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An Overview of the LCSW Licensing Process
NASW California Chapter
March 2015 Revised
Licensing Requirements Change Every Year
Presentation Goals
Why get licensed?
Provide an overview of the basic process
A new exam structure
Strategies for success
Key timeframes and resources
Info to assist in decision-making
Why Get Licensed?
More job opportunities
Higher Salaries – median salary over $62k v
$57k
Better promotional possibilities
Advanced post graduate training and
education
Not just psychotherapy or private practice
Overview of Licensing Process
Graduate with a MSW from a CSWE accredited
university
Take certain pre-licensure courses
Register as an associate clinical social worker
(ASW)
Accumulate 3,200 supervised work experience hours
and 104 supervision hours
Take and pass two California LCSW exams:
– Standard Written (knowledge)
– Clinical Vignette (skill)
Complete Pre-licensure Required Coursework
The BBS requires you to complete certain
additional coursework before applying for the
LCSW exam.
You can complete this coursework as part of
your MSW degree or afterward while you are
earning the required hours of supervised
work experience
Required Coursework Pre Exam
Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting (7
hours)
Human Sexuality (10 hours)
Substance Abuse and Dependency (15
hours)
Required Courses Pre Exam
Spousal Abuse Assessment and Reporting
(15 hours for those who entered degree
program after 1/1/2004; Course can be any
length for those who entered a degree
program from 1/1/1995 to 12/31/2003)
Aging and Long Term Care (10 Hours only
for those who entered a degree program on
or after 1/1/2004; For all others this is not a
pre-licensure requirement)
Obtain Required Coursework
You can find a list of specific courses that are
offered by your school, and meet these
requirements on the BBS web site. Go to:
http://www.bbs.ca.gov/app-reg/lcs_schools.shtml
Find you school, and select “Additional Courses
Required.”
(Note, this list may not be up to date)
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY- DOMINQUEZ HILLS
Child Abuse Assessment: SW 580 Seminar in Child Welfare Issues
Human Sexuality?
Alcoholism and Other Chemical Dependency?
Spousal or Partner Abuse?
Aging and Long-Term Care?
Courses not listed may fulfill a pre-licensure requirement, but the student will need
to submit a syllabus or course description to verify the course content meets a pre-
licensure course requirement.
Board of Behavioral Sciences
Additional LCSW Courses Required for Licensure
EXAMPLECSU Courses Acceptable for Pre-Licensure
Course Requirements
BBS Requirement MSW Course
Human Sexuality SW 551 Advanced Practice I: Family
Chemical
Dependency
SW 510C Human Behavior & Social Environment
Child Abuse
Assessment
SW 454(585) Practices and Policies of Public Child
Welfare
Spousal/Partner
Abuse
SW 551 Advanced Practice I: Family
Aging and Long
Term Care
?
Note: Applicant only needs to take one course to fulfill a given pre-licensure requirement.
If multiple courses are listed for a requirement the
student has the option of deciding which course to
take.
The list reflects only the information the educational
institution provided to the Board.
Courses not listed may fulfill a pre-licensure
requirement, but the student will need to submit a
syllabus or course description to verify the course
content meets a pre-licensure course requirement.
Required Coursework - Notes
Pay attention to whether the course or CE
provider is approved. NASW is always
approved.
Keep the course description and/or syllabus
for any course you took that you believe
fulfills the requirements.
The BBS may need the materials to verify the
course content
Obtain Required Coursework
If you need to take these courses:
Coursework must be taken from a BBS
approved provider.
NASW-CA is an approved provider and
offers all of this coursework in online or in-
person courses.
New CA Law & Ethics Requirement
Effective January 1, 2014, all ASW
applicants must have completed training or
coursework in California law and professional
ethics for clinical social workers. This
coursework may be embedded within more
than one course and must cover certain topic
areas. See Business and Professions Code
Section 4996.18 for further information about
course content requirements.
