSWs named in the contract who may provide some of the hours, and a change of additional supervisor takes written notice to the Board with the new supervisor's training certificate (201 KAR 23:070 Sections 1(1), (6), 5(3), (9)(a), 11(3)). A CSW practicing clinical social work in Kentucky may not receive the supervision from outside Kentucky (Board FAQ). The supervisor is bound by the Code of Ethical Conduct toward supervisees: no relationship that impairs judgment or risks exploitation, no sexual contact, no client relationship with a supervisee, and no letting a supervisee hold themselves out beyond their competence (23:080 Section 6).
SupervisorsKentucky
Supervision earned in another state
An applicant who received supervised clinical practice experience in another jurisdiction must show it met that jurisdiction's legal requirements, and the Board gives credit for supervision hours obtained under those requirements; an LCSW from another jurisdiction with two years of active clinical practice and a license in good standing may be approved to supervise here (201 KAR 23:070 Section 9). The Board evaluates out-of-state experience after the fact on the Request to Provide Supervision form with documentation of the supervision and the supervisor's qualifications, or, where the experience is incomplete, by a transitional evaluation with a new contract for the remainder (23:070 Section 10(1)(a), (b)). An LCSW applicant licensed elsewhere at the clinical level for less than two years documents two years and 150 hours from a supervisor who had held an LCSW or equivalent for at least two years; one licensed two years or more documents the period with a signed job description or standard employment forms (23:025 Section 3(2), (3)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstKentucky
Get the CSW, then take the one-hour course
A CSW supervisee completes the Board's free one-hour course on supervised clinical practice experience before beginning supervised clinical practice and submits the certificate with the contract; the Board has required it since March 15, 2022 (201 KAR 23:070 Section 12; Board FAQ).
Do FirstKentucky
Confirm the supervisor is on the Board's list, and the job is W-2
Check the approved supervisor list for the supervisor of record and every additional supervisor, confirm you will be an employee with Social Security and taxes withheld at 20 or more hours a week, and get the individualized job description on letterhead signed by the agency head (23:070 Sections 4 and 5(9), (10); Board FAQ).
Do FirstKentucky
Submit the contract online and wait for approval
The contract is submitted to the Board for approval before supervision begins, the Board has 90 days to approve or deny it, and its FAQ puts the average at three weeks once every document is in; there is no fee, and you can check the status online (23:070 Sections 5 and 10(1)(c); Board FAQ; Board forms).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForKentucky
Hours before the Board approved the contract
A CSW shall not enter into the practice of clinical social work until the contract has been approved by the Board, and the contract must be submitted for approval before supervision begins (KRS 335.080(3); 201 KAR 23:070 Section 5).
Watch ForKentucky
A supervisor without the six-hour course, or outside Kentucky
Supervisory experience obtained in Kentucky with a supervisor who has not completed the initial six-hour course and the refresher is not approved by the Board, and supervision from outside Kentucky is not accepted (23:070 Section 4(2); Board FAQ).
Watch ForKentucky
Fewer than 20 hours a week, or a 1099 contract
Hours cannot be counted when you work fewer than 20 hours a week, and a CSW in supervision must be an employee with Social Security and taxes withheld, not an independent contractor (Board FAQ; 23:070 Section 5(9)(b)).
Watch ForKentucky
A new job or a new supervisor of record without a new contract
A new contract must be submitted immediately for approval if the supervisee changes supervisor of record or place of employment, and changes to the clinical setting or nature of the practice must be approved before implementation (23:070 Section 11(1), (2)).
Watch ForKentucky
Stopping supervision after the exam
You must remain under supervision from the time you are approved to take the exam until the LCSW is issued, and the contract ends only on 30 days' written notice; clinical practice stops immediately when the contract terminates (Board FAQ; 23:070 Section 5(7); KRS 335.080(3)).
Protections you have
ProtectionKentucky
Real-time video supervision counts
Virtual supervision may be used for supervision hours if the supervisor and supervisee can see each other face to face by electronic means, in real time with video and audio (201 KAR 23:070 Sections 1(3) and 8(2)(b)).
ProtectionKentucky
The contract is free, and the Board is on a clock
There is no fee for a supervision contract, the Board must approve or deny it within 90 days, and the Board must approve you to test within 15 days of a complete application and license you within 45 days of the passing score and fee (Board FAQ; 23:070 Section 10(1)(c); KRS 335.070(2)).
ProtectionKentucky
Your supervisor answers to the Board for your clients
The supervisor of record agrees in the contract to be held accountable to the Board for the care given to the supervisee's clients, evaluates the supervision with you every six months, and owes you 30 days' written notice before ending it (23:070 Section 5(7) to (9)).
ProtectionKentucky
The Code of Ethical Conduct binds your supervisor
A social worker promotes the educational and training interests of supervisees, avoids social, business, or personal relationships that might impair judgment or risk exploitation, does not engage in sexual intimacy or contact with a supervisee, does not take a supervisee as a client, and does not use a supervisee's services except to promote their training; violating the code is a ground for discipline (201 KAR 23:080 Section 6; KRS 335.150(1)(g)).
KY
What the Board expects when the two years are done: the Supervised Experience Documentation Form from the supervisor of record and each additional supervisor, the LCSW application online with the $25 fee, approval for the ASWB Clinical examination within 15 days, the Continued Supervision after Clinical Exam Approval form while you wait to test, and the $200 license fee on a passing score, with the license issued within 45 days. Board: FAQ on supervision and licensure ↗
OR
Where the Oregon figures come from. ORS 675.530 (the equivalent of two years of full-time clinical experience), 675.537 (the CSWA's approved plan), and 675.523(5) (graduate students), with OAR 877-001-0006 (the definitions of agency, direct contact, and group supervision), 877-005-0101 (students), 877-020-0009 (the plan and the 3,500, 2,000, and twice-monthly requirements), 877-020-0010 (the 100 hours, 24 to 60 months, and evaluations), 877-020-0012 (supervisor qualifications and duties), 877-020-0016 (out-of-state hours), 877-020-0021 (the temporary certificate), 877-020-0046 (inactive status), and 877-030-0080 (supervisors' ethics), and the Board's CSWA, supervisor, and FAQ pages, read on the Legislature's and Secretary of State's sites and oregon.gov/blsw in September 2026. Oregon counts practice hours and direct-contact hours inside a window of months, requires the plan approved before the first hour, and closes with the supervisor's evaluations rather than a final verification form. Also in the statutes: 2026 Or. Laws ch. 16 directs the Board to allow psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors to supervise, operative January 1, 2027.
Practicum and internship
StudentsOregon
Why you can practice without a license
A student in a social work graduate degree program at a school accredited by or in candidacy with CSWE or CASWE may practice clinical social work under the direction of the college or university, at the approved field placement only, for the intern's duties only, and only while the placement is approved and supervised by the school; the authorization ends when the required field instruction is complete (ORS 675.523(5); OAR 877-005-0101). Outside the exemption, unlicensed clinical practice carries a civil penalty of up to $5,000 (675.540(7)).
StudentsOregon
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The statute lets the Board's rules count experience obtained in the course of the study of social work, but the rules do not: the 3,500 practice hours and 100 supervision hours accrue only while the associate is working under an approved plan of practice and supervision, and the plan approval date is the start date (ORS 675.530(3); OAR 877-020-0010(3); Board FAQ). A temporary CSWA certificate allows no clinical practice and no hours (877-020-0021(3), (5)).
StudentsOregon
The CSWA starts the clock, so line up the supervisor before graduation paperwork clears
The CSWA application cannot be submitted without a plan naming a supervisor and worksite, and the Board's supervisor search lists approved supervisors; the Board reads a leave of three weeks or more, a summer off a school schedule, or leaving the employer as a break in the plan that puts the certificate on inactive status (877-020-0009(4); Board application and CSWA pages; Board FAQ).
The numbers
OR
3,500 practice hours as a CSWA in an agency, at least 2,000 of them in direct client contact, with 100 hours of supervision over not less than 24 and not more than 60 consecutive months, at least 50 individual, meeting a plan supervisor for at least one hour not fewer than twice a month, at least 50 of the hours from an LCSW, under a plan the Board approves before the first hour. OAR 877-020-0009(4)(b), (d): the plan requires a minimum of 3,500 practice hours of which at least 2,000 involve direct contact with a client of the agency, and meetings with the plan supervisor of a minimum of one hour not fewer than two times a month, alone or with as many as four other mental health professionals. 877-020-0010(3): the contact must be direct contact during which the associate practices clinical social work; supervision totals 100 hours over 24 to 60 consecutive months, at least 50 individual, with at least 50 from an LCSW supervisor and no more than 50 from an authorized clinical psychologist or psychiatrist; after the hours are complete, monthly one-hour meetings continue until licensure; the associate should work with each supervisor at least six months. 877-001-0006(7): direct contact means in-person or live video or teleconference hours with a client. Board CSWA page: direct client hours are hours in direct dialogue with a client leading to assessment, diagnosis, or treatment; consulting with family members or other professionals does not count; group sessions count by hours, not participants; one two-hour session does not satisfy the twice-monthly rule.
What CountsOregon
Clinical social work in an agency, never in an independent practice
The hours are clinical social work practice, the assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders and counseling or psychotherapy, performed for a client of the agency named in the plan (OAR 877-020-0010(3)(a); 877-001-0006(4)). An agency assigns cases centrally, bills and collects in its own name, controls and stores the records, displays its name, puts its name on the client's forms, hires and fires, provides regular supervision, and has written policies; the Board's CSWA page says hours collected through an independent practice may not be counted, and an associate who wants a private practice must still work under a plan with a supervisor (877-001-0006(1); Board CSWA page; Board FAQ). The agency must be licensed by the Department of Human Services or, if no license is required, be in compliance with the requirements to do business in Oregon, and must screen clients and support the associate's progress (877-020-0009(4)(a)).
SupervisionOregon
Twice a month, an hour at a time, in person, by video, or by telephone
Supervision is an interactional professional relationship providing evaluation and direction over the supervisee's clinical practice and promoting the development of ethical and competent practice (OAR 877-001-0006(6)). The supervisor and associate discuss cases from notes, charts, records, and recordings, the associate presents assessments, diagnoses, and treatment plans, the supervisor focuses on the associate's therapeutic skill and has authority to review the caseload and to judge whether the client population suits the associate's expertise (877-020-0012(6), (7)). Supervision may be in person in a professional setting or by video conferencing or telephone; electronic supervision requires written consent from clients whose records may be discussed, a private setting, and secure transmission such as encryption (877-020-0010(3)(e); 877-020-0012(9)). An associate may ask the Board to reduce the twice-monthly meetings to once a month for reduced hours, illness, or family responsibilities (877-020-0010(4)).
The plan before, evaluations every six months, and reports through the portal
The plan of practice and supervision is submitted with the CSWA application and approved by the Board before the certificate issues; changes are requested with a justification and take effect only on approval (OAR 877-020-0010(1), (2); 877-020-0021). Each supervisor submits an evaluation of the associate's progress at intervals not exceeding six months on the Board's form, reports immediately in writing if the associate is not complying with the plan or the relationship ends early, and makes other reports the Board requires; the associate submits each evaluation through the licensee portal, with reports due within 30 days of the end of the birth month and six months later, and hours through the last active day when a job ends (877-020-0010(3)(f); 877-020-0012(8); Board CSWA page; Board FAQ). The annual CSWA renewal carries a sworn statement of satisfactory progress toward the plan (ORS 675.560(4)).
Two years at the least, five at the most, with the Board able to extend
The 100 supervision hours are earned over a period of not less than 24 nor more than 60 consecutive months, and the Board may in its discretion approve a written request to extend a plan beyond 60 months (OAR 877-020-0010(3)(b)(A)). At the minimum of two one-hour meetings a month, 24 months yields 48 hours, so reaching 100 within the window takes more than the minimum meeting rate or a longer period; the twice-monthly floor is a floor, not a pace. After the hours and practice requirements are met, the monthly meeting continues until the license issues, and you may request the Clinical exam after 75 supervision hours and 24 months (877-020-0010(3)(b)(B); Board CSWA FAQ).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsOregon
A Board-approved Oregon LCSW with two years of practice, 15 hours of supervision training, and a recent laws exam
The plan supervisor must be an Oregon licensed clinical social worker approved by the Board when the plan is submitted, who has completed two years of licensed practice, has completed and reported at least 15 hours of continuing education in techniques of supervision before starting and completes at least 6 hours on supervision every five years after, and has passed the Oregon laws and rules examination within the five years before starting (OAR 877-020-0012(1), (2), (5)). The Board's supervisor page requires an active or semi-retired license, competence in the associate's clinical areas and client populations, and no conflict of interest: not a spouse or relative, not a close personal relation, and not the associate's former therapist (Board supervisor page). Approval takes the Board's Become a Supervisor checklist by e-mail or fax (Board).
Psychologists and psychiatrists for half the hours, and more disciplines from 2027
On the associate's request the Board may authorize as a supervisor an Oregon-licensed clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, or an LCSW or equivalent licensed in another state in good standing with substantially equivalent education, fitness, and field experience; such a supervisor must pass the Oregon laws and rules exam and meet the same 15-hour and 6-hour training rules (OAR 877-020-0012(3), (4)). At least 50 of the 100 hours must come from an LCSW supervisor, and no more than 50 from a psychologist or psychiatrist (877-020-0010(3)(c), (d)). An associate may have one supervisor for individual supervision and another for group, and meeting each for an hour satisfies the twice-monthly rule (877-020-0012(6)(a); 877-020-0010(3)(b)(A)). Under 2026 Or. Laws ch. 16, the Board must adopt rules by January 1, 2027 allowing licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors to provide the supervision required for licensure; watch the Board's rulemaking page for the terms.
SupervisorsOregon
Supervision earned in another state
An applicant licensed elsewhere who intends to practice clinical social work here before the LCSW issues must first obtain a CSWA and keep the monthly supervision (OAR 877-020-0016(2), (3)). Hours already accumulated in another state can be added to a CSWA plan on the Board's Previous Hours Form, an out-of-state LCSW licensed and working for less than a year files the same form, and one licensed and working for more than a year signs an experience affidavit (877-020-0009(4)(b); Board application page). An out-of-state LCSW who supervised you may be recognized on request if the license is in good standing and substantially equivalent (877-020-0012(3)(a)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstOregon
Confirm the supervisor is Board-approved and the worksite is an agency
Use the Board's supervisor search, confirm the supervisor's approval, two years of practice, training hours, and laws exam date, and confirm that the worksite meets the agency definition, because independent-practice hours do not count (OAR 877-020-0012; 877-001-0006(1); Board).
Do FirstOregon
Enter the plan in the application and wait for approval
The plan of practice and supervision must be entered before the CSWA application can be submitted and paid for, and hours begin on the plan approval date, never earlier (877-020-0009(4); 877-020-0010(1); Board FAQ).
Do FirstOregon
Keep a ledger of practice hours, direct-contact hours, and supervision by month
The six-month evaluation reports the practice hours, direct-contact hours, and individual and group supervision hours for the period, and the Board approves the final hours before authorizing the Clinical exam (877-020-0010(3)(f); Board CSWA page).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForOregon
Hours before the plan was approved, or after a change the Board has not approved
Hours are not backdated to a supervisor change, and a new employer or supervisor is a plan change that must be approved before it takes effect (OAR 877-020-0010(2); Board FAQ).
Watch ForOregon
Hours in an independent practice, or at a worksite not on a plan
Hours collected through an independent practice may not be counted, and every place of practice where you collect hours needs its own approved plan (Board CSWA page; 877-020-0009(4)).
Watch ForOregon
Running past 60 months
The supervision hours must fall within not more than 60 consecutive months unless the Board approves a written request to extend the plan (877-020-0010(3)(b)(A)).
Watch ForOregon
Fewer than two meetings a month, or too many psychologist hours
The plan requires at least two one-hour meetings a month unless the Board approves a reduction, and no more than 50 of the 100 hours may come from a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist (877-020-0009(4)(d); 877-020-0010(3)(d), (4)).
Watch ForOregon
A lapsed certificate, or practicing through a leave
A CSWA that is not renewed by the birth-month date lapses 30 days later; practicing or using the title after expiration makes you ineligible to renew, and any leave of three weeks or more requires inactive status with all hours reported through the last active day (877-001-0025; 877-001-0028; Board FAQ).
Protections you have
ProtectionOregon
Video and telephone supervision count
Supervision may be accomplished by electronic video-conferencing media or telephone, with client consent for records discussed, privacy, and secure transmission (OAR 877-020-0010(3)(e)(B); 877-020-0012(9)).
ProtectionOregon
You can slow the meetings, and the Board can extend the window
An associate may request a reduction to one meeting a month for reduced hours, illness, or family responsibilities without changing the plan, and the Board may extend a plan beyond 60 months on written request (877-020-0010(3)(b)(A), (4)).
ProtectionOregon
The supervisor must report early termination, and cannot be a relative or former therapist
A supervisor reports to the Board in writing immediately if the relationship ends before the plan's date, and the Board bars supervisors who are a spouse, relative, close personal relation, or former therapist of the associate (877-020-0012(8)(c); Board supervisor page).
ProtectionOregon
The Code of Ethics binds your supervisor
A clinical social worker serving as administrator, supervisor, or teacher may not, under any circumstances, engage in a sexual relationship with a supervisee or student, may not enter a therapeutic relationship with an employee, supervisee, or student, must explicitly define the conditions of the professional relationship, and must promote conditions that foster ethical and competent performance (OAR 877-030-0080).
OR
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the final six-month evaluation showing the 3,500 practice hours, 2,000 direct-contact hours, and 100 supervision hours, the Board's approval of the completed plan, the passing ASWB Clinical score, then the LCSW Initial License Form the Board e-mails with the $260 initial license fee, with the monthly supervision meeting continuing until the license issues. Board: FAQ ↗
CT
Where the Connecticut figures come from. CGS 20-195m(7) and (8) (who may supervise an LMSW, and what professional supervision is), 20-195n(c)(2) (the 3,000 hours and the 100 hours under an LCSW), 20-195n(f) (the three-year substitute for out-of-state clinical licensees), 20-195q(d)(1) (students), 20-195s (the LMSW's supervised scope), and 20-195t (the temporary permit), with the Department of Public Health's LCSW, master's level, and temporary permit pages and its verification of employment and verification of supervision forms, read in September 2026. Connecticut counts total post-master's hours with a floor of supervised hours, sets no window of years, files no plan in advance, and closes with two verification forms sent by the employer and the supervisor.
Practicum and internship
StudentsConnecticut
Why you can practice without a license
Nothing in the chapter prohibits a student enrolled in a doctoral or master's degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education from performing such work as is incidental to the course of study, provided the student is designated by a title that clearly indicates student status (CGS 20-195q(d)(1)). Outside the exemption, no person may practice clinical social work without a license, and only degree holders may use the title "social worker" (20-195n(a); 20-195q(c)).
StudentsConnecticut
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The LCSW requires 3,000 hours of post-master's social work experience, and hours completed in Connecticut on or after October 1, 2011 must be completed as a licensed master social worker (CGS 20-195n(c)(2)). Practicum hours precede both the degree and the license, and the Department's verification of employment form documents post-master's work (DPH LCSW page).
StudentsConnecticut
The LMSW starts the clock, and the temporary permit lets you work while you wait
An MSW graduate who has not yet taken the exam may hold a temporary permit for 120 calendar days that authorizes practice as a master social worker under professional supervision; it is free, not renewable, and void if the applicant fails the exam (20-195t, 2026 Supp.; DPH). The statute does not say whether work under the permit counts toward the 3,000 hours, which must be completed as an LMSW; ask the Department in writing before counting it (20-195n(c)(2)).
The numbers
CT
3,000 hours of post-master's social work experience as an LMSW, including not less than 100 hours of work under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, with professional supervision meaning face-to-face consultation between one supervisor and one supervisee, at least a monthly review, and a written evaluation and assessment by the supervisor. CGS 20-195n(c)(2): three thousand hours post-master's social work experience which shall include not less than one hundred hours of work under professional supervision by a licensed clinical or certified independent social worker, provided on and after October 1, 2011, such hours completed in this state shall be as a licensed master social worker. 20-195m(8): professional supervision means face-to-face consultation between one supervisor and one person receiving supervision that consists of not less than a monthly review, a written evaluation and assessment by the supervisor of such person's practice of clinical social work. The statute sets no minimum or maximum number of years, no weekly minimum, no ratio of supervision to practice, and no rule on group supervision; the Department's forms are the record.
What CountsConnecticut
Post-master's social work experience, and clinical work under supervision
The 3,000 hours are post-master's social work experience, documented on the Department's verification of employment form, and the 100 hours are work under professional supervision by an LCSW, documented on the verification of supervision form (CGS 20-195n(c)(2); DPH LCSW page). Under the LMSW's scope, clinical social work is practiced under professional supervision, which may come from a licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse, psychologist, marital and family therapist, professional counselor, or clinical social worker, and a diagnosis is offered in consultation with one of them (20-195s(a); 20-195m(7)). Only the hours supervised by an LCSW count toward the LCSW's 100 (20-195n(c)(2)).
SupervisionConnecticut
One to one, face to face, at least monthly, in writing
Professional supervision is face-to-face consultation between one supervisor and one person receiving supervision, consisting of not less than a monthly review and a written evaluation and assessment by the supervisor of the supervisee's practice of clinical social work (CGS 20-195m(8)). The statute does not define face-to-face to include or exclude video, does not provide for group supervision, and does not set hours per week; the 100 hours are the floor and the written evaluations are the evidence.
Connecticut files no supervision plan or contract with the Department before the hours begin. When the hours are complete, the employer submits the verification of employment form documenting 3,000 hours of post-master's work experience and the supervisor submits the verification of supervision form documenting 100 hours under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, both directly to the Department, with official transcripts and license verifications from every state (DPH LCSW page). Keep your own log of hours worked and of each supervision session and written evaluation, since the forms are completed years after the hours were earned.
The statute counts hours, not years: 3,000 hours of post-master's experience at any pace, with no maximum period in which they must be completed and no expiration on hours earned (CGS 20-195n(c)(2)). At 40 hours a week that is about a year and a half; part time simply takes longer. The LMSW must stay current throughout, renewed each year in the birth month, since hours in Connecticut must be earned as an LMSW (19a-88(e); 20-195n(c)(2)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsConnecticut
A licensed clinical social worker, with no separate approval
The 100 hours must be under professional supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, or a certified independent social worker under the title used before 1995 (CGS 20-195n(c)(2)). Connecticut has no supervisor registration, approval, training, or experience requirement in chapter 383b; any Connecticut LCSW may supervise, and the supervisor completes the Department's verification of supervision form when the hours are done (DPH LCSW page).
SupervisorsConnecticut
The other five licensed professions can supervise your LMSW practice, not your LCSW hours
An LMSW may practice clinical social work under the supervision of a licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse, psychologist, marital and family therapist, clinical social worker, or professional counselor, and may offer a mental health diagnosis in consultation with any of them (CGS 20-195m(7); 20-195s(a)). Those arrangements satisfy the LMSW's scope, but the hours that count toward the LCSW's 100-hour floor must be supervised by a licensed clinical social worker (20-195n(c)(2)).
SupervisorsConnecticut
Supervision earned in another state
A clinical social worker licensed or certified in another state, territory, or commonwealth may substitute three years of licensed clinical work experience for the 3,000 hours and 100 supervised hours if the Commissioner finds the experience equal to or greater than Connecticut's requirement, shown by a letter from the employer stating employment as a clinical social worker and the dates (CGS 20-195n(f); DPH LCSW page). An LCSW licensed elsewhere under substantially similar or higher requirements who has passed the Clinical examination may be licensed by endorsement, and one licensed four years or more in good standing has the Department's four-year pathway (20-195n(e); DPH). For an LMSW with hours earned elsewhere, the statute's tests are the same, 3,000 post-master's hours and 100 under an LCSW, and the Department's forms document them; ask the Department in writing whether out-of-state supervised hours will be accepted.
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstConnecticut
Get the LMSW
Hours completed in Connecticut on or after October 1, 2011 count only if completed as a licensed master social worker, so the LMSW comes before the first counted hour (CGS 20-195n(c)(2)).
Do FirstConnecticut
Confirm an LCSW will supervise at least 100 hours, monthly and in writing
Verify the supervisor's LCSW license on the Department's lookup and agree on face-to-face meetings, at least a monthly review, and written evaluations, since those are what professional supervision means and what the supervisor will later certify (20-195m(8); DPH).
Do FirstConnecticut
Keep the ledger the forms will rest on
Track post-master's hours by employer and supervised hours by supervisor, with dates of each review and evaluation, because the verification of employment and verification of supervision forms are completed by the employer and supervisor at the end (DPH LCSW page).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForConnecticut
Hours in Connecticut without an LMSW
Hours completed in this state on or after October 1, 2011 must be completed as a licensed master social worker (CGS 20-195n(c)(2)).
Watch ForConnecticut
Supervised hours from a professional who is not an LCSW
Supervision by a physician, APRN, psychologist, LMFT, or LPC satisfies the LMSW's scope but does not count toward the 100 hours under a licensed clinical social worker (20-195m(7); 20-195n(c)(2)).
Watch ForConnecticut
A lapsed LMSW while the hours accrue
The LMSW renews every year in the birth month and becomes void 90 days after the renewal date if not renewed; a void license means practice without a license until reinstated (19a-88(e), (f); 20-195u(g)).
Watch ForConnecticut
Independent practice as an LMSW
A licensed master social worker may not engage in independent practice, meaning clinical social work without supervision (20-195s(a); 20-195m(6)).
Watch ForConnecticut
Supervision without the written evaluations
Professional supervision includes a written evaluation and assessment by the supervisor of the supervisee's clinical practice; without it, the arrangement does not meet the definition the supervisor must certify (20-195m(8)).
Protections you have
ProtectionConnecticut
No plan approval, no supervisor approval, no application fee
Connecticut requires no pre-approved plan, no Department-approved supervisor, and no fee to apply for either license, so a change of employer or supervisor does not restart anything as long as the hours are documented (CGS 20-195n; 20-195o(d), 2026 Supp.; DPH).
ProtectionConnecticut
No ceiling on the years
The 3,000 hours carry no deadline and no expiration in the statute (20-195n(c)(2)).
ProtectionConnecticut
Six professions can supervise your daily practice
An LMSW's clinical practice may be supervised by a physician, APRN, psychologist, LMFT, LCSW, or LPC, so an agency without an LCSW on staff can still employ an LMSW clinically, with an LCSW supervising the counted 100 hours (20-195m(7); 20-195n(c)(2)).
ProtectionConnecticut
The standards of the profession bind your supervisor
A licensee who fails to conform to the accepted standards of the social work profession, including negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct in professional activities, faces the Department's sanctions, which reach a $25,000 civil penalty (20-195p; 19a-17(a)).
CT
What the Department expects when the hours are done: the online LCSW application with no fee, the transcript, license verifications from every state, the verification of employment form for 3,000 hours, the verification of supervision form for 100 hours under an LCSW, the fingerprint-based records check, and, once the file is complete, notice of eligibility to sit for the ASWB Clinical examination, with the LCSW issued on the passing score report. DPH: LCSW licensing requirements ↗
LA
Where the Louisiana figures come from. R.S. 37:2703 (clinical supervision and the board-approved clinical supervisor), 37:2707 (the LMSW's supervised scope), 37:2708(A)(3) (the 3,000 hours over two to four years), 37:2722(A)(1) (students), and 37:2724 (the CSW), with the Board's rules in LAC 46:XXV Chapter 5 (501 the LMSW as employee, 503 LMSWs seeking the LCSW, 505 supervision of LMSWs and CSWs delivering clinical services, 507 the BACS, and 509 telesupervision) and Chapter 3 (305 qualifications and 307 early testing), as amended effective October 20, 2025, and the Board's supervision and BACS pages, read in September 2026. Louisiana files a contract at the start, counts 96 supervision hours inside 3,000 practice hours, and closes with a record, an evaluation, and an employer's verification.
Practicum and internship
StudentsLouisiana
Why you can practice without a credential
No provision of the Practice Act prohibits the activities and services of a student pursuing a course of study in a social work educational program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education if those activities and services constitute a part of the supervised course of study (R.S. 37:2722(A)(1)). Outside the exclusion, no individual may practice social work in the state without a current license, certificate, or registration (2709(A)). Social workers supervising students in field placement must indicate their supervisory function when cosigning records (LAC 46:XXV.111(G)(4)).
StudentsLouisiana
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The LCSW requires postgraduate social work practice under a board-approved clinical supervisor, and supervision for the LCSW license can begin only after the MSW obtains the LMSW (R.S. 37:2708(A)(3); LAC 46:XXV.503(A)). Practicum hours precede both the degree and the license.
StudentsLouisiana
The CSW lets you work while you test, but the clock starts at the LMSW
An MSW graduate who meets every LMSW requirement except the examination holds the CSW for up to three years, practicing as an agency employee within the LMSW's scope under LCSW supervision, and must have at least two hours a month of LCSW supervision while delivering psychotherapy (R.S. 37:2724; LAC 46:XXV.303(D), (E); 505(F)). Those months do not count toward the 3,000 hours, which begin only after the LMSW issues (503(A)). Final-semester students may test for the LMSW early on the dean's form (307(E)(1)).
The numbers
LA
At least 3,000 hours of postgraduate social work practice over a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years under a board-approved clinical supervisor, with 96 hours of face-to-face supervision, meetings of 30 minutes to 2 hours, no more than 80 hours of practice between meetings, and up to 48 of the 96 in group. R.S. 37:2708(A)(3): at least three thousand hours of postgraduate social work practice over a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years while under the supervision of a board-approved clinical supervisor; the board shall consider circumstances warranting more than four years. LAC 46:XXV.503(E): during the 3,000 hours of supervised practice, 96 hours of face-to-face supervision must occur between the supervisor and supervisee; supervisory meetings must last no fewer than 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours; in no case should more than 80 hours of practice occur without a supervisory meeting, and supervision credit shall not be issued for the time period that this requirement is not met. 503(F): one-half, 48 hours maximum, may be met through group supervision in increments of no more than two hours per group with no more than five supervisees, and the Board may approve up to 72 group hours on a supervisor's written request. Applicants who began supervision before January 1, 2022 follow the rules in effect when their supervision began (305(D)(3)).
What CountsLouisiana
Postgraduate practice as an LMSW employee, under contract with a BACS
The 3,000 hours are postgraduate social work practice completed while holding the LMSW, as a salaried employee of an agency that withholds taxes or as a documented contractor of a governmental agency; volunteer work does not count (R.S. 37:2707(B); LAC 46:XXV.501; 503(D)). School social workers count hours of practice and supervision that occur while employed in a social work position (503(G)). The hours are documented by a professional experience verification from each employer and the supervision by the record of supervision (503(H), (M)).
SupervisionLouisiana
96 face-to-face hours, in person or by telesupervision, at least every 80 practice hours
Clinical supervision is supervision by a licensed clinical social worker who is a board-approved clinical supervisor, in person or through telesupervision by secure video (R.S. 37:2703). The 96 hours are face to face between supervisor and supervisee, in meetings of 30 minutes to two hours, with no more than 80 hours of practice between meetings, and up to 48 in groups of no more than five in increments of up to two hours (LAC 46:XXV.503(E), (F)). Telesupervision is real-time, synchronous, face-to-face video conferencing; the supervisee must be actively practicing in Louisiana, the supervisor must be Louisiana-licensed though may be located outside the state, both complete a one-time 1.5 hours of continuing education in telesupervision, clients whose records are discussed give written consent to electronic transmission, transmission is encrypted, and the contract states the format (509).
A contract within 60 days, a record signed every session, and three closing forms
The supervision contract, completed by the supervisor, the supervisee, and the agency supervisor, is submitted by the supervisee with the employer's employment verification within 60 days of the first session; filed later, credit begins 60 days from the date received, and a new contract and, if the job changed, a new employment verification are due within 60 days of any change of employment, supervisor, or agency supervisor (LAC 46:XXV.503(C)). Both sign the record of supervision for each session with dates, time, and brief content, kept by the supervisee and submitted at the end, subject to random audit that reduces credit to actual supervised time (503(H)). The supervisor keeps a folder with the contract, session narratives, correspondence, and copies of the forms (503(I)). At the end the supervisee submits the evaluation of supervision and the record of supervision, plus a professional experience verification from each employer; the Board does not confirm receipt and reviews them when the LCSW application is filed (503(K) through (M)).
TimingLouisiana
Two years at least, four at most, and the Board's discretion beyond
The 3,000 hours must be spread over a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years, and the Board shall consider circumstances warranting more than four years (R.S. 37:2708(A)(3)). At 40 hours a week the hours arrive in about 18 months, so the two-year floor, not the hour count, sets the pace for a full-time supervisee; part-time practice must still fit within four years unless the Board allows more. An LMSW in the final six months with at least 75 supervision hours may test early (LAC 46:XXV.307(E)(2)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsLouisiana
A board-approved clinical supervisor, approved before the first session
A BACS holds the LCSW, verifies at least three years of full-time social work experience at the LCSW level, submits two reference letters from professionals familiar with the licensee's work including supervision skills, one of them an LCSW, completes the Board's orientation workshop, and completes a Board-approved supervision workshop on the theory, techniques, and procedures of supervision toward licensure, all before becoming a BACS (LAC 46:XXV.507(A)). The Board's page says BACS applications are approved every 10 to 15 business days, the initial training is 6.5 hours, and an LCSW must have the designation approved before beginning supervision of an LMSW for licensure (LABSWE BACS page). A BACS keeps the designation by maintaining the LCSW, conducting supervision as 503 requires, and completing three clock hours of continuing education in clinical supervision every two years; one who loses it for missed training must stop supervising for licensure (507(B)).
Any LCSW can supervise your clinical work; only a BACS counts toward the license
An LMSW or CSW who is not receiving BACS supervision may deliver clinical services only under the supervision of an LCSW, who need not hold the BACS designation, for at least two hours a month in increments of no fewer than 30 minutes for as long as psychotherapy is being rendered, by individual, group, telephone, or secure electronic contact, with on-site supervision preferred and records kept for audit (LAC 46:XXV.505). Those hours satisfy the LMSW's scope; only supervision by a BACS under a filed contract counts toward the LCSW (503(B), (D)).
SupervisorsLouisiana
Supervision earned in another state
Supervision received outside Louisiana is accepted if the supervisor completed the Board's authorized forms and was licensed at the time at a level substantially equivalent to a Louisiana LCSW-BACS in the other state, with the Board's license verification of out-of-state supervisor form (LAC 46:XXV.503(N)). A social worker already credentialed elsewhere on substantially equivalent education, supervision, and examination requirements may seek reciprocity with the open-book Louisiana law exam, and bears the burden of proving equivalence (R.S. 37:2712; 319(B)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstLouisiana
Get the LMSW
Supervision for the LCSW license can begin only after the MSW obtains the LMSW; hours as a CSW do not count (LAC 46:XXV.503(A)).
Do FirstLouisiana
Confirm the supervisor holds the BACS designation
Check the Board's BACS list, since supervision counts only under a board-approved clinical supervisor whose designation was approved before supervision began (503(B); LABSWE BACS page).
Do FirstLouisiana
File the contract and employment verification within 60 days of the first session
Credit runs from the first session only if the supervision contract and employment verification reach the Board within 60 days; otherwise it runs from 60 days after receipt (503(C)).
Do FirstLouisiana
Sign the record of supervision every session
Both parties sign each session's entry with date, time, and content, and the Board may audit and reduce credit to actual supervised time (503(H)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForLouisiana
More than 80 hours of practice without a supervisory meeting
Supervision credit shall not be issued for the time period that this requirement is not met (LAC 46:XXV.503(E)).
Watch ForLouisiana
A late contract, or a change without a new one
A contract filed after 60 days starts credit 60 days from receipt, and a change of employment, supervisor, or agency supervisor requires a new contract within 60 days (503(C)).
Watch ForLouisiana
Meetings shorter than 30 minutes or longer than two hours, or groups over five
Supervisory meetings must last no fewer than 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours, group increments are no more than two hours, and no more than five supervisees may be in a group (503(E), (F)).
Watch ForLouisiana
Running past four years
The statute sets a maximum of four years; the Board shall consider circumstances warranting more, but that is a request, not a right (R.S. 37:2708(A)(3)).
Watch ForLouisiana
Telesupervision without the 1.5-hour course or from outside Louisiana practice
Both parties complete the one-time 1.5 hours of continuing education, and a BACS may not telesupervise a social worker who is not actively practicing social work in Louisiana (509(C), (D)(1)).
Watch ForLouisiana
A lapsed LMSW while the hours accrue
A credential not renewed by August 31 lapses and the social worker shall not practice; practicing with a lapsed credential is a ground for discipline (R.S. 37:2714(C); 2717(A)(13)).
Protections you have
ProtectionLouisiana
A confirmed start date in writing
Within 60 days of receiving the contract, the Board emails supervisee and supervisor a notice confirming receipt and the beginning date of supervision (LAC 46:XXV.503(C)).
ProtectionLouisiana
Your supervisor's duties are written down, and the BACS can be withdrawn
The supervisor must cover the contracted content, keep accurate records, be available for required sessions and consultations, and submit forms on time; the Board may withdraw the BACS designation from a supervisor who does not (503(J)). A supervisor who stops early must still submit an evaluation of supervision for the period served (503(L)).
ProtectionLouisiana
Early testing at 75 supervision hours
An LMSW in the final six months of supervision with at least 75 supervision hours and a complete LCSW application may sit for the Clinical examination before the final forms are in (307(E)(2)).
ProtectionLouisiana
Exploitation of a supervisee is a rule violation
The duty to promote the best interests of supervisees, the ban on business relationships, and the ban on sexual intimacy or contact with a supervisee during the supervisory relationship all apply to your supervisor, and a violation is unprofessional conduct under R.S. 37:2717(A)(11) (LAC 46:XXV.105; 113(A), (B)(3), (B)(6)).
LA
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the record of supervision and evaluation of supervision from the supervisory period, a professional experience verification from each employer, the online LCSW application with the $100 fee and a new fingerprint check at least seven days before a Board meeting, approval to sit for the ASWB Clinical examination, and the LCSW issued on the passing score. LABSWE: supervision ↗
OK
Where the Oklahoma figures come from. 59 O.S. 1250.1 (definitions of supervision, clinical supervision, employment supervision, and Board approved supervisor), 1261.1(C) and (G) (the 3,000 hours and the LSWA or LMSW that must come first), 1261.5 (the provisional license), and 1270(B)(7) (students), with the Board's rules in OAC 675:1-1-1.1 (educational supervision), 10-1-1.2, 10-1-2, and 10-1-2.1 (the three supervised licenses), 12-1-2 (who supervises which license), 12-1-6 (Board Approved Supervisors and the minimum supervision expectations), and 12-1-8 (out-of-state supervision), as amended effective July 25, 2025 and June 11, 2026, and the Board's forms page and FAQ, read in September 2026. Oklahoma files a contract before the first hour, counts 100 supervision hours inside 3,000 practice hours, and evaluates twice.
Practicum and internship
StudentsOklahoma
Why you can practice without a license
Students currently participating in an approved social work program are exempt from licensure under the Act when enrolled in or participating in an internship, externship, or other social work experience requirements for such programs (59 O.S. 1270(B)(7)). Outside the exemption, no person may practice social work for compensation or participate in delivering social work services except under a licensee's supervision (1251(A)).
StudentsOklahoma
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The 3,000 hours are postgraduate experience, and any person seeking to pursue postgraduate supervision for the LSW, LSW-ADM, or LCSW must hold LSWA or LMSW status before the Board approves the supervision (59 O.S. 1261.1(C), (G)). Supervising practicum students is not even supervisory experience for a Board Approved Supervisor's application (OAC 675:12-1-6(a)(4)).
StudentsOklahoma
The provisional license bridges the exam, and the contract starts the clock
An MSW graduate who has met every requirement except the examination receives a one-time provisional license for one year and applies to ASWB to test; it becomes the permanent LMSW on a passing score and is automatically revoked if the year passes without one (59 O.S. 1261.5; OAC 675:10-1-10; 10-1-16). The supervision contract can be filed once the LSWA or LMSW is held, and hours count only from the contract's approved start date (12-1-6(c)(4); OSBLSW forms page).
The numbers
OK
3,000 hours of postgraduate supervised clinical experience under a licensed clinical social worker, which the rule says includes 3,000 hours of direct client contact, with at least 100 hours of educational supervision, averaging no less than one continuous hour a week for a supervisee working 20 hours or more, never more than two weeks apart, up to half of it in groups of no more than four, evaluated at 50 and 1,500 hours and at 100 and 3,000. 59 O.S. 1261.1(C)(4): three thousand hours of postgraduate experience in the practice of clinical social work under professional supervision of a person licensed by the Act. OAC 675:10-1-1.2(1): a total of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of clinical social work under professional supervision of a licensed clinical social worker which includes 3000 hours of direct client contact; direct client contact may include any activities directly associated with the provision of treatment for a client and does not include administrative activities, case management work, travel to or from meetings, training, and the like; this experience shall include at least 100 hours of educational supervision by the supervisor, and the final evaluations must document performance meeting or exceeding expectations in all areas. 12-1-6(c)(3): for supervisees working 20 hours or more per week, no less than an average of one continuous hour per week of supervision for a minimum of 100 hours, with a maximum of two weeks between educational supervision meetings, in which case the meeting is two hours; for supervisees working 19 hours or less, at least one hour once every two weeks; group supervision is acceptable if it does not exceed one-half of the total supervisory time per evaluation period, in groups of no more than four supervisees. The Board's FAQ describes the first evaluation period as about 12 months of full-time employment and the second as about 24.
What CountsOklahoma
Direct client contact in paid clinical employment, under an approved contract
Supervisees seeking clinical licensure must have at least 3,000 hours of direct client contact, meaning activities directly associated with the provision of treatment, not administrative work, case management, travel, or training; clinical practice must include evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of emotional disorders and mental illness (OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(3); OSBLSW FAQ). All hours must be in a paid employment setting; volunteer hours do not count, and a supervisee may not do contract work for an employer as a non-clinically licensed social worker (FAQ; 12-1-6(c)(1)). Employment supervision, the worksite relationship over job duties, is never accepted toward licensure supervision (59 O.S. 1250.1(17)). The LSW and LSW-ADM count 3,000 hours in general or administrative practice under the same rules, with 100 hours of educational supervision (10-1-2; 10-1-2.1).
SupervisionOklahoma
Face to face, in person or on video, at least every two weeks
Educational supervision is face-to-face interaction between supervisor and supervisee, and face to face includes both in-person supervision and supervision completed on electronic platforms (OAC 675:1-1-1.1). Clinical supervision provides evaluation and direction over the supervisee's practice of clinical social work and promotes continued development toward ethical and competent practice (59 O.S. 1250.1(10)). A full-time supervisee averages one continuous hour a week, a part-time supervisee meets an hour every two weeks, no gap exceeds two weeks, and up to half the time may be group supervision in groups of no more than four led by an appropriately licensed social worker or a Board Approved Supervisor in the specialty (12-1-6(c)(3)). A supervisee seeking clinical licensure shall not assign a clinical diagnosis independent of the clinical supervisor or a qualified practitioner in the agency (12-1-6(c)(2)), and a supervisor may ask for a sample of the supervisee's work (12-1-6(c)(8)).
A contract before, a log throughout, evaluations at two points, and a termination form
The contract, Form 201, is negotiated by supervisor and supervisee and submitted online before supervision begins; supervision before approval is not accepted, a contract is invalid if the supervisor's employment or benefits depend on the supervisee in a way that could bias the evaluation, and if a contract ends early the supervisee negotiates a new one and obtains all evaluation and termination forms for the prior supervision (OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(4)). There are at least two written evaluation periods, at a minimum of 50 supervision hours and 1,500 clinical hours and at 100 and 3,000, and the supervisee submits the supervision log (Form 202), the clinical evaluation (Form 204), and the supervisor evaluation (Form 207), with comments in every section, within 30 days of each period; an LSW or LSW-ADM supervisee uses Form 205 (12-1-6(c)(5); OSBLSW forms page). Either party notifies the Board of a termination on Form 208, which the rule says must arrive within 14 days and the Board's forms page says within 30 days with the evaluations and log; paperwork six months outside the deadlines is not accepted and the hours are lost (12-1-6(c)(7), (13); forms page). A job change is reported within 30 days with the new job description (12-1-6(c)(4)).
Neither the statute nor the rule sets a minimum or maximum number of years for the 3,000 hours; the pacing comes from the supervision ratio, which at one hour a week reaches 100 hours in about two years of full-time work (OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(3)). The FAQ's evaluation intervals of roughly 12 and 24 months of full-time employment describe the usual pace. The deadline that does exist is the exam: after the provisional license, an applicant who cannot pass within the provisional year plus two subsequent approval years must complete 4,000 additional supervised hours before applying again (59 O.S. 1261.5).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsOklahoma
Inside your agency: an LCSW two years past the exam
Licensees supervising within their agency must have a minimum of two years' work experience after passage of the proper licensure exam to be eligible to supervise individuals for licensure, and the supervisor must hold the license the supervisee is working toward: an LCSW for the LCSW, an LSW-ADM for the LSW-ADM, and an LCSW, LSW-ADM, or LSW for the LSW (OAC 675:12-1-6(d); 12-1-2; OSBLSW FAQ). A supervisor may not be related to the supervisee within the second degree by marriage or the third degree by blood or adoption, and the contract fails if the relationship could bias the evaluation (12-1-6(b)(4), (c)(4)). All supervisors for licensure take the Board's supervisor training at least every three years (12-1-6(c)(9)).
SupervisorsOklahoma
Outside your agency: a Board Approved Supervisor
Supervision contracted external to the agency must be under a Board Approved Supervisor, who applies on the Board's form with a $150 fee, holds the license in the same method as the supervisor status sought, has at least five years of full-time or equivalent work experience beyond the master's degree with three of them in the specialty, has at least two years of clinical or administrative supervisory experience after the master's, meaning having supervised someone for licensure eligibility, and submits two reference letters, at least one from a licensee at the same level addressing supervisory skills (OAC 675:12-1-6(a); 1-1-9; forms page). The status continues only with a license in good standing, supervisor training within one year of approval and every three years after, and adequate supervision, and may be suspended or terminated (12-1-6(b)). An external supervisor must secure the agency administration's agreement to the purpose and content of the supervision and learn the agency's functions and policies (12-1-6(c)(10), (11)). The Board posts the list of approved supervisors and the licensee search shows each supervisor's last training date (OSBLSW).
A social worker seeking to transfer licensure supervision must document the supervision hours from the previous jurisdiction so the Board can confirm they conform to Oklahoma's supervision requirements, and approval is case by case (OAC 675:12-1-8). A social worker already licensed elsewhere for three years in good standing is licensed without repeating the hours, and shorter histories go through reciprocity or endorsement at the equivalent designation (59 O.S. 1261.1(D); 1261.4).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstOklahoma
Get the LMSW or LSWA
Postgraduate supervision toward the LSW, LSW-ADM, or LCSW is approved only for a person already holding the LSWA or LMSW (59 O.S. 1261.1(G)).
Do FirstOklahoma
Get the contract approved before the first session
Any supervision completed prior to approval of the supervision contract will not be accepted, and the Board needs the job description to approve it (OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(4); FAQ).
Do FirstOklahoma
Confirm the supervisor's standing
An in-agency supervisor must hold the license sought and be two years past the exam; an outside supervisor must be a Board Approved Supervisor with current training, which the licensee search shows as the orientation date (12-1-6(a), (d); FAQ).
Do FirstOklahoma
Keep the log current
The supervision log, Form 202, is due with the evaluations within 30 days of each evaluation period, and the Board may withhold hours for late reporting (12-1-6(c)(5), (6)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForOklahoma
Hours before the contract was approved
Any supervision completed prior to approval of the supervision contract will not be accepted (OAC 675:12-1-6(c)(4)).
Watch ForOklahoma
Paperwork six months late
Supervision paperwork submitted six months outside the required timeframes will not be accepted and the hours will not be granted (12-1-6(c)(13)).
Watch ForOklahoma
Private practice or contract work while under supervision
A supervisee may not engage in private or independent practice while under supervision and may not do contract work for an employer as a non-clinically licensed social worker (12-1-6(c)(1)).
Watch ForOklahoma
More than two weeks between meetings
The maximum period between educational supervision meetings is two weeks, and then the meeting must be two hours (12-1-6(c)(3)).
Watch ForOklahoma
Counting case management, travel, or training as clinical hours
Direct client contact does not include administrative activities, case management work, travel to or from meetings, or training, and the clinical hours must be direct client contact (12-1-6(c)(3)).
Watch ForOklahoma
Signing as an LCSW
Under supervision for a clinical license, the FAQ says to sign as MSW, MSW under supervision, or MSW, u/s, never LCSW, since the L means licensed; using a designation implying licensure is a misdemeanor (FAQ; 59 O.S. 1270(A)(1)).
Protections you have
ProtectionOklahoma
A start date in writing, usually the same day
Contracts receive top priority and are generally approved the day they are received, and the approval letter states the effective start date (OSBLSW FAQ; forms page).
ProtectionOklahoma
A supervisor who fails you can lose the status
Board Approved Supervisor status may be suspended or terminated if the supervisor fails to provide adequate supervision, and every supervisor must adhere to the Board's supervision guidelines (OAC 675:12-1-6(b)(3), (c)(12)).
ProtectionOklahoma
No conflicted supervisor, no relative
A contract is invalid where the supervisor's employment or benefits could be affected by the supervisee, and a supervisor may not be a close relative (12-1-6(b)(4), (c)(4)).
ProtectionOklahoma
Exploitation of a supervisee is a code violation
Social workers shall not exploit their professional relationships with supervisees or students, sexually or otherwise, for personal or business advantage, and shall not engage in sexual harassment; a violation is unprofessional conduct under the Act (OAC 675:20-1-4(a); 59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(1)).
OK
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the final supervision log and evaluations filed within 30 days of the second evaluation period, the termination form, the new online LCSW application with the $150 fee, affidavit, photograph, and a fresh criminal history record check, approval to test on a one-year provisional license, and the LCSW issued when ASWB reports the passing Clinical score. OSBLSW: agency forms ↗
IA
Where the Iowa figures come from. Iowa Code 154C.1(5) (supervision defined), 154C.3(1)(c)(4) (the statutory supervised practice requirement and who may supervise), 154C.3(4) (the 2024 ban on requiring in-person supervision or direct observation), and 154C.7(2) (students), with the Board's rule 481-880.7 (the supervised clinical experience, eligible supervisors, the plan, the report, other states, and the grandfather clause), 880.3(3)(d) (early testing), 884.4(3) (supervision conduct), and 881.2(12)(k) (supervisors' continuing education), as amended effective August 13, 2025, and the Board's supervision plan and supervision report forms revised October 2025, read in September 2026. Iowa files a plan before the first hour, counts direct client hours and supervision hours inside total practice hours, and closes with a supervisor's report.
Practicum and internship
StudentsIowa
Why you can practice without a license
Chapter 154C does not apply to students of social work whose activities are conducted within a course of professional education in social work (Iowa Code 154C.7(2)). Outside the exemption, a person shall not engage in the practice of social work unless licensed, though persons trained or employed as bachelor social workers are not required to be licensed (154C.2(1), (2)).
StudentsIowa
Field hours do not count toward the LISW
The supervised clinical experience cannot begin until after all graduate coursework has been completed, with the exception of the thesis (IAC 481-880.7(1)(a)). The statute counts practice under supervision after the degree, for two years full time or 4,000 hours (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(c)(4)).
StudentsIowa
Test early in the last semester, then get the LMSW
A student in the last semester of an approved MSW program may be authorized to sit for the Masters examination before the transcript arrives, on written request with the LMSW application, fee, and a school letter (IAC 481-880.3(3)(d)). The rule does not name the LMSW as a prerequisite for the supervised clinical experience, but the supervision plan form asks for the supervisee's license number, and the practice conduct rules bar practicing without an appropriate license, so hold the LMSW before the plan is filed (880.7; 884.4(17)(b); supervision plan form).
The numbers
IA
At least two years and 3,000 hours of total practice, including at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact and at least 110 hours of direct supervision equitably distributed, no more than 50 of them in group, in person or by videoconference, under an Iowa LISW, LMHC, or LMFT with three years of independent practice and a supervision course. IAC 481-880.7(1): the supervised clinical experience must be for a minimum of two years, must consist of at least 3,000 hours of total practice and at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact, and will consist of at least 110 hours of direct supervision equitably distributed throughout the experience, a maximum of 50 of which may be group supervision; direct supervision can occur in person or by videoconference, and after 110 hours are complete, ongoing direct supervision continues for the remainder of the experience. Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(c)(4) states the requirement as practice under supervision for at least two years as a full-time employee or for four thousand hours prior to taking the examination, and 154C.3(4) forbids the Board from requiring in-person supervision or live or recorded direct observation of client interaction. Where the statute's 4,000 hours and the rule's 3,000 differ, ask the Board which figure it applies before you plan the timeline. The content must involve psychosocial assessments, diagnostic practice using the DSM-5-TR, and treatment including treatment goals, psychosocial therapy using evidence-based modalities, and differential treatment planning, and must include training on practice management, ethical standards, legal and regulatory requirements, documentation, coordination of care, and self-care (880.7(1)(h)).
