A. The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the meanings ascribed to them in § 54.1-3700 of the Code of Virginia:

Baccalaureate social worker

Board

Casework

Casework management and supportive services

Clinical social worker

Master's social worker

Practice of social work

Social worker

B. The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Accredited school of social work" means a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

"Active practice" means post-licensure practice at the level of licensure for which an applicant is seeking licensure in Virginia and shall include at least 360 hours of practice in a 12-month period.

"Ancillary services" means activities such as case management, recordkeeping, referral, and coordination of services.

"Clinical course of study" means graduate course work that includes specialized advanced courses in human behavior and the social environment, social justice and policy, psychopathology, and diversity issues; research; clinical practice with individuals, families, and groups; and a clinical practicum that focuses on diagnostic, prevention, and treatment services.

"Clinical social work services" include the application of social work principles and methods in performing assessments and diagnoses based on a recognized manual of mental and emotional disorders or recognized system of problem definition, preventive and early intervention services, and treatment services, including psychosocial interventions, psychotherapy, and counseling for mental disorders, substance abuse, marriage and family dysfunction, and problems caused by social and psychological stress or health impairment.

"Conversion therapy" means any practice or treatment as defined in § 54.1-2409.5 A of the Code of Virginia.

"Exempt practice" is that which meets the conditions of exemption from the requirements of licensure as defined in § 54.1-3701 of the Code of Virginia.

"Face-to-face " means the physical presence of the individuals involved in the supervisory relationship during either individual or group supervision or in the delivery of clinical social work services by a supervisee and may include the use of technology that provides real-time, interactive contact among the individuals involved.

"LBSW" means a licensed baccalaureate social worker.

"LMSW" means a licensed master's social worker.

"Nonexempt practice" means that which does not meet the conditions of exemption from the requirements of licensure as defined in § 54.1-3701 of the Code of Virginia.

"Supervisee" means an individual who has submitted a supervisory contract and has received board approval to provide clinical services in social work under supervision. holds a current, active license as a LMSW, has entered into a supervisory contract with a board-approved LCSW supervisor, and provides clinical social work services under supervision.

"Supervision" means a professional relationship between a supervisor and supervisee in which the supervisor directs, monitors and evaluates the supervisee's social work practice while promoting development of the supervisee's knowledge, skills and abilities to provide social work services in an ethical and competent manner.

“Supervisory contract” means an agreement that outlines the expectations and responsibilities of the supervisor and supervisee in accordance with regulations of the board.

A. The board has established fees for the following:

B. Fees shall be paid by check or money order made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia and forwarded to the board. All fees are nonrefundable.

C. Examination fees shall be paid directly to the examination service according to its requirements.

A. Every applicant for examination for licensure as a licensed clinical social worker or as a licensed master's social worker shall:

1. Meet the education requirements prescribed in 18VAC140-20-49; and experience requirements prescribed in 18VAC140-20-50.

2. Submit a completed application to the board office within two years of completion of supervised experience to include:

a. Documentation, on the appropriate forms, of the successful completion of the supervised experience requirements of 18VAC140-20-50 along with documentation of the supervisor's out-of-state license where applicable. Applicants whose former supervisor is deceased, or whose whereabouts is unknown, shall submit to the board a notarized affidavit from the present chief executive officer of the agency, corporation or partnership in which the applicant was supervised. The affidavit shall specify dates of employment, job responsibilities, supervisor's name and last known address, and the total number of hours spent by the applicant with the supervisor in face-to-face supervision;

b. The application fee prescribed in 18VAC140-20-30;

c. b. Official transcript or and documentation submitted from the appropriate institutions of higher education that verifies successful completion of educational requirements set forth in 18VAC140-20-49;

d. c. Documentation of any other health or mental health licensure, or certification, or registration, if applicable; and

e. d. A current report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).; and

e. Evidence of passage of the examination prescribed in 18VAC140-20-70.

3. Provide evidence of passage of the examination prescribed in 18VAC140-20-70.

B. Applicants for licensure by examination as a clinical social worker shall also provide documentation on the appropriate forms of the successful completion of the supervised experience requirements of 18VAC140-20-50 along with copies of semi-annual evaluation forms and documentation of the supervisor's out-of-state license, where applicable.

C. For applicants whose former supervisor is deceased or otherwise incapable of verifying supervision, they shall submit to the board an affidavit from the present chief executive officer or top leadership official of the agency, corporation, or partnership in which the applicant was supervised. The affidavit shall specify dates of employment, job responsibilities, supervisor's name and last known address, the total number of face-to-face client contact hours and hours spent by the applicant with the supervisor in face-to-face supervision.