CA Law & Ethics Requirement
BBS: All CA schools meet this requirement but you should always reaffirm with the BBS
CONTENT and SUBJECT MATTER
a. Contemporary professional ethics and statutes, regulations, and court decisions that
delineate the scope of practice
b. The therapeutic, clinical, and practical considerations involved in legal and ethical practice,
including family law
c. The current legal patterns and trends in the mental health professions
d. The psychotherapist-patient privilege, confidentiality, dangerous patients, and the
treatment of minors with and without parental consent
e. A recognition and exploration of the relationship between a practitioner’s sense of self and
human values, and his or her professional behavior and ethics
f. Differences in legal and ethical standards for different types of work settings
g. Licensing law and process
Apply for registration as an ASW
After graduation, apply to become an Associate Clinical Social
Worker (ASW), you’ll need a sealed transcript
Required before starting on pre-licensure hours
ASW Application packet can be downloaded from the “Forms
and Publications” section of the BBS Web site:
www.bbs.ca.gov/forms.shtml
When do you register?
– Estimate how long it will take you to collect 3,200 work
experience hours, (within 6 year timeframe)
– Don’t register until you’re ready to start collecting hours
The ASW Packet
Completed one page application
Check or money order for $75
– Official copy of academic transcripts in school’s
sealed envelope. Make sure date degree
conferred is included.
– Live Scan fingerprint (keep a copy for your
records)
– Provide info on any prior convictions or discipline
– Allow at least 60 days for processing – March 2
ASW Notes
You cannot begin accruing hours until the
BBS has issued you an ASW registration
number.
Check the BBS website “Online License
Verification” to see if your number is posted.
You should receive a letter in the mail 7-10
days after your number is posted.
Pay attention to any coursework noted that
you will need to complete along the way
Gain Clinical Experience
Once registered as an ASW, gain 3,200 hours of
supervised experience,104 weeks of supervision
Hours can be paid work (W-2 employee, not 1099
independent contractor), and/or volunteer
2,000 in clinical psychosocial diagnosis,
assessment, and treatment with no less than 750
hours being face to face psychotherapy.
LCSW Scope
The practice of clinical social work is defined as a service in which a
special knowledge of social resources, human capabilities, and the
part that unconscious motivation plays in determining behavior, is
directed at helping people to achieve more adequate, satisfying, and
productive social adjustments. The application of social work principles
and methods includes, but is not restricted to, counseling and using
applied psychotherapy of a nonmedical nature with individuals,
families, or groups; providing information and referral services;
providing or arranging for the provision of social services; explaining or
interpreting the psychosocial aspects in the situations of individuals,
families, or groups; helping communities to organize, to provide, or to
improve social or health services; or doing research related to social
work.
LCSW Scope
Psychotherapy, within the meaning of this chapter, is
the use of psychosocial methods within a
professional relationship, to assist the person or
persons to achieve a better psychosocial adaptation,
to acquire greater human realization of psychosocial
potential and adaptation, to modify internal and
external conditions which affect individuals, groups,
or communities in respect to behavior, emotions, and
thinking, in respect to their intrapersonal and
interpersonal processes.
Clinical Hours
1,200 in client-centered advocacy, consultation,
evaluation, and research.
1,700 gained under a LCSW, the remainder can be
under another licensed mental health professional
Always renew your ASW number on time. Hours
don’t count if your ASW has expired
Keep track of your supervision documents
– Responsibility statements, supervisory plans, clinical social
work experience verifications
Remember to Renew Your ASW Registration Every Year
Once you are registered with the BBS, you must renew your
registration every year in order to count supervised experience
and weeks of supervision towards the examination eligibility
requirements. If your registration expires or lapses, you will not
be able to count supervised experience or weeks of supervision
gained for the period in which the registration is invalid.
The BBS recommends renewing your registration at least 60
days in advance of the registration expiration date. The
expiration date appears on your registration certificate. The
BBS sends courtesy renewal reminders to your address of
record, and you can also print a Manual Registration Renewal
Application off of the BBS Web site.
Supervisors
Find a qualified supervisor:– LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, Psychologist, Psychiatrist. Licensed
for at least 2 years, taken15 hour supervision course
Can be your work supervisor, or a contracted outside
supervisor.