What CountsIowa
Clinical practice after the degree, with 1,500 hours face to face with clients
Total practice hours are the supervisee's social work practice during the experience, and at least 1,500 must be direct client contact; the supervision report form tallies direct client contact hours, indirect practice hours, and total practice hours separately, and individual and group supervision hours separately (IAC 481-880.7(1)(c), (d); supervision report form). The experience must be clinical in content, assessment, DSM diagnosis, and treatment, so a nonclinical position will not supply it (880.7(1)(h)). The plan asks how many hours a week the supervisee will work and how many will be direct client contact (supervision plan form).
SupervisionIowa
110 hours, spread across the two years, in person or on video, up to 50 in group
Supervision means the direction of social work practice in face-to-face sessions, and the Board may not require that it be completed in person or that it include live or recorded direct observation of client interaction (Iowa Code 154C.1(5); 154C.3(4)). The 110 hours of direct supervision are equitably distributed through the experience, a maximum of 50 may be group supervision, direct supervision may be in person or by videoconference, and supervision continues after the 110 hours until the experience ends; a supervisor decides how many supervisees can be supervised safely and competently (IAC 481-880.7(1)(e), (g)). A supervisee may use up to four supervisors at a time and must notify each of the others so they can coordinate (880.7(1)(f)).
A plan before, a report after, and your own log in between
Prior to beginning supervision the supervisee submits a written supervision plan on the Board's current form, and another before beginning with a new supervisor; the plan names the agency, each supervisor's license and independent practice years, whether the supervisor works at the supervisee's agency and if not how the supervisor will access clinical records, the planned frequency and duration of individual and group supervision, the format, the goals, and the content areas (IAC 481-880.7(3); supervision plan form). When supervision is complete, or when a supervisor stops, the supervisee ensures a supervision report on the Board's form is submitted, reporting the supervisor's own supervision hours and the practice hours under that supervisor (880.7(4); supervision report form). Keep a log of every session and of direct contact hours, since each supervisor reports only what they supervised.
The supervised clinical experience must be for a minimum of two years, and the plan form asks for an anticipated end date at least two years after the start (IAC 481-880.7(1)(b); supervision plan form). Neither the statute nor the rule sets a maximum period or an expiration on hours, and new requirements adopted in the rule do not apply to supervision that started before July 20, 2022 (880.7(6)). The statute frames the two years as full-time employment, so a part-time supervisee should confirm with the Board how the 3,000 or 4,000 hours and the two years combine (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(c)(4)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsIowa
An Iowa LISW, LMHC, or LMFT with three years of independent practice and a supervision course
A supervisor must hold an active Iowa license as an independent level social worker, mental health counselor, or marital and family therapist, have a minimum of three years of independent practice, have completed at least a six-hour continuing education course in supervision or one graduate-level course in supervision, and be knowledgeable of the ethical code and licensing rules governing the supervisee; any request for a supervisor who does not meet these requirements must be approved by the Board before supervision begins (IAC 481-880.7(2)). The statute lists the same three professions, a social worker licensed at least at the supervisee's level and qualified to practice without supervision, an LMFT or LMHC, or another qualified professional if the Board finds a social worker unobtainable (Iowa Code 154C.3(1)(c)(4)(a)). The Department posts a list of approved LISW supervisors, and a supervisor not on it attaches proof of the supervision course to the plan (DIAL; supervision plan form).
SupervisorsIowa
Supervisors keep training, and the Board can reject a report
An LISW who supervises earns three hours of continuing education in supervision each biennium (IAC 481-881.2(12)(k)). A supervisor who reports that the supervisee is not adequately prepared for independent licensure, or reports violations of the Board's rules or ethical code, can lead the Board to require additional supervision or training before licensure (880.7(4)). A social worker who provides supervision must have the knowledge and skill to do so, supervises only within their areas of competence, sets clear boundaries, and may not exploit or have a dual relationship with a supervisee where there is a risk of harm (884.4(3)).
SupervisorsIowa
Supervision earned in another state
An applicant who completed some or all of the supervised clinical experience in another state without obtaining licensure there should contact the Board to determine whether some or all of it can be used to qualify in Iowa (IAC 481-880.7(5)). An applicant already licensed in a state with similar or equal requirements receives a reciprocal license (Iowa Code 154C.3(2)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstIowa
Finish the coursework and get the LMSW
The experience cannot begin until all graduate coursework but the thesis is done, and practicing without an appropriate license is a rule violation (IAC 481-880.7(1)(a); 884.4(17)(b)).
Do FirstIowa
File the supervision plan before the first session
The plan goes to the Board prior to beginning supervision, and again before any new supervisor starts (880.7(3)).
Do FirstIowa
Confirm three years of independent practice and the supervision course
A supervisor without three years of independent practice cannot serve, and one who is not on the approved list attaches proof of the six-hour or graduate supervision course (880.7(2); supervision plan form).
Do FirstIowa
Make sure the position is clinical
The experience must involve assessment, DSM diagnosis, and treatment with evidence-based therapy and treatment planning, and must reach 1,500 hours of direct client contact (880.7(1)(d), (h)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForIowa
Hours before the plan was filed
The rule requires the written plan prior to beginning supervision, and the form says it must be submitted before beginning (IAC 481-880.7(3); supervision plan form).
Watch ForIowa
Running your own practice while under supervision
Supervisees are not permitted to operate their own private practice or a group practice consisting solely of supervisees, and private practice belongs to the LISW (supervision plan form; Iowa Code 154C.1(4)).
Watch ForIowa
Supervision bunched at the end
The 110 hours must be equitably distributed throughout the experience, and supervision must continue after they are complete (880.7(1)(e)).
Watch ForIowa
More than 50 group hours, or a supervisor who is not independent
Group supervision is capped at 50 of the 110 hours, and a supervisor must hold an active LISW, LMHC, or LMFT license with three years of independent practice unless the Board approves otherwise in advance (880.7(1)(e), (2)).
Watch ForIowa
A supervisor who leaves without a report
When a supervisor ceases providing supervision, the supervisee must ensure the completed supervision report is submitted, and each supervisor reports only their own hours (880.7(4); supervision report form).
Watch ForIowa
A lapsed LMSW while the hours accrue
A license not renewed within the 30-day grace period is inactive, an inactive licensee may not practice, and a social worker whose license is delinquent cannot advance to a higher level until it is active again (880.13(2)(e), (5)).
Protections you have
ProtectionIowa
Video supervision by right, and no observation requirement
The Board may not require in-person supervision or live or recorded direct observation of client interaction as a condition of licensure (Iowa Code 154C.3(4)), and the rule allows direct supervision by videoconference (IAC 481-880.7(1)(e)).
ProtectionIowa
Up to four supervisors, inside or outside your agency
A supervisee may use up to four supervisors at once, and a supervisor need not work at the supervisee's agency if the plan explains access to clinical records (880.7(1)(f); supervision plan form).
ProtectionIowa
Supervision started before July 20, 2022 keeps the old rules
Any new or additional requirements imposed by the rule do not apply to supervision that started before July 20, 2022 (880.7(6)).
ProtectionIowa
Exploitation or a sexual relationship with a supervisee is a rule violation
A social worker will not engage in a dual relationship with a supervisee where there is a risk of exploitation or harm, and will not engage in sexual activities or contact with a supervisee, student, or trainee over whom they have authority; a violation is a ground for discipline (884.4(3)(d), (e); 882.3).
IA
What the Board expects when the hours are done: a supervision report from every supervisor, the online LISW application with the $120 fee, a new DCI and FBI background check, transcripts, license verifications, and the ASWB Clinical examination, with the LISW issued on the passing score. DIAL: social work licensure ↗
UT
Where the Utah figures come from. Utah Code 58-60-102 (clinical supervision, clinical supervisor, direct client care, direct clinical supervision, direct observation, and group supervision defined), 58-60-106(2) (the transition for hours begun before May 1, 2024), 58-60-205(1)(d) and (e) (the hours), 58-60-207(2) (the CSW's supervised scope), and 58-1-307 (students), with the Division's rule R156-60e (304.1 where hours may be earned, 305.1 supervisor eligibility, 306.1 supervisor training, 307.1 the contract, 308.1 the supervisor's duties, 309.1 the supervisee's duties), effective May 26, 2026, and the Division's LCSW and supervisor pages, read in September 2026. Utah files an association form before the first hour and the contract within 30 days, counts supervision and observation hours inside direct client care hours, caps supervision credit per month, and closes with the supervisor's verification and evaluation.
Practicum and internship
StudentsUtah
Why you can practice without a license
A student engaged in activities constituting the practice of a regulated profession while in training in a recognized school the Division approves is exempt from licensure to the extent the activities are supervised by qualified faculty, staff, or designee and are a defined part of the training program, and the exemption terminates when the training is no longer supervised by qualified faculty or is no longer part of the degree (Utah Code 58-1-307(1)(b); 58-60-107(2)(e)). A practicum or internship is a graduate course completed at a public agency or private clinic under a qualified training supervisor (R156-60e-102.1(11), (16)).
StudentsUtah
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The direct client care hours must be obtained after completion of the education requirements, and an applicant exempt from licensure as a student or as a trainee in an internship or on-the-job program may not obtain supervision hours while exempt (Utah Code 58-60-205(1)(e)(i); R156-60e-304.1(3)). The 60-day on-the-job training program that may follow coursework is likewise exempt time, not counted time (102.1(15)).
StudentsUtah
The CSW starts the clock, with no exam in the way
Because the CSW requires only the degree and the background check, a graduate can be licensed and begin the contract without testing; supervision hours must be earned while holding an active Utah CSW, or an associate license or the out-of-state equivalent (Utah Code 58-60-205(2); R156-60e-304.1(1)(d)). A CSW whose master's lacked a clinical practicum may not practice supervised mental health therapy (502.2(2)).
The numbers
UT
Not less than 1,200 direct client care hours after the degree, of which not less than 100 are direct clinical supervision hours, not less than 25 are direct observation hours, and not more than 25 are group supervision hours, under a Division-approved clinical supervisor, meeting at least weekly if full time or at least twice a month for at least 50 minutes, with no more than ten supervision hours counted in any 30 days; the Division lists 3,000 total hours alongside them. Utah Code 58-60-205(1)(e): successful completion of not less than 1,200 direct client care hours obtained after completion of the education requirements, not less than 100 of which are direct clinical supervision hours under the supervision of a clinical supervisor, not less than 25 of which are direct observation hours, and not more than 25 of which are group supervision hours accrued concurrently with more than one other applicant. 58-60-205(1)(d): if required under federal law for a clinical social worker to qualify as an eligible professional under CMS rules for Medicare payment, not less than 3,000 hours of clinical supervision, which includes the hours above, or not less than two years of clinical supervision. DOPL LCSW page: for a CSW issued on or after May 1, 2024, 3,000 total hours including 1,200 hours of direct client care and 100 hours of direct clinical supervision, 25 of which must be direct observation; for a CSW issued before May 1, 2024, 3,000 total hours including 1,000 direct client care hours and 75 direct clinical supervision hours, available under the transition until January 1, 2027 (58-60-106(2)). R156-60e-308.1(2)(e)(i): up to ten hours of direct clinical supervision may be counted toward licensure in any 30-day period, in proportion to the hours the supervisee actually works.
What CountsUtah
Direct client care as an employee at a public agency or private clinic
Direct client care means the practice of mental health therapy performed as an applicant for licensure, including the use of patient-reported progress and outcomes to inform care and direct observation (Utah Code 58-60-102(7)). The hours must be obtained while providing clinical mental health services in Utah, or legally in another state or internationally under an active regulated license, in a public agency or private clinic, meaning a mental health agency, an inpatient or outpatient hospital, an educational institution, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency, after the master's or doctorate, and while holding an active CSW (R156-60e-304.1(1); 102.1(17)). A supervisee must maintain employment providing clinical mental health services at such a setting and may not count any hour practiced outside the authorized scope (309.1(1)(b)(vi), (2)).
SupervisionUtah
Weekly or twice monthly, 50 minutes, individual or in a group of six, in person or remote
Direct clinical supervision is the applicant and the direct clinical supervisor meeting in real time under the supervision contract, and it includes group supervision, meaning the supervisor with two or more supervisees who can see and openly communicate with each other in the same room or by video (Utah Code 58-60-102(8), (12)). The contract must set meetings at least weekly if the supervisee works full time or at least twice each month, lasting at least 50 minutes, in individual or small group format, in person or remote, and supervision must occur in proportion to the hours worked, in groups of up to six, one on one, or both, in person or by electronic means that comply with state and federal law (R156-60e-307.1(2)(a); 308.1(2)(e)). Direct observation is the supervisor, or a licensee the supervisor approves, observing live or recorded direct client care and then meeting the supervisee to discuss it (58-60-102(10)).
An association form before, a contract within 30 days, a monthly log, and the supervisor's verification after
Before beginning any clinical supervised training, the supervisee enters a written supervision contract meeting the rule, submits a signed clinical supervisor association form to the Division, and within 30 days of starting submits the contract and a clearly defined job description consistent with the supervisee's scope (R156-60e-309.1(1)(a)). The contract covers a meeting and accessibility plan, learning objectives and progress goals, a documentation plan with the supervisor signing the hours at least quarterly, an emergency contact, the code of ethics both will follow, a plan for managing artificial intelligence in supervision, administration, and note writing, a conflict and breach plan, and remote supervision protocols if any part is remote (307.1(2)). The supervisor requires a monthly supervision log and, at completion, submits the Division's verification of the supervision hours and an evaluation of the supervisee's competency, or a written explanation if the supervisor does not support licensure (308.1(2)(d)). Both parties notify the Division in writing within 30 days of a contract termination, a change of employment, or employer discipline for misconduct (308.1(2)(d)(iv); 309.1(1)(c)).
Ten supervision hours a month sets the floor at ten months, and the old rules end January 1, 2027
Because no more than ten direct clinical supervision hours count in any 30-day period, the 100 hours take at least ten months, and 1,200 direct client care hours at full time arrive in about the same span; the statute's two years of clinical supervision applies where Medicare eligibility requires it (R156-60e-308.1(2)(e)(i); Utah Code 58-60-205(1)(d)). Neither statute nor rule sets a maximum period or an expiration on hours. An individual who began accruing supervised hours before May 1, 2024 may qualify under the unchanged requirements until January 1, 2027, and a supervisor working toward the new supervisor qualifications may act under the old ones until the same date (58-60-106(2)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsUtah
A Division-approved clinical supervisor: two years licensed, trained, and current
A clinical supervisor is an individual who oversees and mentors mental health therapists and who is licensed in good standing as a mental health therapist, is approved or certified as a supervisor by a national professional organization or has completed eight or more hours of supervision instruction meeting the Division's standards or a graduate course on clinical supervision, completes continuing education in clinical supervision, and supervises no more individuals than can reasonably be supervised while staying available, providing instruction, oversight, observation, evaluation, and feedback, and maintaining routine personal contact; supervisors qualified on April 30, 2024 have until January 1, 2027 to satisfy the new requirements (Utah Code 58-60-102(4)). Under the rule the supervisor holds an active APRN psychiatric, CMHC, LCSW, MFT, psychiatrist, psychologist, or MAC license, a master's degree or higher, has been licensed at least two years, completed the training program, in the preceding 24 months supervised, provided therapy, or provided direct client care, and submitted proof to the Division and requested approved status (R156-60e-305.1(1)). The Division's supervisor page says all supervisors must complete the training by January 1, 2027 and lists approved courses (DOPL).
The training, the six hours, and who may not supervise you
The supervisor training is a single synchronous course of at least eight hours from an accredited institution, an association-approved provider, a professional training organization, or a government agency, taught by a licensed mental health therapist, covering models of supervision, the supervisory relationship, methods including group and multicultural supervision, ethics and legal issues, and administrative tasks, taken at least 24 months after licensure, or a graduate course on clinical supervision (R156-60e-306.1(1)). Approved supervisors complete six hours of professional development specific to clinical supervision each cycle, and formal discipline immediately revokes the approval (306.1(2), (3)). A clinical supervisor may not supervise an individual who employs or supervises the supervisor, a family member, or anyone whose control over the supervisor, directly or through an agency the supervisee owns, compromises the supervision (305.1(3)). A supervisor paid by an employer to supervise may not charge the supervisee more, and a supervisee who pays directly needs the supervisor's employer's written approval (308.1(3)).
SupervisorsUtah
Supervision earned in another state
Direct clinical supervision and direct client care hours count if obtained in another state, district, or territory while providing clinical mental health services and legally obtained under that jurisdiction's current law, or internationally under an active regulated license or with proof the hours were legally obtained, in a public agency or private clinic, after the degree, while holding the out-of-state equivalent of a CSW or associate license (R156-60e-304.1(1)). An applicant already licensed elsewhere with 4,000 hours of lawful practice, 1,000 of them in mental health therapy, or one year on an equivalent LCSW, applies by endorsement instead (Utah Code 58-60-115; DOPL endorsement guide).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstUtah
Get the CSW
Supervision hours must be obtained while holding an active Utah CSW, associate license, or the out-of-state equivalent, and an exempt student or trainee may not obtain them (R156-60e-304.1(1)(d), (3)).
Do FirstUtah
Confirm the supervisor's Division-approved status
Providing supervision without current and valid status as a Division-approved clinical supervisor is unprofessional conduct, and hours supervised by an unqualified supervisor do not meet the requirement (502.1(5); 305.1).
Do FirstUtah
Sign the contract, file the association form, then file the contract and job description
The association form goes in before any supervised training, and the contract with a job description within 30 days of starting (309.1(1)(a)).
Do FirstUtah
Plan the 25 observed hours and the group cap
At least 25 of the 100 supervision hours must be direct observation, and no more than 25 may be group, so the contract should schedule both from the start (Utah Code 58-60-205(1)(e)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForUtah
More than ten supervision hours in a month
Up to ten hours of direct clinical supervision may be counted toward licensure hours in any 30-day period (R156-60e-308.1(2)(e)(i)).
Watch ForUtah
Hours outside your scope, or outside a public agency or private clinic
A supervisee may not count any hour practiced outside the authorized scope, and a supervisor may not approve them; the hours must be earned as an employee at a mental health agency, hospital, educational institution, nonprofit, or government agency (309.1(2); 308.1(2)(c)(iv); 304.1(1)(b)).
Watch ForUtah
A supervisor whose license lapses or is disciplined
Hours obtained after the supervisor's license expires or receives formal discipline count only if the Division, with the Board, approves them, and the same applies if the supervisee's own license lapses (308.1(4); 309.1(3)).
Watch ForUtah
A supervisor you employ, control, or are related to
A clinical supervisor may not supervise someone who employs or supervises the supervisor, a family member, or anyone whose control compromises the supervision (305.1(3)).
Watch ForUtah
Switching to the alternate exam pathway after the fact
The alternate pathway's 500 additional hours count only after the applicant signs the association form choosing the pathway, and all 500 must be under one supervisor (303.1(2), (3)).
Watch ForUtah
Missing the January 1, 2027 transition
Hours begun before May 1, 2024 may qualify under the old requirements only until January 1, 2027 (Utah Code 58-60-106(2)).
Protections you have
ProtectionUtah
A supervisor's duties are written into the rule
The supervisor must be available for advice and direction, build and update a supervision plan, review your client records periodically, keep you within scope, follow the contract, keep a monthly log, sign hours quarterly, and submit the verification and evaluation at the end; failing any of it is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-308.1(2); 502.1(12)(b)).
ProtectionUtah
An adverse evaluation gets a response
If the supervisor sends the Division concerns instead of an evaluation, the Division must give the supervisee an opportunity to respond and review all statements with the Board before requiring additional hours, education, or training (308.1(5)).
ProtectionUtah
A disciplined supervisor must help you find another
A supervisor who loses Division approval through discipline must inform each supervisee and assist each in finding alternate clinical supervision (308.1(2)(f)).
ProtectionUtah
Exploitation, harassment, or unethical direction is unprofessional conduct
Sexual harassment or exploitive or abusive conduct toward a supervisee, and directing a supervisee to violate a statute, rule, or ethical standard, are unprofessional conduct, and a supervisee may not be directed to do so by a supervisor or vice versa (502.1(3), (4), (6)(c)).
UT
What the Division expects when the hours are done: the supervisor's verification of supervision hours and competency evaluation on the Division's forms, ASWB's approval and the passing Clinical exam score or the alternate pathway file, the online LCSW application with the $152 fee, the suicide prevention certificate, transcripts, and fingerprints, with the LCSW issued on approval. DOPL: LCSW, Utah applicants ↗
KS
Where the Kansas figures come from. K.S.A. 65-6303 (supervision of nonlicensed workers), 65-6306(e) and (f) (the two years, 3,000 hours, 1,500 contact hours, and 100 supervision hours), 65-6308 (private practice under supervision), and 65-6309 (temporary licenses), with the Board's regulations K.A.R. 102-2-1a (direct client contact and dual relationship defined), 102-2-8 (supervision of nonlicensed workers, students, temporary licensees, and clinical candidates, the supervisor's qualifications and duties, and the training plan), and 102-2-12 (the clinical licensure requirements and the supervisor's closing documentation), as amended through December 16, 2022, and the Board's supervision guidelines, training plan forms, and social workers page, read in September 2026. Kansas files a plan before the first hour, counts supervision at one hour per 15 contact hours, and closes with the supervisor's written documentation.
Practicum and internship
StudentsKansas
Why you can practice without a license
No person may participate in the delivery of social work service unless under the supervision of a person licensed under the act, so a student practices under a licensee's supervision (K.S.A. 65-6303(a)). A licensee supervising nonlicensed students in the delivery of social work services specifically delineates each student's duties, provides supervision consistent with the student's training and ability, develops a written agreement consistent with the academic program's requirements, and may not have a dual relationship with the student; consultation does not satisfy the requirement (K.A.R. 102-2-8(b)).
StudentsKansas
Field hours do not count toward the LSCSW
The LSCSW requires postgraduate supervised professional experience, meaning after the master's or doctor's degree, under a clinical supervision plan the Board approves before hours accrue (K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(D); K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(6)). The graduate clinical practicum is a separate educational requirement (65-6306(f)(1)(C)).
StudentsKansas
The temporary license bridges the exam, at one supervision hour per 40
An applicant who has met every requirement but the examination receives a temporary bachelor's or master's license for up to 24 months, once, and may work only under the supervision of a licensed social worker, with a written agreement, documentation of each session, and at least one hour of supervision for each 40 hours of service delivery (K.S.A. 65-6309; K.A.R. 102-2-8(c)). The LSCSW clinical supervision plan can be approved only for a licensee attaining the two years of supervised experience, so the LMSW comes first (102-2-8(d)(1)(A)).
The numbers
KS
Not less than two and not more than six years of postgraduate supervised clinical social work practice, at least 3,000 hours, at least 1,500 of them direct client contact conducting psychotherapy and assessments, with one hour of clinical supervision for each 15 hours of direct client contact to total 100 hours, at least 50 of them individual, in at least two sessions a month, face to face in person or by confidential synchronous video, under an LSCSW two years past clinical licensure and a Board-approved training plan. K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(D): not less than two years of postgraduate supervised professional experience, in accordance with a clinical supervision plan approved by the board, of not less than 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience including at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact conducting psychotherapy and assessments with individuals, couples, families, or groups integrating diagnosis or diagnostic impressions and treatment of mental disorders with use of the DSM, and not less than 100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision including not less than 50 hours of individual supervision, with the face-to-face requirement waivable for extenuating circumstances. K.A.R. 102-2-12(c): complete, in not less than two years and not more than six years, at least 3,000 hours of satisfactorily evaluated postgraduate supervised clinical social work practice under a qualified LSCSW, at least 1,500 of them direct client contact; participate in at least one hour of clinical supervision for each 15 hours of direct client contact to total 100 hours, at least 50 individual, face to face in person or, if confidentiality is technologically protected, by synchronous videoconferencing, in at least two separate sessions per month, at least one individual, integrating DSM diagnosis and treatment. The Board's page states the LSCSW requirement as 3,000 hours of post-graduate supervised clinical work experience in a clinical setting with the supervisor's attestation.
What CountsKansas
Clinical practice under an approved plan, with 1,500 hours of real-time client contact
The 3,000 hours are postgraduate supervised clinical social work practice experience, and at least 1,500 are direct client contact conducting psychotherapy and assessments with individuals, couples, families, or groups integrating DSM diagnosis and treatment (K.A.R. 102-2-12(c)(2)). Direct client contact means the provision of social work services to a client or clients in an individual, family, or group format, in person or remotely with real-time, two-way interactive audio, visual, or audiovisual communication in which confidentiality is protected; email, instant messaging, texting, and fax are not direct client contact (102-2-1a(i)). The plan must document how the 3,000 hours and specifically the 1,500 contact hours will be recorded, and the types of clients and situations the supervisee will typically work with, as shown by the official position description (102-2-8(d)(6)(B), (H)).
SupervisionKansas
One hour per 15 contact hours, half of it individual, at least twice a month
The supervisor meets the supervisee for at least one hour of clinical supervision for every 15 hours of direct client contact, to total 100 hours, at least 50 of them individual, in at least two separate sessions a month with at least one individual, face to face in person or by synchronous videoconferencing that protects confidentiality, unless the Board approves extenuating circumstances (K.A.R. 102-2-12(c)(4); 102-2-8(d)(5)(A)). Supervisory meetings include no more than six supervisees at a time, and supervision is a process distinct from personal therapy, didactic instruction, or consultation (102-2-8(d)(5)(B), (D)). The supervisor periodically evaluates the supervisee's role, theoretical base, and use of social work principles, and ensures each client knows the supervisee is practicing under supervision (102-2-8(d)(5)(G), (L)).
A 13-part plan approved before, session documentation throughout, and the supervisor's report after
The cosigned clinical supervision training plan, submitted with the official position description and approved by the Board before hours accrue, defines the supervisory context, the client types and situations, goals and objectives with means of evaluation, the format and schedule, each party's responsibilities, the plans for documenting the date, length, method, content, and format of each meeting and the supervisee's progress, the plan for documenting the 3,000 and 1,500 hours, the plan for telling clients that the supervisee is supervised, the limits of confidentiality in supervision, and the supervisor's name and contact, a conflict plan, the dates and term of the plan and how either party ends it, the steps to amend it, and who pays for supervision (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(6)). All changes go to the Board within 45 days of taking effect, or no hours accrue from the change until approval (102-2-8(d)(7)). At application the supervisor submits a summary of clients and situations, the degree to which goals were met, the practice setting and activities, a public-trust statement, and an evaluation (102-2-12(d)).
The 3,000 hours must be completed in not less than two years and not more than six (K.A.R. 102-2-12(c)(2)), and the statute requires not less than two years (K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(D)). At 40 hours a week the 3,000 hours arrive in about 18 months, so the two-year floor sets the pace for a full-time supervisee; a part-time supervisee has up to six years. Hours between an unreported change to the plan and the Board's approval are lost, so timeliness of amendments matters as much as the calendar (102-2-8(d)(7)).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsKansas
An LSCSW two years past clinical licensure, in a clinical role, with no dual relationship
A licensed specialist clinical social worker supervises any licensee attaining the two years of supervised experience for the LSCSW and any non-LSCSW licensee in private clinical practice (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(1)). To qualify, the LSCSW must have practiced as a specialist clinical social worker in a position including assessment, diagnosis, and psychotherapy for two years beyond clinical licensure, have in full or in part professional responsibility for the supervisee's practice, have no dual relationship with the supervisee, not be under sanction from a disciplinary proceeding unless the Board waives it, know the supervisee's client population and methods, understand the setting's organization and policies, and be a staff member of the practice setting or meet the outside-supervisor conditions (102-2-8(d)(3)). A dual relationship is one in which the licensee's objectivity is impaired by a present or previous familial, sexual, social, emotional, financial, supervisory, or administrative relationship (102-2-1a(j)). There is no separate Board approval of supervisors; the Board approves the plan.
SupervisorsKansas
A supervisor from outside your agency, on five conditions
If a qualified supervisor is not available among the practice setting's staff, the supervisee may secure an otherwise qualified supervisor outside it if the supervisor has a complete understanding of the setting's mission, policy, and procedures; the extent of the supervisor's responsibility is clearly defined as to the cases supervised, the supervisor's role in personnel evaluation, and other aspects of the plan; responsibility for payment is clearly defined; the supervisor keeps responsibility to the client and the setting if the supervisee pays directly; and the parameters of client confidentiality are defined and agreed to by the client (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(4)). The supervisor must provide documentation of supervisory qualifications to the supervisee and ensure the scope of the supervisor's own responsibility and authority in the setting is clearly defined (102-2-8(d)(5)(E), (F)).
SupervisorsKansas
Supervision earned in another state
A person attaining the supervised experience for the LSCSW may be supervised by a social worker licensed as a clinical social worker authorized to engage in private, independent practice in another state who is otherwise qualified (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(2)). An applicant already licensed at the clinical level elsewhere for at least 12 months applies under the reciprocity section, showing competence to diagnose and treat by two of the three listed means, and a clinical licensee elsewhere may practice up to 30 days a year on a temporary permit (K.S.A. 65-6322; 65-6309a).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstKansas
Get the LMSW
The clinical supervision plan covers a licensee attaining the two years of supervised experience, and a temporary licensee's supervision is a different track (K.A.R. 102-2-8(c), (d)(1)(A)).
Do FirstKansas
Get the plan and position description approved before the first session
The supervisee submits an official position description and the cosigned plan and receives Board approval before any supervised professional experience hours for clinical licensure can begin to accrue (102-2-8(d)(6); 102-2-12(c)(1)).
Do FirstKansas
Confirm the supervisor's two years and clinical role
The supervisor must have practiced as an LSCSW for two years beyond clinical licensure in a position including assessment, diagnosis, and psychotherapy, and must give you documentation of those qualifications (102-2-8(d)(3)(A), (5)(F)).
Do FirstKansas
Set up the client notice and the session log
The plan must state how clients will be told you are supervised, the limits of confidentiality in supervision, and the supervisor's name and contact, and how each meeting's date, length, method, content, and format will be documented (102-2-8(d)(6)(G), (I)).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForKansas
Hours before the plan was approved
No supervised professional experience hours for clinical licensure accrue until the Board approves the plan (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(6)).
Watch ForKansas
A plan change reported later than 45 days
If changes are not submitted within 45 days of taking effect, no supervised hours are accrued or credited from the date the changes took effect through the date the Board approves them (102-2-8(d)(7)).
Watch ForKansas
Fewer than two sessions a month, or too little individual time
At least two separate clinical supervision sessions per month, at least one individual, and at least 50 of the 100 hours individual (102-2-12(c)(4)).
Watch ForKansas
Counting email, texting, or fax as client contact
Direct client contact requires real-time, two-way interactive communication; email, instant messaging, texting, and facsimile do not count (102-2-1a(i)).
Watch ForKansas
Running past six years
The 3,000 hours must be completed in not more than six years (102-2-12(c)(2)).
Watch ForKansas
A lapsed LMSW while the hours accrue
Licenses expire 24 months from issuance, and practicing after expiration is unprofessional conduct (K.S.A. 65-6313(a); 102-2-7(yy)).
Protections you have
ProtectionKansas
The plan itself protects you
The approved plan fixes the schedule, the responsibilities, the payment terms, a conflict plan, and the process for either party to end the relationship, and the supervisor must provide supervision in accordance with it (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(5)(H), (6)).
ProtectionKansas
Video supervision is allowed
Supervision may be conducted by synchronous videoconferencing when confidentiality is technologically protected, and the Board may waive face-to-face supervision entirely for extenuating circumstances (102-2-12(c)(4); K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(1)(D)).
ProtectionKansas
An outside supervisor is an option
When no qualified supervisor is on staff, a qualified LSCSW from outside the setting may supervise under the five conditions, including clearly defined payment terms (102-2-8(d)(4)).
ProtectionKansas
Cruelty, exploitation, or a dual relationship with a supervisee is unprofessional conduct
Treating a supervisee cruelly, exercising undue influence over a supervisee for gain, making sexual advances toward or engaging in sexual activities with a supervisee, and engaging in a dual relationship with a supervisee are each unprofessional conduct (102-2-7(k), (y), (aa), (tt)).
KS
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the supervisor's written summary of clients and situations, statement of goals met, description of the setting and activities, public-trust statement, and evaluation; the LSCSW application with the $50 fee, three references, and the criminal history record check; the ASWB Clinical examination, opened once the Board registers you; and the $150 license fee on approval. BSRB: LSCSW application packet ↗
NV
Where the Nevada figures come from. NRS 641B.040(13) (students), 641B.225 (the LMSW's internship authority), 641B.240 (the 3,000 hours), and 641B.275 (provisional licenses), with the Board's regulations NAC 641B.035 (intern defined), 641B.140 and 641B.150 (the LISW and LCSW internships), 641B.155 (who may supervise), 641B.160 (the supervisor's duties, reports, and the 24 group hours), 641B.165 and 641B.170 (continuing supervision and the fee agreement), 641B.240 (the intern title), and 641B.093 (authorization to certify legal holds), as amended by R103-23 in June 2024, and the Board's Clinical Internship Program Policy, most recently amended June 2026, and its Post-Graduate Internship Information Sheet, read on leg.state.nv.us and socwork.nv.gov in September 2026. Nevada approves the site, the supervisor, and the plan before the first client, counts the hours in three categories, and closes with a final report and a termination form.
Practicum and internship
StudentsNevada
Why you can practice without a license
The chapter does not apply to a student of social work, or any other person preparing for the profession, under the supervision of a qualified social worker in a training institution or facility recognized by the Board, so long as the student is designated "student of social work," "trainee in social work," or another title that clearly indicates training status; a student holding the related-degree provisional license is licensed instead (NRS 641B.040(13); 641B.275(1)(b)). Field hours are part of the CSWE degree the licenses rest on, not the postgraduate internship (641B.240(1)).
StudentsNevada
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The LCSW's 3,000 hours are supervised, postgraduate, clinical social work approved by the Board, and an intern is an applicant for the LISW or LCSW who is licensed as an LMSW and completing those hours under an approved program (NRS 641B.240(1)(b); NAC 641B.035; BESW policy). Time spent under a supervisor the Board has not approved, or under an agreement the Board has not approved, is not recognized (NAC 641B.155(7)).
StudentsNevada
The LMSW comes first, and a lapsed LMSW ends the internship
The Board requires a current Nevada LMSW and a passing ASWB Masters score before it approves a clinical internship, and the internship certification is linked to the LMSW; if the LMSW becomes delinquent the intern immediately loses the authority to practice mental health, the hours worked cannot be counted or billed, and the practice is unlicensed (NRS 641B.225(2); BESW infosheet). The exam-candidate provisional license under NRS 641B.275(1)(a) is a 90-day bridge to the LSW examination, not a route into an internship (NAC 641B.112 as amended).
The numbers
NV
Not less than 3,000 hours of supervised, postgraduate clinical social work in a Board-approved internship, completed not earlier than two years and not later than three years after the Board approves it, with at least 2,000 hours in psychotherapeutic methods and techniques, at least 1,000 hours supervised by a Board-approved LCSW, at least one hour of individual supervision every week, no more than 24 hours of group supervision, and, under the Board's policy, 2,000 clinical hours, 1,000 administrative hours, and 104 supervision hours in all. NRS 641B.240(1)(b): 3,000 hours of supervised, postgraduate, clinical social work approved by the Board. NAC 641B.150(1) and (3): an internship of not less than 3,000 hours undertaken in a program approved before the applicant begins it, completed not earlier than two years or later than three years after approval, with a specific extension for good cause; at least 2,000 hours in the area of psychotherapeutic methods and techniques to persons, families, and groups to help in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional conditions, at an average of 32 hours a week and not more than 416 hours a quarter unless the Board approves otherwise, with the remaining hours in other areas of clinical social work. NAC 641B.150(4): at least 1,000 of the hours supervised by a Board-approved LCSW, the rest by an LCSW, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a board-certified psychiatrist. NAC 641B.160(3)(a) and (5): the supervisor meets the intern individually for at least one hour every week, and not more than 24 hours of the total supervision may be group. BESW policy: the internship is finished at 24 months of practice with 2,000 clinical, 1,000 administrative, and 104 supervision hours, each category required and none transferable, with a 40-hour weekly cap.
What CountsNevada
Clinical hours, administrative hours, and supervision hours, tracked monthly
Clinical hours are the initial diagnostic assessment and its write-up and the intern's individual, family, and group therapy sessions; administrative hours are progress notes, case management activities and documentation, treatment team meetings, discharge planning, and phone calls about clients; supervision hours are the meetings with the contracted clinical supervisor, and time with anyone else does not count (BESW infosheet). The intern starts a tracking spreadsheet in the month of approval and a new one every January, reviews the hours with the supervisor, and gives the supervisor a printout of each monthly report for the progress reports (BESW). Instruction in techniques through classes, workshops, or seminars, orientation programs, role-playing, the intern's own psychotherapy, supervising practicum students, and practice not under an approved agency do not qualify (NAC 641B.150(6); BESW).
SupervisionNevada
One individual hour a week, in person or by video, with 24 group hours at most
The supervisor meets with the intern on an individual basis for at least one hour every week, unless the Board directs a different schedule, to discuss and evaluate the intern's performance, and under R103-23 may conduct the weekly meetings in person or by telecommunication technologies (NAC 641B.160(3)(a), (4) as amended). Not more than 24 hours of the total supervision may be group supervision, and the Board's policy requires the clinical supervisor to be present at the group (641B.160(5); BESW). The supervisor analyzes the intern's performance through observation of or participation in the intern's practice, the intern's notes, and process recordings, meaning written records of client interactions, and the Board's policy adds live, video, or recorded observation and review of assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, and discharge summaries (641B.160(6), (13); BESW).
Progress reports every six months, uploaded by the intern, and a final report
The supervisor prepares and submits progress reports every six months and a final report on the Board's forms; the reporting months are fixed at approval and do not change with a new site or supervisor, the intern uploads each report through the internship portal after reminding the supervisor two weeks ahead, and the Board may refuse a report that does not satisfy the form, omits requested information, or arrives late, in which case it disallows all hours on that report (NAC 641B.160(3)(c), (7), (8); BESW). The supervisor keeps a record of the internship, including the content of meetings and a description of supervisory activities, for at least five years after it ends (641B.155(6)). Approval of hours is not a guarantee, and the Board may require additional hours for an intern who does not demonstrate the expected competency (641B.160(9); BESW).
Two years at least, three at most, and the exam in the middle
The internship may not finish before two years or after three years from the Board's approval, with a specific extension for good cause, and every hour is lost if the LCSW does not issue within three years after the program ends (NAC 641B.150(1)(b)). The three-year limit exists for interns not working full time; at the halfway point of 1,000 clinical, 500 administrative, and 50 supervision hours the intern requests exam approval, good for nine months, and must pass before the hours and the 24 months are complete, or the internship closes and a new one is approved with the hours banked (BESW policy and infosheet). The Board may withdraw approval of a program that cannot sustain the minimum hours for two consecutive six-month reporting periods (641B.150(1)(c) as amended).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsNevada
A Board-approved LCSW three years past licensure, practicing 15 clinical hours a month, with the Board's training
A supervisor of an LCSW intern must be approved by the Board; be an LCSW, a licensed clinical psychologist, or a psychiatrist certified by a board the ABMS or AOA recognizes; have at least three years of experience after obtaining all licenses and certifications; demonstrate a current practice of not less than 15 hours a month of clinical practice in psychotherapeutic methods and techniques, waivable for good cause; and complete the Board's supervisor training, repeated every five years (NAC 641B.155(1)). A person under a disciplinary order from the Board or any other professional licensing board in any state is not approved (641B.155(2)). At least 1,000 of the 3,000 hours must be under an LCSW; the Board's policy also lets a marriage and family therapist, clinical professional counselor, or psychiatric APRN who has taken the training supervise up to 1,000 clinical, 500 administrative, and 52 supervision hours, with the rest under an LCSW (641B.150(4); BESW). The Board keeps a list of approved supervisors for northern and southern Nevada (641B.155(4); BESW).
Not a housemate, partner, relative, former therapist, or former supervisee, and no more than four interns
A supervisor shall not reside with the intern, have an intimate personal relationship with the intern, or be related to the intern by blood or marriage; shall not have had the intern as a client; shall not have had the intern as a supervisor; and shall not supervise more than four interns at one time without the Board's prior approval (NAC 641B.155(3)). The supervisor is responsible for the intern's practice of social work, the intern practices under the supervisor's license, and the supervisor may agree to provide or continue supervision only while believing the intern will qualify for licensure, is achieving competence, and will uphold the profession's standards (641B.160(1); 641B.165; BESW). Both the intern and the supervisor must live in Nevada or a designated border community (BESW policy).
SupervisorsNevada
An off-site supervisor needs an on-site licensed professional and an access letter
If the supervisor does not practice at the intern's site, the supervisor visits the site at least once a month unless the Board waives it, and consults the on-site supervisor as necessary (NAC 641B.160(3)(b)). The Board's policy requires a site whose clinical supervisor is not employed by or contracted with it to designate a Nevada-licensed on-site mental health professional, a physician, APRN, psychologist, MFT, or CPC, for administrative supervision and clinical emergencies, coordinating with the approved supervisor, and the site's clinical leadership completes an Access Letter giving the supervisor permission to observe the intern's practice and review the documentation (BESW). Supervision earned in another state within the past three years may be considered as part of an approved program if the other licensing board verifies the hours directly and the Board finds the experience substantially equivalent (641B.150(5)).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstNevada
Hold the LMSW with a passing Masters score
The Board approves a clinical internship only for a current Nevada LMSW who has passed the ASWB Masters examination (NRS 641B.225(2); NAC 641B.035; BESW policy).
Do FirstNevada
Get the site, the supervisor, the job description, and the plan approved
The program, including the setting, the supervisor, and the plan of supervision, must be approved before the applicant begins it; the intern applies with the proposed site and job description, and the supervisor completes the supervision contract (NAC 641B.150(1)(a); 641B.155(5); BESW).
Do FirstNevada
Confirm the supervisor is on the Board's approved list
The Board will not recognize time under a person it has not approved to supervise interns, and the approved supervisor must have three years of post-licensure experience, 15 clinical hours a month, and the Board's training (NAC 641B.155(1), (7)).
Do FirstNevada
Settle the supervision fee and start the spreadsheet
The supervisor and intern may set a fee by agreement, which the contract states along with any reimbursement paid by the site, and the tracking spreadsheet starts in the month of approval (NAC 641B.170; BESW).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForNevada
Hours before the Board's approval, or after an unapproved change
The program must be approved before it begins, and a partial application for a new site or supervisor takes effect only when the Board emails its approval (NAC 641B.150(1)(a); BESW).
Watch ForNevada
A late or incomplete progress report
The Board may refuse a report that is late, incomplete, or does not satisfy the form, and then disallows all hours on it (NAC 641B.160(7), (8)).
Watch ForNevada
Finishing the hours and months before passing the exam
Once the 24 months and the hours are done, the internship closes; without a passing score the intern applies for a new internship and the hours are banked (BESW policy).
Watch ForNevada
A virtual-only site, hours from home, or a client outside Nevada
The Board will not approve a virtual-only internship, virtual hours must be delivered from the agency, and an intern may not provide services across state lines or hold an internship in another state at the same time (BESW policy; NAC 641B.200(19) as amended).
Watch ForNevada
More than 40 hours a week, or hours in the wrong category
The weekly cap is 40 hours across all sites, and the Board will not move clinical, administrative, or supervision hours from one category to another (BESW infosheet).
Watch ForNevada
A lapsed LMSW while the hours accrue
A delinquent LMSW ends the authority to practice under the internship certification, and hours worked while delinquent cannot be counted (NAC 641B.110(3); BESW infosheet).
Protections you have
ProtectionNevada
The Board can reassign you if your supervisor loses approval
If the Board withdraws its approval of a supervisor, the intern may apply for the assignment of another approved supervisor and approval of a new agreement and plan (NAC 641B.160(12)).
ProtectionNevada
Video supervision is allowed
Under R103-23 the weekly supervision meetings may be held in person or by telecommunication technologies, and the Board's policy accepts it while preferring face-to-face (NAC 641B.160(4) as amended; BESW).
ProtectionNevada
Your supervisor may not treat you, exploit you, or cross a boundary
A licensee shall not provide diagnosis, therapy, or other clinical services to an intern or anyone under the licensee's supervisory authority, is responsible for boundaries with each intern, and may not enter a dual relationship with an intern during supervision or for two years after (NAC 641B.200(6), (24) as amended; 641B.205(13)).
ProtectionNevada
A 30-day case transfer if the site is closed
When the Board closes an internship site, it gives the site, the supervisor, and the intern 30 days to transfer or close cases, and it commits to processing a complete partial application within 30 days (BESW policy).
NV
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the supervisor's final progress report and the termination form, uploaded through the portal; a passing ASWB Clinical score, requested at the halfway point; continued supervision until the LCSW issues; and the $125 license fee on approval. Certifying legal holds under NRS 433A comes later, on a separate application, for an LCSW with five unbroken years of licensure and three years of post-LCSW mental health experience (NAC 641B.093). BESW: Clinical Internship Program Policy (PDF) ↗
AR
Where the Arkansas figures come from. A.C.A. 17-103-103 (the supervised practice of the LSW and LMSW), 17-103-104(c) (students), and 17-103-306(c) (the 24 months and 4,000 hours), with the Board's Rule VI (supervision of every LSW and LMSW, the LCSW track, the supervisor's three years, the 100 hours, group limits, technology, and the 60-day plan) and Rule V (endorsement hours), the Board's LCSW Supervision Guidelines effective July 1, 2020 in their January 2023 edition, and its Supervision Plan and Supervision Evaluation forms, read on healthy.arkansas.gov in September 2026. Arkansas files a plan within 60 days of the first session, counts one direct hour a week, and closes each period with an evaluation form.
Practicum and internship
StudentsArkansas
Why you can practice without a license
The chapter does not limit the activities and services of a graduate or undergraduate student currently enrolled in a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, so long as the student does not represent himself or herself as a social worker (A.C.A. 17-103-104(c)). A person may practice social work as a student under the chapter without a license (17-103-301(a)).
StudentsArkansas
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The LCSW requires 24 months of post-master's supervised social work experience and 4,000 hours in a supervised master's-level social work position, so the hours begin after the degree, on a PLMSW or LMSW, in a licensed master's-level clinical position (A.C.A. 17-103-306(c)(1)(B); Rule VI.B.2; ASWLB supervision guidelines). Hours worked while not employed in such a position, or while not being supervised, do not count (guidelines).
StudentsArkansas
The provisional LMSW can start the clock
A first-time LMSW applicant receives a one-year Provisional Licensed Master Social Worker license on approval of the application, with up to three attempts at the examination, and the Board's guidelines let a PLMSW as well as an LMSW receive LCSW supervision so long as the supervisee is employed in a master's-level clinical position (A.C.A. 17-103-306(b)(2); Rule III; guidelines). A PLMSW or LMSW in a clinical position must in any case have weekly supervision from an LMSW, an LCSW, or another qualified professional from a related field, inside or outside the agency (Rule VI.A).
The numbers
AR
At least 24 months of post-master's supervised social work experience under an LCSW, at least 4,000 hours in a supervised master's-level social work position, at least 100 direct supervision hours in direct contact with the supervisor at least one hour a week and no more than two hours counted in any week, group supervision with no more than four supervisees and for no more than half of the total, under an LCSW fully licensed three years, on a plan filed within 60 days of the first session. A.C.A. 17-103-306(c)(1)(B): at least 24 months of supervised social work experience under a licensed certified social worker, including at least 4,000 hours in a social work position under the supervision of an LCSW or a social worker the Board determines to have equivalent qualifications. Rule VI.B: to provide supervision the LCSW must be fully licensed for three years; the applicant submits documentation of 24 months of post-master's social work experience and 4,000 hours in a supervised master's-level social work position, with the supervisor inside or outside the agency; during the 24 months at least 100 direct supervision hours with no more than two hours in any one-week period, and group supervision acceptable only with a maximum of four in a group and not exceeding one-half of the total supervisory time. ASWLB guidelines: direct contact with the supervisor at least one hour per week; the Board looks for 24 full months, at least 4,000 hours in a master's-level clinical position, and at least 100 direct supervision hours, totaled from the evaluation forms.
What CountsArkansas
Hours worked in a master's-level clinical position, while employed and supervised
The 4,000 hours are hours worked in a licensed master's-level clinical position, generally one that requires an LMSW, while the supervision plan is in force; the plan form asks for full- or part-time status and notes that total hours employed in a social work position must equal 4,000 (Rule VI.B.2; plan form). If the supervisee will not be supervised for more than two weeks, for medical or maternity leave or a school social worker's summer break, the Board recommends completing an evaluation form and submitting a new plan on return, because hours not worked cannot be counted and supervision should not be received while not working (guidelines). The optional session documentation form records the date, time, individual or group, in person or by telehealth, the hours worked that week, and the supervision activity (guidelines).
SupervisionArkansas
One hour a week, at most two counted, group for no more than half
The supervision plan requires the supervisee to have direct contact with the supervisor at least one hour per week, and the rule counts no more than two hours in any one-week period toward the 100; group supervision is acceptable with no more than four supervisees and for no more than one-half of the total supervisory time (Rule VI.B.3; guidelines; plan form). The supervisor is responsible for supervision in ethical practice, practice management skills, skills required for continuing competence, development of professional identity, and practice skills, and is accountable for ethical standards, acceptance of professional responsibility for the supervisee's services, client care, the agency, and legal and regulatory requirements (guidelines). Weekly staff meetings do not qualify as supervision (guidelines).
A plan within 60 days, five written goals, and an evaluation within 60 days of the end
The supervision plan, on the Board's form and agreed by the supervisee and the LCSW supervisor, must be received in legible form within 60 days from the beginning date of supervision, and the supervisee is responsible for verifying receipt; emailed plans are acknowledged, mailed and faxed ones are not (Rule VI.C; guidelines). The plan describes the supervisee's job duties, clients, setting, and treatment methods, and states five specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-framed goals for what the supervisee will learn in the weekly hour, which may not be job duties, studying for the examination, staff meetings, completing supervision, or earning continuing education (plan form; guidelines). On termination of the plan the supervisor completes the Supervision Evaluation Form with the supervisee, both sign, and the supervisee submits it within 60 days of the last date of supervision with a beginning date matching the plan (guidelines). Old forms are returned (guidelines).
Two full years at least, with no upper limit in the rules
The statute and rule require at least 24 months, and the Board counts full months from the evaluation forms; at 40 hours a week the 4,000 hours arrive in about two years, so the months and the hours run together for a full-time supervisee, while a part-time supervisee reaches the months first and keeps working until the hours are met (A.C.A. 17-103-306(c)(1)(B); Rule VI.B.2; guidelines). Neither the statute nor the rules set a maximum period or an expiration for completed hours, but every change of job, supervisor, or supervisor's employment requires a new plan and an evaluation of the prior period, and every change of duties or goals an updated plan, each within 60 days (guidelines).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsArkansas
An LCSW fully licensed three years, or a Board-approved equivalent
In order to provide supervision toward the LCSW, an LCSW, or a social worker whom the Board determines to have qualifications equivalent to those required of an LCSW, must be fully licensed for three years, a requirement effective July 1, 2020 that does not apply to updates of plans already in progress (Rule VI.B.1; plan form). The Board does not maintain a separate approved-supervisor roster; it approves the plan. A supervision course is not required, but the Board strongly suggests one before supervising an LMSW and points supervisors to the NASW and ASWB best-practice standards (guidelines). Supervision hours earned toward licensure in another state are accepted on endorsement as the other state required them at the time of LCSW licensure, and are excused entirely after three years of independent clinical practice (Rule V.A.4; checklist).
SupervisorsArkansas
Inside or outside your agency, with an access letter from the outside
The supervisor may be from inside or outside the agency where the applicant obtains the experience (Rule VI.B.2). If the supervisor and supervisee are not employed by the same agency, or the supervision of agency-based clients is done outside the agency, the plan must carry a letter from the agency supervisor or administrator on letterhead, signed and dated on or before the beginning date of supervision, stating that the supervision is approved and that the LCSW supervisor has access to the pertinent records and policies (plan form). Both parties certify under penalty of perjury that they read the rules and forms before beginning (plan form).
SupervisorsArkansas
Supervision by video is allowed, with confidentiality precautions
Social workers who use technology to facilitate supervision shall use appropriate precautions to protect the confidentiality of those communications, such as passwords, firewalls, encryption, antivirus software, electronic service providers that meet security standards for transmitted and stored data, and a private setting, with reference to the NASW, ASWB, CSWE, and CSWA Standards for Technology in Social Work Practice (Rule VI.B.4; Rule XIV.I). The Board's session documentation form records whether each session was in person or via telehealth (guidelines).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstArkansas
Hold the PLMSW or LMSW and a master's-level clinical job
The supervisee must be currently employed in a licensed master's-level clinical position for the supervision to be applied (guidelines; Rule VI.B.2).
Do FirstArkansas
Confirm the supervisor's three years as an LCSW
The supervising LCSW must be fully licensed for three years; the plan form records the supervisor's license number (Rule VI.B.1; plan form).
