Q:         Who qualifies as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)?

A:         The licensure requirements for the LMSW are:

·         Have a masters of social work degree from an accredited school of social work,

·         Complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse in accordance with Section 6507(3)(a) of the Education Law,

·         Have good moral character, and

·         Pass the ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) Masters (Advanced) examination.

Q:         When can I take the exam?

A:         You must wait until after your complete your Social Work program.  The University must certify your degree before it can verify your education for New York Sate.  Generally this takes at least 4 weeks after graduation.

Q:         How do I qualify for the exam?

A:         To qualify to take the ASWB examination:

·         Download the necessary NYS forms from www.op.nysed.gov/lmsw.htm

·         Submit an Application (Form1) and fee ($270) to the New York State Education Department.

·         Send the New York State Education Department LMSW Form 2 to Syracuse University and request that it verify your education.  The university will send the completed form directly to the New York State Education Department.

·         The New York State Education Department must approve your education and all application materials.   The New York State Education Department will notify ASWB when you have satisfied the examination eligibility requirements.

·         Register directly with ASWB to take the examination.

Q:         How do I register for the exam?

A:         Get an ASWB booklet by calling 1-800-255-6880 or going on-line at www.aswb.org.  You may register by phone, fax, mail or email.  Once all required material has been received by ASWB you will receive an authorization letter which will contain your Authorization Number, the exam category for which you are registered, the jurisdiction your score will be sent to, and information on how to make an appointment to take the examination.

Q:         When and where should I take the exam?

A:         You register for the exam in advance and then go to a local testing center to take it by yourself on a computer.  In Syracuse, there is a testing center in the Marshall Square Mall.  A complete list of test sites is available at www.act.org/actcenters/locate/index.html

Q:         When am I notified of my score?

A:            Because the exam is computerized, your score will be available immediately upon finishing the exam.

Q:         What resources are available to help me prepare to take the exam?

A:         Test study guide materials are available in Bird Library.  These materials include a booklet located at the Reserve Desk, and a CD-ROM with sample exam questions available in Media Services (lower level of the library).  Several companies also sell test preparation kits.  The brochure for one of these products is available in the School of Social Work Main Office.  The test preparation companies also regularly advertise in such social work publications as NASW News.

Q:         What is the certification process if I do not plan to live in New York State?

A:         In this case, you do not need to submit materials to the New York State Education Department.  Instead, you should review the requirements in the state where you wish to work.  This information is available online from the ASWB www.aswb.org/lic_req.shtml.  You can still take the social work licensing examination in New York State. The ASWB exam is accepted in any state that is part of the ASWB system, and virtually all states are.  The most notable exception is California.  You should speak directly with the particular state to be sure what exam system it is using.

Q:         Who qualifies as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)?

A:         The licensure requirements for the LCSW are the requirements for the LMSW (see above), plus the following:

·         Have a masters of social work degree from an accredited school of social work with at least 12 semester hours of coursework that prepares you to practice as a clinical social worker,

·         Three years of post-degree experience in psychotherapy under the supervision of an LCSW, licensed psychologist or psychiatrist,

·         Pass the ASWB Clinical examination.

Q:         How do I meet the experience requirement for the LCSW?

A:         To meet the experience requirement for licensure as an L.C.S.W., you must have completed three years of full-time supervised experience in clinical social work, or the part-time equivalent in no more than 6 calendar years.  Only experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy and assessment-based treatment plans, as defined in Section 7704 of the Education Law, is acceptable for L.C.S.W. licensure.

            You must document that the experience meets the following conditions:

1.         Full-time experience is defined as 20 client contact hours of psychotherapy per week for a total of 960 hours per year (a 12-month year equals 48 weeks of employment, allowing for four weeks of vacation). At least 2,880 client contact hours of supervised experience must be completed for the L.C.S.W.

2.         Part-time experience is defined as no less than 10 client contact hours per week of psychotherapy with individuals, families or groups.

3.         Experience may be completed in a facility or non-facility setting, acceptable to the Department, or a combination of facility and non-facility experience.

4.         A client contact hour is at least 45 minutes of psychotherapy with individuals, families, or groups.

5.         All experience must be supervised by an L.C.S.W., licensed psychologist or psychiatrist.

6.         Supervisory sessions must be in-person supervision of an individual or group for one hour per week or two hours every other week for a total of 48 hours per year.  Group supervision may constitute no more than 50 percent of the total hours of supervision.

7.         The purpose of supervision is to improve the applicant's skills in clinical social work and to assure on-going review of the patient/client treatment.

8.         The applicant working full-time will receive a total of 144 hours of supervision over a three-year period. When the practice is less than full-time, supervision still must meet the one-hour per week average, therefore the total hours of supervision will exceed 144.

Q:         What are the requirements for supervisors?

A:            Supervision of applicants for the L.C.S.W. must be provided by a:

·         Physician who must be licensed by the state in which the supervision occurred and must be Board Certified in psychiatry or has completed an approved residency in psychiatry; or

·         Licensed psychologist who, while supervising the applicant, was licensed as a psychologist in the state where the supervision occurred and was qualified in psychotherapy, as determined by the Department, or who is a graduate of an American Psychological Association approved program in psychology or an equivalent program as determined by the Department; or

·         New York State licensed clinical social worker, or a social worker licensed in the jurisdiction where supervision occurred, who is a graduate of a Council on Social Work Education accredited graduate program, or the equivalent as determined by the Department, and who has at least three years of post-M.S.W. degree supervised experience providing psychotherapy or who was qualified for the three-year or six-year psychotherapy privilege in New York State at the time of supervising the applicant.

Q:         What types of supervisions are acceptable?

A:         Several types of supervision are considered acceptable:

1.         Individual, facility-based: The facility assigns an appropriate, qualified employee to supervise the applicant in one-to-one sessions. The supervisor should have more experience than the applicant, superior expertise or training in a relevant practice area, or both.

2.         Individual, consultant: The applicant (or facility) hires an appropriately qualified individual to supervise the applicant's clinical work in one-to-one sessions. If hired to supervise facility-based work, an appropriate agreement or contract should be reached between the facility, the consultant and the applicant. If hired to supervise a private practice, the supervisor should have experience (a minimum of three years) or documentable clinical expertise superior to that of the applicant.

3.         Group, facility-based: The facility schedules regular reviews of cases and/or skill and knowledge development sessions under the supervision of an appropriately qualified employee. No more than 24 hours (50%) of the required 48 hours per year of supervision may be in a group format for the L.C.S.W.

4.         Group, consultant: The applicant, as part of a group of applicants, hires a qualified supervisor to supervise the group. No more than 24 hours (50%) of the required 48 hours per year of supervision may be in a group format for the L.C.S.W.

Q:         What is the School Social Worker credential?

A:         New York State requires an additional credential to work as a school social worker.  For provisional certification, valid for five years, you must have an accredited baccalaureate degree and have completed 30 graduate social work credits including a supervised social work internship.  For permanent certification, you must have the MSW and the (NYS) LMSW and have had two years of school experience in the field of pupil personnel services.  For an application and further information contact the Office of Teaching, NYS Education Department www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/ .