You can also pay for a supervisor. Make sure there
is a signed agreement between the supervisor and
employer conferring authority and responsibility
Supervision
One hour of direct supervisor contact is required for a
minimum of 104 weeks
Two hours of direct supervisor contact is required for any
week in which more than 10 hours of face-to-face
psychotherapy is performed for each setting which
experience is gained.
An hour of direct supervisor contact equals one hour of
individual supervision or two hours of group supervision
No more than 5 hours of supervision may be credited in a
single week
NEW: Records must be kept for 7 years, longer for minors
Supervisor Notes
Finding a supervisor includes finding the right match
and setting mutually agreed goals and
responsibilities
Meet with your supervisor every week for at least
one hour of individual supervision or two hours of
group supervision.
Group supervision maximum is 8
Supervisors can only supervise 3 in private practice
Keys to Clinical Supervision
Considerations in finding a supervisor:
Meet legal requirements as well as personal
and professional goals
Develop a supervisory plan. Review exam
outline or handbook with supervisor prior to
collecting hours to make sure topical areas
are covered
Stay abreast of requirements by checking
BBS website or subscribing to email alerts
The Six-Year Rule
“The Board cannot accept hours of experience older than six (6) years from the time a person applies for the LCSW license. The law does not allow the Board to make exceptions.”
Ex: The Board receives Joy’s LCSW application on 4/3/2012. The Board will only accept experience gained from 4/3/2006 to 4/3/2012.
File LCSW Application
File the application after all of the required
coursework and clinical hours are completed
Download and complete the LCSW
application found on the BBS website under
Forms and Publications.
Can continue to work and provide therapy
but must be registered as an ASW and
supervised
Current processing time: Check BBS website
Common Application Errors
Not filling out the form completely or
correctly.
Not submitting the application and all of the
required materials together in one envelope.
Not mailing the original copies to the BBS
and keeping a copy for personal records.
Prepare for Exams
Preparation = Total experience and
education.
Perform assessment of clinical strengths and
weaknesses.
Develop a study plan and implement it 4-6
months prior to sitting for exam.
Current CA Only: Exam Plan
The LCSW examination plan consists of the seven
content areas: biophysical assessment, diagnostic
formulation, treatment plan and development,
resource coordination, therapeutic interventions,
legal mandates, ethical standards.
In each content area, the examination plan describes
examination content in terms of the task statements
and knowledge areas resulting from the occupational
analysis.
It is important that candidates prepare for the
examination by studying the examination plan.
Current CA Only Exams: Standard Written
The LCSW written examinations measure
knowledge and skills required for LCSW
practice, and represents a standard of
performance that LCSW Subject Matter
Experts agree is the minimum acceptable
level for licensing in the profession
Current CA Only Exams: Clinical Vignette
The Written Clinical Vignette examination is directly
related to clinical practice situations. Therefore,
supervised clinical experience increases the
likelihood of success in the examination.
The types of clients and the overall presentation of
the clinical situations and issues in the clinical
vignettes are consistent with mainstream practice for
entry-level LCSW
National Exam
Examination Restructure - Effective Date
Changed to January 1, 2016
SB 821 (Chapter 473, Statutes of 2013) was
recently signed by the Governor. This bill
changes the effective date of the Board's
upcoming restructure of its examination
process from January 1, 2014 to January 1,
2016.
Exam Restructure (Jan. 1, 2016)
Graduate with MSW, register as an ASW
Take the CA Law & Ethics Exam within one year.
Those with a non passing score must take a 12 hour
law & ethics course before the next retry.
Exam attempt must be made annually.
Pass the CA Law & Ethics exam before proceeding
to the National Exam (ASWB)
Within 6 years of ASW registration
Exam Notes
According to current law, a registration
cannot be renewed after six years. If a
registrant’s registration expires, he or she
must pass the law and ethics exam in order
to obtain a subsequent registration number.
National Exam
This exam must be passed within seven
years of an individual’s first attempt. If it is
not passed within this timeframe, the
individual’s eligibility to further attempt the
exam is placed on hold.
He or she must then pass the current version
of the law and ethics exam before re-
establishing eligibility to take the clinical
exam.