Do FirstArkansas
File the plan within 60 days and confirm the Board has it
The plan must be received within 60 days from the beginning date of supervision, and it is the supervisee's responsibility to verify the Board's receipt (Rule VI.C).
Do FirstArkansas
Get the agency letter if your supervisor is outside
The letter on agency letterhead approving outside supervision and granting access to records and policies must be dated on or before the beginning date of supervision (plan form).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForArkansas
A plan that reaches the Board late, or never
The plan must be received within 60 days of the start; mailed and faxed forms are not acknowledged, so follow up (Rule VI.C; guidelines).
Watch ForArkansas
A job or supervisor change without a new plan and an evaluation
A change in the supervisee's employment, the supervisor, or the supervisor's employment requires an evaluation of the prior period and a new plan, within 60 days (guidelines).
Watch ForArkansas
More than two hours claimed in a week, or too much group
No more than two supervision hours count in any one-week period, groups are capped at four, and group time may not exceed half the total (Rule VI.B.3).
Watch ForArkansas
Supervision during a leave or break
Hours not worked cannot be counted, and supervision should not be received while not working; close the plan with an evaluation and reopen with a new one (guidelines).
Watch ForArkansas
An evaluation form submitted after 60 days, or on an old form
The evaluation is due within 60 days of the last date of supervision, and outdated forms are returned (guidelines).
Watch ForArkansas
A lapsed LMSW while the hours accrue
A license lapses two years from issuance, an expired licensee may not practice, and a lapse of three months or more means a new application and the examination (A.C.A. 17-103-304(d); Rule VIII.B).
Protections you have
ProtectionArkansas
The plan and the evaluation are your record
The Board's guidelines exist to protect the supervisee by documenting supervision hours should any question arise that could put the hours in jeopardy, and the Board totals months and hours from the evaluation forms on file (guidelines).
ProtectionArkansas
Video supervision is allowed
Technology may facilitate supervision with confidentiality precautions (Rule VI.B.4).
ProtectionArkansas
An outside supervisor is an option
The supervisor may be from outside the agency, with the agency's access letter (Rule VI.B.2; plan form).
ProtectionArkansas
Exploiting or harming a supervisee is a code violation
Relationships with students and supervisees must not be exploited for personal gain, a social worker must not commit any act detrimental to a student or supervisee, and must refrain from relationships that might impair objectivity or harm or exploit them (Rule X, Standard G).
AR
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the Supervision Evaluation Form signed by both and submitted within 60 days; the LCSW application with the fee, a new background check, the transcript or ASWB record, and the documentation of supervision; and a passing ASWB Clinical score, with the application good for one year or three attempts. ASWLB: LCSW supervision evaluation form (PDF) ↗
MS
Where the Mississippi figures come from. Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-3(f) and (g) (clinical supervision and supervision defined), 73-53-5(4) (students), and 73-53-13(c) (the 24 months of professional supervision), with the Board's Rule 1902-2.3 (professional supervision requirements for LCSW licensure: prior approval, the supervisor's qualifications, the supervisory experience, changing supervisors, and termination), Rule 1902-2.2 C.3 (what the LCSW application carries), Rule 1902-2.4 (examinations), and Rule 1902-4.1 D.8 (continuing education credit for supervision), together with the Board's A Guide to Supervision for Licensed Master Social Workers and its Quickstep Guide, read on swmft.ms.gov in September 2026. Mississippi approves the plan before the first hour, runs the clock in four Board-approved six-month phases, and counts both supervision hours and client contact hours.
Practicum and internship
StudentsMississippi
Why you can practice without a license
No provision of the chapter applies to or interferes with the activities and services of a student while pursuing a course of professional education qualifying as education under the chapter, if those activities constitute part of the student's supervised course of study and are supervised by a licensee (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-5(4); Rule 1902-2.2 E.4). The exemption turns on the supervised course of study, so a student who holds out to the public by one of the chapter's titles is outside it (73-53-7(1)).
StudentsMississippi
Field hours do not count toward the LCSW
The LCSW rests on professional supervision completed after the master's degree while licensed as an LMSW: the candidate must hold an active LMSW license with no pending complaint or disciplinary action throughout the supervisory process, and the plan must be approved before supervision begins (Rule 1902-2.3 B, C.1; Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(c)(i)). Graduate practicum hours are part of the degree the LMSW rests on, not the post-master's supervision.
StudentsMississippi
Supervision happens inside an agency, not in your own practice
Supervision must occur within an agency, institution, or group practice setting; an LMSW practicing independent of such a setting is practicing outside the Board's regulations, will not be considered a candidate for LCSW supervision, and may face disciplinary action (Rule 1902-2.3 E.1; Board supervision guide). The scope rule says the same thing from the other side: an LMSW may work only as an employee in an agency or organizational setting and cannot engage in autonomous practice (Rule 1902-3.2 B).
The numbers
MS
A minimum of one hour per week of face-to-face supervision for at least 100 hours, over a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 36 consecutive months, with at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact during the period, under a Board-approved LCSW supervisor on a plan the Board approved before the first session, documented in four evaluations at six-month intervals. Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-13(c)(ii): 24 months of professional supervision and clinical or macro social work practice experience acceptable to the Board, under appropriate supervision. Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c: the supervisee has a minimum of one hour per week face-to-face supervision with the LCSW supervisor for a minimum of 100 hours; the supervision period must be for a minimum of 24 months and may not exceed 36 consecutive months, with written notice of extenuating circumstances required within 60 calendar days before the end of the 36 months and any extension limited to six months beyond it. Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.d: during the supervision period the LMSW must complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact, documented on the Verification of Face to Face Client Contact form and submitted with the termination materials. Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c: supervisees may receive up to four hours of credit for developing the supervision plan collaboratively with the prospective supervisor, and no more than one-fourth of the required hours, a total of 25, may be by alternate means to direct face-to-face contact.
What CountsMississippi
Supervision is the direct review of your work with clients
Supervision means the direct review, for the purpose of training or teaching by a supervisor, of the supervisee's interaction with a client or client system, and it occurs through multiple methods including live supervision, video or audiotape review, and case report; it must be clearly distinguishable from personal psychotherapy and conducted to serve professional goals (Rule 1902-2.3 A). Peer supervision does not count, nor does supervision by current or former family members or anyone whose personal relationship prevents a professional supervisory relationship, nor a primarily didactic process in which techniques are taught in a group setting, classroom, seminar, staff development, orientation, or role-playing as a substitute for current social work practice (Rule 1902-2.3 A). Clinical supervision is defined by statute as an interactional professional relationship that provides evaluation and direction over the supervisee's clinical practice and promotes continued development (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-3(f)).
SupervisionMississippi
One hour a week, individual or group, with 25 hours at most by video
Individual supervision means a maximum of two supervisees meeting with one supervisor, and group supervision consists of a minimum of three and a maximum of seven supervisees meeting with one supervisor (Rule 1902-2.3 D.6). A supervisor carrying the maximum of seven candidates may deliver only 50 percent of the supervision in a group format, so half the interactions must be individual and face to face (Rule 1902-2.3 D.5). Supervision may include alternate means by audiovisual electronic device provided there is a direct, interactive, live exchange, with confidentiality protected through encryption or related methods, and no more than one-fourth of the required hours, 25 in all, may be delivered that way (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c). When supervisor and supervisee are not employed within the same agency, the Board-approved plan must address how face-to-face supervision will be observed or carried out, including on-site visits to the supervisee's practice location at least once per six-month supervision period (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c).
Four evaluations, each approved before the next phase starts
Written evaluations from the supervisor must be submitted to the Board for review at six-month intervals and approved before the next six-month supervision and evaluation period begins, which is why the Board's quickstep guide describes the process as five steps: the approved plan, then evaluations at six, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four months, each following a full six months measured from the previous approval letter (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.e; Board quickstep guide). Evaluations should document personal growth and improvement from one period to the next, supervisory comments are mandatory, and the committee will ask for an explanation if a supervisee scores all tens, especially on the first evaluation (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.e; Board supervision guide). The supervisor keeps a copy of each evaluation for three calendar years (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.e).
TimingMississippi
Two years at least, three at most, and six more only for cause
The period must run at least 24 months and may not exceed 36 consecutive months (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c). Within 60 calendar days before the end of the 36 months, the supervisor or supervisee must notify the Board in writing of any anticipated extenuating circumstances, such as major medical issues, loss of employment, or family crisis, that would require an extension, and the request must carry supporting evidence; an extension is limited to six months beyond the 36-month maximum, and retroactive requests are considered case by case (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c). Because each six-month phase starts only after the Board approves the previous evaluation, late submissions push the finish date, and the examination approval that follows the final evaluation expires one year from its date (Rule 1902-2.4 A).
Who can supervise you
SupervisorsMississippi
A Board-approved LCSW with two years of practice and a 16-hour course
Supervision for the LCSW candidate must be provided by an LCSW who is a Board-approved LCSW supervisor (Rule 1902-2.3 B, D). Certification as a supervisor requires a minimum of two years of verifiable practice at the LCSW level, clinical or macro; completion of a Board-approved supervision course of at least 16 hours for initial approval and two hours of continuing education in supervision during each biennial renewal period after that, with none required for the first renewal period; an application for supervisory designation; an LCSW license in good standing throughout the supervision process; initial and ongoing Board approval; and the $55 processing cost (Rule 1902-2.3 D.1). Supervisor approval expires with the supervisor's own license and is renewed by documenting the training at renewal (Rule 1902-2.3 D.3). It is considered unethical for an LCSW without clinical expertise to supervise an LMSW candidate seeking to become a clinician (Rule 1902-2.3 D.4).
A supervisor may not supervise more than seven LMSWs who are in candidacy for the LCSW at any one time, and no plan of supervision will be approved if the contracted supervisor already carries seven (Rule 1902-2.3 D.5). If the supervisor does carry up to seven supervisees, only 50 percent of the supervision may take place in a group format (Rule 1902-2.3 D.5). An LMSW who cannot find an approved supervisor may contact the Board for the list of eligible supervisors, and an LCSW who is not yet Board-approved must complete the supervisory approval process before engaging in supervision (Board supervision guide).
SupervisorsMississippi
An out-of-state supervisor must be licensed here and pass the supervisor test
An LCSW who is a board-approved supervisor or its equivalent in another state may qualify as a Mississippi supervisor if the Board finds the qualifications substantially similar, on a separate application with verification from the respective boards; in addition, the applicant must be licensed in Mississippi and pass the Mississippi LCSW supervisor test, which costs $25 (Rule 1902-2.3 B; 4.3 B). Licensees who completed supervision hours in other jurisdictions may apply to have those hours count toward Mississippi supervision if the Board finds the other jurisdiction's processes similar and acceptable verification is received from the originating jurisdiction, and the applicant is responsible for making sure the verification reaches the Board (Rule 1902-2.3 C.4).
Before you count a single hour
Do FirstMississippi
Hold an active LMSW in good standing
The candidate must hold an active LMSW license with no pending complaint or disciplinary action and otherwise be in good standing in Board records throughout the supervisory process (Rule 1902-2.3 C.1).
Do FirstMississippi
Submit the application, the plan, and the $80
The LMSW submits an Application to Enter into Contract for Supervision toward LCSW status with the processing cost and a Plan of Supervision on the Board's outline, covering every required point in enough detail for the Social Work Discipline Specific Committee (Rule 1902-2.3 C.2, C.3).
Do FirstMississippi
Wait for the approval letter
No approval is retroactive, and supervision may commence only after correspondence from the Board granting approval; the Board's quickstep guide states the rule plainly, that the Board must approve you before you move to the next step (Rule 1902-2.3 B; Board quickstep guide).
Do FirstMississippi
Say in the plan that you are heading for the Clinical exam
The supervision plan must designate that the candidate intends to take the ASWB Clinical examination, and all supervisory efforts must align with the candidate's chosen track of desired expertise (Rule 1902-2.3 C.3).
What can cost you your hours
Watch ForMississippi
Starting before the Board approves the plan
All plans must be approved before supervision begins and no retroactive approval will be granted (Rule 1902-2.3 B).
Watch ForMississippi
Moving to the next phase before the evaluation is approved
Each six-month evaluation must be approved by the Board before the next six-month period begins, and the next period runs from the approval letter, not from the submission (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.e; Board quickstep guide).
Watch ForMississippi
More than 25 hours by video
No more than one-fourth of the required hours, 25 in total, may be delivered by audiovisual electronic means rather than direct face-to-face contact (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c).
Watch ForMississippi
A supervisor outside your agency with no site visits
When supervisor and supervisee work for different agencies, the approved plan must provide for on-site visits to the supervisee's practice location at least once per six-month period (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c).
Watch ForMississippi
Running past 36 months without notice
The period may not exceed 36 consecutive months, and the written notice of extenuating circumstances is due within the 60 calendar days before that deadline, with any extension capped at six months (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c).
Watch ForMississippi
A lapsed LMSW, or practice outside an agency
The LMSW must stay active and in good standing throughout, and supervision must occur within an agency, institution, or group practice setting (Rule 1902-2.3 C.1, E.1).
Protections you have
ProtectionMississippi
Changing supervisors is a defined process, not a loss
If supervision ends early, the terminating supervisor completes a current evaluation form and a Termination of Supervision form verifying the total supervised hours, both due to the Board within 30 calendar days; the Board reviews the record to determine how much of the process is complete, and the candidate continues with a new application, a contract signed by the new Board-approved supervisor, and any revisions to the plan (Rule 1902-2.3 F).
ProtectionMississippi
Supervision earns continuing education on both sides
Board-approved LCSW supervisors may receive up to five continuing education hours for twelve months of supervision per supervisee per renewal period, to a maximum of 20 hours, and LMSWs in supervision may receive up to five hours each renewal period for participating in the process; the Board issues the verification on request using its BALCSWS forms (Rule 1902-4.1 D.8).
ProtectionMississippi
Credit for building the plan
Supervisees may receive up to four hours of supervision credit for developing the plan collaboratively with the prospective supervisor (Rule 1902-2.3 E.2.c).
ProtectionMississippi
The Board can end a supervision contract for cause
On its own motion or the complaint of any party, and after notice and an opportunity to be heard, the Board may terminate or suspend a supervision agreement for cause, and the committee may request explanations or plans of correction at any point (Rule 1902-2.3 G, C.3).
MS
What the Board expects when the hours are done: the fourth evaluation with the Termination of Supervision form, the Verification of Face to Face Client Contact form, the LCSW application and fee, and three reference letters from licensed mental health professionals who have known you at least a year during supervision, at least one an LCSW other than your supervisor; then the Board's letter approving the ASWB Clinical examination. Board: fourth evaluation supervision packet (PDF) ↗
Private Practice
What has to be in place before you see the first client on your own, and then the decision that affects income more than it looks like it should: which practice management software you pick, how insurance claims are actually priced, and the difference between owning your insurance credentialing and renting it. What holds everywhere comes first; pick your state for who may open a practice, which entity to form, records, billing, and advertising rules, each cited by number.
What holds in every state comes first. Choose a state for its ownership, entity, records, billing, and advertising rules. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
What holds in every state
IdentifiersNational
EIN, NPI, and CAQH, in that order
Three registrations, all free, all needed before you can bill anyone but a cash client.
The three
EIN from the IRS, once the entity exists. This is the practice's tax ID and what goes on claims and 1099s.
NPI from the federal NPPES registry. You need a Type 1 (individual) NPI as the clinician, and a Type 2 (organization) NPI for the PLLC if you will bill under the entity. Both are free and issue quickly.
CAQH ProView is the shared credentialing profile that nearly every commercial payer pulls from. Complete it once, keep it current, and re-attest every 120 days or payers will treat it as stale.
Professional liability coverage is not optional in practice, and most payers require proof of it during credentialing. Occurrence-based policies cover incidents that happen during the policy period regardless of when the claim is filed; claims-made policies require you to keep coverage or buy a tail when you stop.
Where clinicians usually go
NASW's Assurance Services program and HPSO are the two most common carriers for social workers. Compare occurrence versus claims-made, the per-claim and aggregate limits a payer expects (often $1M/$3M), and whether licensing board defense is included, since a board complaint is more likely than a lawsuit.
Choosing practice software
The six platforms most clinicians end up choosing between. Prices are the standard monthly rate for one clinician; several run introductory discounts that are not shown here because they expire.
Platform
Monthly price
Insurance claims
Best for
SimplePractice
$49 / $79 / $99
Per-claim billing through its Insurance Navigator; additional clinician on Plus $74/mo
Solo, private-pay-leaning practices that want the most polished client experience
TherapyNotes
$69 solo; $79 + $50 each added
Flat 14¢ per electronic claim from the first one, no allotment
Insurance-heavy practices that want costs to stay predictable as claim volume grows
TheraNest (Ensora Health)
$29 / $59 / $89 per therapist
Advanced tier includes 50 free claims a month, then 23¢ each; Premier unlimited
Small practices growing into a group; the most flexible per-seat pricing
TheraPlatform
$39 / $69 / $79
Flat 25¢ per claim, no allotment
Budget-conscious practices that still want built-in claim filing
Jane
$54 / $79 / $99
Insurance billing is a separate $20/mo add-on, and the $54 tier caps at 20 appointments a month
Multi-discipline practices (therapy alongside massage, nutrition, and similar)
Carepatron
Free / $31 / $39 per user
25¢ per claim on paid tiers; free tier has no claim filing
Very early-stage or budget-first practices; the free tier is genuinely usable for cash pay
$
How claim pricing actually works. A claim is one billed session: one date of service to one payer. A single weekly insurance client therefore generates about four claims a month, so a caseload of ten weekly insurance clients is roughly forty claims. Vendors price this two ways. Allotment plans bundle a set number of free claims per month into a tier and charge per claim past it; TheraNest's Advanced tier is the clean example, with 50 included and 23¢ after. Flat per-claim plans charge from the first claim with no bundle; TherapyNotes at 14¢ and TheraPlatform at 25¢ work this way, and the math is simpler to predict as a caseload grows. SimplePractice has moved toward per-claim billing through its Insurance Navigator product, and its own documentation has been inconsistent during the transition, so confirm the current structure directly before you rely on a number. Forty claims a month at 14¢ is $5.60; the subscription tier matters far more than the claim fee at solo volume.
$
Credentialing: yours versus rented. Insurance credentialing is the process by which a payer verifies your license and adds you to its network. It belongs to you, not to your software. Switching from SimplePractice to TherapyNotes has no effect on your panel status. The exception is the insurance-network platforms: Headway, Alma, and Grow Therapy credential you under their group contract with the payer rather than under your own. They can have you seeing insurance clients in weeks instead of the 60 to 120 days an individual application takes, but if you leave, that in-network status does not come with you, and you start your own application with that payer from zero. Clinicians who use them and later go independent generally build their own panel contracts while still on the platform, then exit once those are live. Know which arrangement you are in before you depend on the income.
Pick your state above. Who may own a practice, which entity you form, how long records are kept, what the client must be told, and what goes on your advertising are all set by each state's board and statutes. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
An LMSW cannot own a clinical private practice. Rule 781.407(a) says it plainly: an LMSW who plans to apply for the LCSW may not own or operate a private practice providing clinical social work. Independent practice requires either the LCSW or, for non-clinical work, Independent Practice Recognition. Everything below assumes you hold one of those. The rule also uses the IRS and Texas Workforce Commission tests for who counts as an employee versus an independent practitioner, so a contract arrangement that gives you real control over how you work can be treated as independent practice whether or not you call it that.
Before the first client
EntityTexas
Form a PLLC, not a plain LLC
In Texas, clinical social work is a licensed professional service, and services that require a license to render must be delivered through a professional entity. For a solo or small group practice that means a Professional Limited Liability Company, filed with the Secretary of State on Form 206.
Worth knowing
Only licensed professionals or professional organizations may own or manage a PLLC. Texas allows social workers, counselors, MFTs, and psychologists to co-own one, so a mixed-discipline group practice is possible under a single entity. The Secretary of State publishes a chart of which entity types each licensed profession may use.
Rule 781.309(3) requires anyone in independent practice to establish a plan for the custody and control of client records if you die, become incapacitated, or stop practicing. This is the piece new practice owners skip, and it is an explicit board requirement, not a best practice.
What it needs
A named licensed colleague who agrees in writing to take custody, instructions for how clients will be notified, and access details for wherever the records live. Put it somewhere someone other than you can find it.
RecordsTexas
Keep records seven years, longer for minors
Rule 781.309(4): retain client records for seven years after termination for adults, or until five years past the client's 18th birthday for minors, whichever is greater. A client you saw at 8 has records you keep until they are 23.
Also required by the same rule
Every bill or statement must carry a written explanation of the types of treatment and the charges, and that applies even when a third party is paying. Records must be retained and disposed of in ways that preserve confidentiality, which rules out the shredder-less closet.
HIPAATexas
A Business Associate Agreement with every vendor that touches PHI
Your practice management software, your telehealth platform, your email provider if it carries client information, your billing service, and your clearinghouse all need a signed BAA. Reputable practice software provides one as part of signup; consumer tools like standard Gmail or Zoom Basic do not.
Texas adds a layer
Rule 781.311 places client records under Health and Safety Code Chapter 181 (the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act, which is stricter than HIPAA in places) and Chapter 611 (mental health records). Rule 781.323 says technology-delivered services are held to every rule that applies face to face, so telehealth changes nothing about your obligations.
BillingTexas
What you can and cannot bill for
Rule 781.310 in one paragraph: bill only for services actually rendered, do not overcharge, and do not pay or accept anything for referrals.
Two details that matter
You may bill for a missed appointment; the rule carves it out specifically, so put your policy in the intake paperwork. And credentialing fees paid to insurers to get on a panel are expressly not a referral kickback, so paying them is fine.
AdvertisingTexas
Your license designation goes on everything
Rule 781.316(c): every advertisement or announcement of your services, including website pages, social media, and directory listings, must clearly state your licensure designation and any specialty recognition. “Therapist” alone on a Psychology Today profile does not satisfy it; “LCSW” does.
And
The Council places no restriction on medium or trade name, so “The Grounded Elephant” is fine as long as the LCSW appears with it. If you hire someone to run your marketing, 781.316(e) makes you responsible for what they say.
CA
Where the California rules come from. The Board of Behavioral Sciences' Statutes and Regulations (January 2026 edition): the Business and Professions Code (BPC) and Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations (16 CCR), plus Corporations Code §17701.04 for the entity question.
Who can open one
CA
Only an LCSW practices independently. Practicing clinical social work without a valid license is unlawful (BPC §4996(b)). An ASW may work in a private practice, but only after the registration number issues, only as a W-2 employee or volunteer, never with an ownership interest, and never paying rent, furnishings, supplies, or any other obligation of the practice (§4996.23.2(i)); a subsequent ASW number, the kind issued after the six-year limit, cannot be used in private practice at all (§4996.28(c)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityCalifornia
A professional corporation, never an LLC
California does not let a limited liability company render professional services (Corporations Code §17701.04(e)), so the PLLC route other states use does not exist here. The entity for a practice is a licensed clinical social worker corporation under the Moscone-Knox Professional Corporation Act (BPC §4998), with the Board of Behavioral Sciences as its governing agency.
The rules on the corporation
Its name must contain the words "licensed clinical social worker" plus corporate wording limited to Professional Corporation, Prof. Corp, Corporation, Corp, Incorporated, or Inc. (§4998.2; 16 CCR §1850.6). Every director, shareholder, and officer must be a licensed person (§4998.3), shares may pass only to licensed persons or back to the corporation, and a shareholder who dies or becomes disqualified must be bought out within six months or 90 days respectively (16 CCR §1850.7). A fictitious business name is allowed, but clients must be told before treatment starts that the business is an LCSW corporation (§4998.2).
NoticeCalifornia
The required Notice to Clients, in 12-point type
Before starting psychotherapy, or as soon as practicable after, every licensee and registrant must give the client a written notice in at least 12-point type stating that the Board of Behavioral Sciences receives complaints about clinical social work services, with the Board's website and phone number (BPC §4996.75(a)). Since 1 July 2025 the notice must also carry your full name as filed with the Board, your license type and number, and its expiration date (§4996.75(b)). Delivery must be documented (§4996.75(c)).
RecordsCalifornia
Keep records seven years, longer for minors
BPC §4993: retain health service records for at least seven years from the date therapy ends; for a minor, seven years from the date the client turns 18. Paper or electronic is fine. Failure to keep records consistent with sound clinical judgment and the standards of the profession is unprofessional conduct (§4992.3(w)).
BillingCalifornia
Disclose the fee first, and never pay for a referral
Failing to disclose the fee, or the basis on which it will be computed, before treatment begins is unprofessional conduct (BPC §4992.3(o)). So is paying, accepting, or soliciting anything for the referral of clients; every payment must relate to counseling services you actually provided, and collaboration between licensees may not be billed unless that fee was disclosed up front (§4992.3(p)).
AdvertisingCalifornia
Name as filed, full title or LCSW, and your license number
The advertising rule rewritten effective 1 April 2026 (16 CCR §1811) requires every advertisement to carry your first and last name as filed with the Board, the complete title "Licensed Clinical Social Worker" or the abbreviation LCSW, and your license number. Licensees may use "psychotherapy" and "psychotherapist" once those appear. A nickname or former legal name may be added as long as it is not misleading, and earned degrees may be listed. False or misleading advertising under BPC §651 draws citations and fines.
If you employ ASWs
Their advertising must spell out "Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker" before "ASW" may appear, must name the employer, and must say they are supervised by a licensed person (16 CCR §1811(a)(2)(E), (b)).
TelehealthCalifornia
Telehealth carries its own checklist
Under 16 CCR §1815.5, at the start of telehealth you obtain informed consent under BPC §2290.5, explain the risks and limits, give the client your license type and number, and document your efforts to identify emergency resources where the client is. At every session you verbally confirm and document the client's full name and present location, and assess whether telehealth is still appropriate. Clients physically in California require a California license; clients in another state may be seen only if that state allows it and you meet its rules (§1815.5(a), (e)).
SupervisingCalifornia
Taking on an ASW in your practice
You must be employed by, contracted by, or an owner of the practice, and either see clients there yourself or hold a written contract giving you the same access to the associate's records that employees have, with the clients' authorization (BPC §4996.23.3(b)). Nonexempt settings cap you at six pre-licensed supervisees for individual or triadic supervision at one time (§4996.23.3(c)). The supervisor training rules in Supervision & Practicum apply.
FL
Where the Florida rules come from. Chapters 491, 456, and 621, Florida Statutes (2026), and Board rules in Chapter 64B4 F.A.C. as published on flrules.org. Citations read F.S. for statute and F.A.C. for rule.
Who can open one
FL
Independent practice means the LCSW. Practicing clinical social work for compensation without an active license or an intern registration is a misdemeanor (F.S. 491.012(1)(i)). A registered intern may see clients in a private practice setting only while a licensed mental health professional is on the premises, which since July 2026 can mean present and reachable by synchronous electronic means under a written telehealth protocol (F.S. 491.005(1)(d); 64B4-2.002(8) F.A.C.), and a provisional licensee stays under monthly supervision until the license arrives. A Certified Master Social Worker may not provide clinical services at all (491.0145(6)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityFlorida
A P.A. or a PLLC under Chapter 621
Florida's Professional Service Corporation and Limited Liability Company Act lets licensed professionals organize a professional association or a professional limited liability company for the sole purpose of rendering their professional service (F.S. 621.03, 621.051). Every shareholder or member must be licensed to render that same service, so an LCSW-owned entity cannot take an unlicensed partner. The name must end in "chartered," "P.A.," or, for a PLLC formed since 2014, "PLLC" or "professional limited liability company" (621.12); the designation can be dropped from the name you practice under only if you register that name as a fictitious name first (621.12(4)).
A full record of services must be maintained for seven years after the date of the last contact with the client (64B4-9.001(2) F.A.C.), confidential except as the law allows or the client authorizes in a signed writing. The rule spells out what a psychotherapy record contains: identifying details, session dates, treatment plan and results, diagnosis, every financial transaction including fees assessed and collected, consent documentation, releases, legal forms, and every contact with other professionals about the client (64B4-9.002(2)).
RecordsFlorida
Closing or moving means four weeks of newspaper notice
When you terminate or relocate a practice and are no longer available to clients, you must publish a notice in the newspaper of greatest circulation in your county once a week for four consecutive weeks, giving the date and the address where records can be obtained, and keep the records two more years (64B4-9.001(3) F.A.C.). If a licensee dies, records must be kept at least two years; at 22 months the executor or survivor publishes a four-week notice that the records will be destroyed (9.001(4)). Put the executor's instructions somewhere they will be found.
BillingFlorida
Kickbacks are patient brokering
Offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving any kickback, in cash or in kind, directly or indirectly, for referring or soliciting patients is unlawful for every health care provider (F.S. 456.054(2)), and a violation is treated as patient brokering under the criminal statute (456.054(4); 817.505).
AdvertisingFlorida
LCSW on everything, and the license on the wall
"Licensed clinical social worker" or "LCSW" must appear on all promotional material naming you, including cards, brochures, stationery, advertisements, and signs, and the license or a true copy must be conspicuously displayed at each location where you practice (F.S. 491.0149(1)). Only a Chapter 491 or 490 licensee, or a psychiatric APRN, may describe services as "psychotherapy," "clinical social work," or "psychiatric social work" (491.012(2)).
RenewalFlorida
The practice-owner's CE lines
Every renewal after the first needs 2 hours on prevention of medical errors and 3 hours on ethics and boundaries or telehealth, plus domestic violence and laws-and-rules courses on the every-third-renewal cycle (64B4-6.001 F.A.C.). Up to 6 of the 30 hours may be administrative or office-management training, which is the line a practice owner actually uses (6.001(6)).
WA
Where the Washington rules come from. Chapter 18.225 RCW, Chapter 246-809 WAC, and the entity statutes in RCW 25.15.046 and Chapter 18.100 RCW, all read from the Legislature's site.
Who can open one
WA
Independent clinical practice is the LICSW. Independent clinical social work, the diagnosis and treatment of emotional and mental disorders, is the LICSW's scope (RCW 18.225.010(7)). An LASW's scope covers assessment, case management, and consultation, but any psychotherapy must be under the supervision of an LICSW, psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychiatric nurse practitioner (18.225.010(1)), so an LASW cannot run an unsupervised therapy practice. Associates may not provide social work independently for a fee at all (18.225.145(2)). Everything below assumes the LICSW.
Before the first client
EntityWashington
A PLLC or a professional service corporation, with a million-dollar condition
Licensed professionals rendering the same service may form a professional limited liability company (RCW 25.15.046) or a professional service corporation (Chapter 18.100 RCW); the PLLC is governed by the corporation chapter's rules on who may own it. The detail that matters: if the PLLC does not carry professional liability insurance, a bond, or other evidence of financial responsibility of at least $1,000,000 for itself and its practicing members, the members are personally liable to the extent that coverage would have applied (RCW 25.15.046(3)). Forming the entity does not loosen any licensing or scope rule (25.15.046(7)).
At the start of treatment every client receives written disclosure of the practice name, address, and phone; your name and Washington license number; your methods, therapeutic orientation, education, and training; the course of treatment where known; the cost per session and billing practices including advance payments and refunds; the right to refuse treatment and to choose a practitioner; and the Department of Health's complaint contact information. Both of you sign and date it (RCW 18.225.100; WAC 246-809-710). It is the first thing a Department investigator asks for.
RecordsWashington
Keep records five years, and plan for the practice ending
Client records must be kept for five years after the last visit, safely and with limited access (WAC 246-809-035(4)), and must contain the business information (name, fee arrangement and payments, session dates, the signed disclosure) and treatment information (presenting problem or diagnosis, consults, progress notes) the rule lists (035(1)). You must make provisions for retaining or transferring records if you go out of business, die, or become incapacitated: in your will, an office policy, or by arranging for another licensed counselor to review records with clients (035(5)).
One Washington particular
A client may ask in writing that no treatment records be kept, and if you agree you keep only the business information and the written request, unless another state or federal law requires records (035(2), (3)).
RenewalWashington
Yearly renewal, two-year CE, and the retired active option
The license renews every year on your birthday at $70 plus the $16 HEAL-WA fee, with 32 CE hours every two years including six in ethics and law, two in roles and boundaries, and two in health equity every four years (WAC 246-809-990; 246-809-630). Winding down, a retired active license allows up to 90 days of practice a year for $65 (246-809-730).
SupervisingWashington
Taking on an associate in your practice
You need two years licensed and in good standing, two years of post-licensure clinical experience, 15 hours of supervision training, and 25 hours of supervising experience, and you give the associate a signed declaration on the Department's form before you start (WAC 246-809-334). You then owe at least one hour of supervision per 80 hours of their practice, documentation of it, and a thorough understanding of their clinical work, and both of you tell clients about the arrangement (WAC 246-809-020; 246-809-035(1)(b)(iv)).
TitlesWashington
The protected titles
Only licensees may represent themselves as a licensed independent clinical social worker, licensed advanced social worker, or either associate (RCW 18.225.020). Put the license number on the disclosure statement; the rule requires it there (WAC 246-809-710(1)(c)).
NY
Where the New York rules come from. Education Law Article 154, Part 74 of the Commissioner's Regulations, Regents Rules Part 29 (unprofessional conduct), and the Office of the Professions' pages on professional service entities, read from op.nysed.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
NY
Independent clinical practice is the LCSW; the LMSW cannot run a clinical practice. An LMSW may practice clinical social work, including diagnosis and psychotherapy, only under supervision in an acceptable setting (Education Law §7701(1)(d); Part 74.6), and a private practice owned or operated by the LMSW is not an acceptable setting for supervised clinical hours or a limited permit (Part 74.4; Office of the Professions). An LMSW may practice licensed master social work independently, but not clinical social work. Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityNew York
A PC, PLLC, or LLP, with the State Education Department involved
New York restricts the corporate practice of the professions: a general business corporation or an unauthorized nonprofit may not provide clinical social work or employ licensees to do so. The professional entities are the professional service corporation, the professional service limited liability company, and the registered limited liability partnership, each with only licensed owners, formed through the State Education Department's professional-entity process and a Department of State filing (Office of the Professions, corporate entities). A sole proprietorship or a professional partnership of licensees is also an acceptable setting (Part 74.6(a)).
One rule specific to LCSWs
A PLLC may ordinarily offer more than one profession's services if it has an owner licensed in each, but the Office of the Professions states that this does not apply to licensed clinical social work, so an LCSW's entity is single-profession.
Regents Rule 29.1(b)(4) bars permitting anyone to share in professional fees other than a partner, employee, associate, professional subcontractor, or authorized trainee, and it expressly covers any arrangement where payment for space, facilities, equipment, or personnel is a percentage of, or depends on, the licensee's income. A sublet that charges a share of receipts is unprofessional conduct. Paying or receiving anything for a referral is a separate violation (29.1(b)(3)).
RecordsNew York
Six years, and minors until a year past 21
Failing to keep a record for each client that accurately reflects evaluation and treatment is unprofessional conduct; unless another law provides otherwise, records are kept at least six years, and records of minors at least six years and until one year after the client turns 21 (Regents Rule 29.2(a)(3)). Clients are entitled on request to copies of documents prepared for and paid for by them (29.1(b)(7)).
AdvertisingNew York
Keep a copy of every ad for a year
Advertising may not be false, deceptive, or misleading, may not guarantee a service, may not make unsubstantiated claims of superiority, and may not offer inducements beyond a straight discount; testimonials need the client's written authorization and disclaimers, and fictional testimonials are barred. Every licensee must keep an exact copy of each advertisement for one year after its last appearance for Department inspection (Regents Rule 29.1(b)(12)).
SignageNew York
Assumed names and identification badges
A practice conducted under an assumed name must post conspicuously at the site the names and licensure field of all principal licensees practicing there (Regents Rule 29.2(a)), and a licensee working as an employee or operator of a clinic, group practice, or multi-professional facility must wear a legible badge with their name and professional title (29.2(a)). The LMSW and LCSW titles and designations are restricted to licensees (§7702).
SupervisingNew York
Taking on an LMSW in your practice
As an LCSW you may supervise an LMSW's clinical work: at least 100 supervision hours across their three years if they are accruing toward licensure, or two hours a month if not (Part 74.6(c), (d)). You are legally and professionally responsible for each of their clients, clients must be told the LMSW works under your supervision, and if you supervise for another employer the three-way written agreement and record access must be in place (Office of the Professions). No more than five limited permit holders at once (Part 74.4).
PA
Where the Pennsylvania rules come from. The Act's definitions and title sections (63 P.S. §§1903, 1916.1, 1917), and the Board's regulations at 49 Pa. Code Chapter 47: professional corporations and fictitious names (§§47.21, 47.22), payment (§47.77), recordkeeping (§47.78), and advertising (§47.80), read from pacodeandbulletin.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
PA
Independent clinical practice is the LCSW. Since Act 76 of 2018 it is unlawful to advertise or engage in the independent practice of clinical social work without an LCSW (Act §16.1), and "independent" means you style yourself a clinical social worker, regulate your own practice and treatment, and are affiliated with no other practice, facility, or agency (Act §3). An LSW may deliver clinical services inside an agency or another licensee's practice; an LSW may not hang out a clinical shingle. Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityPennsylvania
A professional corporation, with the Board's approval first
A licensed social worker may incorporate professionally with other licensed social workers or with the other health professions the rule lists, from physicians and psychologists to physical therapists (§47.21(a)). The articles of incorporation and registry statement go to the Board for review and approval before they are filed with the Corporation Bureau, naming every owner; the corporate name needs Board approval too, and so does any later change of name or ownership (§47.21(b), (c), (e)).
NamePennsylvania
A practice name that is not your own needs the Board's sign-off
A sole proprietor or a group in a form other than a professional corporation may do business under a fictitious name, but the fictitious name registration is filed with the Board for approval before it goes to the Corporation Bureau, and false, misleading, or deceptive names are refused (§47.22). A name that implies partners or associates who are not partners or associates is itself a conduct violation (§47.80(b)(3)).
ConsentPennsylvania
Informed consent, in writing, with six things in it
Before services, clients are told in writing the purpose of the services, the known risks and limits, reasonable alternatives, the costs and billing and overdue-collection policies and how they could end the relationship, the right to refuse or withdraw and the period the consent covers, and anything else that might affect the decision to start or continue (§47.72(b)(1)). Telehealth adds the foreseeable limits and risks of the medium (§47.72(b)(6)).
FeesPennsylvania
Fair fees, disclosed first, and never bartered
Fees must be fair, reasonable, and commensurate with the service; a licensee may not accept goods or services as payment (§47.77(a), (b)). Before the relationship starts you disclose the fees, charges for canceled or missed appointments, the use of collection agencies or legal measures, and how you will collect if a third-party payor denies the claim (§47.77(d)). Reasonable notice precedes any change (§47.77(e)).
Running it
RecordsPennsylvania
Five years from the last entry, and never held for ransom
For each client: dates and types of service, details of what was provided, termination, and billing, retained at least five years from the date of the last entry (§47.78(a), (b)). Clients get reasonable access; access may be limited only in exceptional circumstances with compelling evidence of serious harm, documented in the file (§47.78(g)). Records needed for a client's treatment may not be withheld because past bills are unpaid (§47.77(h)). Closing or moving the practice requires arrangements for storage, transfer, or disposal that keep confidentiality (§47.78(h)).
CollectionsPennsylvania
Ending services over an unpaid balance: three conditions
You may terminate a client who has not paid only if the financial arrangements were made clear, the client poses no imminent danger to self or others, and the clinical consequences of nonpayment have been addressed with the client (§47.72(e)(2)). Reasonable notice precedes any collection action, and no clinical information goes to the collector (§47.77(f)).
AdvertisingPennsylvania
Accurate credentials, earned degrees, no specialty you cannot back
Advertising may represent your competencies, education, training, and experience accurately and may not be false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent (§47.80(b)(1)). Claim only earned degrees from accredited institutions (§47.80(b)(5)); do not represent specialized services without the education, training, or supervised experience (§47.80(b)(8)); correct others' inaccurate statements about you when you can (§47.80(b)(6)). Business cards, signs, letterhead, and web listings are all "professional identification" under the rule (§47.80(b)(4)).
ConfidentialityPennsylvania
A Board duty, and a narrower courtroom privilege
Confidential information is revealed only with informed consent, except where silence would violate a court order or a specific privacy statute, or would result in clear and present danger to the client or others (§47.72(d)(1)). In court, Pennsylvania's statutory psychotherapist privilege names only psychiatrists and licensed psychologists (42 Pa.C.S. §5944); there is no social-work privilege statute, and whether communications with an LCSW are shielded depends on the setting and the case law. Domestic violence counselors and advocates hold their own privilege under 23 Pa.C.S. §6116, and sexual assault counselors under 42 Pa.C.S. §5945.1.
SupervisingPennsylvania
Taking on an LSW in your practice
As an LCSW with five years' experience in the last ten you may supervise toward the LCSW (§47.1a(1)): two hours of supervision per 40 hours of their work, one individual and in person; no more than six supervisees; written quarterly evaluations; session observation or recordings; a log of every session for the Board; two weeks' written notice to end it (§§47.12c, 47.12d). You may not supervise a relative, someone you treat, or anyone in a dual relationship with you (§47.12d(2)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
IL
Where the Illinois rules come from. 225 ILCS 20/3, 20/10, 20/16, and 20/19, and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470.96 and 1470.97, read from ilga.gov in September 2026, with the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (740 ILCS 110), which the Practice Act incorporates in full.
Who can open one
IL
Independent practice is the LCSW. The LCSW is defined as the license authorizing the independent practice of clinical social work, under an employer, in private practice, or in a public or nonprofit agency (225 ILCS 20/3(4)). An LSW may not engage in independent clinical practice and, inside one, must be an employee working under the order, control, and full professional responsibility of an LCSW, a clinical psychologist, an LCPC, an LMFT, or a psychiatrist (20/10(c); 1470.97). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityIllinois
A professional service corporation, medical corporation, or PLLC, owned entirely by licensees
No business may provide, attempt to provide, or offer social work or clinical social work services unless every member, shareholder, partner, director, officer, other owner, and every employee who renders those services holds a current Illinois license under the Act; and no such business may be created unless it is organized under the Professional Service Corporation Act, the Medical Corporation Act, or the Professional Limited Liability Company Act (225 ILCS 20/10(d)). A general LLC or an S-corporation owned with an unlicensed spouse does not qualify. Hospitals, hospital affiliates, and physicians' entities are exempt from the ownership rule (20/10(e), (f)).
FeesIllinois
No fee for a service not rendered, no kickbacks, discounts allowed
Giving or receiving any fee, commission, rebate, or other compensation for a professional service not actually rendered is a ground for discipline (20/19(1)(l)); fee-splitting and kickbacks for referrals are unprofessional conduct, while paid referral services and contractual fee discounts are expressly permitted (1470.96(a)(6)). Fraudulent claims to insurers or other payors are a separate ground (1470.96(a)(12)), as is a violation of the Health Care Worker Self-Referral Act (20/19(1)(t)).
ConsentIllinois
Disclose conflicts and dual relationships before the client decides
Failing to disclose conflicts of interest, dual relationships, or obligations associated with the service that might affect the client's decision to enter or continue the relationship is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(13)). Entering a treatment relationship where prior association with the client could compromise judgment is another (1470.96(a)(10)).
HiringIllinois
An LSW on your staff is an employee, and you own their clinical work
An LSW providing clinical services in your practice must be a W-2 employee, not a contractor (1470.97(c)), works under your full professional responsibility (20/10(c)), and their clients must be told their status and your name (1470.96(a)(11)). Only your supervision, as an LCSW, produces hours toward their LCSW: an average of four hours a month, individual or in a group of no more than five (1470.20(a)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
Running it
ConfidentialityIllinois
A privilege statute written for social workers
No LSW or LCSW may disclose information acquired from a person consulting them professionally, except with written consent, in consultation with colleagues who share the duty, with a representative's consent after death or disability, when the person waives it by bringing public charges, in an adult protective services investigation, or when a communication reveals the intended commission of a crime or harmful act and disclosure is judged necessary to protect any person from a clear, imminent risk of serious harm or to forestall a serious threat to public safety (225 ILCS 20/16(1)). The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act is incorporated whole (20/16(5)). Consent means written consent after the client understands the possible uses of the information (1470.96(a)(2)).
RecordsIllinois
Secure storage is a conduct rule; the Confidentiality Act governs the rest
Failing to store records and written data with security measures that prevent unauthorized access is unprofessional conduct, and the licensee is responsible for the content and disposition of records complying with State law (1470.96(a)(16)). Part 1470 sets no retention period of its own; a client's rights to inspect and copy the record, and the limits on disclosure, are in the Confidentiality Act (740 ILCS 110). Case material may be used in teaching or publication only with identities concealed (1470.96(a)(2)).
AdvertisingIllinois
No misleading claims about you, your results, or anyone else's
Soliciting services through false or misleading advertising is a ground for discipline (20/19(1)(s)), and gross or deliberate misrepresentation of your qualifications or of the efficacy of your treatments or another practitioner's is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(3)). Using the letters or titles without the license, or letting anyone use your license, is its own violation (1470.96(a)(7); 20/10).
AbandonmentIllinois
Abandonment without cause is a ground for discipline
Abandonment, without cause, of a client is listed among the grounds for discipline in the Act itself (20/19(1)(n)). Illinois does not spell out a termination procedure in rule; the NASW Code, which the Department incorporates by reference, supplies the standard (1470.96(b)).
Duty to the DepartmentIllinois
Sixty days to answer, and disclose your techniques if asked
Failing to provide information within 60 days of a written request from the Department is a ground for discipline (20/19(1)(h)), and refusing to divulge to the Division the techniques or procedures you use is unprofessional conduct (1470.96(a)(5)). Unpaid state taxes or court-ordered child support block renewal outright (20/19(4)).
OH
Where the Ohio rules come from. ORC 4757.26, 4757.37, and 2317.02(G), and OAC 4757-5-02, 4757-5-08, 4757-5-09, 4757-5-13, 4757-21-02, 4757-21-03, and 4757-23-01, read from codes.ohio.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
OH
Private practice is the LISW. An independent social worker may engage in the private practice of social work as an individual practitioner or as a member of a partnership or group practice, and may perform counseling, psychosocial interventions, and social psychotherapy without supervision in an agency, as a private practitioner, or as an independent contractor (ORC 4757.26(B); OAC 4757-21-03(A)). A licensed social worker may not engage in private practice as an individual, partner, or group member, and may work as an employee of a private practitioner only under the supervision of an LISW, LPCC, IMFT, psychologist, psychiatrist, or master's-level psychiatric nurse (ORC 4757.26(C)); an LSW may not be in solo private practice at all (OAC 4757-23-01(G)). Everything below assumes the LISW.
Before the first client
EntityOhio
Any ordinary business form, and mixed-profession groups are allowed
Ohio lets a licensee render services through a corporation formed under ORC 1701.03(B), a limited liability company, a partnership, or a professional association under Chapter 1785, and expressly does not preclude other forms including a nonprofit corporation or foundation (ORC 4757.37(A)). Such an entity may be formed to combine the services of the Board's licensees with those of other listed licensed professions, from optometrists and chiropractors onward (4757.37(B)). No Board pre-approval of the entity is required.
FeesOhio
Fair fees, posted, and never bartered
Fees must be fair, reasonable, and commensurate with the service; goods or services may not be accepted as payment, and bartering is prohibited outright (OAC 4757-5-08(A), (B)). A licensee may not solicit a private fee from a client who is entitled to the same service through the licensee's employer or agency (4757-5-08(C)). The Act separately requires every licensee in a private individual, partnership, or group practice to display the fee schedule prominently in the office, with the Board's prescribed statement and contact details at the foot of its first page; failing to do so is a ground for discipline (ORC 4757.13, 4757.36(C)(4)).
ConsentOhio
Informed consent, and the court documents before you start
Clients are told the extent and nature of the services, their limits, rights, opportunities, and obligations, the purposes and legal limits of the services, costs, alternatives, the right to refuse or withdraw, and the period the consent covers, in clear language, with an interpreter or verbal explanation where needed (OAC 4757-5-02(B)(1) to (3)). Before treating a minor or a person under guardianship, obtain any court documents on custody, visitation, shared parenting, or guardianship, and follow them (4757-5-02(B)(5), (6)). Services in a hospital room or other setting where confidentiality cannot be kept need written consent first, or documented verbal consent (4757-5-02(B)(4)).
TeletherapyOhio
Ohio-licensed for clients in Ohio; no first visit in person required
Anyone providing teletherapy, which includes phone, video, text, email, and chat, to a person physically in Ohio must hold an Ohio license, and a licensee serving a client in another state must follow that state's rules (OAC 4757-5-13(A)). No initial in-person or video visit is required; clients are screened for suitability and technological capability at intake and throughout, and a licensee is never obliged to offer teletherapy where clinical judgment says otherwise (4757-5-13(C) to (E)). Teletherapy while driving is prohibited (4757-5-13(F)).
Running it
RecordsOhio
Seven years, secure, and yours to write
For each client: dates and types of service and billing information, kept seven years in a secure location with access limited to authorized persons (OAC 4757-5-09(A)). Clinical records include the diagnosis if any, the treatment plan and its revisions, correspondence, intake assessments, informed consent, and releases; dates must be accurate for both the service and the entry; and every note, assessment, diagnosis, and plan must be developed and approved by the licensee, never the sole work product of another person or of software (4757-5-09(B)). Records of government agencies and schools are outside the seven-year rule.
ConfidentialityOhio
A statutory privilege, with a child-abuse exception written in
A licensed social worker or independent social worker may not testify about a confidential communication from a client, or the licensee's advice, unless the communication indicates clear and present danger to the client or others, the client consents, the client is deceased and the estate consents, the client testifies, a court finds in camera that the information is not germane, or the testimony concerns court-ordered treatment in a dependency, neglect, abuse, or custody case (ORC 2317.02(G)(1)). Indications of present or past child abuse or neglect of the client are, by statute, a clear and present danger (2317.02(G)(1)(a)), and nothing in the privilege relieves the duty to report (2317.02(G)(2)).
AdvertisingOhio
Evidence of competence, and no doctorate from outside the field
Licensees must be able to present reliable and substantial evidence of competence in the areas they practice, may not misrepresent their qualifications directly, indirectly, or by implication, and may not use a doctorate designation professionally unless it is related to mental health and from a recognized accredited institution (OAC 4757-5-02(A)(1)). Specialty skills may be claimed only after appropriate education and training and while receiving peer consultation (4757-5-02(A)(3)).
Unproven MethodsOhio
Name a technique "unproven" if it is
Techniques and modalities used to diagnose and treat must be grounded in theory or have an empirical or scientific foundation; otherwise the licensee must define them to the client as unproven or developing, explain the risks and ethical considerations, and take steps to protect the client (OAC 4757-5-02(A)(5)).
SupervisingOhio
Taking on an LSW in your practice
An LSW employed in your practice must be supervised in all practice of social work by an LISW, LPCC, IMFT, psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychiatric APRN, with the supervisor evaluating performance, approving intervention plans, taking responsibility for the clients, reviewing notes, and approving diagnoses, treatment plans, and terminations; the supervisor is subject to discipline for failing to supervise properly (OAC 4757-23-01(A)(1), (B)(2)). Their hours toward the LISW count only if you hold the S: one hour per 20 hours of work, individual supervision of no more than two or group supervision of no more than eight, quarterly signatures on their log, and the online submission when they finish (4757-23-01(F)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
MI
Where the Michigan rules come from. MCL 333.18501, 333.18506, 333.18513, 333.16213, 333.16215, 333.16221, and 333.16284; R 338.2930; the Mental Health Code at MCL 330.1750; and the professional entity provisions of the Business Corporation Act and the Limited Liability Company Act (MCL 450.1282, 450.4901, 450.4902), read from legislature.mi.gov and ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us in September 2026.
Who can open one
MI
Private practice is the clinical LMSW. The practice of social work at the master's level includes assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, with counseling and psychotherapy "whether in private practice or other settings" (MCL 333.18501(1)(g)(iii)); the clinical designation is what carries that application (R 338.2953). A limited licensee must practice under the supervision of an LMSW and confine practice to a Board-approved agency, facility, institution, or entity (333.18506), and practice at the bachelor's level does not include psychotherapy or the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders (333.18501(4)). Everything below assumes the clinical LMSW.
Before the first client
EntityMichigan
A PLLC or professional corporation, owned by licensed persons
Michigan lets a licensed person form a professional limited liability company to render professional services, meaning personal services that require a license before they can be provided; a licensed person is an individual licensed by a department or board of this state, and a company all of whose members and managers are licensed persons (MCL 450.4901, 450.4902). The professional corporation chapter of the Business Corporation Act uses the same definitions (450.1282). Filings go to LARA's Corporations Division; the Board of Social Work does not approve entities.
ScopeMichigan
Trained for it, and consistent with the code of ethics
A licensee shall not perform an act, task, or function within the practice of social work unless trained to perform it and the performance is consistent with the code of ethics for social workers (MCL 333.18511). Practice outside the scope of a license, incompetence, and a violation of general duty, meaning negligence or failure to exercise due care whether or not injury results, are grounds for discipline (333.16221(a), (b)(i), (c)(iii)).
