Licensure Requirements for a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)

An applicant may be granted a license as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) if he or she submits to the Board a properly-completed application for such licensure, accompanied by all of the following: (1) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she holds a master’s or doctoral degree in social work from a graduate school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a degree from a foreign educational institution which is equivalent to a master’s or doctoral degree in social work as determined by the Council on Social Work Education; (2) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she currently holds, or has at some time in the past held: (a) a license to practice as a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) issued by the Board pursuant to 258 CMR 9.04; or (b) a license to practice social work under the laws of another state, territory or political subdivision in the United States for which the educational and experiential requirements are substantially equivalent to the education and experience requirements for the LCSW license in Massachusetts as set forth in 258 CMR 9.04; (3) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she has provided at least 3500 hours of clinical social work services in accordance with the requirements of 258 CMR 12.02(1) or (2) over a period of not less than two years from the date on which he or she was licensed by the Board as an LCSW as provided for in 258 CMR 9.04 and/or in compliance with the exemptions detailed in 258 CMR 9.02. (4) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she has received, during the course of the post-graduate clinical social work experience required by 258 CMR 9.03(3), a minimum of 100 hours of individual face-to-face clinical supervision from: (a) an individual who holds a license as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker issued by the Board; (b) an individual who meets the requirements for licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, but is exempt from the licensure requirement pursuant to 258 CMR 9.02(1); or (c) an individual who holds a license from another jurisdiction which authorizes that individual to provide clinical social work services as an independent practitioner, if the requirements for the issuance of that license are, in the opinion of the Board, substantially equivalent to the requirements for licensure as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; (5) Satisfactory written or electronic documentation that he or she has passed the Clinical licensure examination administered by the Association of Social Work Boards, or an equivalent examination as determined by the Board, not more than two years prior to the date of his or her application; (6) A minimum of three professional references, on forms furnished for that purpose by the Board or its agent, from persons familiar with the applicant’s professional experience in the field of social work, attesting that the applicant is of good moral character and has demonstrated that he or she will conduct his or her activities as a social worker in accordance with generally accepted standards of professional social work practice. At least one such reference shall be from a person who provided the clinical supervision required by 258 CMR 9.03(4). All such references shall be from: (a) persons who are licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, or Licensed Psychiatric Nurse Mental Health Clinical Specialist; or (b) persons who are licensed in clinical social work, psychiatry, clinical psychology or psychiatric nursing in another jurisdiction. (7) Payment of the licensure fees prescribed by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance pursuant to M.G.L. c. 7, § 3B.