Keep LCSW File Active
Once eligible to sit for exams, the applicant
must sit for one exam per year to keep the
file active.
Ex: Brett fails the exam on 10/4/2014. He
must take it again before 10/3/2015 to keep
his file active.
Take an exam twice in one year?
Possibly
Exams rotate every 6 months
Cannot retake the exact same exam
Strategies for Success
Understand the process prior to starting and
carefully read and complete applications.
Be proactive and take full responsibility.
View clinical hours and supervision as
essential to becoming competent.
Getting Answers to Questions
80% of all questions can be answered by
• Searching the BBS website OR
• Reading the social work section of the
Laws and Regulations (updated annually
in January).
California Licensing Board
The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
BBS Website: www.bbs.ca.gov
E-mail: BBSWebMaster@dca.ca.gov
In subject line put Attn LCSW Evaluator
Call LCSW Evaluators: (916) 574-7851 or
7852
Strategies for Success
Complete clinical supervision hours within the six-year time frame.
Document clinical experience and supervision hours as you go.
Develop and implement a study plan 4-6 months prior to sitting for an exam.
Take one exam per year until both are passed.
Strategies for Success
Determine your greatest weaknesses and
develop strategies to overcome them.
Complete the coursework prior to completing
supervision hours.
Ask questions of the BBS and NASW-CA.
Refer to “How to obtain a LCSW in CA” at
www.naswca.org.
Professional Liability Insurance
A must regardless of where you work
NASW’s Assurance Services Inc. program
provides NASW professional social worker
support:
– Directly: Ethics consultation, info and education
– Indirectly: License board and policy monitoring,
advocacy
http://www.naswassurance.org
Licensed and From Another State?
There is no license reciprocity, you must
show completion (equivalency) of all CA
requirements
CSWE accredited MSW or CSWE evaluated
out of country degree
Meet all required course and experience
requirements
Out of State Experience Hours
If you have been licensed as a clinical social
worker in another state for at least four years,
you have met the Board's experience
requirements for licensure.
If you have been licensed as a clinical social
worker in another state for less than four
years, you must provide verification that you
completed 3,200 hours of supervised work
experience and 104 weeks of supervision
Moving to Another State?
Research the state’s licensing requirements
on the Association of Social Work Boards
website. www.aswb.org.
Members contact the state’s NASW chapter
with the questions.
NASW National Web www.socialworkers.org
CA License Statistics (1/1/2015)
Marriage and Family Therapists 37,455
MFT Interns (IMFs) 22,586
Licensed Clinical Social Workers 22,304
Associate Social Workers (ASWs) 16,742
Money Considerations
$32-40 Live Scan Fingerprint
$75.00 ASW Registration Application
$75.00 ASW Annual Registration Renewal
$100.00 Law & Ethics Exam (estimate)
$260.00 ASWB Advanced Clinical Exam
? Pay for Supervision ($60 to $120 per hour)
? Pre-license coursework (in-person, online)
? Exam Prep Course
EXPEDITED LICENSURE FOR SPOUSES OR DOMESTIC PARTNERS OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL
For an applicant’s license/registration to be expedited, the
applicant must:
– Supply evidence that they are married to, or in a domestic
partnership or other legal union with, an active duty member
of the Armed Forces of the United States who is assigned to
a duty station in California under official orders, and;
– Hold a current license/registration in another state, district
or territory of the United States in the profession or vocation
for which the applicant is seeking a license/registration.
Web Resources
NASW “How to Become a LCSW” Document
Under “Hot Topics” at www.naswca.org
NASW Links to Licensing Resources
Under “Licensing” at www.naswca.org
NASW Pre-licensure Coursework
Under “Professional Development” www.naswca.org
Web Resources
BBS Forms and Publications
www.bbs.ca.gov/forms.shtml
BBS Subscriber List
www.dca.ca.gov/webapps/bbs/subscribe.php
BBS Newsletters
www.bbs.ca.gov/forms.shtml#exam
Web Resources
BBS Laws and Regulations (updated annually)
www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lawsregs.pdf
Association of Social Work Boards www.aswb.org
National NASW Websites www.socialworkers.org
www.helpstartshere.org
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