TelehealthMichigan
Consent first, same standard of care
No health professional may provide a telehealth service without directly or indirectly obtaining consent for treatment (MCL 333.16284). A social work licensee providing telehealth must act within scope, exercise the same standard of care as an in-person service, and ensure the technology and equipment comply with current privacy-protection laws (R 338.2930).
DelegationMichigan
What you may hand to an unlicensed assistant
A licensee may delegate selected acts, tasks, or functions within the profession's scope to a licensed or unlicensed person qualified by education, training, or experience, performed under the licensee's supervision, but not any act that under prevailing standards requires the licensee's own education, skill, and judgment (MCL 333.16215(1)). Negligent delegation or supervision is a ground for discipline (333.16221(a)).
Running it
RecordsMichigan
Seven years, and a plan for when you close
Article 15 requires every licensee to keep a full and complete record for each patient of tests and examinations performed, observations made, and treatments provided, retained at least seven years from the date of service unless another law requires longer, kept so as to protect integrity, confidentiality, and the patient's access (MCL 333.16213(1) to (3)). A record under seven years old may be destroyed only with the patient's written authorization after written notice (333.16213(4)). A licensee who closes, sells, or leaves practice must not abandon records and must tell the Department who holds them and how patients can get copies (333.16213(6)).
ConfidentialityMichigan
The social work confidentiality statute
A communication between a licensee, or the organization the licensee works for, and a client is confidential and may not be disclosed except as part of required supervision inside that organization or on the client's waiver; a licensee is not required to disclose client communications or advice given in professional employment (MCL 333.18513(1), (2)). A court may ask for a written evaluation of a client's prospects that discloses no privileged fact, and the client's attorney gets a copy (333.18513(3)). Disclosure to meet the duty in Mental Health Code section 946 is permitted (333.18513(4)).
ConfidentialityMichigan
Privileged communications under the Mental Health Code
An LMSW is a mental health professional under the Mental Health Code (MCL 330.1100b), whose privileged communications may not be disclosed in civil, criminal, legislative, or administrative proceedings unless the patient waives, with exceptions for conditions the patient puts at issue, Mental Health Code and competency proceedings where the patient was warned, malpractice actions, court-ordered examinations, and competency-to-stand-trial treatment (330.1750(1), (2)); disclosure under section 946 is allowed (330.1750(4)).
FeesMichigan
No fee-splitting, no kickbacks, no captive referrals
Dividing fees for the referral of patients or accepting kickbacks is an unethical business practice, as is fraud or deceit in obtaining third-party reimbursement (MCL 333.16221(d)(ii), (iii)). Requiring a client to buy a service or product from a business in which you have a financial interest, and promoting an unnecessary treatment or service for personal gain, are unprofessional conduct (333.16221(e)(iii), (iv)(A)).
AdvertisingMichigan
Truthful advertising and the right title
False or misleading advertising is a ground for discipline (MCL 333.16221(d)(i)), and so is misrepresentation to a consumer (333.16221(e)(i)). Only an LMSW may use "licensed master's social worker," "social worker," or "l.m.s.w." (333.18503(2)).
SupervisingMichigan
Taking on a limited licensee in your practice
To give an LLMSW countable hours you must hold the designation they are earning, be in good standing throughout, meet for at least four hours a month with two individual, and keep a practice that qualifies as a setting where an LMSW practices at the master's level (R 338.2947(3); R 338.2949(2), (3)). You will complete the Supervisor's Verification of Social Work Experience form when they finish. Details in Supervision & Practicum.
MA
Where the Massachusetts rules come from. M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 130, 131, 133, 135A, and 135B, and 258 CMR 8.03, 12.00, 20.00, and 22.00, read from malegislature.gov and mass.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
MA
Private practice is the LICSW. The independent practice of clinical social work, meaning clinical services for a fee by someone not employed by an educational, governmental, or licensed institution, facility, or agency, requires the LICSW (M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 130, 133). The regulations define it as clinical services as a self-employed solo practitioner or as an independent-contractor associate in a group practice (258 CMR 8.03), and reserve autonomous practice in any setting to the LICSW (12.01). An LCSW provides clinical services only as an employee under an LICSW's weekly supervision and shall not provide them as an independent practitioner (12.02(1)). Everything below assumes the LICSW.
Before the first client
MassHealthMassachusetts
Enroll with MassHealth even if you never bill it
Every LICSW applicant and renewing licensee must apply to participate in MassHealth as a fully participating or a non-billing provider for the limited purpose of ordering and referring covered services, regardless of where or whether they practice; a renewal without that attestation is not processed (M.G.L. c. 112, § 131; Board). The MassHealth provider line is (800) 841-2900.
No service without the informed consent of the client, or of a court-appointed guardian for a client who cannot consent (258 CMR 20.02(1), (2)). A minor needs a parent's or guardian's consent unless the minor is married, widowed, or divorced, a parent, in the armed forces, living apart and managing their own finances, seeking care for a disease dangerous to public health, or the social worker reasonably believes the minor understands the service and not notifying the parent serves the minor's best interests (20.02(3)).
Confidentiality NoticeMassachusetts
Tell the client the limits by the end of the first session, and write it down
A social worker informs the client of confidentiality rights and their limits and exceptions no later than the end of the first client encounter, unless sound practice dictates otherwise, documents the client's receipt of that information in the clinical record, and documents the reason for any delay (258 CMR 22.06; M.G.L. c. 112, § 135A). Failing to inform is itself a confidentiality violation (20.09(2)).
FeesMassachusetts
Fee information on request, and no referral fees
A social worker may not refuse a client adequate and timely information about fees, how they may be paid, and the availability and exhaustion of insurance benefits (258 CMR 20.13). Offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving any fee or consideration to or from a social worker or other health professional for the referral of a client is unethical conduct (20.01(7)).
Running it
RecordsMassachusetts
What the clinical treatment record must contain, and seven years
A separate, legible, accurate clinical treatment record for each client with the prior history of services, the presenting reasons, the assessment or diagnosis and every revision, a treatment plan with goals, services, and modalities and every revision, frequency and duration, progress notes, recommendations, fees and billing, documentation of the confidentiality notice, and copies of every release (258 CMR 22.02(1)). Keep it at least seven years from the last encounter; for a minor, seven years or three years past the age of majority, whichever is longer (22.02(2)).
RecordsMassachusetts
Client access, and the treatment summary alternative
On written request a client or their legal representative may inspect and copy the clinical record for no more than the cost of copying; a social worker who reasonably believes access would harm the client's well-being provides a treatment summary instead and, if the client still asks, sends the full record to the client's designated attorney or psychotherapist (258 CMR 22.02(3)). A parent of a minor client gets a copy unless the minor objects, in which case a summary, or nothing pending a court order where even a summary would cause identifiable harm (22.04(10)).
ConfidentialityMassachusetts
Written consent, with named exceptions
Nothing protected by 258 CMR 22.03 leaves the office without the client's prior written consent, or a guardian's or parent's, except under the listed exceptions: colleagues and supervisors ensuring continuity of care, danger to the client, danger to others, statutory abuse reports, elder and disabled persons investigations, certain custody and adoption proceedings, collecting a fee, and third-party payers (22.03(2); 22.04). Marital or family therapy disclosures need the written consent of every adult participant (22.03(4); M.G.L. c. 112, § 135A(i)).
ConfidentialityMassachusetts
The testimonial privilege belongs to the client
In court, legislative, and administrative proceedings the client may refuse to disclose, and prevent a social worker from disclosing, communications relating to diagnosis or treatment of a mental or emotional condition, and the jury is told to draw no adverse inference (M.G.L. c. 112, § 135B). The exceptions include hospitalization or arrest for imminent danger, court-ordered examinations after warning, conditions the client puts at issue where justice requires, care and protection and adoption proceedings, § 51B investigations, custody cases on a judge's in-chambers finding, and the client's own action against the social worker (§ 135B(a) to (h); 258 CMR 22.05).
AdvertisingMassachusetts
Your licensure level goes in every ad
Advertising may not be false, deceptive, or misleading, and a licensee shall not fail to disclose their licensure level in any print, electronic, or other advertising; advertised fees bind you absent unforeseen circumstances disclosed and consented to in writing; broadcast ads must be pre-recorded, approved, and retained; and a group practice must disclose the names and licensure levels of every social worker in it, supervisors and consultants included (258 CMR 20.14).
SupervisingMassachusetts
Taking on an LCSW in your practice
An LCSW in your practice must be your employee, not a contractor, and must receive at least one hour a week of face-to-face individual clinical supervision from you, prorated at one hour per 35 hours worked for part time (258 CMR 12.02(1); 8.03). Those hours build toward their LICSW, and you will complete the supervisory reference when they apply (9.03(4), (6)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
NJ
Where the New Jersey rules come from. N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-4 and 45:15BB-13, and N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1, 10.1, 10.2, 10.6, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, 11.3, 11.4, 12.1, 12.3, 12.4, and Subchapter 15 (telehealth), read from law.cornell.edu and codes.findlaw.com in September 2026.
Who can open one
NJ
Private practice is the LCSW. No one may engage in the independent practice of clinical social work for a fee without the LCSW (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-4(c); N.J.A.C. 13:44G-9.3(a)3). An LSW may practice clinical social work only under an LCSW's supervision and may not own any part of a private practice through which they provide clinical services, though they may be employed by or volunteer at a practice owned by a licensed mental health professional (13:44G-8.1(a)). A CSW may not practice clinical social work at all (13:44G-3.3(c)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
NoticesNew Jersey
Two signs in the waiting room
An LCSW in independent practice must display, where clients will see them, the Board's notice that social workers are licensed by the Board of Social Work Examiners with the Board's complaint address, and the notice "INFORMATION ON PROFESSIONAL FEES IS AVAILABLE TO YOU ON REQUEST" (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.1). The same applies to LSWs and CSWs in agency settings.
FeesNew Jersey
A written financial arrangement, reviewed yearly
Before services begin, help the client understand the financial arrangement in a clear, dated, signed writing kept in the record and given to the client: the purpose and risks of services, limits imposed by insurers, the fee or its basis, who pays, whether installments are accepted, the consequences of missed appointments, and the client's right to end the arrangement; review it at least once a year (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.2(d), (e)). Fees must be reasonable for the area and your experience; goods and services may not be taken as payment; and where the usual fee is a hardship, refer the client elsewhere (10.2(a) to (c)). An LCSW keeps a written list of current fees for standard services, stating which insurers are accepted and whether insurance is accepted as payment in full (10.2(g)). None of this applies in an agency setting (10.2(h)).
ConsentNew Jersey
Minors: one parent is enough
Unless a court orders otherwise, at least one parent or guardian must consent to a minor's treatment, and if one parent consents you may treat the minor over the other parent's objection (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.11). Records of a minor 14 or older are released on an authorization signed by both the minor and the parent, and a parent is not entitled to records about the minor's sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy termination, or substance use (12.4(a)2, (b)1ii).
TelehealthNew Jersey
Video by default, originating site in the record
Before any telehealth service, determine and record the client's originating site; services are provided by interactive, real-time, two-way video unless, after reviewing the records, you can meet the in-person standard of care with audio plus store-and-forward; review history and records before an initial encounter and by the time of later ones; give the client your name, credentials, and contact information usable for at least 72 hours after the session; and refer for follow-up care when needed (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-15.5). The standard of care is the same as in person (15.3).
Running it
RecordsNew Jersey
What the record must contain, for seven years or until the minor is 25
A contemporaneous, permanent record for each client with the client's name on every page, address, and phone; the location and dates of every contact; each provider and the supervisor if any; the presenting situation; significant social history; medications; a social work assessment; a treatment or service plan, periodically reviewed; progress notes for each session; referrals and outside reports; and fees charged and paid; for clinical services add significant medical and psychosocial history, a diagnostic assessment, and a prognosis (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-12.1(a) to (d)). Retain it at least seven years from the last entry, or for a minor until age 25 (12.1(e)).
RecordsNew Jersey
Release within 30 days, and no charge for claim forms
On a client's or authorized representative's written request, provide the record or an adequate summary within 30 days to the client, the insurer (limited to the listed basic and diagnostic information, marked confidential), or another treating provider; you may withhold information whose release would adversely affect the client's health or welfare, with an explanation (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-12.4(b), (c)). Copying fees may only recoup costs; no fee for completing insurance claim forms; and a report needed for ongoing care or a court proceeding may not be held for advance payment (12.4(d) to (g)).
ConfidentialityNew Jersey
The statute and the rule
A licensed or certified social worker is not required to disclose confidential client information unless another state law requires it, failure to disclose presents a clear and present danger to someone's health or safety, the social worker is a defendant in an action arising from the services, the client is a criminal defendant whose rights require it, or the client waives in writing, with every family member in family work agreeing (N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-13; N.J.A.C. 13:44G-12.3(a)). The rule adds Board and Attorney General investigations and court orders, requires a signed and dated written waiver in the record, and requires procedures protecting records from unauthorized access and preserving them if you relocate, retire, die, or leave a group practice (12.3(a)2, 3, (b), (c)).
AdvertisingNew Jersey
Name, credential, address, phone, in that order of letters
Every advertisement, business card, and letterhead carries your name, your licensure or certification status, and the practice's street address and phone; the address may be waived by the Board for safety (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-11.3). Letters after your name are limited to the highest social work degree, the license or certification, other state or federal credentials, and clearly identified non-social-work degrees, in that order: MSW, LCSW, BCD (11.4(d), (e)).
ReferralsNew Jersey
No kickbacks, no self-referral, no poaching agency clients
A social worker may not pay or receive anything for a referral, refer a client to a service in which they or immediate family hold a financial interest, or divide fees outside a bona fide partnership, professional corporation, or employment (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.9(b), (d), (e)). A social worker serving an agency may not solicit the agency's clients for the same services in private practice, though offering all appropriate options at termination, including continuing privately, is allowed (10.9(a)). Excessive fees are judged by time, skill, relationship, experience, and setting (10.10).
ClosingNew Jersey
Closing or pausing a practice for more than 90 days
On retirement, death, or any closure longer than 90 days, the licensee or the estate sets a procedure for clients to obtain or transfer records; publishes the notice in a local newspaper or on the practice website monthly for three months if no other licensee takes over; notifies the Board in writing; makes reasonable efforts to notify clients seen in the last six months; posts a notice on the premises for a month before retiring; and stores unretrieved records for a year after closing (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-10.6(d)).
SupervisingNew Jersey
Taking on an LSW in your practice
You need three years at the LCSW level and the Board-approved 20-credit supervision course; you refer the clients, your practice receives their fees, you give at least an hour of supervision a week with no more than half by video, oversee at most six supervisees with groups of four, write quarterly progress reports, and carry responsibility for the standard of care (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1(b), (f), (h)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
NC
Where the North Carolina rules come from. G.S. 90B-4, 90B-6(i), 90B-8(b), 90B-15, and 8-53.7; G.S. Chapter 55B (professional corporations); and 21 NCAC 63 .0506, .0507, .0509, and Section .0900, read from ncleg.gov and the Office of Administrative Hearings in September 2026.
Who can open one
NC
Private practice is the LCSW. No one may engage in or offer clinical social work without the LCSW, and the LCSW is defined as a person competent to function independently who offers clinical services or supervises others in them (G.S. 90B-4(b); 90B-3(6a)). An LCSWA practices only under supervision with a crisis plan on file, and the Board discourages associates in independent private practice and approves it only with close case-by-case supervision and 24-hour back-up (90B-7(f); 21 NCAC 63 .0210; Board FAQ). A CSW or CMSW may practice non-clinical social work anywhere without a license at all. Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityNorth Carolina
A professional corporation or PLLC needs the Board's certificate of registration
An LCSW who forms a professional corporation or professional limited liability company under G.S. Chapter 55B must apply to the Board for a Certificate of Registration, listing the business's name, purpose, and every owner, director, officer, member, and professional employee with license numbers, with notarized attestations that no discipline is pending and the business will follow the Professional Corporation Act and the Board's laws; the certificate renews and is surrendered when the entity dissolves (21 NCAC 63 .0901 to .0903). Forms and the fee are on the Board's site.
Agree on money at the start, and never for a referral
Financial arrangements are explicitly established and agreed with the client at the initial stage of intervention; no fee or consideration may be given or received for referrals, though clinical social workers may contract to discount their fees; an agency employee in private practice follows the agency's rules on it; and legal collection is allowed only after notice to the client (21 NCAC 63 .0506).
ConsentNorth Carolina
Informed consent, and what the client must be told
Obtain consent to intervention from every client or their legally authorized representative, except where a court order requires intervention for safety; tell clients the extent and nature of services and the limits, rights, opportunities, and obligations that might affect their decision to begin or continue (21 NCAC 63 .0504(b), (c)). A minor may consent on their own to a physician's services for emotional disturbance under G.S. 90-21.5; for social work services outside that statute, parental consent is the default.
DisplayNorth Carolina
The license on the wall, the credential in every announcement
Display the license conspicuously at the primary place of practice (G.S. 90B-15). Any announcement of services must use your name and the type and level of your certification or licensure, and may add your highest social work degree, specialized training, address, hours, services, accurate fees, languages, and third-party payment policy; testimonials and recommendations from clients may not be solicited or used (21 NCAC 63 .0509(b), (c)).
Running it
RecordsNorth Carolina
Ten years, or longer if a payer says so
A social worker licensed by the Board, or an agency employing one, keeps records for the longer of ten years from the date services end and the client services record is closed, or the retention period a third-party payer requires, and produces records to the Board on order in a complaint or investigation (G.S. 90B-6(i)). Records must be adequate for proper diagnosis and treatment, and material stored or sent by computer, email, fax, phone, or voicemail must be protected, avoiding identifying information where possible (21 NCAC 63 .0507(d), (e)).
ConfidentialityNorth Carolina
A privilege a judge can override
No one delivering private social work services under a Chapter 90B credential shall be required to disclose information acquired in rendering professional services that was necessary to render them, except that the presiding judge of a superior or district court may compel disclosure if necessary to a proper administration of justice and not barred by another statute (G.S. 8-53.7). The Board's rule permits disclosure only with informed consent, or where withholding it would violate another law or result in clear and imminent danger to the client or others (21 NCAC 63 .0507(b)).
TerminationNorth Carolina
End services when they stop helping, with notice and referrals
Terminate when you, the client, or an entity with legal authority over the client's care determines the client is unlikely to benefit or no longer needs services; give notice of any termination or interruption as soon as possible and refer as needed; and never end a professional relationship in order to begin a personal or business one (21 NCAC 63 .0504(d)).
CompetenceNorth Carolina
Practice within your training, and take a course before a new area
Social workers practice only in accordance with their training and experience, represent their abilities, education, and credentials accurately, and engage in continuing professional education before entering a new area of practice (21 NCAC 63 .0503(a)); offering a service beyond your competence or beyond what the law permits is prohibited (.0509(c)).
VisitorsNorth Carolina
Five days a year for an out-of-state LCSW
A nonresident clinical social worker licensed elsewhere may render clinical services in North Carolina for up to five days in a calendar year while clearly identifying the state of the credential, and may hold one six-month temporary license per five years, complying with the Board's supervision requirements meanwhile (G.S. 90B-4(b); 90B-8(b); 21 NCAC 63 .0213). The Act defines both social work and clinical social work as practice "by whatever means of communications" (90B-3(6), (7)), so telehealth into the state beyond those five days is practice that needs the North Carolina license or, once issued, a Compact multistate license.
SupervisingNorth Carolina
Taking on an LCSWA in your practice
You need an MSW, two years of clinical practice after your LCSW, and good standing; you sign the Position Statement and the crisis plan, supervise at least every two weeks at one hour per 30 practice hours, keep the log and the case narratives, rate the associate on the Six-Month Review, and eventually sign the Short Form recommending licensure (21 NCAC 63 .0210; .0211(a); .0202(d)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
GA
Where the Georgia rules come from. O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7, 43-10A-21, and 24-5-501, and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 135-5-.03, 135-5-.04, 135-6-.01, 135-7-.01, 135-7-.02, 135-7-.03, 135-7-.07, Chapter 135-10, and 135-11-.01, read from codes.findlaw.com and rules.sos.ga.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
GA
Private practice is the LCSW, with a narrow door for the LMSW. The LCSW may practice in any setting including private practice (135-5-.04(1)). An LMSW may enter private practice after two years of practice under direction and supervision, but any counseling or psychotherapy in that practice stays under supervision, and only for the period it takes to qualify for the Clinical exam; once qualified, the LMSW must apply within 60 days and take the first scheduled exam, with the work remaining supervised after a failure and private psychotherapy practice barred after three failures (135-5-.03(1)(c), (d)). A BSW may not practice autonomously at all (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-7(b)(15)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
EntityGeorgia
The business name rule
No corporation, partnership, association, or other business entity may use "social work," "clinical social worker," or any words implying that it or its staff practice a licensed specialty unless every person practicing a specialty in it is licensed, other than those in the listed exemptions; violating it is a misdemeanor with a $500 to $1,000 fine per offense (O.C.G.A. 43-10A-21; 135-10-.03, .05). The Board does not register entities; form the company with the Secretary of State's Corporations Division and keep the name honest.
FeesGeorgia
Tell clients the fee before you charge it
Charging a fee for anything without having informed the client of it in advance, taking any action for nonpayment without first advising the client and giving a chance to settle, failing to inform the client of third-party payer obligations or limits that could influence treatment, and accepting or giving anything of value for a referral are all unprofessional conduct (135-7-.01(2)(f), (h), (i); 135-7-.02(2)(g)). A payer may not be allowed undue influence over evaluation or treatment (135-7-.02(2)(i)).
ConsentGeorgia
Informed consent, treatment goals, and the alternatives
Obtain informed consent; do not undertake treatment when the client or the client's representative does not understand and agree with the goals; do not withhold information about accepted alternative treatments; and where there are clear and established risks, describe the foreseeable negative consequences of the proposed treatment (135-7-.01(1), (2)(d), (e), (g)). Written informed consent is required before recording a session or allowing a third party to observe (135-7-.03(2)(b)).
TelehealthGeorgia
Six training hours, written consent, and an assessment for suitability
Before delivering clinical TeleMental Health, a licensee needs six continuing education hours in the rule's topics, taken within five years (135-11-.01(b)1). Before each client's telehealth services begin, inform the client and obtain verbal and written consent, documented in the record, including disclosure of any third-party vendor for records, billing, or legal counsel; assess whether the client can be properly treated by telehealth and treat in person, decline, or terminate with referrals if not (135-11-.01(b)3, 4). For clients in other states, check that state's rules (135-11-.01(b)7).
Running it
RecordsGeorgia
Confidential storage, confidential disposal, and access on request
Failing to store or dispose of client records in a way that maintains confidentiality is unprofessional conduct, as is failing to protect other people's confidences when giving a client access to their own record, and failing to keep employees and associates from disclosing (135-7-.03(2)(c), (d)). Information about a client's evaluation or treatment must be provided in a timely way, to the extent clinically prudent, when the client has requested and released it, and documents prepared and paid for by the client must be available on request (135-7-.01(2)(m); 135-7-.05(2)(e)). The Board's rules set no fixed retention period.
ConfidentialityGeorgia
The privilege, and the five exceptions in the Board's rule
Communications between a licensed clinical social worker and a patient are privileged by statute, on the same footing as psychiatrist and psychologist communications, along with communications among those professionals about a patient in psychotherapy (O.C.G.A. 24-5-501(a)(7), (8)). The Board's rule holds everything from the first contact in confidence and permits disclosure only as required by law; with the consent of a competent adult client or the legal custodian of a minor or incapacitated adult, after describing what will be revealed and to whom, and only for those family members who consent; when the licensee is a defendant in an action arising from the therapy; where there is clear and imminent danger to the client or others; and in consultation or supervision with a colleague (135-7-.03(2)(a)).
AdvertisingGeorgia
Professional, not commercial, and never a guarantee
Announce availability by professional rather than commercial standards, with accurate information about services, expertise, and techniques; never misrepresent competence, education, training, or experience, use a degree misleadingly as a credential, give false or partial information about services, or promise more than you can deliver (135-7-.07). Only a license holder may use the titles Master's Social Worker or Clinical Social Worker (135-10-.01).
DisplayGeorgia
License on the wall
Display the license and evidence of renewal in a conspicuous place in your office or place of employment (135-6-.01); a decorative wall certificate is $50 from the Board (Board fee schedule).
TerminationGeorgia
End it when it stops helping, with notice and a hand-off
Failing to terminate when it is reasonably clear treatment no longer serves the client, and failing to notify promptly and help the client find alternative services when termination or interruption is anticipated, are unprofessional conduct (135-7-.01(2)(j), (k)). Do not delegate to anyone you know is not qualified by training, experience, or licensure (135-7-.01(2)(l)).
SupervisingGeorgia
Taking on an LMSW in your practice
You qualify to supervise after 2,000 clock hours over at least two years of practice since licensure; you keep a contemporaneous record of every session alongside the supervisee; individual supervision is you with at most two supervisees and group with at most six; and if the supervisee's first 2,000 hours are in your practice, the practice must also provide direction, meaning an employer or superior responsible for the quality of the work (135-5-.04(2)(b), (5)). Supervising by video needs nine hours of TeleMental Health training first (135-11-.01(b)2). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
VA
Where the Virginia rules come from. §§ 54.1-3700, 54.1-3701, 54.1-3709, 54.1-2400.2, and 8.01-400.2 of the Code of Virginia, and 18VAC140-20-37, -50, -100, and -150, read from law.lis.virginia.gov and dhp.virginia.gov in September 2026. The Board licenses people, not practices; nothing in its regulations registers a business or a practice name.
Who can open one
VA
Private practice is the LCSW. Only licensed clinical social workers may practice at the autonomous level (18VAC140-20-37); a master's social worker provides clinical services only under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker, and a baccalaureate social worker practices under the supervision of a master's social worker (§ 54.1-3700). The broad exemption for government and community-nonprofit employees stops at the door of an independent private practice: anyone who also engages in one is not exempt (§ 54.1-3701(4)). A Supervisee in Social Work may not bill directly or represent themselves as independent (18VAC140-20-50(D)(1)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
TitlesVirginia
What the sign and the website may say
Advertising to the public must be neither fraudulent nor misleading (18VAC140-20-150(B)(9)). "Social Worker" in writing or advertising belongs to licensees and to people who pair it with the initials of a CSWE-accredited BSW or MSW or a social work doctorate; a violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 54.1-3709(A), (B)). The Board's licensee lookup is public, and so is your address of record unless you give a separate public address (§ 54.1-2400.2; 18VAC140-20-100(D)).
FeesVirginia
Fees and billing explained before the work
Ensure that clients are aware of fees and billing arrangements before rendering services, be able to justify every service as necessary for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, and neither accept nor give commissions, rebates, or other remuneration for referrals (18VAC140-20-150(B)(1), (5), (6)).
ConsentVirginia
Written informed consent, with the limits of confidentiality in it
Inform clients of the potential risks and benefits of services and of the limitations on confidentiality, and ensure they have given informed written consent to treatment (18VAC140-20-150(B)(7)). Separate informed consent, from the client or the legally authorized representative, comes before videotaping, audio recording, third-party observation, or using identifiable records and clinical material in teaching, writing, or presentations (18VAC140-20-150(C)(4)).
TelehealthVirginia
Same standards by phone or screen; one door for out-of-state LCSWs
The professional conduct standards apply to social work practice regardless of delivery method, whether in person, by telephone, or electronically (18VAC140-20-150(A)). An LCSW licensed and in good standing in another state may treat a patient located in Virginia by telemedicine without a Virginia license only for continuity of care with a patient they already had a practitioner-patient relationship with, and only for up to one year from the first such service (§ 54.1-3701(6)). Anything past that needs the Virginia license.
Running it
RecordsVirginia
What every record holds, and for how long
Each client's written or electronic record includes identifying information, an assessment that substantiates the diagnosis and treatment plan, the diagnosis and treatment plan, progress notes for each case activity, information from all collaborative contacts and its treatment implications, and the termination process and summary (18VAC140-20-150(C)(1)). Keep records for at least six years from termination; a minor's record for six years after the age of majority or ten years after termination, whichever is later; longer where a contract or federal law says so; and comply with the health records privacy statute, § 32.1-127.1:03 (18VAC140-20-150(C), (C)(5)). Store securely, tell every employee the confidentiality rules, and destroy old records in a way that keeps them confidential (18VAC140-20-150(C)(2)).
Written consent to release, and a privilege in civil cases
Disclose client records to others only with the client's written consent, except when the client is a danger to self or others or as required by law (18VAC140-20-150(B)(8), (C)(3)). In civil actions a licensed clinical social worker cannot be required to testify to confidential communications made in the course of counseling or treatment, unless the client consents, the client's physical or mental condition is at issue, or the court finds disclosure necessary to the administration of justice; the privilege never covers child abuse and neglect matters and never excuses a mandated report (§ 8.01-400.2).
As treatment requires and with the client's written consent, collaborate with other health or mental health providers concurrently serving the client (18VAC140-20-150(B)(10)); the record must capture what those contacts told you and what it means for treatment (18VAC140-20-150(C)(1)).
TerminationVirginia
Continuity when services stop
Provide for continuation of care when services must be interrupted or terminated, and practice only within the competency areas your education and experience qualify you for (18VAC140-20-150(B)(2), (3)). Records given to the client or transferred to another mental health professional are the exception to the six-year retention rule (18VAC140-20-150(C)(5)(c)).
SupervisingVirginia
Taking on a supervisee in your practice
You qualify after two years of post-licensure clinical practice plus the supervision training, and you can apply to be listed on the Approved Supervisor Registry so supervisees can add you without a Board filing (18VAC140-20-50(B); § 54.1-3705(8), (9)). Your supervisee may not bill directly, so the billing runs through you or the practice; you keep five years of records of which clients were supervised, review a representative sample of assessments and plans, and notify the Board when supervision changes or ends (18VAC140-20-50(C), (D)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
A license can go inactive at half the renewal fee, with no practice allowed while it stays that way; reactivation costs the fee difference and continuing education for the years away, up to four (18VAC140-20-100(C); 18VAC140-20-110(C)). Give the Board any address change within 30 days, including the public address if it differs from the address of record (18VAC140-20-100(D)).
MN
Where the Minnesota rules come from. Minn. Stat. 148E.050, 148E.195, 148E.200, 148E.225, 148E.230, 148E.235, and 148E.275, 319B.02 and 319B.11 (professional firms), and 595.02 (privilege), read on the Revisor's site, and the Board's professional firms page, read from mn.gov/boards/social-work in September 2026.
Who can open one
MN
Independent clinical practice is the LICSW. Only a licensed independent clinical social worker may engage in clinical practice without supervision; an LGSW or LISW may practice clinically only under an LICSW or Board-approved alternate supervisor, and only for 8,000 hours (Minn. Stat. 148E.050; 148E.106, subd. 7; 148E.110). An LISW may run an independent nonclinical practice, and an LSW may practice social work but never clinically (148E.050, subd. 2, 4). No one may provide social work services to a client who resides in Minnesota without a Minnesota license unless exempt (148E.275), so an out-of-state clinician seeing a Minnesota resident by video needs the license here. Everything below assumes the LICSW.
Before the first client
EntityMinnesota
A professional firm files with the Board first
Social work under chapter 148E is a professional service under the Minnesota Professional Firms Act, and no professional firm may furnish professional services in Minnesota until it files with each board having jurisdiction a copy of its organizational document, a report, and a $100 fee; every professional firm then files an annual report with the Board by January 1, for which the Board charges $25 (319B.02, subd. 19; 319B.11, subd. 3, 4; Board). The Board posts the First Report and Annual Report forms. Whether your entity is a "professional firm" depends on how it is organized under chapter 319B; read that chapter before choosing the entity.
Conspicuously display the wall certificate at every place of practice and office location, and display or hand every client a notice that the client has the right to be informed of your license status, education, training, and experience, to examine the Board's public data on you, to report a complaint to the Board, and to be told the Board's mailing address, email, website, and phone (148E.195, subd. 1). Additional wall certificates are $30 (148E.095; 148E.180, subd. 6).
TitlesMinnesota
LICSW after your name, and nothing that promises results
In all professional use of your name use "LICSW" or "licensed independent clinical social worker"; public statements and advertising must not be untruthful, misleading, false, fraudulent, deceptive, or potentially exploitative; and licensure may not be used as a claim, promise, or guarantee of successful service (148E.195, subd. 2a). Give accurate information about credentials when asked and never misrepresent a license, degree, certification, or affiliation (148E.195, subd. 3).
FeesMinnesota
All fees at the first session, a written plan on request
Inform the client or legal representative of all fees at the initial session and arrange payment at the start of the relationship; provide a written payment plan or explanation of charges promptly on request (148E.235, subd. 1). Bill only for services provided that are necessary and appropriate, except that with prior notice you may bill for failed appointments or late cancellations, and those charges belong to the client alone and may not go to public or private payers (148E.235, subd. 2). No commissions, rebates, or other remuneration for referrals, and no improper or fraudulent billing under Medicare, Medicaid, or medical assistance law (148E.235, subd. 3, 4).
ConsentMinnesota
Informed consent, capacity, and an interpreter when needed
Obtain valid informed consent before providing services, after determining whether the client has the capacity to give it; if not, consent comes from the legal representative, and without one you either secure a representative first or provide only what is necessary for the client's safety or property (148E.230, subd. 1(a), (b)). Use clear language, with an interpreter proficient in the client's primary language as necessary, to explain the plan of services, its risks, limits, costs and payment terms, reasonable alternatives, the right to refuse or withdraw, and the time frame the consent covers (148E.230, subd. 1(c)). At the beginning, and as needed after, tell the client the circumstances in which you may have to disclose information without consent (148E.230, subd. 2).
TelehealthMinnesota
Electronic practice is practice; competence is on you
The practice of social work expressly includes providing services in person or through telephone, video conferencing, or electronic means (148E.010, subd. 11). Where generally recognized standards do not exist for an emerging area of practice, including services through electronic means, the social worker must take the steps necessary, such as consultation or supervision, to ensure competence and protect clients from harm (148E.200, subd. 1(b)). A client who resides in Minnesota requires a Minnesota-licensed provider (148E.275(2)).
Running it
RecordsMinnesota
What every record holds, and seven years
Make and keep current, accurate records of all services, containing at least the assessment or diagnosis, the service plan, progress and any revisions, fees charged and payments made, copies of every written release the client signed, and other information necessary to provide services; keep them at least seven years after the last date of service (148E.225, subd. 4). A social worker employed by an agency need not keep personal or separate records or retain them after leaving (148E.225, subd. 4(b)). Base every intervention on an assessment or diagnosis and a plan with goals, and reassess both on an ongoing basis; do not use an assessment instrument without adequate training, and tell the client its purpose and share the results (148E.225, subd. 1 to 3).
Written consent with three elements, and three exceptions
Client information is released only with the client's or legal representative's written informed consent, which must say to whom, for what purpose, and when it expires; oral informed consent will do when written consent is not practical before necessary services; information to a payer needs written consent too (148E.230, subd. 4). Without consent, disclosure is allowed only when mandated or authorized by federal or state law, including the duty to warn and the child and vulnerable adult reporting laws, when the Board issues a subpoena, or when a court orders it (148E.230, subd. 5). Confidentiality continues after termination and after the client's death, and agency access is limited to staff whose duties require it (148E.230, subd. 3).
PrivilegeMinnesota
The testimonial privilege, with the reporting laws carved out
A licensed social worker engaged in a psychological or social assessment or treatment at the individual's request may not, without the client's consent, be allowed to disclose information or opinions acquired in attending the client professionally that were necessary to act in that capacity; the privilege does not exempt social workers from the vulnerable adult and child maltreatment reporting laws, and it does not apply to child abuse and neglect evidence in juvenile protection proceedings or, on a court's findings, in related criminal cases (595.02, subd. 1(g), subd. 2).
Unless otherwise authorized by law, obtain written informed consent before photographing or audio or video recording a client, or letting a third party do so, explaining the purpose, use, storage, and destruction date and how the client may access it (148E.230, subd. 4(d)).
TerminationMinnesota
End it when it is no longer likely to help, with notice and referrals
Terminate when you reasonably determine the client is not likely to benefit from continued services or no longer needs them, unless the law requires you to continue; give reasonable notice suited to the client's needs and appropriate referrals as needed or on request (148E.225, subd. 5). Never terminate in order to begin a personal, sexual, or business relationship (148E.220, subd. 4).
SupervisingMinnesota
Taking on an LGSW in your practice
You may provide clinical licensing supervision once you have 2,000 hours of practice after the LICSW, including 1,000 clinical hours, and 30 hours of supervision training, and you attest to that on the Board's form; keep six hours of supervision content in each 40-hour CE term, review and sign the supervisee's plan and verification forms, and expect that a supervisee may not practice clinically past 8,000 hours (148E.120; 148E.130, subd. 1(a)(3); 148E.125; 148E.106, subd. 7). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
DelegationMinnesota
Delegate only to the licensed and the competent
Do not delegate a social work responsibility to someone you know or should know is not licensed when licensure is required, or is not competent to perform the task (148E.200, subd. 3). Even after your own supervision requirements are complete, obtain supervision or consultation whenever it is appropriate or necessary for competent and ethical practice (148E.200, subd. 2).
MO
Where the Missouri rules come from. RSMo 337.600, 337.603, 337.636, and 337.643, and the Committee's ethical standards at 20 CSR 2263-3.040, 3.080, and 3.100, with 2263-2.031 and 2263-2.090, read from revisor.mo.gov and sos.mo.gov, and the Committee's telehealth notice on pr.mo.gov, in September 2026. Missouri's rules on client relationships and fees are unusually specific, and they apply to every licensee and temporary permit holder.
Who can open one
MO
Clinical private practice is the LCSW; nonclinical independent practice is the LAMSW or the LBSW-IP. Only licensed clinical social workers may practice clinical social work (RSMo 337.603), and independent practice means any practice outside an organized setting such as a social, medical, or governmental agency in which the social worker assumes responsibility and accountability for the services (337.600(7)). An LMSW may not practice independently within the scope reserved to clinical or advanced macro social workers, and under supervision may not operate, manage, or own the private practice or bill clients directly (337.643.2; 20 CSR 2263-2.032(6); 2263-2.031(8)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
TitlesMissouri
The title in every listing, and the license on the wall
Use the full licensed title, such as "licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)", in any advertising, public directory, or solicitation, including telephone listings, whether under your own name, a fictitious business or group name, or a corporate name; keep the license prominently displayed as proof of licensure; use only earned credentials from acceptable institutions; and never advertise falsely, misleadingly, or deceptively (20 CSR 2263-3.080(2) to (5); RSMo 337.630.2(14)).
FeesMissouri
Fees explained first, reasonable, and disclosed when someone else pays
Render no services until the client is aware of the fees and billing arrangements; set reasonable fees with regard to the value of the services and the client's ability to pay; accept no compensation from anyone other than the client without disclosure to the client or guardian; and take no fee from clients entitled to services through an institution, agency, or benefits structure unless they have been fully informed of those sources (20 CSR 2263-3.080(1)(D), (6), (8), (9)). No commissions, rebates, or other remuneration for referrals, and no bartering or other remuneration that exploits the relationship or creates a dual relationship (2263-3.080(1)(A), (7)).
ConsentMissouri
Purposes, goals, rules, and recording, explained at the start
Make clear to clients the purposes, goals, techniques, rules of procedure, and limitations that may affect the relationship at or before it begins, and be able to justify the basis for every service; inform clients about any electronic recording of sessions and how it will be used, and about any specialized or experimental activities they may be expected to join as a condition of service (20 CSR 2263-3.040(3), (7)). Inform clients of the limits of confidentiality at the onset (2263-3.100(2)).
TelehealthMissouri
Licensed here if the client is here
The Committee's notice is one sentence long: Missouri's statutes require clinical licensure to provide clinical services in the state, and if the client is in Missouri when the services are provided, the professional must be licensed here (Committee telehealth notice). Social workers using social media, electronic communication, or electronic recordkeeping must comply with every ethical duty and every relevant statute and regulation in that use (20 CSR 2263-3.100(7)).
Professional records include the presenting problems, assessment, plan of action, and progress notes; the fee arrangement; the date and substance of each contact; notation and results of formal consultations with other providers; a copy of every evaluative report prepared or received; and, in private practice, a copy of the written communication to the client giving the date and reason for termination (20 CSR 2263-3.040(11)). Records are kept at least five years after the date service is terminated, and may never be falsified or destroyed without authorization (2263-3.040(12), (13)). Make every reasonable effort to see that your employer stores and disposes of records so unauthorized people cannot reach them (2263-3.100(4)).
ConfidentialityMissouri
Written consent, and the six statutory exceptions
Keep therapy relationships and the information from them confidential except with the client's written consent, when the client is a danger to self or others, under court order, or as required by law, and forward nothing confidential to another person, agency, or potential employer without written consent (20 CSR 2263-3.100(3), (5)). The privilege statute lets a licensee refuse to disclose, and prevents compelled disclosure of, information from a client except with written consent (or a representative's after death or disability), when the information pertains to a criminal act, when a client under 18 was the victim of a crime, when the client sues the licensee, when testifying about adoption, adult abuse, child abuse or neglect, or client welfare, or when consulting colleagues or a supervisor on the client's behalf (RSMo 337.636; 337.689).
Families, couples, and groups agree on confidentiality first
When counseling families, couples, or groups, seek agreement among the parties about each person's right to confidentiality and duty to keep what others share, and tell them there is no guarantee everyone will honor it (20 CSR 2263-3.100(6)).
TerminationMissouri
End it when it stops helping, in writing if you are in private practice
Terminate when it is reasonably clear the client is not benefiting or the service has been satisfactorily rendered (20 CSR 2263-3.040(8)). When your own impairment or a dual relationship makes continuing improper, terminate appropriately, notify the client in writing, and help the client find another professional (2263-3.040(4), (5)); a private practice record keeps a copy of the termination letter with its date and reason (2263-3.040(11)(F)).
SupervisingMissouri
Taking on an LMSW in your practice
You qualify as a clinical supervisor with the years of post-licensure practice and the 16-hour supervisory training, register with the Committee for each supervisee and setting, carry no more than six supervisees, screen each of their prospective clients, know their whole caseload, file the annual reports and the attestation, and bill for their services yourself, since a supervisee may not bill directly (RSMo 337.600(19); 20 CSR 2263-2.031; 2263-2.032). Providing unregistered licensure supervision is cause for discipline (2263-2.032(14)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
StatusMissouri
Stepping away
Renew at inactive status for $25 with no continuing education when you will not practice, put "inactive" beside the title on every card and letterhead, and come back with the renewal fee and 30 hours completed in the prior two years or within a year of reactivation (20 CSR 2263-2.090). Report an address change by letter within 30 days (2263-1.030).
TN
Where the Tennessee rules come from. T.C.A. 63-23-102 through 63-23-105, 63-23-108, 63-23-109, and 63-23-113, and Rules 1365-01-.01, 1365-01-.03, 1365-01-.10 (standards of conduct, which adopt the NASW Code of Ethics), 1365-01-.13, and 1365-01-.14 of the Board of Social Worker Licensure, read from codes.findlaw.com and the Secretary of State's rules site in September 2026.
Who can open one
TN
Clinical private practice is the LCSW; nonclinical private practice is the LCSW or the LAPSW. Private practice means establishing your own conditions of exchange with clients, receiving direct fees, and being solely responsible for the services without supervision, and only an LCSW or an LAPSW may engage in it; clinical private practice is reserved to the LCSW (Rule 1365-01-.01(5), (17); 1365-01-.03(1)). Independent practice means receiving direct compensation from any person or third-party payer (1365-01-.01(10)), and an LBSW or LMSW may not do that at all: both work in or for an agency and may not take direct payment or reimbursement (T.C.A. 63-23-102(a); 63-23-103(a)). An LAPSW may not be paid for clinical work even under supervision (63-23-104(a)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
TitlesTennessee
LCSW on the door, the entity's name in every advertisement
A valid license lets you use "Licensed Clinical Social Worker (L.C.S.W.)" (Rule 1365-01-.03(2)(d)), and holding out as one without it is a Class A misdemeanor (T.C.A. 63-23-105(c), (d)). Every advertisement includes the corporation, partnership, or individual name, address, and telephone number of the licensees named in it; the named licensee is responsible for it, a principal partner or officer is jointly responsible, and references to a licensee who has left the firm come down within 30 days (Rule 1365-01-.10(5)(a)4, 6, (c)). Keep every advertisement, in any medium, for two years from its last publication, with whatever substantiates its claims (1365-01-.10(5)(c)3, 4).
FeesTennessee
Costs before services, reasonable fees, and no splitting
Inform the client of the costs of services before providing them (Rule 1365-01-.10(5)(a)3). Setting fees that are unreasonable and not commensurate with the service, splitting or dividing a fee with anyone for referring a client, and making false or misleading statements about fees are unethical conduct or prohibited advertising (1365-01-.10(3)(p), (q); (5)(b)11, 12). Fee splitting is defined as paying commissions to colleagues out of fees from clients they referred (1365-01-.01(7)).
ConsentTennessee
Purpose, voluntariness, recording, and the limits of confidentiality
Failing to inform clients of the purpose and nature of an evaluation, treatment, research, educational, or training procedure and that participation must be free and voluntary, failing to obtain informed consent before taping, recording, or letting third parties observe, and failing to inform clients of the limits of confidentiality are each unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(e), (g), (i)). Conflicts of interest between you and the client, and between your employer and the client, must be disclosed (1365-01-.10(3)(h)).
TelehealthTennessee
Video counts as face to face, within the rules that apply everywhere
The Board's definitions treat live video as face-to-face contact for supervision (Rule 1365-01-.01(11)), and the NASW Code the Board adopts governs technology-assisted services as it governs everything else (1365-01-.10(1)). The Practice Act does not address out-of-state clients by name; a client who is in Tennessee is a Tennessee client, and the Board's advertising rules treat web and social media the same as print (1365-01-.10(5)(c)3).
Running it
RecordsTennessee
Access on written request, and no fixed retention period in the rules
On a client's or authorized representative's written request, provide a complete copy of the record or a summary, at your option, unless another law prohibits it; denying a reasonable request for access is unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(4), (3)(f)). The Board's rules set no minimum retention period for social work records; the NASW Code's record-keeping standards apply through the conduct rule (1365-01-.10(1)), and other law, payers, and your practice's needs set the floor.
ConfidentialityTennessee
The privilege, and the child abuse carve-out
Confidential relations and communications between a client and a licensed social worker are placed on the same footing as those between a licensed psychologist and client, and nothing in the chapter requires disclosure of such privileged communication; the privilege does not prevent disclosure in proceedings under the child abuse reporting law (T.C.A. 63-23-109). Disclosing confidential information is unethical conduct, and personal identifiable facts about a client may not appear in advertising without consent (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(d), (5)(b)8).
End it when it is no longer needed, with notice and a hand-off
Failing to terminate when services are no longer required or requested or when it is reasonably clear the relationship is not benefiting the client, failing to notify clients promptly when you anticipate terminating and to accommodate transfer, referral, or continuation according to their needs and preferences, failing to help clients find needed services, and providing unnecessary or unwanted services are each unethical conduct (Rule 1365-01-.10(3)(j), (m), (n), (o)).
SupervisingTennessee
Taking on an LMSW in your practice
You qualify once your LCSW has been continuously held for three years and you have twelve hours of supervision-related continuing education including three on Tennessee's rules; you keep the supervision log with the supervisee, sign the verification when they apply, and may supervise no more than four at a time in group (Rule 1365-01-.08(4), (6), (3); 1365-01-.01(8)). Your supervisee may not take direct payment or third-party reimbursement, so the billing is yours or the agency's (T.C.A. 63-23-103(a)). Details in Supervision & Practicum.
ReportingTennessee
Consumer right-to-know: judgments over $10,000 and certain convictions
Report to the Board any malpractice judgment, award, or settlement over $10,000 and any felony conviction or misdemeanor conviction involving sex, alcohol or drugs, injury or threats, abuse or neglect, or fraud or theft; an expungement order removes the entry from your profile (Rule 1365-01-.14).
StatusTennessee
Stepping away
Retire the license by affidavit rather than let it lapse; a lapse of more than 60 days is an administrative revocation, and reinstatement gets harder at three and five years (T.C.A. 63-23-107; Rule 1365-01-.07). Report address and name changes in writing within 30 days (1365-01-.13).
IN
Where the Indiana rules come from. IC 25-23.6-1-6 and 1-8 (the practice definitions), 25-23.6-4-1 through 4-6 (titles, exemptions, display, and testimony), 25-23.6-5-17 (the physical examination referral), 25-23.6-6-1 (privileged communications), 25-23.6-7 (disclosure of credentials), and the Board's standards for competent practice at 839 IAC 1-3-4, read from codes.findlaw.com and the Indiana Register in September 2026.
Who can open one
IN
Clinical private practice is the LCSW. The practice of clinical social work, including mental health diagnosis, appraisal instruments, and counseling and psychotherapeutic techniques, expressly includes private practice as a setting (IC 25-23.6-1-6), and the practice of social work at the LSW level excludes psychotherapy and diagnosis (IC 25-23.6-1-8(b)). An LSW building clinical hours may work in a private practice only where a qualified supervisor is available; independent private practice of clinical social work away from such a place does not count and is outside the license (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(f)). Practicing as a social worker or clinical social worker for compensation without the license is a Class A misdemeanor (IC 25-23.6-4-1(5); 4-4). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
TitlesIndiana
LCSW on every card, sign, and advertisement, and the license on the wall
Display the license or a clear copy at each location where you regularly practice, and include "licensed clinical social worker" or "LCSW" on all promotional materials that name you, including business cards, brochures, stationery, advertisements, and signs (IC 25-23.6-4-5). The standards require credentials to be presented factually and forbid misrepresenting qualifications, training, or experience (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(2)); false or misleading advertising is a statutory ground for discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(1)(C)).
DisclosureIndiana
Your degree, disclosed before counseling begins
Before providing counseling services for compensation, a counselor, which for this chapter means anyone licensed under the article who provides evaluation, treatment, or advice for a fee, must disclose to the client the counselor's educational background: whether the degree is in counseling or a related field, the type of degree, and the institution that issued it; a violation, or false information under the chapter, is a Class A misdemeanor (IC 25-23.6-7-4 to 7-7).
FeesIndiana
A clear description of services, fees, billing, and schedules
Provide a clear description of what the client may expect in the way of services, reports, fees, billing, and schedules (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(1)). Referrals must be based solely on the client's best interest and never on personal gain (1-3-4(b)(4)), and fraudulent billing, including Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance fraud, is a statutory ground (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(1)(D)).
Medical ReferralIndiana
The physical examination rule at diagnosis
When you evaluate a patient to determine a mental health diagnosis and find that the patient has not seen a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant within the previous twelve months, or may have a physical condition that needs medical attention, you must advise the patient to schedule a physical examination at the earliest opportunity and offer to help, give the patient a list of practitioners with names, addresses, and telephone numbers, coordinate care with the treating practitioner unless the patient declines consent, and document every step in the record (IC 25-23.6-5-17).
The five-day visitor rule, and video as the norm for supervision
A nonresident who is authorized where they live may perform social work in Indiana for no more than five days in any month and fifteen days in a calendar year without an Indiana license (IC 25-23.6-4-2(a)(3)); beyond that, a clinician serving Indiana clients needs the Indiana license. The article treats synchronous, HIPAA-compliant audio and video as equivalent to face-to-face contact for supervision (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5(a)), and the Board's standards ask for judgment about when to apply procedures in a reasonable, effective, and economical manner regardless of setting (839 IAC 1-3-4(a)).
Running it
RecordsIndiana
Retention is the Board's to set, and the article requires documentation of the physical referral
The Board is directed to adopt rules on the retention of patient records and reports by a counselor (IC 25-23.6-2-8(a)(5)); the rules in 839 IAC 1 as published in 2026 set no fixed retention period for social workers, so other law, payers, and your practice's needs set the floor. The one record-keeping command in the article is specific: every action taken under the physical examination referral rule is documented in the patient's medical record (IC 25-23.6-5-17(c)).
ConfidentialityIndiana
Privileged, with eight statutory exceptions
Matters a client communicates to a counselor in the counselor's official capacity are privileged and may not be disclosed except in a criminal homicide proceeding where the disclosure relates directly to the homicide; where the communication reveals the contemplation or commission of a crime or a serious harmful act; where an unemancipated minor or adjudicated incompetent adult client was the victim of abuse or a crime; in a mental competency proceeding; in a malpractice action against the counselor; with the express consent of the client or, after death or disability, the legal representative; to a physician who has a physician-patient relationship with the client; and wherever Indiana law otherwise abrogates the privilege (IC 25-23.6-6-1).
A social worker licensed under the article may provide factual testimony but may not provide expert testimony (IC 25-23.6-4-6). Plan record requests and subpoenas with that line in mind.
TerminationIndiana
No abandonment
A social worker or clinical social worker shall not abandon or neglect a client in need of immediate professional services without making reasonable arrangements for the provision or continuation of services, and must make timely referrals when a client's needs exceed the practitioner's competence (839 IAC 1-3-4(b)(3), (7)).
