PIVOT!!
So…. I may have gone a little too fast again…. hey, I was in my feelings this week. But we forgot a few basics with social work that need to be established first before we dive into my trauma (that is between me and my therapist…. for now). So, we know what social work is but how do we get into it? Great question!! First, we need a degree. You can start with a Bachelor of Social Work or BSW, which is a minimum requirement for many entry level positions. This is typically a standard 4-year degree from an accredited university and is made up of coursework and supervised field experience. Then for more specialized work, you can go on to an “advanced standing” program and complete a Master of Social Work (MSW) in about one year. Or you can do what I did and get a four-year undergraduate degree in a field of your choosing and go back for the traditional two-year Master of Social Work Program. Typically, this will be 60 credit hours with 900 hours of supervised field instruction. I bet you can tell the preferred approach?
Now where it gets you is in licensing because this varies across states. When I graduated with my masters, I was living in Illinois and decided to immediately pursue my Licensed Clinical Social Worker or LCSW and not sit for the Licensed Social Worker or LSW as it was not a requirement of my position at the time. To qualify for this license, I had to prove the following to the state of Illinois:
1. Evidence that I completed 3000 hours of supervised CLINICAL experience
2. That this experience took place after my graduate level SW degree was awarded
3. The experience was supervised by a LCSW
4. The experience included an average of at least 4 hours per month spent in clinical supervision with an LCSW
5. The experience was evaluated as satisfactory by that supervisor (see above)
Once I completed all those hours, I could then apply to take the ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) Clinical Exam. I graduated in 2020 and took my exam in 2022. At that time, the exam was multiple choice with a four-hour time limit. I studied for 6 months. I passed on the first try and cried in a coffee shop in downtown Chicago afterwards. It was a beautiful day. Did I mention we pay for it ourselves and can only take it every 90 days? That being said, I was finally an LCSW, meaning that I was now authorized by my state to diagnose and treat mental and behavioral health conditions independently (without supervision).
What is wildly frustrating about social work licensing in the United Staties is that requirements vary drastically depending on what state you are residing in. I learned this the hard way when I moved to Wisconsin and learned that I didn’t have reciprocity. I ended up having to submit a myriad of documentation to the states professional licensing board in the hope they would agree that I had met their standard of practice. After 3 MONTHS in review, they finally granted me my LCSW in WI.