SupervisingIndiana
Taking on an LSW in your practice
An LCSW may supervise an LSW's clinical hours, at four face-to-face or synchronous video hours a month, and signs Form I at the end; an LSW may earn hours in your private practice only if a qualified supervisor is available at that place, and the supervisee's title and promotional materials must not imply clinical licensure (IC 25-23.6-5-3.5; 25-23.6-4-5; 839 IAC 1-3-2(c)). Details in Supervision & Practicum. Allowing your name or license to be used by someone rendering services beyond their training is a ground for discipline (IC 25-1-9-4(a)(6)).
StatusIndiana
Stepping away
Notify the Board in writing of retirement to be released from fees and continuing education; reinstatement takes the $50 fee and 20, 40, or 60 hours of CE depending on the years away (IC 25-23.6-5-12; 839 IAC 1-2-2.1). A license simply left to expire becomes invalid on April 1 and needs reinstatement, with a $100 fee and 40 hours after three years (IC 25-23.6-5-9(c); 5-10; Board).
WI
Where the Wisconsin rules come from. Wis. Stat. 457.01 and 457.04 (definitions, titles, and the grievance notice), 457.02 (the substance use specialty), 457.24 (liability insurance), 457.25 (reports about credential holders), and 905.04 (the psychotherapist-patient privilege), the Board's rules at MPSW 1.09 (substance use specialty), 1.10 (insurance), 1.12 (telehealth), 6.04 (the LCSW scope), and 20.02 and 20.03 (unprofessional conduct, in person or by telehealth), read on docs.legis.wisconsin.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
WI
Clinical private practice is the LCSW. Clinical social work means providing services without supervision for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders, including individual, marital, and group psychotherapy (Wis. Stat. 457.01(1n)), and a licensed clinical social worker may engage in psychotherapeutic activities without supervision (MPSW 6.04). No person may practice clinical social work or use the title without the LCSW or a clinical-category multistate license, except a CAPSW or CISW practicing clinical social work under an LCSW's supervision (457.04(4)); psychotherapy is limited by the rules under 457.03 and 457.035 to the LCSW, LMFT, and LPC, with narrow exceptions (457.035; 457.04(7)). A certified independent social worker may practice social work independently but may do psychotherapeutic work only under clinical supervision (MPSW 6.03), so a nonclinical independent practice is open to the CISW. Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
InsuranceWisconsin
$1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 a year, before you practice
A clinical social worker may not practice clinical social work unless professional liability insurance is in effect in the amount of at least $1,000,000 for each occurrence and $3,000,000 for all occurrences in one year (457.24(1); MPSW 1.10(1)). The exemption is for practice as an employee of a federal, state, or local governmental agency within the agency's duties and jurisdiction (457.24(2); MPSW 1.10(2)); a private practice has no exemption. An insurer that pays a claim or learns of conduct that could be grounds for discipline must report it to the Section within 30 days (457.25(3)).
No person may practice clinical social work without notifying the client in writing of the procedure to follow to resolve a grievance (457.04(8)). The notice offers one of three: the statute's own procedure, which names the Section's contact information, a person not involved in the services who can receive and investigate a complaint, how to present and appeal a complaint, time limits, and protections against retaliation; a procedure that complies with the patient rights rules under 51.61(5)(b); or one available through a professional association you belong to (457.04(8)(a) to (c)). Put it in the intake packet and keep a signed copy.
TitlesWisconsin
The title you may use, and the advertising you may not
"Clinical social worker" and any title that represents you as one belong to the LCSW (457.04(4)); "marriage and family therapist" belongs to the LMFT, except for an LCSW first certified as an independent clinical social worker on or before May 31, 1995 (457.04(5)). "Alcohol and drug counselor" and "chemical dependency counselor" are separate titles that a social work certificate does not carry, and treating substance use disorder as a specialty takes either a 440.88 credential or the education and supervised training in MPSW 1.09 (457.02(5), (5m); MPSW 1.09). False, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive advertising, and keeping a professional relationship with someone who advertises that way, are unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(5)); advertising under another's name is a statutory ground for discipline (457.26(2)(d)).
Informed ConsentWisconsin
Consent before treatment, and before any recording
Failing to obtain the informed consent of the client or the client's authorized representative before providing treatment is unprofessional conduct, whether the services are in person or by telehealth (MPSW 20.02(12)). Failing to obtain written informed consent before electronic taping, recording, or filming is a separate item, unless the recording is part of a legal investigation or proceeding (20.02(28)). Failing to conduct an assessment, evaluation, or diagnosis as a basis for treatment is another (20.02(14)).
TelehealthWisconsin
Licensed here for patients here, and the other state's rules for patients there
A person who uses telehealth in the diagnosis and treatment of a patient located in Wisconsin must be licensed by the Board (MPSW 1.12(1)). A Wisconsin credential holder treating a patient physically located in another state must comply with that state's regulations (1.12(2)), and the same standards of practice and conduct, including confidentiality and recordkeeping, apply in person or by telehealth (1.12(3); 20.03). A nonresident practitioner may serve a nonresident patient in Wisconsin by telehealth for no more than five days in a month and fifteen days in all, with an established therapeutic relationship and authority under the home state's law (1.12(4)).
Adequate records, kept seven years after the last service
Failing to maintain adequate records of services provided in the course of a professional relationship is unprofessional conduct, and clinical records shall be maintained for at least seven years after the last service provided, unless state or federal law provides otherwise (MPSW 20.02(18)). Wisconsin's treatment records statute at 51.30 and the patient health care records chapter at 146 govern access and release for records in their scope; read both before setting a release fee or answering a subpoena.
ConfidentialityWisconsin
The six doors out of confidentiality
Revealing facts, data, information, records, or communications received from a client in a professional capacity is unprofessional conduct except with the client's or representative's informed consent; with notice to the client before the information was elicited of its use and distribution; if necessary to prevent injury to the client or another person, or to report suspected or threatened child abuse or neglect, including mandatory reports; under a lawful court order; as case history material for teaching, therapy, research, or publication with the client's identity concealed; or when required by state or federal statute (MPSW 20.02(10)). Failing to disclose a financial interest that is not obvious and could accrue to you from a referral or from any service, product, or publication is a separate item (20.02(17)).
PrivilegeWisconsin
The psychotherapist-patient privilege covers social workers
A patient has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent others from disclosing, confidential communications made or information obtained for diagnosis or treatment of the patient's physical, mental, or emotional condition among the patient and the patient's social worker, which the rule defines to include a social worker, advanced practice social worker, independent social worker, or clinical social worker under ch. 457, or someone the patient reasonably believes to be one (905.04(1)(g), (2)). There is no privilege in commitment, guardianship, protective services, protective placement, or sexually violent person proceedings where the social worker, in the course of diagnosis or treatment, determined the patient needs that intervention, in a court-ordered examination, where the patient puts the condition at issue, in a homicide trial on the facts of the homicide, for information in a child abuse report under 48.981(3), or for a report of a school threat under 175.32(3) (905.04(4)).
Failing to make reasonable efforts to notify a client or the client's authorized representative when professional services will be interrupted or terminated by the credential holder is unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(21)). Nothing in the rule sets a number of days or requires a referral list, so the practice's own policy on notice, referrals, and record transfer is what an investigator will read.
Fees and BillingWisconsin
Honest billing, and no secret techniques
False, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading billing practices are unprofessional conduct (MPSW 20.02(6)), as is reporting distorted, false, or misleading information or making false statements in practice (20.02(7)), and employing or claiming secret techniques or procedures you refuse to divulge (20.02(15)). Performing or offering services you are not qualified for by education, training, or experience is the first item on the list (20.02(1)).
SupervisingWisconsin
Your supervisees, your subordinates, and your responsibility
An LCSW who supervises a CAPSW or CISW toward the LCSW must fit one of the supervisor categories or hold advance approval, is legally and ethically responsible for the supervisee's activities, and may not let the supervisee practice anything the supervisor cannot competently supervise (MPSW 4.01(1), (6)). Failing to exercise an adequate degree of supervision over subordinates, knowingly aiding the unlawful practice of social work, and withholding a supervisee's hours documentation are each unprofessional conduct (20.02(26), (29), (31)). A CAPSW or CISW in your practice may do psychotherapeutic work only under your supervision (457.04(4); MPSW 6.02, 6.03).
StatusWisconsin
Reports you owe the Section, and reports others owe about you
Notify the Section in writing within 48 hours of a felony or misdemeanor conviction, with the judgment and the complaint (MPSW 20.02(24)), and within 30 days of any discipline, denial, or surrender under investigation of a credential in any jurisdiction (20.02(20)). Respond to a Section investigation within 30 days or bear the burden of showing you acted in a timely manner (20.02(30)). An employer or contracting agency that ends or restricts your work for adverse or disciplinary action, a professional society that disciplines you, an insurer that pays a claim, and a court that appoints a guardian or finds incompetence must each report to the Section within 30 days (457.25).
AZ
Where the Arizona rules come from. A.R.S. 32-3251 (the practice definitions and the unprofessional conduct list), 32-3271 (exemptions), 32-3283 (the confidential relationship and privilege), 32-3286 (unlawful practice and titles), 12-2297 (record retention), and the Board's standards of practice at R4-6-1101 through R4-6-1106 (consent, treatment plan, client record, billing, confidentiality, and telepractice) with the practice limitations at R4-6-210 and R4-6-211, read on azleg.gov and the Legal Information Institute in September 2026.
Who can open one
AZ
Independent practice is the LCSW. A licensed baccalaureate social worker and a licensed master social worker shall not engage in the independent practice of behavioral health and practice only under direct supervision (R4-6-210), in an entity with responsibility and clinical oversight for their services (R4-6-211(A)). The one opening for an LMSW is to operate or manage their own entity under a Board-approved written agreement with an independently licensed clinical supervisor in the same discipline: one individual supervision hour for every 20 hours of direct client contact, an onsite meeting every 60 days, client notice, six-month reports to the Board, and a stop to practice within 60 days if the agreement ends (R4-6-211(B)). Practicing behavioral health without a license is a class 6 felony (32-3286(C)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
Informed ConsentArizona
Eight written elements, signed and dated before treatment
Treatment is provided only in a professional relationship based on informed consent, documented in writing for each client with the purpose of treatment; the general procedures, benefits, limitations, and risks; the right to confidentiality and its limits; notice of your supervision or treatment team; how to obtain record information; the right to participate in treatment decisions and plan reviews; the right to refuse or withdraw and the consequences; and the right to be told all fees and your refund and collection policies (R4-6-1101(1), (2)). The consent is dated and signed by the client or legal representative before treatment and again when an element changes, separately before any audio or video taping or third-party observation, and carries the dated signature of an authorized representative of the behavioral health entity (R4-6-1101(3) to (5)).
Financial arrangements explained before the therapeutic relationship begins
Before entering a therapeutic relationship, clearly explain all financial arrangements, including the use of collection agencies or legal measures for nonpayment; make arrangements that are reasonably understandable and conform to accepted billing practices; represent billing facts truthfully to the client, any third-party payer, and any supervisee; and keep billing records separate from clinical documentation but corresponding to the client record (R4-6-1104). Obtaining a fee by fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, and giving or receiving any payment, kickback, rebate, or bonus for a referral, are unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(h), (ee)).
TitlesArizona
The title you may use, and advertising that is honest
"Licensed clinical social worker" and its abbreviation belong to the LCSW; using any designation that indicates licensure without the license is prohibited (32-3286(B)). Any false, fraudulent, or deceptive statement connected with the practice, including false or misleading advertising by you, your staff, or a paid representative, and any misrepresentation of your skills or the value of treatment, is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(c), (d)). Engaging or offering to engage in activities not congruent with your education, training, or experience is listed as well (32-3251(16)(m)).
TelehealthArizona
Licensed here for clients here, the other state's rules for clients there, and four documented risks
A person providing social work by telepractice to a client located in Arizona must be licensed by the Board, and a licensee serving a client located outside Arizona must comply with both Arizona's chapter and the laws and rules of the jurisdiction where the client is (R4-6-1106(A), (B)); failing to comply with the licensing law of every jurisdiction where an electronically served client resides is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(dd)). The consent for telepractice documents the confidentiality risks of electronic communication, the potential for technology failure, emergency procedures when you are unavailable, and how you identify the client when there is no video; each progress note records the mode of session and verifies the client's physical location and local emergency contacts (R4-6-1106(C)). A nonresident may practice in Arizona up to 90 days a year under a home license with disclosure to the client (32-3271(A)(2)).
A written plan the client signs, reviewed at least annually
Work jointly with each client to prepare an integrated, individualized written treatment plan based on your provisional or principal diagnosis and assessment, with at least one goal, at least one method, the review date, aftercare needs if a discharge date is set, and the dated signatures of the client and the licensee; review it on the review date and at least annually, sign every revision, explain the client's condition and treatment on written request, and treat according to the plan (R4-6-1102). Providing behavioral health services that are clinically unjustified or unsafe is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(r)).
Running it
RecordsArizona
What the client record holds, and six years to keep it
Each client record is protected from loss, damage, or alteration, confidential, legible, dated and signed on each entry, current, original, and disposed of confidentially; it holds contact information, records from others, release authorizations, progress notes, the informed consent, contemporaneous documentation of the treatment plan and its revisions, record requests and releases, contacts bearing on health, safety, welfare, or treatment, services provided, and the financial arrangements and nonpayment measures (R4-6-1103(A), (B)). Each progress note carries the date, the time spent, whether counseling was individual, couples, family, or group, and your dated signature (R4-6-1103(H)). Records are retained under 12-2297: at least six years after the adult's last service, and for a minor at least three years after the eighteenth birthday or six years after the last service, whichever is later (R4-6-1103(E); 12-2297(A)); failing to retain them is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(hh)).
Release only by law or by a written authorization with eight parts
Release client records or information only as federal or state law authorizes or with written authorization from the client or legal representative, obtained before the release and kept in the record (R4-6-1105(A), (B), (D)). The authorization names who is disclosing, the purpose, the recipient, the records described, a statement that it may be revoked at any time, an expiration date or circumstance no more than 12 months out, the signing date, and the client's dated signature (R4-6-1105(C)). When you treat several members of a family, each legally competent participating member authorizes release of their own information separately (R4-6-1105(E)). Disclosing a professional confidence except as law requires or a valid written release allows, and failing to follow state and federal law on storing and releasing identifiable information, are unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(t), (gg)).
PrivilegeArizona
The same privilege as attorney and client
The confidential relationship between a client and a licensee, including a temporary licensee, is the same as between an attorney and a client; unless the client waives the privilege in writing or in court testimony, a licensee shall not voluntarily or involuntarily divulge information received by reason of the relationship (32-3283(A)). The privilege does not extend to the duty to inform victims and appropriate authorities of a clear and imminent danger or to reports required by law, and a licensee must give the Board what it requires in an investigation (32-3283(B), (C)). A legal guardian may make treatment decisions, except that the client decides issues that directly affect the client's physical or emotional safety, such as sexual or exploitative relationships, issues the guardian reserves to the client, and services a minor may seek without consent under state or federal law (32-3283(D)).
Records to the client and to other providers, promptly
Make client records in your possession promptly available to another health professional and to the client or legal representative in accordance with 12-2293, and a minor client's records to the parent in accordance with 25-403.06 (R4-6-1103(C), (D)). Failing to make records available promptly to the client, a minor's parent, a guardian, or an authorized representative, or in a timely manner to another professional on proper authorization, is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(jj), (kk)). Subordinates, including employees, supervisees, clerical staff, and volunteers, must keep the client's confidentiality, and you answer for it (R4-6-1103(G)).
TerminationArizona
An appropriate referral when continuing services are indicated
Terminating behavioral health services to a client without making an appropriate referral for continuation of care, where continuing services are indicated, is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(s)). The treatment plan's annual review is where the rule expects you to describe the services the client may need after terminating with you (R4-6-1102(2)(b)). The rules set no notice period; the referral and its documentation are what the Board would look for.
SupervisingArizona
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
An LCSW who supervises an LMSW toward the LCSW must hold an active, unrestricted license, complete the 12-hour supervisor training and the Arizona tutorial, and, unless the Board exempts the arrangement, be employed by the same entity; the supervision sessions carry the documentation, client notice, observation, and format rules of R4-6-212, and the record is kept seven years (R4-6-212; R4-6-214). If the LMSW operates their own entity, the agreement must be approved by the Board first, and you may not oversee more than one such licensee (R4-6-211(B), (C)). Exploiting or harassing a supervisee is unprofessional conduct (32-3251(16)(x), (aa)).
StatusArizona
What the Board must hear from you
Report in writing information that would cause a reasonable licensee to believe another licensee is guilty of unprofessional conduct or unable to practice safely, unless the information is privileged and shows no clear and imminent danger (32-3251(16)(ff); 32-3281(A)); report adverse action on any professional license in another jurisdiction (32-3251(16)(ll)); furnish information the Board legally requests within the time specified and allow its investigators access to practice records on demand (32-3251(16)(o), (u)); give 30 days' notice of any address or telephone change (32-3276); and, when a complaint arrives, respond in writing within 30 days (R4-6-1001(A)).
MD
Where the Maryland rules come from. Health Occupations 19-101 (the definitions of private practice, psychotherapy, and the practice levels), 19-307 (scope limits), 19-318 (private practice disclosures), 19-401 and 19-402 (unlawful practice and titles), Courts and Judicial Proceedings 9-121 (the social worker privilege), Health-General 4-302, 4-307, and 4-403 (medical record confidentiality, mental health records, and retention), and the Board's regulations at COMAR 10.42.02 (scope of practice and independent practice), 10.42.03 (the code of ethics), and 10.42.10 (teletherapy), read on the General Assembly's statute site and the Library of Maryland Regulations in September 2026.
Who can open one
MD
Private practice is the LCSW-C. Private practice means the provision of psychotherapy by a licensed certified social worker-clinical who assumes responsibility and accountability for the nature and quality of the services, in exchange for direct payment or third-party reimbursement or on a pro bono basis as the Board's regulations allow (Health Occ. 19-101(o)). An LBSW, an LMSW, and an LCSW may not engage in private practice, though since January 1, 2020, an LMSW or LCSW may be employed in a private practice under an LCSW-C's supervision (19-307(c); COMAR 10.42.02.03B(6), (7), C(3), (4)). An LCSW-C may have a private practice, and an LBSW or LMSW approved for independent practice may practice without a social work supervisor but still within the nonclinical scope (COMAR 10.42.02.03D(6), .05). Everything below assumes the LCSW-C.
Before the first client
DisclosureMaryland
Three disclosures before the first service in a private practice
Before a licensee in a private individual, partnership, or group practice provides social work services, the client receives the licensee's professional identity, which may be given by directing the client to the license verification section of the Board's website; the services that are or may be provided and the fee for each or the hourly rate, by documented discussion or a printed fee schedule; and sufficient information to give informed consent to the nature of the services, by documented discussion or a signed written form kept in the client's file (19-318). The code of ethics adds that the licensee apprises the client of the risks, opportunities, and obligations of the services, makes the fee clear, keeps accurate financial records, stipulates payment schedules, and confirms reimbursement arrangements (COMAR 10.42.03.03A(1), (2)).
LCSW-C is the title, and the roster is the license
Only a licensee may use "social worker" or "social work" in a title or the abbreviations LBSW, LMSW, LCSW, or LCSW-C (19-402), and the licensee may not misrepresent professional qualifications, education, experience, or affiliation, or engage in solicitation amounting to fraud, intimidation, or undue influence (COMAR 10.42.03.03B(2), (4)). The Board's electronic record on its website, showing category, independent practice approval, status, expiration, and any discipline, is the official license; the wall certificate is not (19-306; COMAR 10.42.01.14).
ContinuityMaryland
A written transfer plan in case you cannot continue
The licensee prepares and gives an identified colleague or record custodian a written plan for the transfer of clients and files in the event of the licensee's incapacitation, death, or termination of service (COMAR 10.42.03.03A(4)), and when anticipating termination or interruption of service, notifies the client promptly and seeks transfer, referral, or continuation according to the client's need or preference (10.42.03.03A(3)). A licensee may not end services in order to enter a nonprofessional, social, or sexual relationship with the client or someone close to the client (10.42.03.05F).
TelehealthMaryland
Teletherapy: identity, disclosure, consent, security, and an emergency plan
A teletherapy practitioner serving a client located in Maryland must hold a Maryland license (COMAR 10.42.10.03). Before providing services, the practitioner follows a procedure to verify the client's identity by government photo identification, an insurance card, or date of birth and home address; discloses name, Maryland license number and type, and contact information at the first encounter; obtains oral or written informed consent including the risks, opportunities, and obligations of the services; collects and transmits clinical data securely with encryption; notifies clients of any data breach; uses a secure, private modality that complies with privacy law; and establishes safety protocols with emergency contact information at the client's location (10.42.10.04A). For synchronous sessions, confirm an alternative way to reach the client if technology fails, whether the client is in Maryland and where, and who is present at each location (10.42.10.04B). A clinical evaluation comes before treatment, and no client is treated on an online questionnaire alone (10.42.10.05).
Physical, nonsexual contact only with an assessment, a rationale, and a signed consent
A licensee who uses physical, nonsexual contact with a client as an accepted component of a professionally recognized, nontraditional treatment modality documents in the record an assessment of the client, a written rationale for the modality, and a copy of an informed consent signed and dated by both that covers the risks and benefits, the objectives and intended outcomes, the alternatives, and a description of the physical contact the client may reasonably anticipate (COMAR 10.42.03.06D). Interventions and assessment techniques are used only when the licensee knows the circumstances justify them, and their effectiveness is monitored (10.42.03.06A(3), (4)).
Running it
RecordsMaryland
What the record holds, and seven years before it can be destroyed
Documentation in the client's record is legible; accurately reflects the services, including treatment plans, goals, and contact notes; shows the time and date of each service; includes only information directly relevant to the delivery of services; is sufficient and timely to support continuity; stays reasonably accessible for the period Health-General 4-403 requires; and protects confidentiality and identity when technology is used (COMAR 10.42.03.03A(5)). A social worker, as a health care provider under 4-403, may not destroy a medical record for seven years after it is made unless the patient is notified, and a minor's record is kept until the age of majority plus seven years unless the parent or guardian, or in some cases the minor, is notified; destruction notice goes by first-class mail or email with a retrieval date (Health-General 4-403(a), (b) to (e)). Failing to maintain adequate records, or to comply with the maintenance, disclosure, and destruction rules in Health-General Title 4, Subtitles 3 and 4, are grounds for discipline (19-311(20), (21)).
Confidences shared only with consent, for danger, or for a compelling professional reason
The licensee may not share with another individual a confidence revealed by a client without the client's consent, except if there is danger to self or to another individual, or for a compelling professional reason (COMAR 10.42.03.03B(7)). A health care provider keeps the medical record confidential and discloses it only as the Confidentiality of Medical Records Act or other law provides (Health-General 4-302(a)); when a mental health record is disclosed without authorization, only the information relevant to the purpose may be released, and a provider's personal notes kept separately for the provider's own use are outside the medical record unless shared beyond a supervisor, consultant, or attorney (4-307(c), (d)). The Board's teletherapy rule adds breach notification and encryption (10.42.10.04A(4), (5)).
PrivilegeMaryland
The social worker privilege, and its eight exceptions
In all judicial or administrative proceedings, a client has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent the social worker or anyone participating in the services under the social worker's supervision from disclosing, communications made while the client was receiving counseling or any information that would show counseling occurred; the statute is written for the licensed certified social worker under Title 19 and those rendering services with or under one (Courts 9-121(a), (b)). There is no privilege where disclosure is necessary to place the client in a facility for mental illness, in a court-ordered examination after warning, where the client or a successor puts the mental condition at issue, in a malpractice claim against the social worker, on express waiver, in criminal, peace order, or extreme risk protective order proceedings where the client harassed or threatened the social worker, in nondelinquent juvenile proceedings, in child placement agency guardianship and adoption cases, in guardianship and protective services proceedings for disabled persons, or in any criminal or delinquency proceeding charging or arising from child abuse or neglect (9-121(d), (e)).
Make the fee for service clear, keep accurate financial records, stipulate payment schedules, and confirm reimbursement arrangements (COMAR 10.42.03.03A(2)); do not share a fee or accept or give anything of value for receiving or making a referral, and do not participate in dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation (10.42.03.03B(1), (8)). Submitting a false statement to collect a fee and making or filing a false report or record are statutory grounds for discipline (19-311(11), (13)). An LMSW employed in the practice may be paid by the practice but may not hold the private practice (10.42.02.03B(7)).
SupervisingMaryland
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
An LMSW employed in a private practice works under an LCSW-C's supervision, and an LCSW-C who supervises a candidate for the LCSW-C must first be a Board-approved supervisor with 18 months of post-certified practice, the supervision training, a clean five-year record, and the $20 registration, under the Board's written contract signed before the hours begin (COMAR 10.42.02.03B(7); 10.42.08.03F, .05). The supervisor keeps session records five years, evaluates in writing every six months, ensures the supervisee practices within scope, and gives notice before ending supervision (10.42.08.07C). Practicing social work with an unauthorized person or supervising or aiding an unauthorized person in the practice is a ground for discipline (19-311(10)).
StatusMaryland
What the Board must hear from you
Notify the Board within 60 days of an address or name change, or before July 1 of the renewal year (19-308(c); COMAR 10.42.01.15H, I); inform the Board of unethical conduct by a licensed social worker and of unlicensed practice, and report a colleague's impairment or incompetence that the colleague does not address or that endangers a client (10.42.03.04); cooperate with any lawful Board investigation, since refusing is a ground in itself (19-311(16)); and know that while under investigation you may not surrender the license or let it lapse without the Board's agreement (19-310). The Board reports formal sanctions for ethical misconduct to the National Practitioner Data Bank, and a licensee may not condition a settlement on the client not reporting misconduct (10.42.03.07).
CO
Where the Colorado rules come from. C.R.S. 12-245-216 (mandatory disclosure), 12-245-217 (exemptions), 12-245-218 (title use), 12-245-220 (confidential communications), 12-245-224 (prohibited activities), 12-245-226 (the seven-year records rule and reporting duties), 12-245-401 and 12-245-405 (independent private practice), 13-90-107(1)(g) (the testimonial privilege), and the Board's Rules 1.5 (disclosure), 1.7 (supervisory relationships), 1.16 (records), and 1.23 (sexual misconduct disclosure), read on leg.colorado.gov and the Legal Information Institute in September 2026.
Who can open one
CO
Independent private practice is the LCSW. A licensed clinical social worker is entitled to engage in the private, independent practice of clinical social work (C.R.S. 12-245-405(2)); independent practice means practicing independent of supervision, and independent private practice means a practice charging a fee outside the auspices of a public or private nonprofit agency (12-245-401(5), (6)). An LSW practices under supervision, and psychotherapy and other clinical activities are limited to LCSWs and to LSWs and clinical social worker candidates supervised under 12-245-404(2)(c) (12-245-405(1); 12-245-408). A person with only the degree may practice social work and use the title "social worker" but may not claim clinical practice (12-245-405(5)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
DisclosureColorado
The mandatory disclosure statement, in writing, at the first contact
At the initial client contact, give each client in writing your name, business address, and telephone; every degree, credential, and license you hold with the education, experience, and training each required; a statement that the practice of licensed persons in psychotherapy is regulated by the Division, with the Board's address and telephone; that the client is entitled to information about methods, techniques, the duration of therapy if known, and the fee structure; that the client may seek a second opinion or terminate at any time; that sexual intimacy is never appropriate and should be reported to the Board; that information is legally confidential except under 12-245-220 and other legal exceptions you will identify if they arise; and that records may not be maintained after seven years (12-245-216(1)). The client, parent, or guardian signs it by the second visit, an oral explanation goes with it for a client who cannot read, and the initial contact means the first real session rather than a call about office hours (12-245-216(5), (6); Rule 1.5). Emergencies, court-ordered treatment, forensic evaluation, and hospital practice are exempt (12-245-216(4)).
A separate disclosure if you have a sexual misconduct conviction or discipline
Since March 1, 2021, a licensee who has a conviction or guilty plea for sexual misconduct, or a final agency action placing the license on probation or limiting practice for it, gives each patient a separate written disclosure on the Board's model form, signed by the patient in acknowledgment and agreement to treatment, the same day the appointment is scheduled or before treatment, and again if the information changes; the duty ends when the probation or limitation is satisfied (12-30-115; Rule 1.23; Appendix A). Emergency, unscheduled, and unconscious-patient visits are excepted (Rule 1.23E).
TitlesColorado
LCSW is the title, and advertising must be true
A social worker may use only the title for which they are licensed, and no one else may use "licensed clinical social worker", "clinical social worker", "LCSW", or the other protected terms, or imply licensure; stating an earned degree is always allowed (12-245-218). Misleading, deceptive, or false advertising is a prohibited activity, as is advertising that you will commit health insurance abuse (12-245-224(1)(c), (d)). Practicing without an active license is a class 2 misdemeanor, and fees from unlawful practice are recoverable by the client (12-245-228; 12-20-407).
Referrals and FeesColorado
No paying or taking anything for a referral, and no marketing contracts tied to client volume
Accepting commissions, rebates, or other remuneration for referring clients, and offering or giving them for referrals, are prohibited, except payment for actual services such as marketing, office space, administrative, consultative, or clinical services, never for the referral itself; an independent advertising agent may be paid for results on a per-patient basis (12-245-224(1)(o), (q)). A contract for marketing, office space, administrative support, or other overhead may not tie the contractor's pay to the number of clients you see, the value of your services, or your recoveries (12-245-224(1.5)). Undue influence on a client to promote sales of services, goods, property, or drugs for your or a third party's gain is prohibited (12-245-224(1)(j)).
TelehealthColorado
Licensed for the client's location, and registered if you are out of state
Licensure follows the physical location of the patient when services are rendered: a client located in Colorado needs a Colorado credential or a DORA telehealth registration on the provider's side, and a Colorado licensee needs no separate registration to practice telehealth (DORA). Since January 1, 2026, an out-of-state mental health provider without a Colorado credential may hold a DORA telehealth registration on a valid home-state credential, no discipline in five years, the jurisprudence exam where Colorado requires it, and full disclosure of restrictions, discipline, and malpractice (SB 24-141; DORA). A nonresident licensee may also practice in Colorado up to 20 days a year within the home license, with public disclosure of nonlicensure here (12-245-217(2)(e)). The Board's supervision rule counts telecommunication among the modes of supervision (Rule 1.7B(4)).
What the record holds, and seven years from the last contact
Every social worker creates and keeps a record on each client for seven years from termination of services or the last contact, whichever is later, containing the treating therapist's name; the client's identifying data and any parent or guardian; the reasons for services; the mandatory disclosure statement; the dates services began, each contact, and the last contact; the types of service; fees; any release of information; enough that a subsequent provider can reasonably conclude what occurred; each test administered with dates and administrators; each referral and consultation with names and outcomes; and a closing statement if services ended (Rule 1.16A, B). Records are stored securely with access limited to authorized persons, transferred only with the client's consent where possible, and destroyed by obliterating identifying data (Rule 1.16D to G). Falsified or repeatedly missing essential entries are prohibited activities (12-245-224(1)(u)).
The seven-year notice, and a plan for your records if you cannot keep them
A complaint about maintenance of an adult client's records must be filed within seven years of discovery, and a licensee must tell every client in writing, no later than 180 days after the end of treatment, that records may not be maintained after that seven-year period; the notice may sit in the mandatory disclosure or go to the client's last known address (12-245-226(1)(a)(II)(A); 12-245-216(1)(f)). Every social worker keeps a plan for the disposition of records on disability, illness, or death, on termination of the practice, and on sale or transfer, with a designated person to handle it and a reasonable effort to notify clients (Rule 1.16F).
ConfidentialityColorado
No disclosure without consent, with the statute's exceptions
A licensee shall not disclose, without the client's consent, any confidential communication made by the client or advice given in the course of professional employment, and neither may employees, associates, or anyone who participated in supervised therapy including group sessions (12-245-220(1)). Disclosure is permitted when the client sues or complains about the care, in consultation with a professional who was sued on the same case, in a Board investigation or hospital or professional review, and when a client makes an articulable and significant threat against a school or its occupants, limited to school personnel and law enforcement, with immunity for disclosing or not (12-245-220(2)). The section does not apply in delinquency or criminal proceedings, and nothing in it bars other disclosures required by law, such as child abuse and at-risk elder reports (12-245-220(4), (5)).
The testimonial privilege, for licensees and candidates alike
A licensed social worker, a clinical social worker candidate described in 12-245-217, and their secretaries and clerks shall not be examined without the client's consent as to any communication made by the client or advice given in the course of professional employment (13-90-107(1)(g)). The privilege sits alongside the confidentiality statute; the duty-to-warn statute and the reporting statutes are the doors out of both (13-21-117; 19-3-304; 18-6.5-108).
TerminationColorado
End a relationship that is not helping, refer what is beyond you
Failing to terminate a relationship with a client when it is reasonably clear the client is not benefiting and is unlikely to, failing to refer a client whose problem is beyond your training, experience, or competence, and failing to obtain a consultation or make a referral when generally accepted standards call for one are each prohibited activities (12-245-224(1)(k), (l), (m)). Performing services outside your area of training, experience, or competence is another (12-245-224(1)(h)). The rules set no notice period; the record's closing statement and referral entries are what an investigator would read (Rule 1.16B(11), (12)).
SupervisingColorado
Supervising candidates, LSWs, and employees in your practice
Supervising a clinical social worker candidate toward the LCSW takes an active LCSW and the personal and responsible direction, record keeping, and verified statement that Rule 1.14 describes; supervising anyone else for non-licensure purposes takes monitoring for generally accepted standards, verifying that the supervisee gives the mandatory disclosure, keeping supervision records, adequate termination notice, and assuring no inappropriate relationships between supervisor, supervisee, and client (Rule 1.14C; Rule 1.7C). Failing to render adequate professional supervision of persons practicing under your supervision, and treating employees, supervisees, close colleagues, or relatives, are prohibited activities, and an administrative supervisor may be accountable for not reporting a supervisee's misconduct (12-245-224(1)(i), (n); Rule 1.7B(3)).
StatusColorado
What the Board must hear from you
Report a malpractice settlement or judgment within 60 days of disposition (12-245-226(7)); report another licensee's violation of the prohibited activities or unauthorized practice within 60 days of direct knowledge, unless doing so would breach client confidentiality, and with the client's informed consent when the knowledge came from the client (12-245-226(8); Rule 1.6); notify the Board of a physical or mental condition that affects your ability to treat clients safely, or agree to a confidential agreement to limit practice (12-245-224(1)(f); 12-245-223; Rule 1.21); and respond to any complaint in the manner the Board requires, since failing to respond is itself a prohibited activity (12-245-224(1)(x)).
SC
Where the South Carolina rules come from. S.C. Code 40-63-20 (the definitions of private practice and the license scopes), 40-63-30 and 40-63-35 (licensure for services delivered into the state, and the behavioral telehealth registration), 40-63-190 (disclosure of client information), 40-63-250 (display and signature), 40-63-270 (professional disclosure and client rights), 40-63-290 (exemptions), and 19-11-95 (confidences of mental health patients), and the Board's Regulations 110-20 (Principles of Professional Ethics) and 110-30 (supervised LMSW practice) with the Board's FAQ on telepractice, read on scstatehouse.gov and llr.sc.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
SC
Private practice is the LISW. Private practice means the provision of clinical or advanced social work services by a Licensed Independent Social Worker who assumes responsibility for the nature and quality of the services in exchange for direct payment or third-party reimbursement (S.C. Code 40-63-20(27)). An LISW-CP practices clinical social work independently; an LISW-AP practices advanced, nonclinical social work independently and may not practice clinical social work independently (40-63-20(24), (25)). An LMSW may engage in supervised clinical or advanced practice only in social, medical, or governmental agencies and may not practice privately or independently, and an LMSW moving from a state that allowed private practice loses that here (Reg. 110-30; Board FAQ). Everything below assumes the LISW-CP.
Before the first client
DisclosureSouth Carolina
The statement of professional disclosure, and the client's rights
A licensee shall make available to each client a statement of professional disclosure with the licensee's address and telephone number, fee schedule, educational training, and areas of specialization, and every social worker must give the client a statement of the client's rights and the procedures to file a complaint, as the Board prescribes (40-63-270(A)). The ethics regulation adds that a social worker provides accurate and complete information about the extent and nature of the services available (Reg. 110-20(10)). No licensee may prescribe or dispense medications (40-63-270(B)).
Display the license, sign with the category, advertise honestly
Display the license in a prominent and conspicuous place in the primary place of practice, and indicate the category of licensure after your name or signature on all professional documents (40-63-250(B), (C)). Publishing or circulating a fraudulent, false, or misleading statement about a social worker's skill or methods of practice is a ground for discipline, and the ethics regulation bars misrepresenting professional qualifications, education, experience, affiliations, or services performed (40-63-110(B)(5); Reg. 110-20(11)). Only a licensee may use "Social Worker" or the initials LISW (40-63-30(A)).
FeesSouth Carolina
No fee splitting, no referral payments, no soliciting your agency's clients
A social worker will not divide a fee or accept or give anything of value for receiving or making a referral, shall not solicit the clients of an employing agency for private practice, gives precedence to professional responsibility over financial interests, and shall not exploit relationships with clients for personal or business advantage beyond the agreed compensation (Reg. 110-20(1), (2), (7), (9)). Obtaining fees under deceptive, false, or fraudulent circumstances is a statutory ground for discipline (40-63-110(B)(10)).
TelehealthSouth Carolina
A South Carolina license for a client in South Carolina, wherever you sit
A person providing social work services to a client in this state by telephone, electronic, or other means, regardless of the social worker's location, is practicing without a license unless licensed or registered here, and a South Carolina licensee may provide services by those means within the scope of the license (40-63-30(B)). The Board has no separate telemental health standards; it expects compliance with state and federal law such as HIPAA and with the Principles of Professional Ethics, and recommends education in the ethical and safe practice of telemental health and reference to the NASW Code where the rules are silent (Board FAQ). An out-of-state clinical social worker without a South Carolina license may serve clients here only through the $10 behavioral telehealth registration, which bars in-person services and a South Carolina office (40-63-35).
Consent before recording or observation, and conflicts disclosed
The social worker shall obtain informed consent of clients before taping, recording, or permitting third-party observation of their activities (Reg. 110-20(16)), and will inform clients of any possible or apparent conflict of interest and terminate service and the relationship where a conflict arises, in a manner that does not endanger the client's life (Reg. 110-20(3)).
Running it
ConfidentialitySouth Carolina
Six doors out of confidentiality in the Practice Act
No licensee, employee, or associate shall disclose information acquired during the course of service except as mandated by the child abuse and vulnerable adult reporting statutes; to prevent a clear and immediate danger to a person or persons where the information is necessary to keep the client from harming self or others; where the licensee is a defendant in a civil, criminal, or disciplinary action arising from the service, and then only in that action; where the client puts their mental condition at issue in a proceeding; under a written waiver previously obtained, on its terms, with every legally competent client in conjoint services agreeing before any confidence is released; or where otherwise required by law or a judge's order (40-63-190). The ethics regulation names consultation on the client's behalf, the duty to warn, child abuse and sexual molestation, and statutory requirements as compelling reasons (Reg. 110-20(15)).
The mental health confidences statute, for LMSWs and LISWs
A provider, which includes a licensed master social worker or licensed independent social worker who enters a relationship to diagnose, counsel, or treat a mental illness or emotional condition, may not knowingly reveal a patient's confidence, use it to the patient's disadvantage, or use it for the provider's or a third person's advantage without written authorization after disclosure of what will be used and how (19-11-95(A), (B)). A provider may reveal confidences with written authorization after telling the patient what will be revealed and to whom; when allowed by law; the patient's intention to commit a crime or harm themselves, with the information necessary to prevent it; what is reasonably necessary to collect a fee or defend against an accusation; what is necessary within professional standards to promote care; in peer review; and for insurance claims with written authorization (19-11-95(C)). A provider shall reveal confidences when required by statute or court order for good cause where the condition is at issue, under a licensing board's subpoena, and in a licensing proceeding; each disclosure is limited to the information and recipients the purpose requires, and recipients are bound by the same duty (19-11-95(D) to (F)).
What the Practice Act and regulation say about records, and what they leave to you
The Practice Act sets no retention period for social work records, and the Board's regulations set none; what they require is that a social worker not commit fraud or represent having performed services not performed, and that intentionally false statements in any document connected with the practice are a ground for discipline (Reg. 110-20(8); 40-63-110(B)(11)). A provider under 19-11-95 exercises reasonable care to keep employees and associates from disclosing confidences (19-11-95(G)). Set a written retention policy that satisfies your payers and HIPAA, and treat the client's file as the record an investigator will read.
TerminationSouth Carolina
Prompt notice, and transfer or referral by the client's needs
A social worker who anticipates the termination or interruption of service shall notify clients promptly and seek the transfer, referral, or continuation of service in relation to the clients' needs and preferences (Reg. 110-20(14)); terminates service and relationships when they are no longer required or a conflict of interest arises, without endangering the client's life (110-20(3)); and shall not repeatedly fail to keep scheduled appointments (110-20(13)). The client relationship is presumed to continue for six months after the last service unless circumstances such as a new therapist show otherwise, which matters for the boundary rules (110-20(6)).
SupervisingSouth Carolina
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
An LMSW may deliver clinical services only in a social, medical, or governmental agency under an appropriately credentialed professional employed there who is responsible for the nature and quality of the services and bills for them; a private practice that fits the regulation's definition of a social or medical agency can employ an LMSW on those terms, and an LISW-CP employed there may be the workplace supervisor (Reg. 110-30; Board FAQ; Board contract). To be the contract supervisor for LISW hours you must be Board-approved: 4,500 clinical hours over three years after the LISW-CP, 45 hours of supervision training, the exam, and the $45 application (40-63-240(D); Board). Knowingly performing an act that assists a person to practice social work illegally is a ground for discipline (40-63-110(B)(4)).
StatusSouth Carolina
What the Board must hear from you
The social worker shall report to the appropriate authorities any incident, of which they have personal knowledge, of unethical social practice by any individual or organization (Reg. 110-20(17)); a behavioral telehealth registrant reports restrictions or discipline anywhere within five business days (40-63-35(E)); a licensee under investigation may surrender the license only under the general provisions (40-63-150); and complaints, investigations, and proceedings are confidential, with complainants' communications privileged unless malicious (40-63-90(D), (E)). Renewal is by December 31 of even years, and a lapse ends the right to practice (40-63-250(F); Board).
AL
Where the Alabama rules come from. Ala. Code 34-30-3 (private independent practice and the LICSW scope), 34-30-1 (full-time and part-time), 34-30-28 (display), 34-30-30 and 34-30-31 (partnerships, groups, and professional associations), 34-30-33 (titles), 34-30-34 (no psychological labels), and 26-14-10 (privilege in child abuse proceedings), with the Board's rules 850-X-2-.02 (the classes and private practice), 850-X-2-.04 (telehealth), 850-X-3-.02 (supervising in your practice), 850-X-9-.01 (the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics), and 850-X-10-.01 (grounds), the Alabama Rules of Evidence 503 and 503A, and Morton v. Prescott, 564 So. 2d 913 (Ala. 1990), read on Justia, Cornell's Legal Information Institute, judicial.alabama.gov, and CourtListener in September 2026.
Who can open one
AL
Independent clinical practice is the LICSW, and social casework in private practice is the PIP certification. No individual may engage in the independent clinical practice of social work unless licensed as an independent clinical social worker with the CSWE master's or doctorate, two years of full-time or three years of part-time postgraduate supervised experience in the social work method (four or five years in a specialty), the Board's examination, the Board's certified letter of certification for private independent practice, and the certification fee (Ala. Code 34-30-3(a)). The Board's rule reads the LICSW as able to engage in the private practice of social work in all areas except social casework, and reserves private practice in social casework, including work as an independent contractor, to an LICSW certified for Private Independent Practice: three years full-time or five part-time postgraduate experience in social casework, or one year full-time or two part-time after the LICSW, on the $75 PIP application reviewed by two Board members (850-X-2-.02(3), (4); 850-X-5-.02; 850-X-4-.01(6)). The statute reserves independent clinical practice to the LICSW; an LMSW works under supervision for the first two years and thereafter within the LMSW scope of casework, community organization, research, administration, and, with the clinical designation, clinical practice (34-30-3(a); 850-X-2-.02(2)). Everything below assumes the LICSW, and the PIP letter where casework is the service.
Before the first client
ScopeAlabama
Diagnose and plan treatment, and six things the statute says you may not do
The scope of practice of a licensed independent clinical social worker includes the authority to diagnose and develop treatment plans, but not the diagnosis, treatment, or advice for conditions outside the boundaries of the practice of social work (34-30-3(b)). Diagnose and treatment may not be read to permit any act a licensed clinical social worker is not educated or trained to perform, including administering or interpreting psychological tests or intellectual, neuropsychological, personality, or projective instruments; admitting anyone to a hospital for a condition outside social work; treating anyone in a hospital setting without medical supervision; prescribing drugs; authorizing laboratory or radiological procedures; and electroconvulsive therapy (34-30-3(c)). No licensee may describe or label any test, report, or procedure as psychological or as a psychological evaluation (34-30-34). A licensee may take verbal orders from physicians only as they pertain to social work practice and may not prescribe medication (850-X-2-.02).
Display the license, use the licensed title, advertise honestly
The license is displayed in the licensee's principal place of practice (34-30-28). Only a licensee may use "social worker" or the letters SW, LBSW, LMSW, or LICSW, and no agency or facility may apply the title to unlicensed staff (34-30-33). The conduct standards bar misrepresenting professional qualifications, licensure, certification, education, experience, or affiliations, and the discipline rule reaches false or misleading statements about a social worker's skills or the efficacy or value of any treatment, including false or misleading advertising (850-X-9-.01(1)(b)2.; 850-X-10-.01(1)(e)).
FeesAlabama
Fair fees, explained up front, and never split for a referral
When setting fees the social worker ensures they are fair, reasonable, considerate, and commensurate with the service, with due regard for the client's ability to pay, and explains the fee schedule so the client understands it (850-X-9-.01(2)(d)). The social worker shall not divide a fee with a referral source or accept a divided fee as compensation for a referral, so that referrals rest on the client's interests alone (850-X-9-.01(2)(d)1.). Giving or receiving any fee, commission, rebate, or other compensation for professional services not actually and personally rendered is a ground for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(i)). Licensed independent clinical social workers may practice as partners or in groups and pool and divide fees under partnership or other agreements once the certificate for doing business is filed, and may form professional associations (34-30-30; 34-30-31).
TelehealthAlabama
An Alabama license, a client inside Alabama, documented consent, and HIPAA
An individual who provides social work via telehealth to a client located in Alabama must hold an active Alabama license in good standing and follow the Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics; the client must be located within the borders of the state (850-X-2-.04(1), (3)). On initiating telehealth the licensee obtains and documents informed consent, assesses whether the client is appropriate for telehealth, and uses best practices for confidentiality and the security of the communication, keeping the electronic communication secure as HIPAA requires; the licensee makes a reasonable effort to stay knowledgeable about the advantages and drawbacks of professional online relationships (850-X-2-.04(2), (4), (5)). The rule does not address an Alabama licensee serving a client in another state; that state's law governs, and the Compact will when multistate practice is live (34-30-100 through 34-30-116).
Rights, risks, limits of confidentiality, and consent before recording
The social worker apprises clients of their risks, rights, opportunities, and obligations associated with social service, provides accurate and complete information about the extent and nature of the services available, and informs clients fully about the limits of confidentiality in a given situation, the purposes for which information is obtained, and how it may be used (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)12., 13.; (2)(c)2.). Informed consent is obtained before taping, recording, or permitting third-party observation of a client's activities (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)6.).
Running it
ConfidentialityAlabama
Confidence except as required by law, and five doors for records
The social worker respects the privacy of clients and holds in confidence all information obtained in the course of professional service except as required by law, and shares confidences revealed by clients without their consent only for compelling professional reasons or as required by law (850-X-9-.01(2)(c), (c)1.). Records or other oral or written information that personally identifies the client are not released to third parties unless the client or authorized representative consents in writing; a court of competent jurisdiction orders release; the records are otherwise due to be disclosed under Alabama or federal law; the information released does not compromise the confidentiality of other individuals; or the Board issues a subpoena under its investigatory authority (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)3.). Violating the confidentiality between social worker and client except as required or permitted by law is a ground for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(f)). Precautions cover computers, e-mail, fax, telephone, voicemail, social media, and other technology, and identifying information is avoided whenever possible (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)7.).
Alabama's evidentiary privileges name physicians, psychologists, and counselors, not social workers
Alabama Rule of Evidence 503 gives a patient a privilege over confidential communications for diagnosis or treatment of a mental or emotional condition with a psychotherapist, defined as a person licensed to practice medicine while regularly engaged in diagnosing or treating mental or emotional conditions, or a person licensed as a psychologist; it excepts hospitalization proceedings where the psychotherapist has found the patient needs hospitalization, court-ordered examinations, an insanity defense, breach of duty between the two, and child custody cases where a party's mental state is clearly at issue (Ala. R. Evid. 503). Rule 503A covers licensed professional counselors, certified counselor associates, and victim counselors (Ala. R. Evid. 503A). Neither rule names a licensed social worker, and no Alabama statute read in September 2026 creates a social worker-client privilege; in a proceeding arising from a child abuse report, no privilege except attorney-client excludes evidence of a child's injuries or their cause (26-14-10). The Board's confidentiality standard and HIPAA govern what you release short of a court order, and a subpoena for records is answered under the rule's five doors, so ask counsel before producing a file.
Timely, accurate records kept at least three years, secure, and open to the client
The social worker keeps timely and accurate records detailing problems, treatment plans, scope of services, and the dates and content of client contacts for a minimum of three years after the date services were last provided, securely kept to protect confidentiality (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)3.). Clients are afforded reasonable access to any official social work records concerning them, with due care to protect the confidences of others in those records (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)4., 5.). Failing to properly manage, maintain, and preserve client records, and failing to transfer pertinent and necessary records when the client or the client's legal representative asks, are grounds for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(g), (h)). Three years is the Board's floor; HIPAA and your payers may require longer.
TerminationAlabama
End service when it no longer serves the client, and never precipitously
The social worker terminates service and professional relationships when they are no longer required or no longer serve the client's needs or best interests; does not withdraw services precipitously except in unusual circumstances, weighing all factors and minimizing adverse effects; and, when anticipating termination or interruption, notifies clients promptly and seeks transfer, referral, or continuation in relation to the client's needs and preferences (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)15. to 17.). Advice and counsel of colleagues and supervisors are sought whenever consultation serves the client (850-X-9-.01(2)(a)14.).
SupervisingAlabama
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
Supervision toward licensure can occur within a group practice setting, and an LICSW who is a Board-approved supervisor may supervise clinical experience toward the LICSW (850-X-2-.03(2); 850-X-3-.01(7)(a)). Board-approved status takes Form A, the $50 fee, an acceptable supervisor training program, and three supervision CE hours each biennium (850-X-3-.01; 850-X-5-.02). The supervisor may not charge an employee or contract employee for supervision, may not be employed by the supervisee, may not be a family member, keeps signed session notes, signs the Responsibility Statement before starting, and makes sure the supervisee's billing shows the supervisee's licensure category and supervised status (850-X-3-.02(a), (c), (e), (f), (h), (q)). Aiding and abetting the practice of social work by an unlicensed, incompetent, or impaired individual, and allowing anyone to use your license, are grounds for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(p), (q)).
Duty to WarnAlabama
No statute; the case law asks for a specific threat to an identifiable person
Alabama has no duty-to-warn statute for social workers. The Supreme Court of Alabama has held that, absent special relationships or circumstances, a person has no duty to protect another from the criminal acts of a third person, and that a psychiatrist who discharged a voluntary patient owed no duty to a stranger the patient assaulted the next day, because the patient had made no specific threat against the victim or any identifiable group; the Court adopted the rule that the duty to warn arises from a prior threat to a specific identifiable victim, and wrote that once specific threats are verbalized, the possibility of harm to third persons becomes foreseeable and the duty arises (Morton v. Prescott, 564 So. 2d 913, 915-16 (Ala. 1990), following King v. Smith, 539 So. 2d 262 (Ala. 1989)). The Board's standard permits sharing confidences without consent for compelling professional reasons or as required by law (850-X-9-.01(2)(c)1.). When a client makes a specific threat against an identifiable person, document the threat and your assessment, consult, warn the person and law enforcement, consider the commitment petition, and record each step; the cases involved physicians, and none read applied the rule to a social worker.
Failing to report to the Board any adverse action by another licensing jurisdiction or the surrender of a license elsewhere, failing to provide information the Board requests or to cooperate with a lawful investigation, and failing to comply with a probation stipulation or settlement are each grounds for discipline (850-X-10-.01(1)(s) to (v)). The social worker takes action through appropriate channels against unethical conduct by another member of the profession and acts to prevent unauthorized and unqualified practice (850-X-9-.01(5)(a)2., 3.). Renewal falls in the issue month every two years, with 60 days after expiration before the license terminates (34-30-26; 850-X-7-.02).
KY
Where the Kentucky rules come from. KRS 335.020 (the definition of clinical social work), 335.080(3) and 335.100(3) (the CSW contract and the LCSW's responsibility for it), 335.158 (telehealth), 335.150 (grounds), and 202A.400 (the duty to warn), with 201 KAR 23:060 (scopes), 23:070 (supervising a CSW in your practice), and 23:080 (the Code of Ethical Conduct: client relationships, informed consent, advertising, payment, confidentiality, records, dual relationships, referral and termination), and Kentucky Rule of Evidence 507, read on the Legislative Research Commission's site and bsw.ky.gov in September 2026.
Who can open one
KY
Independent clinical practice is the LCSW. A licensed clinical social worker may engage in the practice of clinical social work, hold themselves out to the public as doing so, and employ a CSW under a Board-approved supervision contract (201 KAR 23:060 Section 3; KRS 335.100(3)). A CSW may practice clinical social work only under a written contract with an LCSW who assumes responsibility for and supervises the practice, only as an employee of an institution or organization in which the CSW has no interest other than employment, and the Board's FAQ adds that a CSW in supervision is in training and cannot practice as an independent therapist until licensed as an LCSW (335.080(3); Board FAQ). An LSW may not practice clinical social work at all (335.090(3)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeKentucky
What clinical social work is, and the line at psychology
The practice of clinical social work requires the application of specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skills in assessment, diagnosis, evidence-based interventions, research, and treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders, conditions, or addictions, not including activities reserved to the practice of psychology under KRS 319.010 except as KRS 319.015(3) permits (KRS 335.020(5)). The regulation describes it as evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a mental disorder as related to the individual's total health, with assessment and diagnosis in professionally recognized clinical nomenclature, treatment planning coordinated with other clinicians, evaluation of progress, and termination (201 KAR 23:070 Sections 1(4) and 3). A social worker shall not provide a service outside the scope of practice for the license and shall provide services in the least restrictive mode of care (23:080 Section 3(3), (8)).
TitlesKentucky
Display the license, post the Board's notice, advertise accurately
The license is displayed in the principal place of practice and, for virtual or remote practice, made accessible to clients electronically (KRS 335.100(2)). A written notice of the Board's regulatory authority is displayed in public view in the office or service site with your name, license type, license number, and the Board's name, address, and telephone (201 KAR 23:080 Section 3(4)). A social worker accurately presents services, education, credentials, qualifications, and license level, never displays an expired, suspended, or revoked license, and uses no business card, sign, letterhead, directory listing, or electronic listing that contains a material misrepresentation or is likely to create an unjustified expectation (23:080 Section 7). Any unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice is a ground for discipline (335.150(1)(c)).
FeesKentucky
Fees explained first, no bartering, no referral payments, and honest billing
A social worker ensures the client is informed of the fee and billing arrangement before rendering a service; does not bill, or let a client or third party be billed, for a service known to be not provided, improperly provided, provided by someone not named on the statement, or unnecessary; does not offer or accept payment or other compensation for a referral; does not accept bartered services as remuneration; and may take legal measures to collect an unpaid agreed fee only after reasonable advance notice, releasing no more client information than collection requires (201 KAR 23:080 Section 8). Fee-splitting with other telehealth providers is barred separately (KRS 335.158(1)(g)).
TelehealthKentucky
The statute's checklist for every telehealth encounter
A social worker who provides or facilitates telehealth obtains informed consent first, keeps confidentiality under HIPAA and state law, makes the services accessible to clients with disabilities, discloses the privacy and technology risks, when and how electronic messages are used, how emergencies are handled, who may access communications, and the social worker's identity, credentials, and licensing jurisdiction, assesses whether telehealth suits the client's condition and skills, keeps the same standard of care as in person, and does not split fees or advertise deceptively (KRS 335.158(1)). Each time, the social worker makes a reasonable attempt to verify the client's identity and to verify and document the client's physical location, obtains an alternative way to reach the client, explains how to reach the social worker, uses non-public-facing HIPAA-compliant technology unless the client, informed of the risks in writing or a documented conversation, requests otherwise and the request and consent are recorded, and documents that the service was by telehealth with any technical difficulties (335.158(2)). When a client is at imminent risk of serious harm, these requirements may be waived for a single encounter or successive contacts within the same crisis up to 24 hours, with the rationale documented (335.158(3)). The social worker complies with the licensing, telehealth, mandatory reporting, duty to warn, and age of consent laws of Kentucky, of where the social worker sits, and of where the client is (335.158(5)).
Written consent stating the condition, the service, the benefits, the risks, the alternatives, and the right to refuse
A social worker obtains informed consent from the client or legal guardian in writing before providing a social work service, after informing the client of the client's condition, the recommended service, reasonable expectations of benefit, possible foreseeable risks or negative consequences, possible alternative services, and the right to refuse; the writing expressly states the nature of the consent (201 KAR 23:080 Section 4(1), (5)). Written consent is obtained before audiotaping or videotaping (Section 4(2)). A client referred by a third party with a continuing interest is told of the social worker's duties to that party, and a family member receiving collateral services is told of the duties to the primary client and the limits of service to them (Section 4(3), (4)). A legal guardian is the client for decisions about a minor's or incompetent adult's services, but the minor or adult is the client on any issue that directly affects their physical or emotional safety, including a prohibited relationship (Section 2).
Running it
ConfidentialityKentucky
Four doors out of confidentiality, and never more than the law requires
A social worker holds communications with a client in confidence and maintains client records confidentially, and may disclose client information only if the client has signed an authorization; the social worker is required by law to disclose essential information out of a duty to protect, warn, or report; the social worker is a defendant in a civil or criminal action or a respondent in a disciplinary process; or the client has raised their mental condition as an element in a civil action and the court has ordered release (201 KAR 23:080 Section 9(1), (2)). No more client information is disclosed than the law requires, identifying information is removed from training manuals, writing, and classroom presentations, and the confidentiality of a deceased client is protected (Section 9(3) to (5)). Violating the code is a ground for discipline, and violating the confidentiality of a mental health record under KRS Chapter 202A is a Class B misdemeanor (KRS 335.150(1)(g); 202A.991(2)).
The psychotherapist-patient privilege covers the LCSW, and abuse reports override it
Kentucky Rule of Evidence 507 gives a patient, or the patient's authorized representative, a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent others from disclosing confidential communications made for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment of the patient's mental condition with a psychotherapist, and a psychotherapist includes a licensed clinical social worker licensed by the Kentucky Board of Social Work, alongside physicians, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses; a CSW is not named (KRE 507(a), (b)). There is no privilege in proceedings to hospitalize the patient where the psychotherapist has determined the patient needs hospitalization, for a court-ordered examination after the patient was told it would not be privileged, or where the patient's mental condition is an element of a claim or defense (KRE 507(c)). No professional-client privilege except attorney-client and clergy-penitent is a ground for refusing to report child dependency, neglect, or abuse or for excluding the evidence in the resulting proceedings (KRS 620.030(5)).
Five years from termination, or until the client turns twenty
A social worker does not deceptively alter a client record, retains and secures it in a manner that maintains confidentiality, destroys it only in a way that ensures confidentiality, and maintains it for at least five years from the date of termination of service or until the client reaches the age of twenty, whichever is longer (201 KAR 23:080 Section 10). A person is deemed to continue as a client for five years after the last date of service, which governs the dual relationship and sexual contact rules (Section 1(2); Section 2(3)). Telehealth services are documented in the record, including technical difficulties and adherence to the standard of care (KRS 335.158(2)(f)).
TerminationKentucky
Refer when you cannot serve, end when the goal is met, and never to start a personal relationship
A social worker makes a timely and appropriate referral when unable to provide the service or when the client's need exceeds the social worker's competency, terminates a service when the client has attained the stated goal or fails to benefit, communicates the referral or termination to the client, and does not terminate or refer a client for the purpose of entering a sexual, romantic, financial, or business relationship or another activity serving a personal, political, or religious interest (201 KAR 23:080 Section 12). Referrals and delegations go only to providers the social worker has reason to believe are qualified (Section 3(7)).
SupervisingKentucky
Employing a CSW in your practice
An LCSW may employ a CSW under a Board-approved Clinical Social Work Supervision Contract and, as supervisor of record, assumes responsibility for and supervises the CSW's practice, accountable to the Board for the care given to the CSW's clients (KRS 335.100(3); 201 KAR 23:060 Section 3(4); 23:070 Section 5(9)(a)). To supervise you need two years of post-LCSW clinical practice, the six-hour supervision course and three-hour refreshers, no unresolved citation or probated license, no personal relationship with the supervisee, and the Board's approval on a Request to Provide Supervision; you may hold no more than six contracts at once (23:070 Section 4). The CSW must be your W-2 employee, not a contractor, and must notify each client in writing at intake of your name, address, telephone, e-mail, and license number (23:070 Sections 5(9)(b) and 6). Aiding or abetting an unlicensed person in the practice of social work is a ground for discipline (335.150(1)(j)).
Duty to WarnKentucky
KRS 202A.400: an actual threat, and three ways to discharge the duty
No monetary liability and no cause of action arises against a mental health professional, which includes a licensed clinical social worker and a certified social worker engaged in providing mental health services, for failing to predict, warn of, or take precautions against a patient's violent behavior, unless the patient has communicated an actual threat of physical violence against a clearly identified or reasonably identifiable victim, or an actual threat of some specific violent act (KRS 202A.400(1), (4)). The duty to warn an identifiable victim is discharged by reasonable efforts to communicate the threat to the victim and to notify the police department closest to the patient's and the victim's residence; where no particular victim is identifiable, by reasonable efforts to communicate the threat to law enforcement; and the duty to take reasonable precautions is satisfied by reasonable efforts to seek civil commitment under Chapter 202A (202A.400(2)). No liability arises for confidences disclosed to third parties to discharge the duty, and the Code of Ethical Conduct allows disclosure where the law requires it out of a duty to protect, warn, or report (202A.400(3); 201 KAR 23:080 Section 9(2)(b)). Patient includes a person under outpatient care (202A.400(4)(b)).
A social worker with personal knowledge of a violation of the Code of Ethical Conduct reports the offending social worker's name and the nature of the violation to the Board, without the client's name or identifying information unless the client consents (201 KAR 23:080 Section 14). Contact information changes are due within ten days, a respondent to a complaint has 20 days to file a written response, and failing to comply with a Board order or an assurance of voluntary compliance is a ground for discipline (23:051 Section 2(3); 23:150 Section 4; KRS 335.150(1)(f)). A social worker does not interfere with a Board investigation by misrepresentation, undue influence, threats, or harassment (23:080 Section 5(3)).
OR
Where the Oregon rules come from. ORS 675.510 and 675.523 (clinical social work and who may practice it), 675.540 (grounds), 675.580 (confidentiality), 675.583 (the duty to report), 40.250 and 40.252 (the regulated social worker-client privilege and the intent-to-commit-a-crime exception), 179.505(12) (a provider's report of clear and immediate danger), and 419B.040 (privileges in child abuse proceedings), with OAR 877-001-0006 (definitions), 877-020-0012 (supervising an associate), 877-030-0040 (conduct and reporting), 877-030-0070 (responsibility to clients), 877-030-0080 (supervisors), and 877-030-0100 (client records and the custodian of record), read on the Legislature's and Secretary of State's sites in September 2026.
Who can open one
OR
Independent clinical practice is the LCSW. A person may not practice clinical social work unless licensed as a clinical social worker or certified as a clinical social work associate, and the associate practices only under a Board-approved plan in an agency, where cases are assigned centrally and the agency bills, collects, and controls the records; the Board's CSWA page says hours collected through an independent practice cannot count and that the certificate is not a license to practice independently (ORS 675.523; OAR 877-020-0009; 877-001-0006(1); Board). An LMSW or RBSW may practice master's or baccalaureate social work, including non-clinical counseling, but not clinical social work (675.510(4), (5); 675.523). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeOregon
What clinical social work is, and the competence rule
Clinical social work is a specialty within the practice of master's social work applying specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skills to the assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders or conditions, including those in the DSM-5, to individual, marital, couples, family, or group counseling or psychotherapy, and to their clinical supervision (ORS 675.510(2); OAR 877-001-0006(4)). Regulated social workers may not attempt to provide services outside their area of competence, training, and qualifications, may not provide inappropriate or unnecessary services, must serve with professional skill, cultural awareness, and language competency, and must seek consultation or refer whenever it would improve the service and serves the client (877-030-0070(2), (3), (5), (6)).
TitlesOregon
Use the regulated title honestly, and name a custodian of your records
Only a regulated social worker may use "social worker" or any title, words, or abbreviations indicating an authorization to practice, and misrepresenting professional qualifications, education, experience, or affiliations is a breach of the conduct rules (ORS 675.520; OAR 877-030-0040(1)(c)). A regulated social worker in private practice must name a qualified person, an LCSW or other Oregon-licensed mental health professional or a certified alcohol and drug counselor, or a records management company, to intercede for client welfare and make referrals if the licensee dies or becomes incapacitated, and must keep the Board informed of the name; the Board releases it only on the licensee's death or incapacity or when a client cannot locate the licensee, and asks you to confirm the custodian at renewal (877-030-0100(4), (5); Board renewal page).
FeesOregon
Reasonable fees stated first, no soliciting your employer's clients, and a rule for nonpayment
Regulated social workers in fee-for-service settings may charge reasonable fees and must inform clients of the fee arrangement before providing services; they may not solicit the clients of colleagues or solicit clients from their employer for private practice, and may not assume responsibility for another agency's or colleague's clients without appropriate communication (OAR 877-030-0070(19) to (22)). A regulated social worker in a fee-for-service setting may terminate services to a client who is not paying an overdue balance only if the client does not pose an imminent danger to self or others, the financial arrangements were made clear, and the clinical and other consequences of nonpayment were addressed and discussed with the client (877-030-0070(8)). Entering any relationship, including the sale of services or goods, that might exploit a current client or one served within the previous year for financial gain is barred (877-030-0070(1)(f)).
TelehealthOregon
Practice in Oregon is regulated wherever the screen sits
ORS 675.510 to 675.600 have no separate telehealth section; they regulate the practice of social work and clinical social work in Oregon, and the Board's definitions treat live video and teleconference contact with a client as direct contact (OAR 877-001-0006(7)). Supervision by video or telephone requires written client consent for any records discussed, a private setting, and secure transmission such as encryption, which is a sound floor for telehealth with clients as well (877-020-0012(9)). The Board's continuing education page lists ethics topics rather than a telehealth mandate and notes that a proposed telehealth training requirement was removed when the legislation did not pass (Board CE page). A client in another state is that state's question.
Informed ConsentOregon
Accurate and complete information, the limits of confidentiality, and consent before recording
Regulated social workers must provide clients with accurate and complete information about the extent and nature of services available, including the risks, rights, opportunities, and obligations of the services; must inform clients fully about the limits of confidentiality; and must obtain informed consent before taping, recording, or permitting third-party observation (OAR 877-030-0070(4), (15), (17)). Information from a potential client at the point of initial contact carries the same privacy as a client's (877-030-0070(14)). A social worker conducting a child custody or parenting time evaluation must give and obtain signed acknowledgment of a detailed written disclosure covering the court order, who the client is, qualifications, process, fees, timelines, confidentiality limits, ex parte communications, collateral contacts, releases, and the report's format and recipients before starting (877-030-0110).
Running it
ConfidentialityOregon
Seven doors out of confidentiality in the statute
A regulated social worker, or any employee, may not disclose any communication given by a client in the course of noninvestigatory professional activity to enable the social worker to aid the client, except when the client or a person legally responsible for the client's affairs consents; the client initiates legal action or complains to the Board; the Board requests it in an investigation or proceeding; the communication reveals a clear intent to commit a crime that reasonably is expected to result in physical injury to a person; the communication reveals that a minor was the victim of a crime, abuse, or neglect; disclosure is necessary to obtain further professional assistance for the client; or disclosure is required by the elder abuse, child abuse, or adult abuse reporting statutes (ORS 675.580(1)). A public employee may disclose when the public employer has determined it necessary to the duty (675.580(2)). The Code of Ethics requires holding client information in confidence except as ORS 675.580 and 40.250 permit, and when making reports, obtaining a release and presenting only the data pertinent to the report's purpose (OAR 877-030-0070(13), (18)).
The regulated social worker-client privilege, and the intent-to-commit-a-crime carve-out
A regulated social worker may not be examined in a civil or criminal court proceeding about any communication given by a client in the course of noninvestigatory professional activity to enable the social worker to aid the client, except when the client or the person responsible for the client's affairs consents; the client sues or complains to the Board; the communication reveals a clear intent to commit a crime reasonably expected to result in physical injury; the communication reveals that a minor was the victim of a crime, abuse, or neglect; or the social worker is a public employee whose employer has determined the testimony necessary (ORS 40.250, Rule 504-4). There is also no privilege where, in the professional judgment of the person receiving the communications, the declarant has a clear and serious intent to commit a crime involving physical injury, a threat to physical safety, sexual abuse, or death and poses a danger of committing it, and the professional makes a report to another person; that rule creates no duty to report and gives immunity for disclosing or not disclosing (40.252, Rule 504-5). In a child abuse proceeding the privileges extended to regulated social workers are no ground for excluding evidence of the abuse (419B.040).
Assessment, plan, and progress notes, kept seven years, with client access
A regulated social worker who serves clients outside an agency setting must maintain a legible, secure, retrievable client record for each client containing at a minimum an assessment, a treatment or intervention plan, and progress notes recorded concurrently with the services, and must retain the record for seven years from the date of the last session (OAR 877-030-0100(2), (3)). Clients get reasonable access to records about them, restricted only in exceptional circumstances on compelling evidence of harm, with the request and rationale documented and help interpreting the record; the access rule does not apply to public records requests or to practice within an agency (877-030-0070(16)).
TerminationOregon
End services when they no longer serve the client, never precipitously, and hand off
Regulated social workers must terminate services when they are no longer required or no longer serve the client's needs or interests, may withdraw precipitously only in unusual circumstances after weighing all factors and minimizing adverse effects, and, when anticipating termination or interruption, must notify clients promptly and provide for transfer, referral, or continuation in relation to the client's needs and preferences (OAR 877-030-0070(7) to (9)). A social worker who serves a colleague's clients during an absence or emergency serves them with the same competence as their own (877-030-0070(24)).
SupervisingOregon
Supervising an associate in your practice
An LCSW may supervise a CSWA only after two years of licensed practice, 15 hours of supervision training reported to the Board and 6 more every five years, the Oregon laws and rules exam within five years, and Board approval, and only where the associate's worksite is an agency under the Board's definition, which a solo practice that bills in the associate's name is not (OAR 877-020-0012; 877-001-0006(1)). The supervisor holds authority over the associate's caseload and treatment plans, files evaluations at least every six months, reports noncompliance or early termination immediately, and, as an employer or supervisor, bears ethical responsibility for unregulated persons practicing under direct supervision (877-020-0012(6) to (8); 877-030-0080(6)). A supervisor may not have a sexual relationship with a supervisee or treat an employee, supervisee, or student (877-030-0080(2), (3)).
Duty to WarnOregon
No duty-to-warn statute; three permissions to disclose, and one immunity
Oregon has no statute imposing a duty to warn on social workers. What the law gives is permission: the confidentiality statute lets a regulated social worker disclose a communication that reveals a clear intent to commit a crime that reasonably is expected to result in physical injury to a person (ORS 675.580(1)(d)); the evidence code removes the privilege where the professional judges that the client has a clear and serious intent to commit a crime involving physical injury, a threat to physical safety, sexual abuse, or death and poses a danger of committing it, and the professional reports it, while stating that it creates no duty to report and that no civil liability arises from disclosing or failing to disclose (40.252); and the health records statute lets a provider report information that, in professional judgment, indicates a clear and immediate danger to others or to society, with no liability for deciding not to (179.505(12)). The disclosures are permitted rather than required, and the statutes shield the choice either way; the standard of care is what a Board panel or a court would measure you against. When a client voices a clear intent to injure someone, document the words and your assessment, consult, warn the intended victim and law enforcement as the permissions allow, consider the two-person notice to the community mental health program, and record each step.
StatusOregon
What the Board must hear from you
Within 10 days: any misdemeanor or felony conviction, a felony arrest, a civil suit alleging matters related to your clinical practice or license, admission as a psychiatric inpatient or day-treatment patient, or notice of a regulatory action on your license (OAR 877-030-0040(2)(a)). Unless confidentiality law forbids it, report to the Board information showing that a regulated social worker is or may be impaired or may have engaged in unprofessional conduct, and report prohibited or unprofessional conduct by any health licensee to that licensee's board within 10 working days (ORS 675.583; 877-030-0040(2)(c), (d)). Contact and employer changes within 30 days, cooperation with Board investigations, compliance with final orders, and compliance with the Governor's emergency orders complete the list (877-001-0009; 877-030-0090).
CT
Where the Connecticut rules come from. CGS 20-195m and 20-195s (clinical social work, independent practice, and the LMSW's supervised scope), 20-195p (grounds), 20-195q (titles), 52-146q (the social worker-client privilege and its exceptions), 17a-503(d) (the emergency certificate an LCSW may sign), and Fraser v. United States, 236 Conn. 625 (1996), with the Department of Public Health's licensure pages, read on cga.ct.gov, portal.ct.gov, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Connecticut has no separate code of ethics regulation for social workers; the Department disciplines for failure to conform to the accepted standards of the social work profession.
Who can open one
CT
Independent practice is the LCSW. Independent practice means the practice of clinical social work without supervision, and a licensed clinical social worker may perform all functions of a licensed master social worker and, in addition, may engage in independent practice; a licensed master social worker may practice clinical social work only under professional supervision and may not engage in independent practice (CGS 20-195m(6); 20-195s). No person may practice clinical social work without a license, and only degree holders may use the title "social worker" (20-195n(a); 20-195q(c)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeConnecticut
What clinical social work is
Clinical social work is the application, by persons trained in social work, of established principles of psychosocial development, behavior, psychopathology, unconscious motivation, interpersonal relationships, and environmental stress to the evaluation, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of biopsychosocial dysfunction, disability, and impairment, including mental, emotional, behavioral, developmental, and addictive disorders, of individuals, couples, families, or groups; it includes counseling, psychotherapy, behavior modification, and mental health consultation (CGS 20-195m(4)). Negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct in professional activities is a ground for discipline, so competence marks the edge of the scope (20-195p).
TitlesConnecticut
Advertise only under the licensed description
No person may use the title "licensed clinical social worker" or any initials associated with it, or advertise services under that description, without the license, and no person may use "social worker" without the social work degree (CGS 20-195q(b), (c)). Fraud or deceit in the practice of social work and wilful falsification of entries in any hospital, patient, or other record pertaining to social work are grounds for discipline (20-195p). The chapter has no display requirement and no disclosure statement requirement.
FeesConnecticut
Fee collection under the privilege statute's limits
The chapter contains no fee rules, but the privilege statute governs what you may disclose to collect one: a social worker claiming fees for services may disclose the person's name and address and the amount of the fees to individuals or agencies involved in collection, only after written notice to the person at least 30 days before the disclosure, and in a fee dispute further disclosure is limited to the fact that the person received the services, the dates and duration, and a general description of the types of services (CGS 52-146q(c)(5)). Fraud or deceit in the practice of social work is a ground for discipline (20-195p).
TelehealthConnecticut
No telehealth section in chapter 383b
Chapter 383b does not address telehealth or practice across state lines; it requires a Connecticut license to practice clinical social work and reserves independent practice to the LCSW (CGS 20-195n(a); 20-195s). Connecticut's telehealth statute for licensed providers sits outside this chapter and is not summarized here; the Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (20-195w). For a client in another state, that state's law governs. The privilege statute's consent rules apply to records however they are transmitted (52-146q(b)).
Informed ConsentConnecticut
Written consent for every disclosure, with the recipient, scope, purpose, and expiration
Communications and records relating to a person's evaluation or treatment by an LCSW are confidential, and the social worker shall not disclose them without the person's or authorized representative's written consent, which must specify the individual or agency receiving the disclosure, the scope, the purpose, and the expiration date; a copy of the consent accompanies any disclosure, and consent may be withdrawn at any time by written notice, though records already disclosed may not be redisclosed after the withdrawal (CGS 52-146q(a)(4), (b)). The statute's definition reaches communications with the person's family and with anyone participating under the social worker's supervision, wherever made (52-146q(a)(3)).
Running it
ConfidentialityConnecticut
Five disclosures that need no consent
Consent is not required, as specifically limited, for disclosure to other individuals engaged in the person's diagnosis or treatment, or transmission to a mental health facility to which the person is admitted, when the social worker determines it is needed to accomplish the objectives of diagnosis or treatment or to refer the person to a facility, with the person informed of the disclosure; for disclosure when the social worker determines that there is a substantial risk of imminent physical injury by the person to himself or others, or when disclosure is otherwise mandated by any provision of the general statutes; for communications made in a court-ordered evaluation, at judicial proceedings in which the person is a party, if the court finds the person was told beforehand and only on issues of the person's mental condition; in a civil proceeding in which the person introduces their mental condition, or after death a party claiming through the person does, where the court finds disclosure more important to the interests of justice than the relationship; and for fee collection within the limits above (CGS 52-146q(c)). Individuals in professional training count as engaged in diagnosis or treatment (52-146q(c)(1)).
A statutory privilege for the LCSW, and its exceptions
The confidentiality statute is also the privilege: the social worker it covers is an individual licensed as a clinical social worker under chapter 383b, or one the person reasonably believes to be so licensed, and it protects all oral and written communications and records relating to evaluation or treatment (CGS 52-146q(a)(2), (3)). An authorized representative may assert it, including an administrator, executor, or next of kin after death or a guardian or conservator for an incompetent person (52-146q(a)(5)). The exceptions are the five in subsection (c), including the substantial risk of imminent physical injury and any disclosure mandated by statute, which brings in the child, elder, and adult reporting laws (52-146q(c)(2)). An LMSW is not named; the statute's protection follows the clinical license.
RecordsConnecticut
No retention period in the chapter, and honesty in every entry
Chapter 383b sets no minimum retention period and no required contents for social work records; what it sets is discipline for wilful falsification of entries in any hospital, patient, or other record pertaining to social work and for fraud or deceit in practice (CGS 20-195p). The privilege statute treats a social worker's office as a mental health facility whose records are confidential, and every release runs through written consent or one of the five exceptions (52-146q(a)(6), (b), (c)). Set a written retention policy that satisfies your payers and HIPAA, and keep continuing education certificates three years (20-195u(c)).
TerminationConnecticut
Termination under the profession's accepted standards
The chapter has no termination rule; the Department disciplines a licensee who fails to conform to the accepted standards of the social work profession, including negligent, incompetent, or wrongful conduct in professional activities (CGS 20-195p). Treat notice, referral, and continuity of care at termination as those standards require, and document them. The privilege statute allows transmission of records to a facility the client is referred to, with notice to the client, when the social worker finds it necessary for the referral (52-146q(c)(1)).
SupervisingConnecticut
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
An LMSW may practice clinical social work under your professional supervision as a licensed clinical social worker and may offer a mental health diagnosis in consultation with you; professional supervision is face-to-face consultation between one supervisor and one supervisee, at least a monthly review, with a written evaluation and assessment of the supervisee's clinical practice (CGS 20-195s(a); 20-195m(7), (8)). Your supervised hours count toward the supervisee's LCSW, and you complete the Department's verification of supervision form when they apply; no Department approval of you as a supervisor is required (20-195n(c)(2); DPH). The LMSW may not engage in independent practice, so the arrangement must be real supervision, not a letterhead (20-195s(a)).
Duty to WarnConnecticut
No statute; the Supreme Court requires an identifiable victim, and the privilege lets you disclose imminent risk
Connecticut has no duty-to-warn statute. In Fraser v. United States, answering a certified question, the Supreme Court held that a medical center's psychotherapists had no duty to control an outpatient, who was not known to be dangerous, to prevent harm to a victim who was neither readily identifiable nor within a foreseeable class of victims; absent a special relationship of custody or control there is no duty to protect a third person from another's conduct, the Tarasoff duty was described as arising from a psychotherapist's knowledge of a patient's specific threats against a specific victim, and the Court found no precedent for a duty absent a victim who was individually identifiable, a member of an identifiable class, or within the zone of risk to an identifiable victim (Fraser v. United States, 236 Conn. 625, 674 A.2d 811 (1996), citing Kaminski v. Fairfield, 216 Conn. 29 (1990)). The privilege statute permits disclosure when the social worker determines there is a substantial risk of imminent physical injury by the person to himself or others (52-146q(c)(2)). When a client makes a specific threat against an identifiable person, document the threat and your assessment, consult, disclose what is necessary to the person and to law enforcement, consider the emergency certificate route through a mobile crisis team or the emergency department, and record each step.
The Department may order a licensee to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination when capacity to practice safely is under investigation, and may act on discipline imposed by another jurisdiction's professional agency, relying on its findings (CGS 20-195p; 19a-17(f)). Renewal is annual in the birth month with the continuing education certified, and a void license may not be used to practice (19a-88(e), (f); 20-195o(c)). An LCSW with at least eight hours of specialized training as a member of a Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services mobile crisis team, jail diversion program, crisis intervention team, or certified community support program may issue an emergency certificate sending a person to a general hospital for examination (17a-503(d)).
LA
Where the Louisiana rules come from. R.S. 37:2703, 2707, and 2708 (scope and independent practice), 2709 (posting), 2715 (titles), 2717 (grounds), 2718 (privileged communications), 2722 (exclusions), and 9:2800.2 (the duty to warn), with the Board's Standards of Practice and Code of Conduct in LAC 46:XXV Chapter 1 (107 disclosure statement, 109 competence, 111 practice requirements, 113 relationships, 115 confidentiality, 117 conduct, 119 representation to the public, 121 fees), 303 (independent and private practice), 505 (supervising an LMSW or CSW), and 509 (telesupervision and electronic practice), read on legis.la.gov and doa.la.gov in September 2026. The Board's standards are a regulation, and a violation is unprofessional or unethical conduct under R.S. 37:2717(A)(11) (LAC 46:XXV.105).
Who can open one
LA
Independent and private practice is the LCSW. Only a licensed clinical social worker may engage in the independent and private practice of social work (LAC 46:XXV.303(B)). An LCSW may independently engage in advanced social work practice, including private practice, employee assistance and addiction services, and clinical supervision, as an employee or independently (R.S. 37:2708(B)). An LMSW or CSW may practice clinical social work only within an agency under LCSW supervision and may not contract directly with individuals, couples, families, non-governmental agencies, or institutions, bill except a governmental agency under contract, receive direct payment except through a governmental contract, or claim to be licensed or in private practice; an RSW may do none of those things (2707(B); 303(C), (D)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeLouisiana
What clinical social work is, and where competence ends
The practice of clinical social work requires the application of specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skills in the areas of prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral and addiction disorders, with treatment methods including individual, marital, couple, family, and group psychotherapy (R.S. 37:2708(B)). No social worker may prescribe or administer drugs or conduct psychological testing beyond the screening and aptitude instruments the definitions allow (2703). Social workers provide services and represent themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, credential, consultation, supervised experience, or other relevant professional experience, take up new techniques only after study, training, consultation, and supervision, limit practice to the scope of the credential, and refer promptly when the services required are beyond their competence (LAC 46:XXV.109).
TitlesLouisiana
Post the credential, use the designation everywhere, hand out the disclosure statement
The license, a copy, or the Board's current identification card is kept conspicuously posted at the place of business, and the social worker's designation follows the name in all written communications relating to practice, including advertising, correspondence, and client records; credentials in advertising must be presented factually, and no designation may be used as a claim, promise, or guarantee of successful service (R.S. 37:2709(A); LAC 46:XXV.119). A professional disclosure statement listing the client's rights, the right to expect that the social worker met the state's minimum qualifications, to examine the Board's public records on the social worker's credentials, to a copy of the standards of practice on request, to report a complaint to the Board, to be informed of the range of fees before services, to privacy as allowed by law and to know the limits of confidentiality, to reasonable measures limiting access to client information, to be told that the social worker is receiving supervision and may review the case with a supervisor or consultant, to be free from discrimination, and to access records as allowed by law, must be displayed at the primary place of practice or made available to every client (107(E)).
FeesLouisiana
The fee at the first session, no fee splitting, no private fee for your employer's clients
A social worker who provides a service for a fee informs the client of the fee at the initial session, makes payment arrangements at the start of the relationship, negotiates the full fee for any added service before rendering it, and provides an accounting on request; billing is only for services actually provided and only for necessary services, and any cancellation or no-show charge needs a clear policy given in advance (LAC 46:XXV.121(A), (B)). No commission, rebate, fee split, or other remuneration may be given or accepted for a referral, and no private fee may be solicited for services the client is entitled to through the social worker's employer or agency without its approval (121(C)). Making or submitting false or deceptive claims to a client, insurer, or governmental agency to obtain payment is a statutory ground for discipline (R.S. 37:2717(A)(10)).
TelehealthLouisiana
Licensed in Louisiana to serve clients in Louisiana
Social workers engaging in electronic practice who provide services to clients in Louisiana shall be licensed to practice in Louisiana (LAC 46:XXV.509(B)). The Practice Act has no telehealth chapter of its own; it requires a Louisiana credential to practice social work in the state, and the Board's confidentiality standards apply to records however they are transmitted (R.S. 37:2709; 115). Client records discussed in telesupervision require the client's written informed consent to electronic transmission under HIPAA, and transmission must be secure (509(D)). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (2731). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
Informed ConsentLouisiana
Documented consent before services, with the plan, costs, alternatives, and the right to withdraw
Social workers provide services only in the context of a professional relationship with documented informed consent, using clear and understandable language to inform clients of the plan for services, relevant costs, reasonable alternatives, the right to refuse or withdraw consent, and the time frame the consent covers, with an opportunity to ask questions; a client without capacity consents through a legal guardian or authorized representative, and when consent is refused the social worker discusses referral at the earliest opportunity (LAC 46:XXV.111(F)). Services rest on an assessment or diagnosis and a written plan with goals, each revisited on an ongoing basis (111(A), (C)). Written informed consent is required before any session is taped or recorded or observed by a third party, explaining the purpose, use, storage, and destruction (115(H)).
Running it
ConfidentialityLouisiana
Written consent naming the recipient, purpose, and time frame, or one of six exceptions
A social worker protects all information provided by or obtained about a client, including personal knowledge and records, and discloses it only with the client's written informed consent explaining to whom the information will go and the purpose and time frame of the release (LAC 46:XXV.115(A)). Disclosure without written consent is allowed only where federal or state law, including mandatory reporting laws, requires it; where the treating social worker has made a clinical judgment that a client has communicated a significant threat of physical violence against an identifiable victim with the apparent intent and ability to carry it out; where an exception to the health care provider-patient privilege in Code of Evidence Article 510 applies and the social worker must testify at trial or a legally authorized deposition; where the social worker defends a malpractice claim, limited to the facts of the alleged liability; where the social worker answers a client's complaint in a disciplinary hearing; or where the Board issues a lawful subpoena with safeguards (115(B)). Records are released without consent only where an authorized representative consents in writing, where law mandates release, or on a properly served subpoena in those situations (115(C)). Third-party billing information goes out only with written informed consent, and confidentiality continues after termination and after the client's death (115(F), (G)).
A statutory confidentiality duty for every credential, with the Code of Evidence governing testimony
Testimonial privileges, exceptions, and waiver for communications between a social worker and client are governed by the Louisiana Code of Evidence, and no social worker may disclose information acquired from persons consulting in a professional capacity that was necessary to render services, except with the client's written consent (or, after death or disability, a personal representative's), when a minor client's information indicates the child was the victim or subject of a crime and the social worker is required to testify, when a communication reveals the intended commission of a crime or harmful act and the social worker determines disclosure necessary to protect any person from a clear, imminent risk of serious mental or physical harm or to forestall a serious threat to public safety, or when the client waives the privilege by bringing a public charge against the social worker (R.S. 37:2718(A), (B)). Nothing prevents a social worker from voluntarily testifying in a court hearing on adoption, child abuse, child neglect, or other matters concerning children, the elderly, or physically or mentally impaired adults, within state and federal law (2718(C)). The Board's rule adds that clients must be told the limits of confidentiality, including the Article 510 exceptions, the child and elder reporting laws, the health care facility reporting law in R.S. 40:2009.20, the duty to warn, and court-ordered custody evaluations, and that a minor client must be told at the outset of any law limiting a minor's privacy (LAC 46:XXV.115(D), (E)).
RecordsLouisiana
Six years after the last service, six years after majority for a minor, and nothing you did not do
A social worker makes and maintains written or electronic records containing at least the assessment or diagnosis, the plan, any revisions, fees and billing information, and copies of every release and legal form, kept by the social worker or the employing agency for at least six years after the last date of service or longer if federal or state law requires, and for a minor six years after the client reaches majority (LAC 46:XXV.111(G)(1)). No social worker may represent by signature or otherwise a greater part in an evaluation, assessment, diagnosis, plan, note, or report than direct contact with the client supports, or conspire with anyone to do so; supervisors of field students indicate their supervisory function when cosigning; testimony, reports, and Board forms are completed accurately and on time; no copies of client records are retained after leaving an agency without its written consent; and no one accesses the records of a person they are not treating without a legitimate purpose (111(G)(2) through (7)).
TerminationLouisiana
Reasonable notice, referrals, and never for a personal or business relationship
A social worker terminates the professional relationship when the client is not likely to benefit from continued services or no longer needs them, has an affirmative duty to take reasonable steps to avoid under-treatment and precipitous termination, gives reasonable notice when termination is anticipated, takes reasonable steps to inform the client, provides referrals as needed or on request, and shall not terminate for the purpose of beginning a personal or business relationship with the client (LAC 46:XXV.111(H)). A personal relationship with a former clinical client is allowed only if the client was notified of termination and does not still relate to the social worker in the professional role; sexual contact with a former clinical client is barred for five years from documented termination and after that only with an independent LCSW's documented consultation (113(B)(2), (4)).
SupervisingLouisiana
Supervising an LMSW or CSW in your practice
An LMSW or CSW may practice clinical social work within an agency under an LCSW's supervision, and one delivering psychotherapy without a BACS contract needs at least two hours of LCSW supervision a month in increments of no fewer than 30 minutes, by individual, group, telephone, or secure electronic contact, with both keeping records of dates and hours for audit; the employing agency is ultimately responsible for the services (R.S. 37:2707(B); LAC 46:XXV.505). Supervision that counts toward the supervisee's LCSW requires the BACS designation, a filed contract, 96 face-to-face hours, and the record and evaluation forms, and the supervising LCSW lists every supervisee and agency on each renewal (503; 507; 311). An LMSW or CSW may not contract or bill directly, so the arrangement is employment within an agency, not a letterhead (303(D); 501).
Duty to WarnLouisiana
A statutory duty, triggered by a significant threat against a clearly identified victim
When a patient has communicated a threat of physical violence, deemed significant in the treating social worker's clinical judgment, against a clearly identified victim or victims, coupled with the apparent intent and ability to carry it out, the social worker credentialed under the Practice Act who exercises reasonable professional judgment is not liable for a breach of confidentiality for warning of the threat or taking precautions to provide protection; the duty to warn or take reasonable precautions arises only in that circumstance and is discharged by a reasonable effort to communicate the threat to the potential victim or victims and to notify law enforcement authorities in the vicinity of the patient's or potential victim's residence, and no liability arises from confidences disclosed to discharge it (R.S. 9:2800.2). The Board's rule states the same duty as a permitted disclosure, and the Practice Act separately allows disclosure of an intended crime or harmful act where necessary to protect any person from a clear, imminent risk of serious harm or to forestall a serious threat to public safety (LAC 46:XXV.115(B)(2); R.S. 37:2718(B)(3)). Document the threat and your assessment, consult, make the two contacts the statute names, consider the emergency routes in Crisis & Safety, and record each step.
A change of address within 15 business days; any arrest or charge, including DWI and DUI, within 30 calendar days regardless of disposition, minor traffic offenses excepted; knowledge of unlicensed practice or of a violation of the Act, rules, or ethical standards at the earliest opportunity, since failure to report is itself a ground for discipline; and cooperation with any Board investigation (LAC 46:XXV.117(C) through (E); 119(E); R.S. 37:2717(A)(8)). A social worker may not knowingly participate, by hiring, supervising, or concealing, in another's practice that violates 2709 or 2720 (117(D)). Renewal is due before August 31 every year with 20 hours of continuing education, and a lapsed credential means no practice (2714).
OK
Where the Oklahoma rules come from. 59 O.S. 1250.1 (clinical social work, private practice, and independent practice defined), 1251 (posting), 1256.2 (the duty to report), 1261.1(E) and (F) (who may practice privately or independently), 1261.6 (confidentiality and privilege), 1264 through 1265 (titles), 1266.1 (grounds), and 1270 (telehealth and penalties), with the Board's Code of Professional Conduct in OAC 675:20-1-4 through 20-1-6, its private practice rules in 10-1-4 and 12-1-4, and its supervision rules in 12-1-6, read on oscn.net and rules.ok.gov in September 2026. Oklahoma's code is short, and it adopts the NASW Code of Ethics as revised in 2017 in its entirety as an addition (20-1-6).
Who can open one
OK
Clinical private practice is the LCSW; nonclinical independent practice is the LCSW, LSW-ADM, or LSW. No person may engage in the private practice of clinical social work unless licensed as an LCSW and current on continuing education, and no person may engage in an independent social work practice unless licensed as an LCSW, LSW-ADM, or LSW, which specifically and intentionally excludes the LSWA and LMSW (59 O.S. 1261.1(E), (F); OAC 675:10-1-4; 12-1-4). Private practice of clinical social work means practice by an LCSW who is wholly or partly self-employed and assumes responsibility for the nature and quality of services in exchange for direct payment or third-party reimbursement, rather than as a salaried employee; independent social work practice is nonclinical practice outside an organized setting after all supervision requirements are complete (1250.1(20), (32)). An LMSW or LSWA may not practice independently or in clinical private practice, and an LSW or LSW-ADM may not practice clinical social work privately (10-1-5). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeOklahoma
What clinical social work is, and the physician referral built into it
Clinical social work practice includes assessment and diagnosis of behavioral disorders, treatment planning, planning intervention, case management, and information and referral, including referral to an allopathic or osteopathic physician when the diagnosis or treatment is in question or psychiatric or medical treatment is indicated; treatment methods include individual, marital, couple, family, and group counseling and psychotherapy based on the social worker's education and training, and treatment shall not include biological or medical treatments (59 O.S. 1250.1(9)). Diagnosis means the use of assessment tools such as the DSM or ICD, and assessment may include standardized psychometric instruments only after successful completion of appropriate specialized courses or training; a social worker using a standardized tool observes all of its requirements (1250.1(3), (16); OAC 675:10-1-5(a)(3)). Practicing outside the scope the Act authorizes is a ground for discipline (1266.1(A)(2)).
TitlesOklahoma
Post the license and the complaint procedure, advertise honestly
The license is posted in a conspicuous place where services are rendered, and information on the procedure for reporting unethical or illegal practice is made available to the public there by the social worker or the employer (59 O.S. 1251(D)). Only a licensee may use "Licensed Clinical Social Worker" or LCSW, or any word, letters, signs, figures, or devices indicating licensure (1264.1). Misrepresentation of a material fact in statements about the licensee's skills or the efficiency or value of any treatment, and any false, fraudulent, or deceptive statement connected with practice including false or misleading advertising, are grounds for discipline, and the code bars misrepresenting professional qualifications, education, experience, affiliations, or services performed (1266.1(A)(7); OAC 675:20-1-5(a)).
FeesOklahoma
Fees and payment terms at the start, no fee splitting, no poaching agency clients
The social worker provides clients at the beginning of service accurate and complete information regarding the extent and nature of the services available, including fees and the manner of payment (OAC 675:20-1-4(i)). The social worker shall not divide a fee or accept or give anything of value for receiving or making a referral, and shall not solicit the clients of one's agency for private practice (20-1-4(b), (h)). Fraud in connection with practice, including improper or fraudulent billing and violations of Medicare, Medicaid, or state medical assistance laws, is a statutory ground, and improper or fraudulent billing by any licensee must be reported to the Board within 30 days (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(8); 1256.2(A)(4)).
TelehealthOklahoma
A client in Oklahoma makes it Oklahoma practice
The provision of social work services to an individual in this state, through telephonic, electronic, or other means, regardless of the location of the social worker, constitutes the practice of social work and is subject to regulation (59 O.S. 1270(B)(4)). The Act sets no separate telehealth standards; the confidentiality statute and the code apply however the service is delivered, and informed consent is required before recording (1261.6; OAC 675:20-1-5(f)). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (1281 through 1296). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
Informed ConsentOklahoma
Service information at the start, consent before any recording or observation
Clients receive accurate and complete information at the beginning of service about the extent and nature of available services, fees, and payment (OAC 675:20-1-4(i)). The social worker shall obtain informed consent of clients before taping, recording, or permitting third-party observation of their activities (20-1-5(f)). The Act requires the Board to establish a client Bill of Rights describing the services a client may expect (59 O.S. 1256.1(A)(14)), and the NASW Code of Ethics, adopted in its entirety, supplies the informed consent standard the Board enforces (20-1-6).
Running it
ConfidentialityOklahoma
The attorney-client standard, with four statutory exceptions and the code's compelling reasons
No licensee, and no secretary, clerk, or person participating in delivering social work services under a licensee's supervision, may disclose any information acquired from persons consulting the social worker in a professional capacity or be compelled to disclose it; the confidential relations and communications between licensee and client are placed on the same basis as those between attorney and client (59 O.S. 1261.6). The statute requires disclosure only with the client's written consent, or after death or disability a personal representative's; treats as unprivileged any information pertaining to criminal acts or violations of any law; allows compelled testimony where a client under 18 was the victim or subject of a crime; and lifts the privilege when the client brings charges against the licensee, and nothing prohibits testifying on adoption, child abuse, child neglect, or children's welfare or consulting colleagues and administrative superiors on the client's behalf (1261.6). The code adds compelling reasons for disclosure: consultation with another professional on behalf of the client, the duty to warn, child abuse and sexual molestation, and any other situation in accordance with statutory requirements (OAC 675:20-1-5(e)).
A statutory privilege in the licensing act, not in the Evidence Code
Oklahoma's psychotherapist-patient privilege in the Evidence Code covers physicians and psychologists, not social workers (12 O.S. 2503(A)(3)). The social worker's privilege is the licensing act's: communications are on the attorney-client basis, and the licensee may not be compelled to disclose them except with written consent, where the information pertains to criminal acts or violations of law, where a minor client was the victim or subject of a crime, or where the client waives it by bringing charges (59 O.S. 1261.6). Disclosing confidential information without proper authority is among the grounds on which the Board holds a hearing (OAC 675:3-1-4(a)(8)).
RecordsOklahoma
No retention period in the Act or rules, and no claiming services not performed
Neither the Act nor Title 675 sets a minimum retention period or required contents for social work records. What they set is discipline for fraud in billing, for misrepresentation, and for representing that services were performed that were not, and the requirement that a social worker not commit fraud and not represent having performed services they did not perform (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(7), (8); OAC 675:20-1-4(g)). The NASW Code of Ethics, adopted as part of the Board's code, supplies the documentation and records standards (20-1-6). Set a written retention policy that satisfies your payers and HIPAA.
TerminationOklahoma
Terminate when no longer required, notify promptly, and count six months
The social worker shall terminate service to clients, and professional relationships with them, when the service and relationship are no longer required or a conflict of interest arises, and one who anticipates termination or interruption of service notifies clients promptly and seeks transfer, referral, or continuation in relation to the clients' needs and preferences; repeatedly failing to keep scheduled appointments is itself a violation (OAC 675:20-1-4(c); 20-1-5(c), (d)). For continuity of care the client relationship is presumed to exist for six months after termination of services unless circumstances such as selection of a new therapist show otherwise (20-1-4(e)). A sexual act or personal relationship with a person who has been a client is barred without a time limit (20-1-4(d)).
SupervisingOklahoma
Supervising an LMSW or LSWA in your practice
An LCSW two years past the exam may supervise a supervisee within the same agency, and supervision contracted from outside requires Board Approved Supervisor status: five years of post-master's experience with three in the specialty, two years of licensure supervisory experience, two reference letters, a $150 application, and training within a year and every three years (OAC 675:12-1-6(a), (d)). The supervisee may not engage in private or independent practice or contract work while under supervision, so a private practice cannot hire a supervisee as a contractor; the supervisee may not assign a clinical diagnosis independent of you; the contract is filed before the first hour; and you evaluate at 50 and 100 supervision hours, keep the log with the supervisee, and file a termination form when it ends (12-1-6(c)). Aiding a person to practice without a license is a ground for discipline (59 O.S. 1266.1(A)(9)).
Duty to WarnOklahoma
No duty-to-warn statute for social workers; the code permits the disclosure
Oklahoma's duty-to-warn statute, 59 O.S. 1376, is written for psychologists: on an explicit threat to kill or seriously injure a reasonably identified person with apparent intent and ability, the psychologist takes reasonable precautions by warning the person, notifying law enforcement where the patient or victim lives, or arranging voluntary or involuntary hospitalization. The Social Worker's Licensing Act has no counterpart, and no Oklahoma decision applying a duty to warn to a social worker was read in this pass. What the social work law does is permit the disclosure: the Board's code lists the duty to warn among the compelling reasons that allow disclosure of confidential information, and the statute creates no privilege for information pertaining to criminal acts or violations of any law (OAC 675:20-1-5(e)(2); 59 O.S. 1261.6). An LCSW is a licensed mental health professional who may petition for commitment and, at a designated facility, conduct the initial assessment that authorizes emergency detention (43A O.S. 1-103(11)(f); 5-208; 5-410(A)(3)). When a client makes a specific threat against an identifiable person, document the threat and your assessment, consult, warn the person and law enforcement, use the emergency routes in Crisis & Safety, and record each step.
Within 30 days: any applicant's or licensee's sexual contact with a client or former client when the client consents to the report, failure to report as required by law, impairment, improper or fraudulent billing, fraud to the Board, felony or practice-related conviction, or violation of a Board order, other disciplinable conduct that has negatively affected a client's functioning, and the same about yourself (59 O.S. 1256.2). Substantial evidence that a licensee has an untreated active addiction, is diverting a controlled substance, or is mentally or physically incompetent to carry out the license must be reported, with immunity for good faith and possible discipline for silence (1266.1(C)). Adverse action on any license in another jurisdiction is reported within 10 business days of the final order (OAC 675:3-1-4(a)(11)). Licensees cooperate with Board staff, the complaint committee, and investigators, and failure to cooperate is a code violation (3-1-3.1). Renewal is annual by December 31 with 16 hours certified (1261.1a).
IA
Where the Iowa rules come from. Iowa Code 154C.1 (private practice and the three scopes), 154C.5 (confidentiality), 622.10 (the testimonial privilege), 228.1, 228.2, and 228.7A (mental health information and disclosure to law enforcement), and 147.55 (grounds), with the Board's rules of conduct for social workers in IAC 481-884.4, its telehealth rule in 880.16, and its supervision rules in 880.7, read on legis.iowa.gov in September 2026. Iowa's rules of conduct are the Board's own and incorporate selected sections of the NASW Code of Ethics; a social worker is disciplined for violating the Board's rules, not the NASW Code as such (884.4(18)).
Who can open one
IA
Private practice is the LISW. Private practice means social work practice conducted only by an independent social worker who is either self-employed or a member of a partnership or of a group practice providing diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders or conditions, and independent social workers are qualified to perform the practice of master social workers as a private practice (Iowa Code 154C.1(3)(c), (4)). A master social worker may provide psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment as an employee, and supervisees may not operate their own private practice or a group practice consisting solely of supervisees (154C.1(3)(b); supervision plan form). Everything below assumes the LISW.
Before the first client
ScopeIowa
What the practice of social work is, and what it excludes
The practice of social work is professional activity directed at enhancing or restoring people's capacity for social functioning, whether impaired by environmental, emotional, or physical factors, with particular attention to the person-in-situation configuration, applying psychosocial theory and methods to individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities; it does not include making a medical diagnosis or treating conditions of biological etiology except those involving psychosocial aspects (Iowa Code 154C.1(3)). Master and independent social workers provide psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, including evaluation of symptoms and behavior, psychosocial therapy, treatment goals, and differential treatment planning (154C.1(3)(b), (c)). A social worker provides services and represents themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, license, consultation, supervised experience, or other relevant experience, adopts new techniques only after study, training, consultation, and supervision, and in emerging areas takes responsible steps to protect clients (IAC 481-884.4(2)). Practicing outside the scope of a license is a rule violation (884.4(12)(s)).
TitlesIowa
Advertise with your name, degree, and license status
A social worker will not advertise in a false or misleading manner or fail to indicate in the advertisement the name, highest relevant degree, and licensure status of the provider; will not engage in professional activities involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation; will not claim unsubstantiated superiority, guarantee satisfaction or a cure, or claim a secret method; will not solicit clients in a manner amounting to overreaching, undue influence, misrepresentation, or invasion of privacy; and will not use LBSW, LMSW, or LISW or hold out a level of licensure not held (IAC 481-884.4(12)(g), (h), (j), (m), (n), (o), (q)). The renewal license is displayed conspicuously at the primary site of practice (880.13(2)(c)). Untruthful or improbable statements in advertisements and fraud in representations of skill are statutory grounds (Iowa Code 147.55(5), (6)).
FeesIowa
The fee at the first session, a written payment arrangement, and no bartering
A social worker who provides clinical services informs the client of the fee at the initial session and provides a written payment arrangement at the commencement of the relationship, keeps billing practices that accurately reflect the services provided, and bills only for services provided (IAC 481-884.4(7)(a), (f)). A social worker will not accept goods or services from the client or a third party in exchange for services, will not solicit a private fee for services the client is entitled to through the social worker's employer or agency, will not accept, give, offer, or solicit a fee, commission, rebate, or fee split for a referral, and will not share fees with anyone other than a partner, employee, associate in a professional firm, or consultant (884.4(7)(b) through (e)). Each client must be told of any financial interest the social worker has in a referral or in tests, books, or apparatus, and a public agency employee who also practices privately must tell clients they may be entitled to the same services from the agency (884.4(12)(k), (l)).
TelehealthIowa
A client in Iowa makes it Iowa practice, with suitability and identity checks
Social work services provided to an individual in this state through telephonic, electronic, or other means, regardless of the location of the practitioner, constitute the practice of the profession and are subject to regulation in Iowa (IAC 481-880.16; 884.4(1)(e)). A social worker providing services electronically informs recipients of the limitations and risks, assesses the client's suitability and capacity for remote services at first contact and decides whether an initial in-person, video, or telephone consultation is warranted, takes reasonable steps to verify the client's identity, ability to consent, and location, and keeps assessing suitability throughout (884.4(1)(e), (19)). A social worker develops and tells clients its policies on sharing, retention, and storage of digital communications and records (884.4(1)(g)). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
Informed ConsentIowa
Written consent when appropriate, in language the client understands
A social worker provides services only in the context of a professional relationship based, when appropriate, on valid written informed consent, using clear and understandable language about the nature of services, potential benefits and risks, the limits and risks of confidentiality, alternative ways of receiving assistance, applicable fees, and the involvement of and sharing of information with third parties (IAC 481-884.4(1)(a)). A client with difficulty communicating gets a detailed verbal explanation or an interpreter where possible, a client lacking capacity is protected through an appropriate third party while being informed at their level of understanding, an involuntary client is told the nature and extent of services and the right to refuse, and informed consent precedes any audiotaping, videotaping, or third-party observation (884.4(1)(b), (c), (d), (f)).
Running it
ConfidentialityIowa
No disclosure unless required by law, with six exceptions, and the least necessary
A social worker will not disclose or be compelled to disclose client information unless required by law, except where the social worker determines disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to the client or another specific identifiable person; where the client waives the privilege by bringing criminal, civil, or administrative charges against the social worker; with the client's written informed consent stating to whom, for what purpose, and for what time frame, or a personal representative's if the client is deceased or unable to consent; to testify in a court or administrative hearing on the welfare of children; to seek collaboration or consultation with colleagues or administrative superiors on the client's behalf; or under a valid subpoena or court order, and in every case discloses the least confidential information necessary (IAC 481-884.4(4)(a)). The client is told the limits of confidentiality as early as possible and as needed, informed before a disclosure where possible, and family, couple, and group participants are told the social worker's disclosure policy and that agreements among participants cannot be guaranteed (884.4(4)(b) through (e)). Third-party payers receive information only with authorization; records, transmissions, and discussions are secured; and confidentiality survives termination of practice and the client's death (884.4(4)(f) through (p)).
A statutory confidentiality duty in the licensing act, and a testimonial privilege for mental health professionals
A licensee or a person working under a licensee's supervision shall not disclose or be compelled to disclose information acquired from persons consulting them in a professional capacity, except if the information reveals the contemplation or commission of a crime, if the client waives the privilege by bringing charges against the licensee, with the client's written consent or after death or disability a representative's, to testify in a court hearing on the welfare of children, or to seek collaboration or consultation with colleagues or superiors on the client's behalf (Iowa Code 154C.5). Separately, a mental health professional, meaning among others a master's-level social worker with a current Iowa license and two years of supervised post-degree clinical experience, may not testify to a confidential communication entrusted in a professional capacity, except on waiver or in a civil action where the client's condition is an element of a claim or defense, and mental health information is protected by chapter 228 with its own exceptions (622.10; 228.1(7); 228.2).
RecordsIowa
Seven years after termination, with data, diagnosis, plan, and revisions
A social worker maintains sufficient, timely, and accurate documentation that reflects the services provided, facilitates delivery, and ensures continuity, and one who provides clinical services in any setting, including private practice, keeps timely records with subjective and objective data, assessment or diagnosis, a treatment plan, and any revisions made during treatment (IAC 481-884.4(5)(a), (b)). Records are stored under state and federal retention law and the employer's guidelines, and where no other provision governs, all client records are kept for a minimum of seven years following termination of services (884.4(5)(c)). A clinical social worker gives the client reasonable access to their records, with assistance interpreting them, limiting access only in exceptional circumstances on compelling evidence of serious harm, documenting the request and the rationale, and protecting others named in the record (884.4(6)). Deliberately falsifying client records is a violation (884.4(15)(c)).
TerminationIowa
Document the termination, or the relationship is still open
A social worker terminates services when they are no longer required or no longer serve the client's needs or interests, takes reasonable steps to avoid abandoning clients still in need, never terminates to pursue a social, financial, business, romantic, or sexual relationship, notifies clients promptly of an anticipated termination or interruption and seeks transfer, referral, or continuation, and when leaving an employer informs clients of their options; an employer who is a social worker gives notice or lets the departing social worker do so (IAC 481-884.4(11)(a) through (f)). For clinical services, termination is documented in the client record, and absent written documentation the professional relationship is considered ongoing; a fee-for-service client may be terminated for an overdue balance only if the financial arrangements were clear, the client is not an imminent danger to self or others, the clinical consequences were discussed, and reasonable collection efforts and referrals were made (884.4(11)(g)).
SupervisingIowa
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
An LISW with three years of independent practice and a six-hour or graduate supervision course may supervise an LMSW's clinical experience, from inside or outside the supervisee's agency, under a plan filed with the Board before the first session, for at least two years, 3,000 practice hours, 1,500 direct client hours, and 110 supervision hours with no more than 50 in group, in person or by video, closing with the supervisor's report (IAC 481-880.7). A supervisee may not run a private practice or a group practice of supervisees, so the arrangement is employment, not a contractor's letterhead (supervision plan form). A supervising social worker exercises appropriate supervision, supervises within their competence, sets boundaries, avoids dual relationships with supervisees where there is a risk of harm, and never assigns work requiring a license to someone without one or with a suspended, revoked, lapsed, or inactive license (884.4(3)).
Duty to WarnIowa
A statutory disclosure to law enforcement, and a rule that permits warning the person
Under Iowa Code 228.7A, a mental health professional may disclose mental health information to a law enforcement professional, at the minimum consistent with law and ethics, when the disclosure is made in good faith, is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of the individual or to a clearly identifiable victim or victims, and the individual has the apparent intent and ability to carry out the threat; the professional is not civilly or criminally liable for failing to disclose except where the individual has communicated an imminent threat of physical violence against self or a clearly identifiable victim, and the duty to disclose is discharged by reasonable efforts to communicate the threat to a law enforcement professional. The Board's rule separately permits disclosure when the social worker determines it is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to the client or another specific identifiable person, which reaches the potential victim as well as the police, and the licensing act creates no confidentiality for information revealing the contemplation of a crime (IAC 481-884.4(4)(a)(1); 154C.5(1)). No Iowa decision applying these provisions to a social worker was read in this pass. When a client communicates a specific threat, document the threat and your assessment, consult, notify law enforcement, warn the person where necessary, consider the emergency routes in Crisis & Safety, and record each step.
A social worker will not fail to notify the appropriate licensing authority of any human services professional practicing or teaching in violation of the laws or rules of their discipline, will not knowingly allow another to use their license or credentials, and will not further the licensure application of someone known to be unqualified (IAC 481-884.4(12)(b), (e), (f)). A social worker who self-reports an impairment or suspected impairment may be eligible for confidential monitoring by the impaired practitioner review committee (884.4(13)(b); Iowa Code 272C.3(1)(k)). Renewal is biennial by December 31 of even years with 27 hours and the mandatory reporter training certified, and a license not reactivated after the grace period may not be used (880.13).
UT
Where the Utah rules come from. Utah Code 58-60-202 and 207 (the scopes and who may practice independently), 58-60-109 (titles), 58-60-110 (unprofessional conduct, including the information every client must receive), 58-60-112 (reporting), 58-60-113 (privilege under Rule 506), 58-60-114 (confidentiality), 78B-3-502 (the duty to warn), and the Division's rule R156-60e-502.1 and 502.2 (unprofessional conduct for all mental health licensees and for social workers, incorporating the NASW Code of Ethics), read on le.utah.gov and adminrules.utah.gov in September 2026. Utah's rule adopts the NASW Code of Ethics as revised in 2021 and the 2017 NASW, ASWB, CSWE, and CSWA technology standards by reference, so both are enforceable as unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.2(1)).
Who can open one
UT
Unsupervised psychotherapy in private practice is the LCSW; a CSW may practice privately without psychotherapy. A clinical social worker may engage in all acts of clinical social work without supervision, in private and independent practice or as an employee, limited only by education, training, and competence (Utah Code 58-60-207(1)). A certified social worker may engage in the practice of mental health therapy only under the supervision of a clinical supervisor and as an employee of another person, may practice everything else without supervision, including private, independent, unsupervised practice as a self-employed individual, in partnership with other mental health therapists, or as a professional corporation, so long as the CSW does not practice unsupervised psychotherapy, and may supervise social service workers (58-60-207(2)). A social service worker practices under the general supervision of a mental health therapist (58-60-202(1)). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeUtah
What clinical social work and mental health therapy are
The practice of clinical social work includes the practice of mental health therapy by observation, description, evaluation, interpretation, intervention, and treatment to modify behavior by applying social work principles to prevent, treat, or eliminate mental or emotional illness or dysfunction, the application of psychotherapeutic and social work principles requiring the education, training, and clinical experience of a clinical social worker, and supervision of certified social workers and social service workers (Utah Code 58-60-202(2)). Mental health therapy is treatment or prevention of another individual's mental illness or emotional disorder, in person or remotely, including professional evaluation, establishing a diagnosis under an approved manual, conveying an opinion on a diagnosis, prescribing a treatment plan, and psychotherapy and other professional intervention, and holding oneself out as able to do so (58-60-102(17)). Failing to confine practice to acts within one's competence and within the scope laws is unprofessional conduct (58-60-110(1)(b)).
TitlesUtah
The notice every client gets, on the website or on paper
A pattern of failing to provide clients in a mental health therapy setting with the license holder's name as licensed, license type, license number, and contact information; the same for any supervisor the license requires; information on standards of care and ethical boundaries, including a plain language statement that a dual relationship, or one that is romantic, financially motivated, sexual, or otherwise risks the provider's judgment, is never appropriate and should be reported to the Division; the client's rights to a second opinion, additional information, and termination at any time, unless the client is under a commitment order; and the Division's contact information and how to file a complaint, is unprofessional conduct, and the notice may go on each agency or practitioner website or by paper or electronic document to each client (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(e); R156-60e-502.1(10)(l)). On request, a licensee also provides qualifications, degrees, credentials, and required continuing education, a copy of the unprofessional conduct definitions or the profession's ethical standards, the recommended treatment method, its reasoning, techniques, expected duration, and fee structure, and who has had access to the client's confidential data including recordings and observations (58-60-110(1)(f)). Using LCSW or CSW without the license is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.1(1)).
FeesUtah
The fee structure on request, and honest billing
A licensee provides, on request, the fee structure for any course of treatment along with the method, reasoning, techniques, and expected duration (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(f)(iii)). Engaging in, aiding, or abetting conduct that is dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent, or deceptive or fraudulent billing practices, is unprofessional conduct, and exploiting a client, former client, or someone in a personal relationship with a client for personal gain is as well (R156-60e-502.1(6)(a), (b), (9)). A pattern of failing to offer a client the opportunity to waive HIPAA privacy rights is listed as unprofessional conduct, but the Division may not act on a license for it (58-60-110(1)(d), (3)). The NASW Code's standards on fees, bartering, and referrals apply through the rule (502.2(1)).
TelehealthUtah
Remote therapy is therapy, with security duties and a 90-day window for relocating clients
The practice of mental health therapy includes treatment in person or remotely, meaning by internet, telephone, or other electronic means that allow real-time audio or visual interaction (Utah Code 58-60-102(17), (18)). When providing services remotely, failing to practice according to professional standards of care, protect the security of electronic confidential data, or appropriately store and dispose of it is unprofessional conduct, and the 2017 technology standards are incorporated (R156-60e-502.1(11); 502.2(1)(b)). An out-of-state licensee may give a relocating existing client short-term transitional therapy remotely for 90 days after the move while staying in the licensing state, and must know how to reach Utah emergency services and Utah's reporting laws before treating anyone in Utah remotely (58-60-107(2)(j), (3)). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
Informed ConsentUtah
Written consent for disclosure, and consent before any recording or observation
A mental health therapist may not disclose any confidential communication with a client without the express written consent of the client, the parent or legal guardian of a minor client, or a person the client authorized in a signed document with a reasonably verifiable signature (Utah Code 58-60-114(1)). Failing to obtain informed consent from the client or legal guardian before recording or permitting a third-party observation of a client's activities or records is unprofessional conduct, as is failing to protect the confidences of anyone named in the client records (R156-60e-502.1(10)(f), (g)). The NASW Code's informed consent standards, including for technology, apply through the rule (502.2).
Running it
ConfidentialityUtah
Written consent, or a law, an evidentiary exemption, or a recognized professional standard
A mental health therapist may not disclose a confidential communication with a client without express written consent, except where the therapist is permitted or required by state or federal law, rule, regulation, or order to report or disclose it, including reporting under the vulnerable adult, child abuse, and duty-to-warn statutes and communicable disease reporting; where the disclosure is part of an administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding under an exemption from privilege in Rule 506 of the Utah Rules of Evidence; or where the disclosure is made under a generally recognized professional or ethical standard that authorizes or requires it (Utah Code 58-60-114). Disclosing, or refusing to disclose, a confidential communication in violation of the section is unprofessional conduct, and a confidential communication is information a licensee obtains, including by examination, that is transmitted between the client and the licensee or among the client, the licensee, and those participating in diagnosis or treatment under the licensee's direction, including family members, made in confidence for diagnosis or treatment and not intended for other third persons (58-60-110(1)(c); 58-60-102(5)).
Evidentiary privilege for mental health therapists regarding the admissibility of any confidential communication in administrative, civil, or criminal proceedings is in accordance with Rule 506 of the Utah Rules of Evidence, which the confidentiality statute also uses for its proceedings exception (Utah Code 58-60-113; 58-60-114(2)(b)). Every licensee under the chapter, including a certified social worker, is a mental health therapist for these purposes (58-60-102(15)). A therapist's communication to a third party to discharge the duty to warn cannot support an action for breach of trust or privilege (78B-3-502(2)).
RecordsUtah
Ten years from termination, and provided on request
Failing to maintain client records, including records of assessment, treatment, progress notes, and billing information, for at least ten years from the documented termination of services to the client is unprofessional conduct, as is failing to provide client records in a reasonable time on the written request of the client or the client's legal guardian, and failing to protect the confidences of anyone named or identified in the records (R156-60e-502.1(10)(d), (e), (g)). Clients may ask who has had access to their confidential data, including video recordings, live streams, and observations of treatment (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(f)(iv)). Electronic records held for remote services must be secured, stored, and disposed of appropriately (502.1(11)).
TerminationUtah
The client's right to end treatment, and the NASW standard for yours
Every client not under a commitment order must be told of the right to terminate treatment at any time, along with the rights to a second opinion and additional information (Utah Code 58-60-110(1)(e)(iv)). The chapter and rule contain no separate termination procedure for the therapist; the NASW Code of Ethics, incorporated by reference, supplies the standards on termination, interruption of services, and referral, and failing to establish and maintain professional boundaries with a client or former client is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.2(1); 502.1(10)(a)). Records are kept ten years from the documented termination (502.1(10)(d)).
SupervisingUtah
Supervising a CSW in your practice
An LCSW licensed at least two years who has completed the supervisor training, has practiced or supervised within the last 24 months, and has requested Division-approved status may supervise a CSW's mental health therapy under a written contract that sets weekly or twice-monthly 50-minute meetings, individual or in groups of up to six, in person or remote, with quarterly sign-offs, a monthly log, and an artificial intelligence plan (R156-60e-305.1; 307.1; 308.1). The CSW must be your employee or another person's employee at a public agency or private clinic; you may not supervise your own employer, a family member, or someone who controls you; if your employer pays you to supervise you may not charge the supervisee, and if the supervisee pays you directly your employer must approve in writing (Utah Code 58-60-207(2)(a); R156-60e-305.1(3); 308.1(3)). Providing supervision without approved status, and acting as a supervisor without the qualifications, are unprofessional conduct (502.1(5); 58-1-501(2)(a)(xiii)).
Duty to WarnUtah
A limited statutory duty: an actual threat against an identifiable victim, discharged by warning and notifying police
A therapist has no duty to warn or take precautions to provide protection from any violent behavior of a client or patient, except when the client communicated to the therapist an actual threat of physical violence against a clearly identified or reasonably identifiable victim; that duty is discharged if the therapist makes reasonable efforts to communicate the threat to the victim and notifies a law enforcement officer or agency of the threat, no action may be brought against a therapist for breach of trust, privilege, or confidentiality based on a communication made to discharge it, and the section does not limit the duty to report child abuse (Utah Code 78B-3-502). The confidentiality statute lists reporting under the duty-to-warn part among the disclosures a therapist may make without consent (58-60-114(2)(a)(iii)). No Utah appellate decision applying the section to a social worker was read in this pass. When a client communicates an actual threat against an identifiable person, document the threat and your assessment, consult, make reasonable efforts to reach the victim, notify law enforcement, consider the emergency routes in Crisis & Safety, and record each step.
Within 10 days of learning of it, any licensee reports in writing an act of unlawful or unprofessional conduct by a licensee or an unlicensed person practicing under the chapter that results in discipline by a licensed health care facility, professional practice group, or professional society, or in a significant adverse impact on public health, safety, or welfare, unless it is known to have been reported, with immunity for good-faith reports (Utah Code 58-60-112). A change of address or email is reported within 10 business days (58-1-301.7; DOPL). Every licensee consents to an immediate mental or physical examination on the written direction of the Division and a majority of the Board where there is reasonable cause to believe the licensee cannot practice safely, and refusal permits immediate suspension (58-60-108(4)). Failing to cooperate with the Division during an investigation is unprofessional conduct (R156-60e-502.1(10)(i)).
KS
Where the Kansas rules come from. K.S.A. 65-6302 (social work practice and psychotherapy defined), 65-6306(f)(2) and 65-6319 (diagnosis and treatment and the physician consultation), 65-6308 (private practice), 65-6311 (grounds), 65-6315 (confidentiality and privilege), and 65-6320 (the disclosure at the first session), with the Board's regulations K.A.R. 102-2-1a (definitions), 102-2-7 (unprofessional conduct), 102-2-8(d) (supervision of private clinical practice), 102-2-13 (the physician consultation), and 102-2-15 (services to individuals in Kansas), and Boulanger v. Pol, 258 Kan. 289 (1995), read on ksrevisor.gov, rules.ks.gov, and courtlistener.com in September 2026. Kansas has no separate code of ethics regulation; the unprofessional conduct regulation is the code.
Who can open one
KS
Private, independent clinical practice is the LSCSW with its two supervised years. No person may engage in the private, independent clinical practice of social work unless licensed as a specialist clinical social worker or specialist social worker and having had two years of Board-approved supervised experience as a licensed social worker in the specialty to be offered, and a violation is a class B misdemeanor (K.S.A. 65-6308). Any licensee who is not an LSCSW and who is engaged in private clinical practice must be supervised by an LSCSW, and engaging in independent private practice without authorization is unprofessional conduct (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(1)(B); 102-2-7(ddd)). An LMSW diagnoses and treats only under the direction of an LSCSW, psychologist, physician, or independent mental health licensee (65-6319). Everything below assumes the LSCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeKansas
What clinical social work is, and the physician consultation built into it
Clinical social work practice is the professional application of social work theory and methods to the treatment and prevention of psychosocial problems, disability, or impairment, including emotional and mental disorders, and includes assessment, diagnosis, treatment including psychotherapy and counseling, client-centered advocacy, consultation, and evaluation (K.A.R. 102-2-1a(e)). An LSCSW may diagnose and treat mental disorders in the DSM edition the Board designates; when a client has symptoms of a mental disorder, the LSCSW shall consult the client's primary care physician or psychiatrist, with the client's signed consent, to determine whether a medical condition or medication may be causing or contributing to the symptoms, by face-to-face, telephone, or written contact with the physician or designated staff, unless the client requests in writing that the consultation be waived and the waiver goes in the record; agency medical review procedures satisfy it in licensed settings (K.S.A. 65-6306(f)(2); 102-2-13). Offering or performing services inconsistent with one's training and accepted standards is unprofessional conduct (102-2-7(j)).
TitlesKansas
The disclosure at the first session, and honest advertising
At the beginning of a client-therapist relationship a licensee informs the client of the level of the licensee's training and the titles and licenses held, discloses whether the licensee holds a master's or doctoral degree and, if a doctorate, whether it is a doctor of medicine, discloses that a licensee without a medical degree is not authorized to practice medicine or prescribe drugs, and advises the client that certain mental disorders can have medical or biological origins and that the client should consult a physician, documenting the disclosures in the record (K.S.A. 65-6320). Advertising involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, claims of professional superiority one cannot substantiate, guarantees of satisfaction or cure, and secret methods one refuses to divulge to the Board are unprofessional conduct, and only a licensee may use the Board's titles (K.A.R. 102-2-7(w), (ee) through (gg), (zz); 65-6307).
FeesKansas
A description of fees and billing up front, no referral fees, no fee sharing
A licensee provides each client with a description of what the client can expect in the way of services, consultation, reports, fees, billing, therapeutic regimen, or schedule, and reasonably complies with it; informs each client of any financial interest the licensee has in referrals or in tests, books, or apparatus; and, if employed by a public agency while practicing privately, tells clients they are entitled to the same services from the agency (K.A.R. 102-2-7(n), (p), (q)). A licensee may not offer, give, solicit, or receive any fee or consideration for a referral, may not share fees with anyone other than a partner, employee, associate in a professional firm, or consultant authorized to practice social work, and may not engage in billing practices involving dishonesty or fraud (102-2-7(bb), (cc), (w)). Continuing tests, procedures, or treatments not warranted by the client's condition, interests, or preferences is a violation (102-2-7(hh)).
TelehealthKansas
A client in Kansas requires a Kansas license
Each person, regardless of location, who performs any act of social work practice on or for one or more individuals located in Kansas, or represents themselves as a social worker available to do so, is engaged in social work practice in Kansas and must hold a Kansas LBSW, LMSW, or LSCSW as appropriate (K.A.R. 102-2-15). The Board's definition of direct client contact recognizes real-time, two-way audio, visual, or audiovisual services with confidentiality protected, and excludes email, messaging, texting, and fax (102-2-1a(i)). The Compact will govern multistate practice once multistate licenses issue (K.S.A. 65-6325). For a client in another state, that state's law governs.
Informed ConsentKansas
Rights, risks, and the limits of confidentiality, explained; written consent before recording or release
A licensee advises and explains to each client the respective rights, responsibilities, and duties involved in the social work relationship; provides a description of the possible effects of the proposed treatment when there are clear and known risks; and informs each client, supervisee, or student of the limits of client confidentiality, the purposes for which information is obtained, and the manner in which it may be used (K.A.R. 102-2-7(m), (o), (r)). Written, informed consent from the client or legal representative is required before electronically recording sessions, permitting third-party observation, or releasing information to a third party except as required or permitted by law (102-2-7(t)). The physician consultation requires the client's signed consent or written waiver (102-2-13).
Running it
ConfidentialityKansas
Three exceptions in the regulation, with due diligence over your own staff
Revealing information, a confidence, or a secret of any client, or failing to protect the confidences, secrets, or information in a client's records, is unprofessional conduct unless disclosure is required or permitted by law, failure to disclose presents a clear and present danger to the health or safety of an individual or the public, or the licensee is a party to a civil, criminal, or disciplinary investigation or action arising from the practice, in which case disclosure is limited to that action (K.A.R. 102-2-7(s)). A licensee protects the confidences of other persons when giving a client access to the client's records and exercises due diligence to protect client information from disclosure by others in the practice setting (102-2-7(u), (v)). Family, couple, or group work is within the definition of psychotherapy, and the limits of confidentiality must be explained to every client (K.S.A. 65-6302(c); 102-2-7(r)).
The attorney-client basis for LMSW and LSCSW communications, and a statutory duty for LBSWs
The confidential relations and communications between a licensed master social worker's or licensed specialist clinical social worker's client and the licensee are placed on the same basis as those between an attorney and client (K.S.A. 65-6315(b)). A licensed social work associate or baccalaureate social worker, their staff, and anyone under a licensed social worker's supervision may not disclose or be compelled to disclose information acquired from persons consulting them professionally except with written consent, or a representative's after death or disability, where a client under 18 was the victim or subject of a crime and the licensee is required to testify, or where the client waives the privilege by bringing charges, to the extent relevant (65-6315(a)). Nothing prohibits any licensed social worker from testifying in court hearings on adult abuse, adoption, child abuse, child neglect, or other matters pertaining to the welfare of children, or from consulting colleagues or administrative superiors on the client's behalf, and there is no privilege for information required to be reported to a public official (65-6315(c)).
RecordsKansas
Nine minimum contents, two years, and legibility
A licensee who owns the records maintains for each client a record that contains adequate identification, the client's initial reason for seeking services, pertinent and significant information about the client's condition, a summary of the intervention, treatment, tests, procedures, and services obtained, performed, ordered, or recommended with their findings, documentation of the client's progress, legible entries, only terms and abbreviations comprehensible to similar practitioners, the date and nature of each professional service, and the manner and process by which the relationship terminated (K.A.R. 102-2-7(ii)). An owner or custodian of client records retains them for at least two years after termination of the professional relationship unless law provides otherwise, and taking credit for work not personally performed or filing a report one knows to be distorted, erroneous, incomplete, or misleading is a violation (102-2-7(qq), (jj), (ll)). Set a longer written retention policy that satisfies your payers and HIPAA.
TerminationKansas
Prompt notice, continuation of care, and ending when it no longer serves the client
A licensee notifies the client promptly when termination or interruption of service is anticipated; seeks continuation of service and does not abandon or neglect a client under or in need of professional care without making reasonable arrangements for that care; does not abandon employment under circumstances that seriously impair the delivery of care to clients without reasonable notice to the employer; and terminates services when it is apparent that the relationship no longer serves the client's needs or best interests (K.A.R. 102-2-7(mm) through (pp)). The record describes the manner and process by which the relationship terminated (102-2-7(ii)(9)). Sexual advances, physical intimacies, sexual activities, or undue influence toward anyone who has been one's client within the past 24 months are barred (102-2-7(z)).
SupervisingKansas
Supervising an LMSW in your practice
An LSCSW who has practiced two years beyond clinical licensure in a role including assessment, diagnosis, and psychotherapy may supervise an LMSW's clinical hours under a Board-approved training plan, and must supervise any non-LSCSW licensee in private clinical practice; the supervisor takes professional responsibility for the supervisee's practice, has no dual relationship with the supervisee, meets one hour per 15 contact hours with no more than six supervisees at a time, documents supervision, ensures every client knows the supervisee is supervised, and submits the closing documentation at application (K.A.R. 102-2-8(d)(1), (3), (5); 102-2-12(d)). An outside supervisor must understand the setting, define responsibility and payment, and keep responsibility to the client when paid directly by the supervisee (102-2-8(d)(4)). An LMSW diagnoses and treats only under your direction, and directing diagnosis and treatment by anyone the statute does not permit is unprofessional conduct (K.S.A. 65-6319; 102-2-7(bbb)).
Duty to WarnKansas
No statute; the Supreme Court's limits from Boulanger, and a regulation that permits disclosure of a clear and present danger
Kansas has no duty-to-warn statute for social workers. In Boulanger v. Pol the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed summary judgment for a physician and care facility sued by a man shot by a former voluntary patient ten days after discharge, holding that the cause of action for negligent release of an involuntary mental patient recognized in Durflinger v. Artiles, 234 Kan. 484 (1983), does not extend to the release of a voluntary patient; that the duty to warn does not arise when the victim already knows the danger; that on those facts no special relationship existed to impose a duty under Restatement (Second) of Torts section 315; and that the defendants lacked the control that might create a duty under section 319, noting that Durflinger had declined to decide whether a therapist's failure to warn or detain could support liability (Boulanger v. Pol, 258 Kan. 289, 900 P.2d 823 (1995)). No later Kansas decision applying these principles to a licensed social worker was read in this pass. The Board's regulation permits disclosure of client information where failure to disclose presents a clear and present danger to the health or safety of an individual or the public, and the privilege statute creates no privilege for information required to be reported to a public official (K.A.R. 102-2-7(s)(2); K.S.A. 65-6315(c)). When a client makes a specific threat against an identifiable person, document the threat and your assessment, consult, disclose what is necessary to the person and to law enforcement, consider the emergency routes in Crisis & Safety, and record each step.
Within a reasonable time, and within 30 days of any request: that any person the Board regulates, including yourself, has had a license or professional membership limited, suspended, revoked, refused, or surrendered during an investigation, has been disciplined by a credentialing board or professional association, has been demoted, terminated, suspended, reassigned, or asked to resign for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance, has been convicted of a felony, or has practiced in violation of the profession's laws, except information from a confidential relationship (K.A.R. 102-2-7(b), (i)). A licensee must recognize, seek intervention for, and respond to personal problems, psychosocial distress, or mental health difficulties that interfere with professional judgment, and may not use alcohol or illegal drugs while performing licensed duties (102-2-7(h), (x)). Address changes go to the Board within 30 days, and renewal is every 24 months with the criminal history check at renewal unless done within five years (K.S.A. 65-6313(g); 65-6324).
NV
Where the Nevada rules come from. NRS 641B.030 (social work and clinical social work defined), 641B.225 through 641B.240 (what each license may do), 641B.350 and 641B.360 (the veteran inquiry and the opioid use disorder duty), 641B.400 and 641B.430 (grounds and sanctions), and 641B.500 through 641B.520 (unlicensed and independent practice), NRS 49.251 through 49.254 (the social worker and client privilege), NRS 629.550 (the duty to warn), and NRS 629.051 (records), with the Board's regulations NAC 641B.057 (psychotherapeutic methods and techniques), 641B.124 (telehealth), 641B.200 (professional responsibility), 641B.205 (responsibility to the client), 641B.210 (confidentiality of records), and 641B.240 (titles), as amended by R103-23, read on leg.state.nv.us and socwork.nv.gov in September 2026. Nevada has no separate code of ethics regulation; the standards of practice in NAC 641B.200 through 641B.225 are the code the Board enforces.
Who can open one
NV
Independent clinical practice is the LCSW. It is unlawful to engage in the independent practice of social work, meaning the unsupervised practice of social work, other than for a public employer, for compensation, without an active license as a clinical social worker or an independent social worker, or as a master social worker within an approved internship, and unlawful to engage in the clinical practice of social work without an active license as a clinical social worker, or as an independent or master social worker within an approved internship toward the LCSW; a violation is a misdemeanor (NRS 641B.505; 641B.520). An LISW may practice non-clinical social work independently, an LMSW practices independently only inside an approved internship, and the Board's Scope of Practice Table reserves diagnosis, psychotherapy, and clinical private practice to the LCSW (641B.225(2); 641B.230(2); BESW). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeNevada
What clinical social work is, and the competence the Board expects
Clinical social work is the application of the methods, principles, and techniques of case work, group work, community organization, administration, planning, consultation, research, and psychotherapeutic methods and techniques to persons, families, and groups to help in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional conditions, and psychotherapeutic methods and techniques are treatment methods, including individual, couples, family, and group therapy, using a specialized, formal interaction between an LCSW and a client in a therapeutic relationship to understand unconscious processes and intrapersonal, interpersonal, and psychosocial dynamics and to diagnose and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, conditions, and addictions (NRS 641B.030(3); NAC 641B.057). A licensee shall not attempt to diagnose, prescribe for, treat, or advise on any problem outside his or her field of competence, and may take on new duties, other than certifying legal holds, only under a reasonable written plan for acquiring competence completed under the supervision or consultation of a qualified person, provided to the Board on request; practice rests on recognized knowledge relevant to social work, kept current (NAC 641B.200(10) through (12)). An LCSW who diagnoses opioid use disorder counsels the client about evidence-based treatment including medication-assisted treatment and refers the client to an authorized prescriber on request (641B.360).
TitlesNevada
Honest credentials, and a written disclosure when you hold more than one license
The status of a licensee must not support any claim, promise, or guarantee of successful service or imply competence in another profession; a licensee shall not misrepresent professional qualifications, competency, affiliations, or licenses, and provides accurate information about credentials, education, training, and experience on request (NAC 641B.200(1), (2)). A licensee holding more than one occupational license discloses to the client orally and in writing which practice and which license apply, and a licensee engaged in something other than social work discloses that it is outside social work's scope, or the Board presumes the practice was intended to be social work (641B.200(3)). Only a licensee may represent himself or herself as a social worker or use a licensee's title, and an intern uses the title "intern" with clients (NRS 641B.500; 641B.510; NAC 641B.240(2)). An LCSW may ask each new adult client whether he or she is a veteran, document the answer, and provide the Department of Veterans Services' contact information (641B.350).
FeesNevada
Fees and obligations explained up front, no pay for work not personally rendered, honest billing
A licensee apprises clients of the risks, rights, opportunities, and obligations, financial or otherwise, associated with the provision of social work services, and shall not misrepresent the efficacy of the service or the results to be achieved (NAC 641B.205(5), (6)). Except as otherwise provided by law, a licensee shall not give or receive, directly or indirectly, a fee, commission, rebate, or other compensation for professional services not actually and personally rendered, and when supervising an intern or employee, the billing and documentation must clearly show that the licensee supervised the work and did not personally render it (641B.200(7)). Falsifying billing records and billing for services not rendered or not supported by documentation are prohibited (641B.200(15)(b), (c)). A licensee shall not use the relationship with a client, a person with significant personal ties to the client, or the client's legal representative to further personal, religious, political, or business interests (641B.200(5)).
TelehealthNevada
A client in Nevada requires a Nevada license, and a client outside it requires that state's permission
Providing social work services remotely to a client within Nevada by any means, wherever the social worker is, is the practice of social work subject to chapter 641B and the Board's regulations (NAC 641B.124). A licensee shall not provide services through telehealth to a client located outside Nevada unless authorized to do so under the laws of the jurisdiction where the client is located (641B.200(19) as amended by R103-23). The ethics hours may cover telehealth and social media (641B.187(1)). Nevada is not a Compact member, so a Nevada license carries no multistate privilege; for a client in another state, that state's law governs.
Informed ConsentNevada
The limits of confidentiality explained, consent documented, and a professional will on file
A licensee is responsible for informing each client of the licensee's confidentiality policies, the applicable confidentiality and privacy laws, and the limits of confidentiality (NAC 641B.210(2)). The client record must include copies of all documents relating to the client's informed consent and all documents relating to the release of information (641B.200(14)(b)). Recordings of sessions used for a Board-approved training program require the client's written informed consent on the Board's form, and any personally identifiable information in such a recording requires specific written consent (NRS 641B.355). An LISW or LCSW in independent practice establishes and maintains a professional will naming a professional executor who will oversee the client records, billing and financial records, appointment book, client contact information, passwords, and access codes and notify clients if the licensee becomes incapacitated or dies unexpectedly (NAC 641B.205(15)).
Running it
ConfidentialityNevada
Written consent, a Board subpoena or investigation, or law, and disclosure of a clear and immediate danger
Records showing a client's problems and the scope of the licensee's services, and information obtained from or about a client including the licensee's personal knowledge of the client, must be maintained in a manner that ensures security and confidentiality, and may not be released except by the client's written consent, under a subpoena issued by the Board, pursuant to a Board investigation, or as otherwise provided by law (NAC 641B.210(1)). Except as otherwise provided by law, confidential information must not be communicated to others without the client's consent unless there is clear and immediate danger to some person or to society, and then only to the appropriate family members, professional workers, or public authorities or, if there is a clear and immediate danger to a specific person or persons, to that person or those persons (641B.210(3)). Before a training recording is used the client consents in writing, and the recording must contain no personally identifiable information without specific consent (NRS 641B.355).
A client's privilege for confidential communications with any 641B licensee, with five exceptions
A client, meaning a person who consults or is interviewed by a social worker for diagnosis or treatment, has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent any other person from disclosing, confidential communications among the client, the client's social worker, and anyone participating in the diagnosis or treatment under the social worker's direction; social worker means any person licensed under chapter 641B, and the licensee may claim the privilege only on the client's behalf (NRS 49.251 through 49.253). There is no privilege if the services were sought or obtained to enable anyone to commit or plan a crime or fraud, if the social worker is required to testify in an administrative or court-related investigation or proceeding involving the welfare of the client or the client's minor children, if the communication is relevant to a breach of duty by the social worker to the client or by the client to the social worker, if the communication is with persons participating in the diagnosis and treatment including family members, or if disclosure is otherwise required by state or federal law (49.254).
A timely record with the assessment, the plan, every contact, and every consent, kept under NRS 629.051
Based on recognized knowledge and standards of practice, a licensee prepares and maintains in a timely manner a record for each client setting forth the assessment of the client's problems, issues, or concerns, the course of treatment or plan of care, and the scope of services including any interventions, consultations, or mandated reporting, and including copies of all informed consent documents, all releases of information, a record of each contact with its date and time, and all other documents required by law (NAC 641B.200(14)). A licensee shall not inaccurately record, falsify, alter, or destroy a client's records unless specifically authorized by law, and shall not refuse to release a client's records on the client's request unless otherwise specifically authorized by law; records are maintained in accordance with NRS 629.051, the health care records statute (641B.200(15), (16)). The Board itself retains complaints for at least 10 years (NRS 641B.410(2)).
TerminationNevada
End service when it no longer serves the client, never precipitously, with notice and a transfer plan
A licensee terminates service and the professional relationship when they are no longer required or no longer serve the client's needs or interests; shall not withdraw services precipitously except under unusual circumstances, after careful consideration of all factors and with care to minimize adverse effects; and, when anticipating the termination or interruption of service, notifies the client promptly and seeks the transfer, referral, or continuation of service according to the client's needs and preferences (NAC 641B.205(8) through (10)). A licensee shall not knowingly offer service to a client receiving treatment from another licensee without prior consultation between the client and that licensee, and seeks the advice of colleagues and supervisors whenever it is in the client's interest (641B.200(8); 641B.205(7)). Causing a client physical, mental, or emotional harm by action or inaction is a violation (641B.205(14)).
SupervisingNevada
What you answer for when you supervise or employ others
A licensee shall not authorize a person under supervision to perform services outside that person's level of licensure, training, or experience, or allow that person to hold out expertise the person lacks; shall not order or knowingly allow a supervisee to engage in any illegal or unethical act related to social work; shall not supervise anyone practicing social work who has not satisfied the licensure requirements; and shall not provide diagnosis, therapeutic counseling, therapy, or other clinical services to an intern or anyone over whom the licensee has administrative, educational, or supervisory authority (NAC 641B.200(20), (21), (23), (24) as amended). A licensee is responsible for setting and maintaining professional boundaries with each intern and each person supervised, and may not enter a dual relationship with an intern or supervisee during supervision or for two years after (641B.200(6); 641B.205(13)). Supervising an LCSW intern requires Board approval, three years' experience, the Board's training, and the duties in NAC 641B.155 through 641B.170.
Duty to WarnNevada
A statute for some mental health professionals, and a regulation that permits disclosure of a clear and immediate danger for every licensee
If a patient communicates to a mental health professional an explicit threat of imminent serious physical harm or death to a clearly identified or identifiable person and, in the professional's judgment, the patient has the intent and ability to carry it out, the professional shall place the patient on a mental health crisis hold, petition a court to order one, or make a reasonable effort to communicate the threat in a timely manner to the person threatened, the law enforcement agency closest to that person's residence, and, for a minor, the parent or guardian; a professional who exercises reasonable care in deciding either way is not liable for the disclosure or for the patient's acts, and the section does not limit child abuse reporting (NRS 629.550(1) through (4)). The statute's list of mental health professionals names a social worker who holds an MSW, is licensed as a clinical social worker, and is employed by the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, and an MSW-level social worker licensed elsewhere working for the federal government; for other licensees the Board's regulation permits disclosure without consent where there is clear and immediate danger to a person or society, to the endangered person, family, professionals, or authorities (629.550(5)(d), (h); NAC 641B.210(3)). Details are in Crisis & Safety.
Renew by your birth month, tell the Board within 30 days, and keep the professional will current
The license renews annually by the last day of the birth month, is delinquent the next day and expired 60 days after that, and a delinquent or expired licensee may not practice; a licensee who will not practice in Nevada may place the license on inactive status for up to five years (NRS 641B.290; 641B.295; NAC 641B.110). Under R103-23 the licensee notifies the Board within 30 days after any action on a license in any state, any sanction by an insurer, third party, or regulator, any arrest, charge, or conviction other than a misdemeanor traffic offense, any civil action or settlement relating to the practice, or entering treatment for a substance use or behavioral disorder affecting the ability to deliver essential services, and reports a new home or professional address within 30 days (641B.200(22) as amended; 641B.085). The Board may impose probation, a public reprimand, a limitation of practice, suspension, revocation, and a fine of up to $5,000, never a private reprimand, and every disciplinary order is a public record (641B.430).
Where the Arkansas rules come from. A.C.A. 17-103-103 (what each license may do), 17-103-105 and 17-103-106 (violations and penalties), 17-103-107 (privileged communications), 17-103-301 (the LCSW for private practice and consultation), 17-103-305 (discipline), 17-103-308 (the licensure certificate), and 17-103-309 (electronic practice), with the Board's Rule X (the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice), Rule XI (unprofessional conduct), Rule XIII (professional corporations), and Rule XIV (telemedicine), read on healthy.arkansas.gov and Justia in September 2026. Arkansas has a short code of ethics in its rules, eight standards, and a list of 20 forms of unprofessional conduct; the two together are what the Board enforces.
Who can open one
AR
Private independent practice is the LCSW. A person shall not engage in the private independent practice of social work, or in social work consultation, unless licensed as a licensed certified social worker, and entering the private independent practice of clinical social work without being certified by the Board is a violation and a Class A misdemeanor (A.C.A. 17-103-301(b), (c); 17-103-105(2); 17-103-106(a)). The definitions say it the other way around too: an LCSW may operate a private practice and practice macro social work independently, while an LMSW and an LSW practice under supervision within a recognized organized setting and shall not practice privately or independently (17-103-103). A practice organized as a corporation needs the Board's certificate of registration, renewed each January, with every incorporator, officer, director, and shareholder licensed by the Board (Rule XIII). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeArkansas
What the LCSW may do, and competence as the limit
An LCSW applies social work theory, knowledge, methods, principles, values, ethics, and the professional use of self to restore or enhance the social, psychosocial, or biopsychosocial functioning of individuals, couples, families, and groups and to address the needs of organizations and communities; practices with specialized knowledge and advanced clinical skills in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and conditions; and conducts management, information and referral, mediation, client education, supervision of employees, consultation, research, advocacy, and outcome evaluation (A.C.A. 17-103-103(1)). A social worker may not practice beyond his or her competence and must make appropriate and timely referrals when the client's needs exceed it, and must not provide services while under the influence of alcohol, other mind- or mood-altering drugs, or a physical or psychological illness that impairs delivery (Rule X, Standard E). Negligence, fraud, or incompetence in practice, and ordering or providing excessive or unnecessary tests or services, are unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.B, XI.J).
TitlesArkansas
Factual credentials and advertising, and a displayed license
A social worker must not misrepresent his or her qualifications, training, experience, or professional affiliations, and any advertising must present education, training, and expertise factually (Rule X, Standard D). Misrepresenting the type or status of education, training, expertise, licensure, or professional affiliations, impersonating another licensee or allowing anyone else to use one's license, and permitting, aiding, or abetting an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a license are unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.D through XI.F). A licensee involved in independent private practice with the public shall display the license and immediately notify clients if it expires without renewal or is suspended or revoked, and any licensee whose license lapses or is disciplined immediately notifies the employer, employees, and partners and removes the certificate and card from display (A.C.A. 17-103-308).
FeesArkansas
A written description of services, fees, and billing, and no fee splitting
A social worker must provide a clear written description of what the client may expect in regard to services, reports, fees, billing, and schedules, when applicable (Rule X, Standard B). A social worker must not divide a fee with a referral source or accept the division of a fee as compensation for a referral, so that referrals are always based solely on the client's best interest, and giving or receiving, directly or indirectly, any fee, commission, rebate, or other compensation for professional services not actually and personally rendered is unprofessional conduct (Rule X, Standard F; Rule XI.M). The records must include any fees charged and other billing information (Rule X, Standard H). The Board waives its initial licensing fee for low-income applicants but sets no rules on client fee schedules beyond disclosure (Rule VII.B).
TelehealthArkansas
A client in Arkansas requires an Arkansas license, and telemedicine requires a relationship first
Providing social work services to a client within Arkansas by any means, including electronic means or by telephone, wherever the social worker is, is the practice of social work subject to the chapter and the rules (A.C.A. 17-103-309). A proper social worker-client relationship must be established before services are delivered via telemedicine, by an in-person psychosocial assessment adequate to establish a diagnosis and treatment plan, by a face-to-face assessment using real-time audio and visual technology at least equal to an in-person one, or by an existing professional relationship, with appropriate follow-up; it is deemed to exist on referral from or consultation with a treating provider who has agreed to supervise treatment and in on-call or cross-coverage arrangements, and it is not created by an internet questionnaire, email, patient-generated history, text, fax, or any combination (Rule XIV.B through XIV.F). Telemedicine services meet the same standard of care as in-person encounters, with a detailed complaint, acceptance of responsibility, arranged follow-up, a documented record with a copy to the client and the treating provider, transparency about licensure and financial responsibility in advance, in-person referral when needed, emergency referral protocols, and no group therapy by telemedicine for a child 18 or younger (Rule XIV.G). Emergencies and generic information are excepted (XIV.E). For a client in another state, that state's law governs, and the Compact will govern multistate practice as multistate licenses issue (17-103-401).
Informed ConsentArkansas
A signed, dated consent in every record, written consent for research, and written consent before release
The client record must contain, at a minimum, a consent form signed and dated by the client (Rule X, Standard H). Except when required by law or judicial order or for professional supervision or consultation, a social worker must obtain the client's informed written consent before releasing confidential information (Standard A). A social worker must obtain the client's or legal guardian's informed written consent before involving the client in any research project, explaining the research, its risks and potential consequences, and the right to withdraw at any time (Standard C). Telemedicine services must be delivered transparently, with access to the social worker's licensure and certifications and the client's financial responsibilities before the encounter (Rule XIV.G.7).
Running it
ConfidentialityArkansas
Written consent, law or court order, and supervision or consultation
In providing services a social worker must safeguard information given by clients, and except when required by law or judicial order or for the purpose of professional supervision or consultation, must obtain the client's informed written consent before releasing confidential information (Rule X, Standard A). Failing to maintain confidentiality, except as otherwise required or permitted by law, of all information received from a client in confidence during treatment and all information about the client obtained from tests or other means is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.H). The statute adds that a licensee and his or her secretary, stenographer, or clerk shall not disclose information acquired from a person consulting the licensee professionally except with written consent, or after the person's death or disability with the consent of the guardian, a person authorized to sue, or the beneficiary of a life, health, or physical condition policy (A.C.A. 17-103-107(a)(1)). Communications received in the course of formally reporting to, conferring with, or consulting administrative superiors, colleagues, or consultants who share professional responsibility may be disclosed, and the recipient is bound to treat them as privileged (17-103-107(a)(4)(B)).
PrivilegeArkansas
A statutory privilege for every licensee, with exceptions for crimes, minors, charges, and children's and elders' matters
The privilege in 17-103-107 covers an LCSW, LMSW, or LSW and the staff who work for them. A licensee is not required to treat as confidential a communication that reveals the intended commission of a crime or a harmful act; may be required to testify fully in any examination, trial, or proceeding inquiring into a crime of which a minor client was the victim or subject; may disclose when the client waives the privilege by bringing charges against the licensee; and may disclose in supervision and consultation (A.C.A. 17-103-107(a)(2) through (4)). The section does not prohibit a licensee from voluntarily testifying in court hearings concerning adoption, child abuse, child neglect, or other matters pertaining to children, the elderly, and handicapped and mentally disabled adults, except as prohibited by state or federal law, and the General Assembly has provided that these privilege provisions are not repealed (17-103-107(b); 17-103-108). No privilege or contract prevents a mandated report of child or adult maltreatment (12-18-402(c); 12-12-1708(c)).
Consent, assessment, plan, revisions, billing, releases, and legal forms, kept seven years
A social worker creates and maintains records of services provided to a client containing, at a minimum, a consent form signed and dated by the client, documentation of the assessment or diagnosis, documentation of a plan, documentation of any revision of the assessment, diagnosis, or plan, any fees charged and other billing information, copies of all client authorizations for release of information, and any legal forms pertaining to the client; the licensee or the employing agency maintains the records for at least seven years after the last date of service, or longer if federal or state law requires (Rule X, Standard H). Failing to keep proper records and documentation of services is unprofessional conduct (Rule XI.I). A telemedicine encounter is documented in a treatment record including the psychosocial history, made available to the client on request electronically or in hard copy, and forwarded to the client's regular treating provider unless the client declines (Rule XIV.G.5, G.6).
TerminationArkansas
Terminate when the service no longer serves the client, and never abandon
Neglecting or abandoning a client, including failure to provide sufficient termination of services, is unprofessional conduct, and so is failing to terminate the professional relationship when it is apparent that the service no longer serves the needs of the client (Rule XI.K, XI.R). A social worker must make appropriate and timely referrals when the client's needs exceed the social worker's competence (Rule X, Standard E.1). In telemedicine, if follow-up care is indicated the social worker must agree to provide or arrange it, and a client who needs to be seen in person is seen by the social worker or directed to a treating or other appropriate provider, with the recommendation documented (Rule XIV.G.4, G.8). Intentionally or recklessly causing physical or emotional harm to any client or former client is a violation (Rule XI.G).
SupervisingArkansas
What you answer for when you supervise or employ others
Permitting, aiding, or abetting an unlicensed person to perform activities requiring a license is unprofessional conduct, and a license is required to practice or offer to practice social work at all, so an employee delivering social work services needs an LSW, LMSW, or LCSW, or a student's or exempt status (Rule XI.D; A.C.A. 17-103-301; 17-103-104). An LMSW may supervise nonclinical baccalaureate-level social workers and nonlicensed master's-level employees; an LCSW supervises employees generally and provides consultation (17-103-103(1), (2)). An LCSW supervising toward the LCSW must be three years licensed, accepts professional responsibility for the supervisee's services, and files the plan and evaluation on the Board's forms (Rule VI; guidelines). Relationships with students and supervisees must not be exploited, and a social worker must not commit any act detrimental to a student or supervisee (Rule X, Standard G).
Duty to WarnArkansas
No duty-to-warn statute, and a privilege that does not cover an intended crime or harmful act
Arkansas has no statute imposing on social workers a duty to warn or protect a third party from a client's threat, and no Arkansas appellate decision applying such a duty to a licensed social worker was read in this pass. What the licensing law provides is permission: a licensed certified, master, or licensed social worker is not required to treat as confidential a communication that reveals the intended commission of a crime or a harmful act (A.C.A. 17-103-107(a)(2)), and the Board's Code of Ethics allows release of confidential information when required by law (Rule X, Standard A). Immediate confinement for a person in imminent danger of causing death or serious bodily harm to others is available through a petition with a request for immediate confinement, an interested citizen's transport to a hospital or receiving facility, or law enforcement (20-47-210). Details are in Crisis & Safety.
Renew every two years, report changes within 30 days, and tell your clients if the license lapses
The license is valid for two years from issuance, lapses on the last day of that month if not renewed, may be renewed with a penalty for three months on an attestation of no practice, and after three months is not renewable (A.C.A. 17-103-304; Rule VIII). The licensee updates the Board on any change of name or address within 30 days (Rule VIII.E). The Board may refuse to renew, revoke, or suspend a license or impose supervision, probation, counseling, reporting, drug screening, or additional continuing education for a violation of the chapter, gross negligence, unprofessional conduct or a code violation, or failing a licensure qualification, and must revoke for a listed felony or an offense of violence, dishonesty, fraud, deceit, breach of client trust, or abuse of the vulnerable absent a waiver (17-103-305). A licensee in private practice immediately tells clients when the license expires or is suspended or revoked (17-103-308(a)).
Where the Mississippi rules come from. Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-3 (what each level of practice means), 73-53-7 (titles, unlicensed practice, and penalties), 73-53-11(1)(j) (the Board adopts the NASW Code of Ethics), 73-53-17 (grounds), 73-53-23 (sanctions), 73-53-29 (confidential communications), and 73-53-31 (services within the marriage and family therapy scope), with the Board's Rule 1901-2.2 (competency and scope), Rule 1901-3.1 (standards of conduct), Rule 1902-3.1 (titles and display), Rule 1902-3.2 (guidelines of practice by level), Rule 1902-3.3 (standards of ethical conduct), and Rule 1902-3.4 (standards for use of technology in practice), read on swmft.ms.gov and Justia in September 2026. Mississippi's Board writes short standards of its own and adopts the NASW Code of Ethics on top of them, so a code violation is a statutory ground for discipline.
Who can open one
MS
Independent practice is the LCSW. An LMSW may work only as an employee in an agency or organizational setting, cannot engage in autonomous practice, may provide clinical social work services only under the supervision of an LCSW or another licensed or certified clinical professional such as a psychiatrist or a doctoral-level clinical psychologist, and must not hold out as a licensed clinical social worker; an LSW should not provide clinical social work services, psychotherapy, or autonomous practice at all, and the Board's rule prohibits an LSW from diagnosing, treating, or conducting therapeutic groups or psychotherapy (Rule 1902-3.2 A, B; Rule 1901-2.2 A). The LCSW is qualified to function independently, to use the DSM and ICD in assessment and diagnosis, and to engage independently in a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques, bounded by the parameters of the licensee's own expertise based on education, training, experience, and competency (Rule 1902-3.2 C). Everything below assumes the LCSW.
Before the first client
ScopeMississippi
What clinical social work is, and competence as the hard limit
Clinical social work practice is the application of social work methods, knowledge, theory, and ethics in the application of specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skill in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, conditions, and addictions, involving the professional application of psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques; licensed clinical social workers may provide evaluations consistent with the scope of their education, training, and experience, which shall occur within the context of a therapeutic relationship (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-3(e)). The license does not permit a licensee to offer or attempt to provide services beyond the level of competency attained through education, training, supervision, or clinical experience, even though the service may be provided routinely by other licensed social workers, and it is the legal and ethical responsibility of each licensee to limit the scope of practice to the parameters of those competencies (Rule 1901-2.2 A, B; Rule 1902-3.3 H). Where a law or policy authorizes a licensed marriage and family therapist to perform a service within that scope, a licensed certified or clinical social worker may perform it too, to the extent it is within the clinical social work scope (73-53-31).
TitlesMississippi
Use the title your level carries, and display the certificate
Licensees may use the title appropriate to their level: Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Certified Social Worker, and Clinical Social Worker; academic titles such as BSW, MSW, MSSW, DSW, and PhD denote degrees, not levels of licensure (Rule 1902-3.1 A). Since July 1, 2020 only a licensed certified social worker who completed clinical supervision and took the ASWB Clinical examination may hold out to the public as a clinical social worker (Rule 1902-2.1 C). A licensee is issued a licensure ID card that should be in their possession at all times, and the certificate of licensure must be displayed at all times in the licensee's place or places of practice (Rule 1902-3.1 B). Using a degree as a title to indicate a level of competency, unless it was earned in the licensee's field of practice from an accredited institution, is a standards violation (Rule 1901-3.1 B.26).
FeesMississippi
Fair fees, no referral payments, no undue influence from whoever pays
Social work fees must be fair, reasonable, considerate, and commensurate with the services performed, and charging excessive or unreasonable fees or engaging in unreasonable collection practices is a ground for discipline (Rule 1902-3.3 C; Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(s); Rule 1901-3.1 B.15). Payment of commission rebates or other forms of remuneration for the referral of clients for professional services is a standards violation (Rule 1901-3.1 B.21). A therapist must not let an individual or agency paying for professional services on behalf of a client exert undue influence over the therapist's work performance and clinical judgment as it relates to that client (Rule 1901-3.1 B.28). A licensee must also inform a client of any conflict of interest, values, attitudes, or biases sufficient to impair the professional relationship (Rule 1901-3.1 B.27).
TelehealthMississippi
Two states' rules at once, and the safeguards the Board names
The practice of social work with an individual in this state or another state through telephonic or electronic social work services or other means, regardless of the location of the practitioner, constitutes the practice of social work and is subject to the rules and regulations of the state where the services are provided and the state where the client receives them, and social workers must take all necessary measures to comply with the relevant practice standards and ethics (Rule 1902-3.4 B). Licensees who choose to provide electronic services must inform clients about the risks of disclosing confidential information on the internet, social media, text messaging, and videoconferencing sites; use proper safeguards including encryption, secure firewalls, and passwords for information shared and stored; follow the statutes and regulations of both Mississippi and the client's location; advise clients not to disclose or post communications without consent; disclose policies for notifying clients of a breach as soon as possible; and keep professional and personal social media separate to avoid boundary confusion and inappropriate dual relationships (Rule 1902-3.4 C). For a client in another state, that state's law governs alongside Mississippi's, and the Compact will govern multistate practice as multistate licenses issue (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-51).
Informed ConsentMississippi
Tell clients what you are doing before you do it
A licensee must report to clients all experimental forms of treatment or treatment modalities in which the licensee may not be proficient before they are used, explaining the potential benefits and risks, obtain the client's prior consent to the treatment, and ensure the client's welfare is not compromised by any experiment, research procedure, or treatment modality (Rule 1901-3.1 B.22). A social worker engaged in research must protect participants from unwarranted physical or mental discomfort, distress, harm, danger, or deprivation (Rule 1902-3.3 K). Client records or other confidential information may not be revealed except with express written consent or as mandated by law (Rule 1901-3.1 B.20). The Board adopts the NASW Code of Ethics for licensed social workers, which carries its own informed consent standards and which the statute makes enforceable (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-11(1)(j); 73-53-17(1)(e)).
Running it
ConfidentialityMississippi
Six statutory exceptions, and a rule that waives confidentiality in four situations
No licensee or employee of a licensee may disclose information acquired from clients or persons consulting the licensee that was provided to allow the licensee to render professional services, except with the written consent of the person or, on death or disability, a personal representative, someone authorized to sue, or the beneficiary of a policy on the person's life, health, or physical condition; for communications that reveal the contemplation of a crime or a harmful act; where the licensee acquired information involving a minor who was the victim or subject of a crime, in which case the licensee may be required to testify fully; where a person waives the privilege by bringing charges against the licensee; where the licensee is called to testify in court or administrative hearings concerning adoption, adult abuse, child abuse, child neglect, or other matters pertaining to the welfare of clients; and where the licensee is collaborating or consulting with professional colleagues or an administrative superior on the client's behalf (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-29). Revealing confidential information except as required by law is a ground for discipline, and the Board's standards add that confidentiality may be waived when the client's communications reveal the contemplation of a crime or harmful act to oneself or another or the licensee has ample reason to believe such behavior is highly probable, when the licensee includes information about a minor or elderly victim in a report required by law, when the licensee is required by law to testify, and when the client waives it by bringing charges (73-53-17(1)(q); Rule 1901-3.1 B.20).
PrivilegeMississippi
The evidence rule covers physicians and psychologists, so the licensing statute is what protects your file
Mississippi Rule of Evidence 503 gives a patient the privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent others from disclosing knowledge derived from the professional relationship and confidential communications made for diagnosis or treatment, but it defines "psychotherapist" as a physician or a person licensed or certified as a psychologist by any state or nation, so a licensed social worker is not within the rule's definition (M.R.E. 503(a)(3)). What protects a social worker's client in Mississippi is the licensing statute's confidential communications section and its six exceptions, which the Board enforces as a disciplinary matter (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-29; 73-53-17(1)(q)). Rule 503's own exceptions are a useful comparison, since they lift the privilege in proceedings to hospitalize the patient, in court-ordered examinations, on an issue of breach of duty, and as to records relevant to child custody, visitation, adoption, or termination of parental rights (M.R.E. 503(d)).
RecordsMississippi
Keep them secure, tell your staff, and keep them after the case closes
Failure to maintain client records securely or to inform all employees of the confidentiality requirements is a standards violation, and the rule states that client records must be maintained after the date of termination of the clinical relationship without naming a number of years, so a licensee should set a retention period that satisfies any payer, employer, and professional standard that applies (Rule 1901-3.1 B.20). The Board may enter and inspect the workplace or practice of a social worker who is subject to investigation and inspect or copy any record pertaining to clients or the practice (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-11(1)(t)). Electronic records carry the technology standards: proper safeguards including encryption, secure firewalls, and passwords, and a disclosed procedure for notifying clients of a breach as soon as possible (Rule 1902-3.4 C).
TerminationMississippi
Say so when the work is done
Failing to inform clients of the fact that the client no longer needs the services or professional assistance of the licensee is a statutory ground for discipline, and failure of a therapist to terminate the professional relationship when it no longer serves the client's needs or interests is a standards violation (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(r); Rule 1901-3.1 B.14, B.27). The social worker's primary responsibility is to clients, and a licensee must not practice beyond the parameters of their competencies, which together make a timely referral part of ending work well (Rule 1902-3.3 A, H). Ordering or providing unnecessary services is treated as unprofessional conduct under the Board's general standards and the NASW Code it adopts (Rule 1901-3.1 B.2; Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-11(1)(j)).
SupervisingMississippi
What you answer for when you supervise or employ others
Engaging in or permitting the performance of unacceptable services personally or by assistants working under the licensee's supervision, due to the licensee's deliberate or grossly negligent act or failure to act, is a ground for discipline whether or not actual damage is established, and contracting with, assisting, or permitting unlicensed persons to perform services for which a license is required is another (Rule 1901-3.1 B.6, B.12; Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(h), (o)). A licensee must retain ultimate responsibility for the quality and extent of the services performed (Rule 1902-3.3 I). The NASW and AAMFT code provisions on dual relationships reach supervisors and supervisees as well as clients, and failure to comply with them is a standards violation (Rule 1901-3.1 B.23). Supervising toward the LCSW requires Board approval, two years of LCSW practice, the 16-hour course, and the biennial two hours of supervision continuing education (Rule 1902-2.3 D).
Duty to WarnMississippi
No duty-to-warn statute, and a confidentiality rule that lets you act on a contemplated harmful act
Mississippi's social work chapter contains no statute imposing a duty to warn or protect a third party, and none was found in the civil commitment chapter either; what the law provides is permission. A licensee is not barred from disclosing communications that reveal the contemplation of a crime or a harmful act (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-29(b)), and the Board's standards waive the confidentiality requirement when the client's communications reveal the contemplation of a crime or a harmful act to oneself or another person, or the licensee has ample reason to believe that such behavior is highly probable (Rule 1901-3.1 B.20.a). A separate statutory duty does apply when a person is held on an emergency basis and the mental health professional learns that the person resides or has visitation with a minor child and is considered a danger to that child: the professional must notify the Department of Child Protection Services before discharge if the threat continues, a provision known as the Andrew Lloyd Law (Miss. Code Ann. 41-21-67(6)(b)). Details are in Crisis & Safety.
Renew on your month, keep the address current, and never practice on a lapsed license
Licenses renew biennially, LSWs in September and LMSWs and LCSWs in April, odd-numbered licenses in odd years and even-numbered licenses in even years, with online windows from March 1 to April 30 and from August 1 to September 30 (Rule 1902-4.2 A, B.4). Continued practice after the licensee failed to renew and holds a lapsed license is a statutory ground for discipline, and a licensee may not practice during a lapse (Miss. Code Ann. 73-53-17(1)(j); Rule 1902-2.6 I). All licensees must inform the Board in writing on its forms of a change of address, name, or other identifying information, and a name change is due within 30 calendar days (Rule 1901-2.2 B; Rule 1902-2.5). A licensee on inactive status who performs social work services for compensation or presents as a licensed social worker faces discipline, including revocation (Rule 1902-2.6 D).
Concrete help for clients’ material, legal, health, and safety needs. Filter by category or by the area a resource serves. Every entry was checked against its official source when added.
Choosing a specific area also keeps statewide and national programs in view, since those still apply to a client living there.
No resources match that combination yet.
Shelter Directory
Domestic violence and homeless shelters across Texas, searchable by city or name. The pets column exists because it is often the deciding factor: survivors delay leaving when there is nowhere for the animal to go.
City
Shelter
Phone
Pets
Area & notes
USE
Always call before sending someone. Bed availability changes nightly, intake windows vary, and a shelter that took a client last month may be full or closed today. If a number fails, the National DV Hotline (800-799-7233) and 2-1-1 can both route to a currently open program.
SRC
Transcribed from a printed shelter list shared by a Kendall County program, then spot-checked. Phone numbers were not individually verified, so treat this as a starting point, not a confirmed roster. One correction already applied: the original list placed the Brisben Center under Fredericksburg with a 540 area code. That shelter is in Fredericksburg, Virginia, not Fredericksburg, Texas, so it has been removed.
TX
These are Texas programs, verified against their official sources when added. Eligibility rules, funding, and intake processes change often, so when a referral matters, confirm availability with the agency (or 2-1-1) before giving it to a client. As you add local agencies, set the Area served field to a county or city so it becomes filterable here.
Printables
Diagrams kept fixed
Full-page visual handouts for use in session. Where a sheet works both ways, you can print the filled reference version or a blank one to fill in during group; the rest print as a single handout. Every print button opens your browser's print dialog; to keep a PDF instead of paper, choose "Save as PDF" as the printer.
Licensure Step Checklist
Every step to the license in your state, in order, with a box to tick and a line for the date. Built from the Licensure section, so it carries the same fees, hours, and links.
Prints the list for one state: the national steps and the state's own, each with a checkbox, the cost where there is one, and the official link to click when you get there. More states coming soon.
Supervised Hours Log
A weekly log of client contact hours and supervision, with a line for the supervisor's initials. Keep it alongside whatever your supervisor keeps; when a supervisor moves on or a form goes missing, this is the record you still have.
One page holds 20 weeks. The header carries your state's totals and pace rule so the numbers you are working toward sit on the page with the numbers you have.
Feelings Wheel
Start at the center and work outward to find more specific language for what you're feeling.
Circle of Control
Sort what's on your mind into what you can control, what you can influence, and what you can't, then focus effort on the center.
Wise Mind — Mindfulness Group Worksheet
Emotion Mind and Reasonable Mind overlap at Wise Mind. Print the reference to teach from, or the blank version for members to fill in with what each state looks like for them.
What you do
Observe — notice it without chasing or pushing it away.
Describe — put words to just the facts. “I notice a tight chest,” not “I’m falling apart.”
Participate — drop fully into what you’re doing, rather than watching yourself do it.
How you do it
Non-judgmentally — describe without good/bad, should/shouldn’t.
One-mindfully — one thing at a time, this moment only.
Effectively — do what works here, not what is fair or what you’d prefer were true.
My practice this week
One small practice, named specifically. When, where, how long.
A moment I want to bring Wise Mind to
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
A sensory grounding exercise for anxiety or overwhelm. Work through each sense and write in your own answers.
5
Things you can SEE
4
Things you can TOUCH
3
Things you can HEAR
2
Things you can SMELL
1
Thing you can TASTE
Anger Thermometer
Rate the intensity, name what it looks like for you, and note one coping step at each level.
9–10Furious — losing control
7–8Angry — raised voice, tense body
5–6Frustrated — irritable, impatient
3–4Annoyed — noticeable but manageable
0–2Calm — at ease
Understanding & Setting Boundaries
A worksheet for group discussion.
A boundary is simply a limit you set on what you're okay with and what you're not. Boundaries can be about your body, your time, your feelings, your belongings, or your privacy. Having your boundaries respected, and learning to trust your own boundaries again, is a normal and important part of healing. There's no right or wrong answer on this page.
1.Types of Boundaries
Check any that feel true for you. You don't have to check all of them, or any of them.
Physical: who can touch me, hug me, or be in my personal space.
Emotional: what I share, and who I share it with.
Time: how much of my time I give to someone, and when I say no.
Belongings & money: what's mine, and who has access to it.
Digital: my phone, my accounts, my location, my privacy online.
2.A Boundary I Want to Practice This Week
It can be small. Small counts.
3.Putting It Into Words
Boundaries are easier to hold when you already know what you want to say. Try filling this in, then make it your own:
“I'm not able to _____________________ right now, but I can _____________________.”
Or in your own words:
4.What Gets in the Way
What makes it hard for you to set or hold a boundary? Guilt, fear, being unsure, something else? There's no wrong answer, this is just for you to notice.
5.One Thing to Remember
Finish this sentence in your own words:
“My boundaries matter because…”
You don't have to share more than you're comfortable with today. This page is yours to keep.
Putting Myself Back on the List
A worksheet on codependency, framed as a learned survival pattern rather than a personal flaw.
Putting someone else's needs, moods, or safety ahead of your own isn't a personal flaw. For a lot of people, staying tuned in to someone else was what kept them safe for a long time. This page is about noticing that pattern with some compassion, not judgment.
1.What This Can Look Like
Check any that feel true for you. You don't have to check all of them, or any of them.
Feeling responsible for someone else's emotions.
Difficulty saying no, even when I want to.
Feeling guilty when I focus on myself.
Measuring my own worth by how needed I am.
Staying very tuned in to someone else's mood.
2.Where It Might Come From
Was there a time this pattern helped keep you safer? You don't have to go into detail, just notice.
3.The Automatic List
List three things you do for others automatically, without being asked.
1.
2.
3.
For each one: would you still do this if no one would be upset by you saying no?
4.One Need of Mine
What's one of your own needs that got put last this week? What's one small way to move it up the list?
5.One Thing to Remember
Finish this sentence in your own words:
“My needs matter too, especially…”
You don't have to share more than you're comfortable with today. This page is yours to keep.
Recognizing the Spectrum
The member worksheet for the abuse spectrum session. Reflective and private by design; members share only if they choose to.
This page touches on the full range of what abuse can look like. You don't have to write about anything you're not ready to. You can stop, skip a section, or step away at any point today.
1.Looking Back
Is there anything on the early part of today's scale that you recognize now, something that maybe didn't feel like a big deal at the time? You can write as much or as little as you want.
2.Looking Forward
Is there anything on the list you'd want yourself to notice sooner in the future? What would that noticing look like?
3.Where the Idea Comes From
A lot of us are taught that jealousy or possessiveness means someone loves us. Where do you think that idea comes from?
4.One Thing to Remember
Finish this sentence in your own words:
“Recognizing this now, even if it took time, means ___________________________________.”
You don't have to share more than you're comfortable with today. This page is yours to keep.
Starting Before You Feel Ready
The motivation worksheet. Pairs with the motivation session plan, and sets up the self-efficacy session the following week.
Most of us have been taught to wait until we feel motivated. For a lot of people it actually works the other way round: you start, and the wanting-to shows up somewhere in the middle. This page is about noticing that in your own life, and then picking one small thing to start.
1.A Time You Didn't Feel Like It
Something you did recently that you did not want to do, and you did anyway. It can be small.
What was it?
What happened to how you felt once you were a few minutes in?
2.One Thing I Want
Something you've been putting off, or hoping for. Yours, not somebody else's idea of what it should be.
3.The Smallest First Step
Not the whole thing. The very first piece, small enough that you could do it without much planning.
4.My Deadline
A goal without a date is a wish. Pick an actual day.
I will do this by:
5.Saying It Out Loud
Finish this in your own words:
“My first step is ______________________, and I'm doing it by ______________________.”
What might get in the way, and what would you do about it?
You don't have to share more than you're comfortable with today. This page is yours to keep.
Building on Follow-Through
The self-efficacy worksheet. Opens by checking on the commitment made in the motivation session.
Last week you named something important: motivation comes after you start, and a personal goal without a deadline is hard to finish. This week is about noticing something else, the proof you already have that you can follow through.
1.Find Your Evidence
Think of one moment, big or small, recent or years ago, where you followed through on something hard. It doesn't have to be dramatic.
What did you follow through on?
What made it hard?
2.Connect It to This Week
What is the goal and deadline you set last week?
How is the moment you just described proof that you can follow through on this goal too?
3.Your Statement
Finish this sentence in your own words:
“I know I can follow through because…”
You don't have to share more than you're comfortable with today. This page is yours to keep.
Mindful Grounding
A take-home handout. Pairs with the Finding Steady Ground session.
A simple skill you can use anytime. Mindful grounding can help you settle your body when you feel overwhelmed, slow down racing thoughts, come back into the present moment, and feel more steady and in control. You can use this skill anywhere: at home, at work, in the car, or before bed.
1.Notice Your Body
Start by connecting to something physical and steady. Try one:
Place both feet flat on the floor.
Press your hands together.
Feel the weight of your body in the chair.
Notice the temperature of your hands.
Let your body settle for a moment.
2.Take Three Intentional Breaths
These breaths don't need to be deep or perfect, just intentional.
Breath 1: Notice your feet on the ground. Breath 2: Notice your shoulders dropping a little. Breath 3: Notice the air moving in and out.
If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the next breath.
3.Use Your Senses
Choose one object around you, a cup, a pen, a piece of fabric, anything. Spend 10 to 20 seconds noticing: what does it feel like? What is the texture? Is it warm or cool? What colors or shapes do you see? Let your attention rest on the object without judging or analyzing.
4.Check In With Yourself
What do I notice in my body now? Has anything shifted, even a little? There is no right or wrong answer.
When to Use This Skill
When you feel anxious or overwhelmed · during moments of stress · before sleep · after a difficult conversation · anytime you want to feel more steady and present.
Group Session Feedback
Anonymous, reusable across any group.
Your honest feedback helps me facilitate these groups better. This is completely anonymous, please don't write your name anywhere on this page. Circle the response that fits best, and feel free to skip any question you'd rather not answer.
How This Session Went
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
The facilitator explained things clearly.
I felt comfortable participating today.
The activities were useful to me personally.
The facilitator listened well and respected what I shared.
I feel like I got something out of today's session.
In Your Own Words
What worked well in today's session?
What could be improved, about the facilitator, the activities, or how the group was run?
Is there anything you wish had been handled differently?
Are there any topics you'd like covered in future sessions?
Anything else you'd like to share?
Thank you for taking the time to share this. It genuinely helps.
Values Checklist
Check or circle the words that feel most true to what matters to you right now; there's no target number.
The hardest part of finding a social work job is that most of them are not called social work jobs. This section is the list of titles to search for, the places the postings actually live, and the questions to ask before you say yes. Nothing here is a listing; every link goes to the employer or board that posts the job.
What the job is actually called
USE
Search by the work, not the degree. Postings that want a BSW, MSW, LMSW, or LCSW routinely carry none of those letters in the title. Search each of these, in your state's portals and the aggregators, and read the qualifications line rather than the headline.
TitlesNational
Case management and coordination
Case manager, care manager, care coordinator, service coordinator, discharge planner, transition coordinator, patient navigator, resource specialist, intake specialist, eligibility or benefits specialist, housing navigator, family services specialist, targeted case manager.
Where these live
Hospitals and health systems, managed care organizations, community mental health, housing and homelessness programs, aging services, disability services, managed care plans, and every state's health and human services agency.
TitlesNational
Clinical and behavioral health
Therapist, clinician, counselor, psychotherapist, behavioral health specialist, behavioral health clinician, mental health professional, mental health specialist, qualified mental health professional (QMHP), licensed practitioner of the healing arts (LPHA), crisis counselor, crisis intervention specialist, mobile crisis clinician, substance use counselor, co-occurring disorders clinician, employee assistance counselor, utilization review clinician.
Read the qualifications line
"Clinician" and "therapist" postings usually list the licenses they accept: LCSW, LPC, LMFT, sometimes LMSW under supervision. The title tells you nothing about which.
TitlesNational
Child welfare, family, and school
Child protective services specialist or investigator, caseworker, family preservation specialist, foster care or adoption specialist, kinship specialist, family support worker, home visitor, early intervention service coordinator, school social worker, school-based clinician, student support specialist, youth counselor, residential counselor, juvenile probation or court liaison, guardian ad litem coordinator, CASA supervisor.
TitlesNational
Medical, aging, and end of life
Medical social worker, hospice social worker, palliative care social worker, dialysis social worker, transplant social worker, oncology social worker, emergency department social worker, discharge planner, geriatric care manager, adult protective services specialist, long-term care ombudsman, memory care coordinator, veterans service officer.
TitlesNational
Advocacy, justice, and community
Victim advocate, domestic violence advocate, sexual assault advocate, shelter case manager, legal advocate, forensic social worker, mitigation specialist, reentry specialist, diversion program coordinator, community health worker, outreach specialist, peer support supervisor, program coordinator, program manager, program director, grant manager, policy analyst, community organizer.
TitlesNational
Search terms that surface all of the above
Try these as separate searches rather than one long string: "MSW", "LMSW", "LCSW", "BSW", "social work", "case manager", "clinician", "behavioral health", "care coordinator", "family services", "advocate", "counselor", plus your state's own titles in the block below. On aggregators, searching by required license ("LCSW") finds far more than searching "social worker".
Reading a posting before you apply
Read ForNational
Which license it actually wants
"LCSW required" means independent clinical licensure on day one. "LCSW or LMSW" and "license-eligible" mean they will take someone still accruing hours, and usually mean supervision is available on site. "Must obtain licensure within 90 days" or "within one year" is a condition of employment with a clock; make sure the exam and application timeline in Licensure fits it. "Licensed mental health professional" in a posting often means any of LCSW, LPC, LMFT, or psychologist, and sometimes excludes the LMSW.
Read ForNational
Whether the hours will count
If you are working toward a clinical license, the job is only useful if the setting and the supervisor qualify under your state's rules, which are in Supervision & Practicum. Before accepting, confirm in writing who your supervisor will be, their license, how often you will meet, whether the employer provides the supervision or expects you to buy it outside, and who signs the verification forms when you leave. A posting that says "supervision toward licensure provided" is worth more than a higher salary that leaves you paying for supervision yourself.
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Caseload, on-call, and what "productivity" means
Ask for the expected caseload number, the billable-hour or "productivity" target if there is one, the on-call rotation, travel and home-visit expectations, and whether documentation time is counted inside the workday. Those five answers predict burnout better than the title or the salary.
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Employee or contractor
A 1099 arrangement changes everything for someone accruing hours: California, for one, will not count contractor hours toward licensure at all, and it shifts taxes, malpractice coverage, and supervision costs onto you. The state rules on this are in Supervision & Practicum; the tax and coverage side is in Private Practice.
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Public service loan forgiveness
Employment with a government agency or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit can count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and a large share of social work jobs qualify. Check the employer's status before choosing between two offers; the difference over ten years can exceed any salary gap.
A job board built by two licensed clinical social workers around the same problem this section is about: social work roles that do not carry the title. Filterable by state, education level, salary, and remote status, and browsable without an account. It aggregates broadly, so expect some listings from adjacent fields in the results.
The National Association of Social Workers' national job listings, plus career development resources. Employers post here specifically to reach social workers, so titles are usually plain.
Federal social worker positions are classified in occupational series 0185. The link opens USAJOBS already filtered to that series, which is the fastest way to see VA, Bureau of Prisons, Indian Health Service, and other federal openings in one place.
VA Careers keeps a social work page with searches for social worker, peer specialist, and homeless program openings, plus loan repayment and scholarship information; the openings themselves are on USAJOBS.
Behavioral health and social work positions in IHS and tribal facilities, many in rural and underserved areas, with loan repayment programs attached to many of them.
Nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, which is where a large share of case management, advocacy, and community program jobs are posted. Search by the titles above rather than "social worker."
The titles and national boards apply everywhere. Choose a state for its government portals and the titles its agencies use. More states coming soon.National cards apply everywhere in the US; a card with a state badge applies in that state only.
STATE
Pick your state above. Each state's largest social work employer is the state itself, and each one hires through its own portal under its own job titles. Nothing below this line appears until a state is chosen.
Texas portals and titles
State PortalTexas
WorkInTexas
The Texas Workforce Commission's statewide job bank, used by state agencies, local workforce boards, and private employers. Search the titles above; agency postings usually appear here as well as on the agency's own page.
The Jobs at HHS page is the doorway to the state's largest health and human services employer: state hospitals and state supported living centers (which recruit social workers under "behavioral health staff"), eligibility operations, regulatory services, and the Department of State Health Services, each with its own jobs page linked from it.
Child Protective Services caseworkers, Adult Protective Services caseworkers, and Statewide Intake, which runs the Texas Abuse Hotline. DFPS posts under caseworker and investigator titles rather than social worker, and its jobs pages walk through the five kinds of CPS caseworker.
Texas delivers public mental health through local mental health and behavioral health authorities, each of which hires on its own site, and county governments hire juvenile probation, indigent care, and veterans service staff directly. Find your authority through Texas HHS, then look for its careers page.
Every state civil service opening, including the Department of State Hospitals, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Developmental Services, and county-partnered programs. The state classifications that carry the license are Clinical Social Worker (Health Facility) and Clinical Social Worker (Health/Correctional Facility), and state civil service positions are filled from exam lists, so look for the classification's exam as well as the posting.
Counties are the employer: Los Angeles as the example
California runs child welfare, adult services, and public behavioral health through its 58 counties, so the biggest social work employers are county departments, each with its own portal. Los Angeles County alone posts Psychiatric Social Worker I and II, Clinical Social Worker, and Senior Clinical Social Worker, with intern and stipend variants for people still accruing hours. Search your county's name plus "jobs" or "human resources."
All state agency postings, including the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and state hospitals. Titles include Child Protective Investigator, Adult Protective Investigator, Human Services Counselor, Social Services Counselor, Human Services Program Analyst, and Social Work Services Program Manager.
Child protective investigations, adult protective services, and the state's mental health and substance abuse program offices. Case management for children in care is largely contracted to community-based care lead agencies, each of which hires separately; DCF's careers page is the starting point.
All state agency openings, including the Department of Social and Health Services, the Health Care Authority, Western and Eastern State Hospitals, and the Department of Corrections. Titles include Social Service Specialist (with in-training levels), Psychiatric Social Worker, and Social and Health Program Consultant.
Child protective services, family assessment response, foster care licensing, and juvenile rehabilitation. The frontline title is Social Service Specialist, with levels.
State agency openings, including the Office of Mental Health, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Titles include Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Social Work Assistant, many posted at psychiatric centers and addiction treatment centers; the search box on the vacancy table filters the live list.
New York City is its own social work labor market: the Administration for Children's Services, the Department of Social Services, Health + Hospitals, the Department of Education, and the Department for the Aging all hire through the city portal, under titles such as Child Protective Specialist, Caseworker, Social Worker, and Community Coordinator.
State agency openings, including the state hospitals, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Corrections, and, on the same board, county children and youth agencies that hire through the state civil service system. Titles seen on the portal: Social Worker 1 and Social Worker 2 at the state hospitals and secure treatment units, County Caseworker 1 and 2 at county Children & Youth agencies, and County Social Services Aide.
Pennsylvania runs child welfare through 67 county Children & Youth agencies, and the frontline title is County Caseworker, with numbered levels. Many post on the Commonwealth board above under "Local Government"; the rest post on their own county sites. Search the county name plus "children and youth" and "caseworker."
The Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, and the Department of Public Health hire through the city's job board; civil service positions require a competitive exam and non-civil service ones do not.
The Department of Labor & Industry's statewide job bank for public and private postings, which is where the county nonprofits, hospitals, and behavioral health providers that hold most of the state's social work jobs tend to appear. Search the title list above.
Every State agency opening, including the Department of Human Services' mental health centers and developmental centers, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Titles seen on the portal: Social Worker with numbered levels (Social Worker IV was posted at the time of writing); DCFS posts its caseworker and investigator positions here under its own department filter.
Illinois runs child protection through DCFS directly rather than through counties, so the state's largest child welfare employer posts on the state portal and recruits through virtual employment workshops. DCFS also runs academic internship and university partnership programs for students.
Cook County Health and the county's own departments hire through the county's career site; the City of Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services and Department of Public Health hire through the city's. Both are separate portals from the state's.
The Department of Employment Security's statewide job bank for public and private postings, where the community mental health centers, hospitals, and nonprofits that hold most of the state's social work jobs appear. Search the title list above.
Every State agency opening, including the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services' regional psychiatric hospitals. Titles seen on the portal: Licensed Social Worker at the state behavioral healthcare hospitals, Social Worker 1, and Social Work Supervisor 1.
Ohio runs child protection through county public children services agencies, each of which hires on its own. The Public Children Services Association of Ohio keeps a statewide job board for them, which is the fastest way to see caseworker openings across counties.
Adult protective services, public assistance, and the county alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health boards are county functions too, each with its own human resources page. Search the county name plus "job and family services" or "ADAMH board" and the title list above.
State PortalOhio
OhioMeansJobs
The Department of Job and Family Services' statewide job bank for public and private postings, where the community behavioral health agencies, hospitals, and nonprofits that hold most of the state's social work jobs appear.
Every state department posts here, including the Department of Health and Human Services, whose county offices are state offices, and the state psychiatric hospitals. Titles seen on the portal: Services Specialist 9-12 for children's protective services, foster care, and Centralized Intake; Services Specialist Assistant 8-E10; Clinical Social Worker 9-P11 at the psychiatric hospitals; Qualified Mental Health Professional 9-P11; and School Social Worker.
Public mental health in Michigan runs through county and regional community mental health services programs, each a public body that hires on its own, from crisis and preadmission screening staff to case managers and clinicians. Search the county name plus "community mental health" and read the careers page.
CityMichigan
City of Detroit
The city's own portal, where the Health Department and other departments post; the title Social Worker appears there.
The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's statewide job bank, where hospitals, nonprofits, and community agencies post alongside public employers.
Every Commonwealth agency posts here, including the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Mental Health. Titles seen on the portal: Social Worker I at DCF, posted continuously by region; Clinical Social Worker (A/B) and Clinical Social Worker (D) at DMH; and Clinician. Under M.G.L. c. 112, § 134 a license is not a condition of public employment, though the postings set their own requirements.
Community mental health centers and Emergency Services Programs
Massachusetts contracts most public behavioral health to community agencies: the Community Behavioral Health Centers, and the Emergency Services Programs reached through the Behavioral Health Help Line each hire on their own careers pages. Search the agency name plus "careers."
State PortalMassachusetts
MassHire JobQuest
The Department of Career Services' statewide job bank, where hospitals, human service agencies, and nonprofits post alongside public employers.
DCF posts its own openings, including the Division of Child Protection and Permanency's continuously open Family Service Specialist Trainee (Social Worker) and bilingual trainee postings and the Family Service Specialist 2 title. Each posting says whether it is open to the public or only to current state employees.
The Commission runs the state's civil service system: open-competitive announcements for state, county, and municipal titles, testing schedules, and a page of other state job opportunities outside the announcement system. Under the Act, civil service employees may practice and use the title social worker within their jobs without a license, but agencies set their own requirements.
County boards of social services and human services departments
Public assistance and adult protective services run through each of the 21 counties, which hire through their own human resources pages or through Civil Service announcements. Search the county name plus "board of social services" or "human services" and read the openings page.
State PortalNew Jersey
NJ Career Services
The Department of Labor and Workforce Development's career services hub, with the state job bank and the One-Stop Career Centers where hospitals, nonprofits, and community agencies post alongside public employers.
The state moved to a new applicant system in October 2025; every state agency, including the Department of Health and Human Services' psychiatric hospitals, posts here. Titles seen on the portal: Clinical Social Worker and Social Worker Clinical at Broughton, Cherry, and Central Regional Hospitals, and Social Worker. Under the Act, government positions titled Social Worker may use the title without a Board credential, though clinical work still needs the LCSW or LCSWA.
Child protective services, foster care, and adult services are county-run in North Carolina, and each of the 100 county DSS offices hires on its own. The Office of State Human Resources keeps a local government job search, and NCDHHS keeps a child welfare careers page.
Every state agency posts here, including the Division of Family and Children Services, which is state-run rather than county-run, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities' hospitals. Titles seen on the portal: Child Welfare Services Case Manager 1 and Supervisor at DFCS, Social Worker, Licensed 3 at the state hospitals, Social Services Program Consultant 3, and Professional Social Service Worker at juvenile justice facilities.
Public community mental health in Georgia runs through regional community service boards, each a public body that hires its own clinicians, case managers, and crisis staff. Search the board's name plus "careers"; DBHDD's provider directory lists them by region.
The Department of Labor's job search page, the door to its Employ Georgia job bank where hospitals, nonprofits, and community agencies post alongside public employers, and to the career centers.
The Commonwealth's portal for state agency and state university positions, searchable by title, location, and department. Titles seen on a search for "social worker": Clinical Social Worker (MSW or LCSW), Licensed Clinical Social Worker at UVA Health primary care and psychiatry clinics, Social Worker BSW (Outpatient), Social Work Case Manager, and Social Work Assistant (Caseworker).
Child protective services and adult protective services run through 120 local departments of social services, each hiring on its own; the workers who take CPS reports are titled Family Services Specialists. The VDSS careers page separates state positions at the Department from local positions at the local departments, and notes that some localities post only on their own county or city websites.
Public mental health, developmental, and substance use services in Virginia run through community services boards and behavioral health authorities, one for each region of counties and cities, each a public body that hires its own clinicians, case managers, emergency services prescreeners, and crisis staff. The Virginia Association of Community Services Boards keeps the directory with each board's website.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with its own career center, continuing education calendar, and licensure guidance for Virginia.
The state's portal for every agency, including Direct Care and Treatment, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, searchable by keyword, agency, and job family. Titles seen on a search for "social worker": Licensed Social Worker / Clinical Program Therapist 2, Social Worker / Clinical Program Therapist 3, School Social Worker, and Mental Health Program Assistant.
County social services, through the Association of Minnesota Counties
Child protection, adult protection, and most public social work in Minnesota are county jobs. The Association of Minnesota Counties runs a statewide board where counties post openings; titles seen there: Social Worker - Child Services, Social Worker - Adult Services, Senior Social Worker - Corrections, Social Services Supervisor - Behavioral Health, and Mental Health Professional. Larger counties also post only on their own sites.
Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators
The directors' association for county human services agencies keeps its own employment listings and a page of child welfare and case management resources that shows how the county system is organized.
Mobile crisis response and community mental health run through county and tribal programs and their contracted providers, each hiring its own crisis and clinical staff; the Department of Human Services lists the crisis team for every county and tribe, which doubles as a map of who employs crisis clinicians.
The state's job board for every department, including the Department of Mental Health's hospitals and the Departments of Social Services and Health and Senior Services. Titles seen on a search for social work: Adult Protective Services Specialist I/II, Clinical Caseworker and Senior Clinical Caseworker, Floating Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Residential Program Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Social Worker at Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital, and Mitigation Specialist and Holistic Defense Services Specialist (defense social workers) at the State Public Defender.
Child protection in Missouri is state-run through the Children's Division of the Department of Social Services, which hires investigators, family-centered services workers, and foster care case managers by county; postings appear on MO Careers, and the Division explains its work on its own pages.
The Department of Mental Health's crisis system runs through certified community behavioral health organizations, mobile crisis teams, crisis centers, and seven 988 Lifeline centers, each hiring its own crisis and clinical staff; the Department's crisis pages describe the network.
The Committee's site carries the licensure forms, the supervisor registration and change-of-status forms, the approved course list, and the licensee search that employers use to verify a license.
The state's job board for every agency, with a Social Services / Counselors job family filter and agency filters for the Departments of Children's Services, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Human Services, and Correction. Titles seen there: Psychiatric Hospital Patient Rights Advocate and Registered Nurse and Psychiatric Technician roles at the state psychiatric hospitals, TDOC Case Manager 2, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
Child protective services in Tennessee are state-run through the Department of Children's Services, which posts its investigator, case manager, and family services positions on the state careers board and describes its work, regions, and hotline on its own site.
Community mental health and mobile crisis providers
The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services contracts statewide mobile crisis, crisis stabilization units, and walk-in centers to regional community mental health providers, each hiring its own crisis and clinical staff; the Department's crisis page describes the continuum.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with its career center, continuing education calendar, and licensing guidance for Tennessee.
The state's job portal for every agency, including the Family and Social Services Administration's state psychiatric hospitals and the Department of Correction, with a Human and Social Services category. Titles seen on a search for "social worker": Social Work Case Manager, Clinical Services Specialist, Rehabilitation Therapist, and Psychiatric Services Director at the state hospitals.
Child protection in Indiana is state-run through the Department of Child Services, whose front-line title is Family Case Manager; DCS keeps its own careers page describing the role, training, and regions, with openings posted on Work for Indiana.
Community mental health centers and crisis providers
Public mental health in Indiana runs through community mental health centers and other providers certified by the Division of Mental Health and Addiction, each hiring its own clinicians, case managers, and crisis staff; the Division's site describes the provider network and the 988 and crisis system.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with its career center, continuing education calendar, and licensing guidance for Indiana.
The state's job site for every agency, searchable by agency and by career category; social work postings from the Department of Health Services' institutions, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Children and Families appear here, and the Healthcare and Social Sciences categories are where to look.
The division that runs Wisconsin's state institutions, among them Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston, and the centers for people with intellectual disabilities, and that oversees community mental health and substance use services; its careers page describes the facilities and links to Wisc.Jobs.
Child protection and adult protective services in Wisconsin are county-run outside Milwaukee, so the hiring agency is the county human services department; in Milwaukee County the state's Division of Milwaukee Child Welfare runs child protection, and the Department of Children and Families' careers page lists social work among its roles.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with continuing education that satisfies MPSW 19.03(1)(a) by name, licensing guidance, and a career center for Wisconsin.
The state's job portal for every agency, including the Department of Child Safety, the Department of Economic Security, the Department of Health Services, and the Department of Corrections; search by agency or by keyword for social worker, behavioral health, and case manager titles.
The state psychiatric hospital in Phoenix, run by the Department of Health Services, which also operates the Arizona Community Protection and Treatment Center for people with a sexual offense history re-entering the community; its site has a Career Opportunities page for clinical openings, including social work.
Public behavioral health in Arizona runs through AHCCCS, the state Medicaid agency, and its contracted health plans, whose provider networks hire the clinicians, case managers, and crisis staff; the AHCCCS crisis page lists the plan and crisis line for each county, and its careers page covers the agency's own openings.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with continuing education that meets R4-6-802(D) as a state professional association, licensing guidance, and a career center for Arizona.
The state's job portal for every executive agency, including the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Juvenile Services, and the state psychiatric hospitals; search for social worker, social work supervisor, and licensed clinical titles.
Child protective services and adult protective services in Maryland run through the local departments of social services under the Department of Human Services, which hires the family services caseworkers and social workers who investigate reports; its careers page describes the roles and links to the state portal.
Public behavioral health in Maryland is organized by the Behavioral Health Administration through local behavioral health authorities and core service agencies in each county, whose contracted providers hire clinicians, crisis staff, and case managers; the state's 988 page describes the crisis system.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, an authorized continuing education sponsor under COMAR 10.42.06.05, with licensing guidance and a career center for Maryland.
The state's job portal for every executive agency, including the Department of Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and the Behavioral Health Administration; search for social worker, clinical social worker, and behavioral health specialist titles.
The Department of Human Services runs the state mental health hospitals and youth services and supervises the county-administered child welfare and adult protective services system; its careers page lists its openings, and county departments of human services hire the child protection and APS caseworkers under state supervision (CDHS).
Behavioral Health Administration and the safety net providers
The Behavioral Health Administration oversees Colorado's behavioral health safety net, including the community mental health centers and crisis providers that employ most public-sector clinicians, case managers, and crisis staff; the BHA site links to the provider network and to the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, a nationally recognized professional organization whose coursework counts toward the Board's professional development hours, with licensing guidance and a career center for Colorado.
The state's job portal for every agency, including the Department of Social Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Corrections; search for human services specialist, social worker, and clinical counselor titles.
Child protective services and adult protective services in South Carolina are state-run through county DSS offices, which hire the caseworkers who take and investigate reports; DSS's careers page describes the roles, its BSW and MSW scholars tuition programs, and internships.
Office of Mental Health hospitals and community mental health centers
The Office of Mental Health in the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities runs the state psychiatric hospitals, including Bryan and Harris, the Morris Village addiction treatment center, and the community mental health centers across the state, which hire clinicians, case managers, and mobile crisis staff; its careers page links the openings.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which the Board's continuing education page lists as a provider, with licensing guidance and a career center for South Carolina.
The Merit System portal for state agencies, including the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Mental Health; DHR hires Social Service Caseworker I, Social Worker I, and Senior Social Worker I through it. When read in September 2026 the site said it was moving to a new NeoGov application system in late October and had stopped accepting applications for most job classes and new Online Employment System accounts on September 9, 2026, so check the announcements page for the current status before applying.
Child protective services and adult protective services in Alabama are state-run through county DHR offices, which take reports and hire the caseworkers and social workers who investigate them; the employment page names the classifications, the DHR Personnel Division at 334-242-1780, and the recruiter's contact.
The Department of Mental Health is the state mental health authority behind the Alabama Crisis System of Care, with its Crisis Centers, in-state 988 call centers, and mobile crisis teams delivered through community providers; its careers page links current openings and how to apply, and the crisis centers page names the six provider organizations that staff them.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with its annual conference, a link to the licensing board, and NASW's national JobLink board for openings.
The Personnel Cabinet's job site for every executive branch agency, including the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, where Department for Community Based Services and behavioral health postings appear; search for social service worker, social worker, and clinician titles and note that many postings state a hybrid or remote schedule.
Child protective services and adult protective services in Kentucky are state-run by DCBS through offices in all 120 counties organized into nine service regions; its jobs page describes the work, the regions, the benefits, and that most positions offer a hybrid schedule with some fully remote, and points to the Team Kentucky postings. Employees of the Commonwealth are exempt from the social work license, though clinical social work still requires a CSW under contract or an LCSW.
The Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities lists every regional community mental health center by the counties it serves, with its website and 24-hour crisis line; the centers hire clinicians, case managers, and crisis staff, and their staff are the qualified mental health professionals the commitment statute names first for examinations.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which KRS 335.070(7) names as an authorized continuing education provider and whose programs the Board accepts without review; licensing guidance and a career center for Kentucky.
The state's recruiting portal for every agency, including the Department of Human Services, the Oregon Health Authority, and Oregon State Hospital; the Chief Human Resources Office's job page explains the external applicant account, job alerts, classifications and pay, and veterans' preference.
Child protective services and adult protective services in Oregon are state-run by ODHS, whose careers page describes how to search and apply through Workday, names recruiters for each posting, and states the department's commitment to hiring from underrepresented communities.
The county and regional community mental health programs run the crisis lines, mobile crisis teams, and the commitment investigations under ORS chapter 426, and they employ clinicians, case managers, and crisis workers; their association posts member job opportunities.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which the Board notifies of disciplinary actions and lists among its resources, with licensing guidance and a career center for Oregon.
The JobAps portal for every executive branch agency, including the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Developmental Services; search for social worker, clinical social worker, and social work supervisor titles, and note that state job postings in the social work series must list a CSWE social work degree as a preferred qualification where no license is required.
Child protective services in Connecticut is state-run by DCF, which staffs the Careline and the area offices that investigate reports; its careers and human resources page covers job openings, application help, benefits, and volunteer opportunities.
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
DMHAS runs the state's adult mental health and addiction system through its local mental health authorities and state-operated facilities, funds the mobile crisis teams whose trained clinicians may issue emergency certificates, and lists its openings on the state job portal under its department code.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, whose programs satisfy the statute's continuing education requirement, with licensing guidance and a career center for Connecticut.
The state's job portal for classified and unclassified positions across the Department of Children and Family Services, the Louisiana Department of Health and its Office of Behavioral Health, the Office of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, and the human services districts and authorities; search for social worker, social services analyst, and child welfare specialist titles.
Department of Children and Family Services careers
Child protection in Louisiana is state-run by DCFS, which staffs the child protection hotline, child welfare investigations, foster care, and adoption; its careers page covers openings, hiring events, and the application process.
LDH runs the Office of Behavioral Health, the state psychiatric hospitals, Adult Protective Services, and Medicaid, and funds the local governing entities that deliver community behavioral health; its careers page links to the openings across its offices and facilities.
The state's Workday job site for executive branch agencies, including the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, the Department of Corrections, and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority; search for social worker, clinical social worker, behavioral health, and case manager titles. State agency employees are exempt from the Social Worker's Licensing Act as to their duties unless they hold a Board license, so postings state their own requirements.
Child Welfare Services and Adult Protective Services are state-run by Oklahoma Human Services, which staffs the statewide hotline, investigations, foster care, and adoption; its careers site lists child welfare specialist and other openings with the application on its own portal.
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
ODMHSAS runs the state's community mental health centers, crisis centers, and state hospitals, operates the 988 lifeline, and designates the facilities where licensed mental health professionals conduct initial assessments and emergency detentions; its career page describes positions in metropolitan and rural areas and links to its listings.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, whose president holds a seat on the Board by statute and whose programs are recognized continuing education, with licensing guidance and a career center for Oklahoma.
The state's job portal for executive branch agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Corrections, the state mental health institutes and resource centers, and the Iowa Veterans Home; search for social worker, clinical social worker, and human services titles.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services careers
Child protective services and the dependent adult abuse program are state-run by Iowa HHS, which staffs the statewide abuse reporting line, child and adult protective assessments, foster care, and the state facilities; its careers page describes the work and links to openings.
Your Life Iowa is the state's 24/7 line for mental health, substance use, gambling, and suicidal thoughts, by call, text, and chat, and its site includes a find-help-near-you directory of Iowa services; the Iowa HHS report abuse page points to it for crisis support.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, whose CEU-approved programs count toward the Board's requirement, with licensure guidance and a career center for Iowa.
The state's career site for executive branch agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Utah State Hospital, the Department of Corrections, and the Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services; search for social worker, clinical therapist, caseworker, and behavioral health titles, and note that state postings specify which license classification a role requires.
Child protective services in Utah is state-run by DCFS within the Department of Health and Human Services, with offices in five regions, remote work options for qualifying staff, and tuition assistance for staff pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in social work; its careers page describes the caseworker path and links to openings.
Local mental health authorities and the Department of Health and Human Services
Utah delivers public mental health through county local mental health authorities, which designate mental health officers, run the facilities that receive temporary commitments, and staff mobile crisis outreach; the Department of Health and Human Services' careers link opens the state job board, where these and Aging and Adult Services positions are posted.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, whose programs qualify as professional-association continuing education under the Division's rule, with licensing guidance and a career center for Utah.
The Department of Administration's state employment center for executive branch agencies, including the Department for Children and Families, the Department for Aging and Disability Services and its state hospitals, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Health and Environment; search for social worker, human services, and behavioral health titles.
Child protective services and adult protective services in Kansas are state-run by DCF, which staffs the Kansas Protection Report Center and the regional offices that investigate; its career page describes the work and links to openings and a recruiter.
Kansas delivers public mental health through licensed community mental health centers, whose licensed specialist and master social workers may act as qualified mental health professionals under the Care and Treatment Act, and through the crisis intervention centers and state hospitals; the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence lists the state's advocacy programs, another common employer.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with continuing education programs, licensing guidance and a career center for Kansas.
The state's NEATS recruiting system lists executive branch openings, including the Department of Human Services agencies, the Division of Child and Family Services, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, the Aging and Disability Services Division, and the Department of Corrections; search for social worker, clinical social worker, mental health counselor, and family services titles.
The state portal's jobs page gathers the state recruiting system with links to county and city employers, including Clark County and Washoe County, whose family services departments run their own child protective services and intake lines; the Division of Child and Family Services links its own careers to the state page.
Crisis Support Services of Nevada serves as the 988 crisis contact center for northern and rural Nevada and runs victim advocacy and a sexual assault support line, and the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence keeps a county-by-county directory of shelters, community-based advocacy, and legal assistance programs, another common employer for social workers.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, whose continuing education is automatically accepted by the Board, with licensing guidance and a job listings page for Nevada.
The state's career site lists executive branch openings, including the Department of Human Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Corrections, and the Arkansas State Hospital; search for social worker, family service worker, program eligibility, and behavioral health titles, and note that state family service, social service, and adult protective services classifications are exempt from licensure while the employee does not hold out as a social worker.
Child protective services and adult protective services in Arkansas are state-run by DHS, whose Division of Children and Family Services staffs the county offices and whose Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services runs Adult Protective Services and the state mental health system; its careers page links the full list of DHS openings, jobs by category and area, and internships.
Domestic violence programs and community mental health centers
The Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence keeps a directory of its member shelters and programs across the state, each with its own hotline, and the community mental health centers certified by DHS serve as the receiving facilities and programs under the commitment statute, both common employers for social workers.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, with continuing education programs, licensure guidance, and career services for Arkansas.
The Mississippi State Personnel Board runs the state's career catalog and job seeker tools, and state agency postings are listed and applied for through the state's government jobs site; search for social worker, family protection specialist, case manager, and behavioral health titles across the Department of Child Protection Services, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Mental Health, and the state hospitals.
Child protective services in Mississippi is a standalone agency, the Department of Child Protection Services, which staffs the statewide abuse hotline and the county offices that investigate and carry cases; its openings, including family protection specialist and family protection worker lines, are posted through the state jobs site.
Mississippi delivers public behavioral health through regional community mental health centers, which the commitment statute designates as the first point of entry and the mandatory pre-affidavit screener, and which employ social workers in crisis, outpatient, and case management roles; the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence lists the member shelters and programs across the state, another common employer.
The state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, whose continuing education is automatically approved by the Board, with licensure guidance and a job board for Mississippi.
Every portal on this page was opened and checked in September 2026. Job titles listed for each agency are the titles that agency uses in its own postings; they change, so search broadly. This section carries no listings and no employer relationships.