D. As of [June 28,2027], all individuals who hold an active registration as a supervisee will be issued a license as a Licensed Masters Social Worker by the board.

A. Every applicant for licensure by endorsement shall submit in one package:

1. A completed application and the application fee prescribed in 18VAC140-20-30.

2. Documentation of active social work licensure in good standing obtained by standards required for licensure in another jurisdiction as verified by the out-of-state licensing agency. Licensure in the other jurisdiction shall be of a comparable type as the licensure that the applicant is seeking in Virginia.

3. Verification of a passing score on a board-approved national exam at the level for which the applicant is seeking licensure in Virginia. The board may accept evidence that a national examination was not required for licensure by the other jurisdiction at the time the applicant was initially licensed.

4. Documentation of any other health or mental health licensure, or certification, or registration, if applicable.

5. A current report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).

6. Certification that the applicant is not the respondent in any pending or unresolved board action in another jurisdiction or in a malpractice claim.

B. If an applicant for licensure by endorsement has not passed a board-approved national examination at the level for which the applicant is seeking licensure in Virginia, the board may approve the applicant to sit for such examination.

A. The applicant for licensure as a clinical social worker or as a licensed master's social worker shall document successful completion of one of the following: (i) a master's degree in social work with a clinical course of study from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, (ii) a master's degree in social work with a nonclinical concentration from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education together with successful completion of the educational requirements for a clinical course of study through a graduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or (iii) a program of education and training in social work at an educational institution outside the United States recognized by the Council on Social Work Education.

B. The requirement for a clinical practicum in a clinical course of study shall be a minimum of 600 hours, which shall be integrated with clinical course of study coursework and supervised by a person who is a licensed clinical social worker or who holds a master's or doctor's degree in social work and has a minimum of three years of experience in clinical social work services after earning the graduate degree. An applicant who has otherwise met the requirements for a clinical course of study but who did not have a minimum of 600 hours in a supervised field placement/practicum in clinical social work services may meet the requirement by obtaining an equivalent number of hours of supervised practice in clinical social work services in addition to the experience required in 18VAC140-20-50.

A. Supervised Requirements for supervised experience. Supervised post-master's degree experience without prior written board approval will not be accepted toward licensure, except supervision obtained in another United States jurisdiction may be accepted if it met the requirements of that jurisdiction. Prior to registration for supervised experience, a person shall satisfactorily complete the educational requirements of 18VAC140-20-49.

1. Registration. An individual who proposes to obtain supervised post-master's degree experience in Virginia shall, prior to the onset of such supervision, or whenever there is an addition or change of a supervisor to a supervisor not currently approved by the board:

a. Register on a form provided by the board;

b. Submit a copy of a supervisory contract completed by the supervisor and the supervisee;

c. Submit an official transcript documenting a graduate degree and clinical practicum as specified in 18VAC140-20-49; and

d. Pay the registration of supervision fee set forth in 18VAC140-20-30.

2. Hours. The applicant shall have completed a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised post-master's degree experience in the delivery of clinical social work services and in ancillary services that support such delivery. A minimum of one hour and a maximum of four hours of face-to-face supervision shall be provided per 40 hours of work experience for a total of at least 100 hours. No more than 50 of the 100 hours may be obtained in group supervision, nor shall there be more than six persons being supervised in a group unless approved in advance by the board. The board may consider alternatives to face-to-face supervision if the applicant can demonstrate an undue burden due to hardship, disability, or geography. Of the 3,000 hours, a minimum of 1,380 hours shall be in face-to-face client contact hours.

a. Supervised experience shall be acquired in no less than two nor more than four consecutive years. During the supervised experience, the applicant shall maintain an active LMSW issued by the Virginia Board of Social Work and be actively under supervision. Hours accrued without a license, or with a license in an inactive or expired status, shall not be accepted.

b. Supervisees shall obtain throughout their hours of supervision a minimum of 1,380 hours of supervised experience in face-to-face client contact in the delivery of clinical social work services. The remaining hours may be spent in ancillary services supporting the delivery of clinical social work services.

3. An individual who does not complete the supervision requirement after four consecutive years of supervised experience may request an extension of up to 12 months. The request for an extension shall include evidence that demonstrates extenuating circumstances that prevented completion of the supervised experience within four consecutive years. 2. Supervised experience completed in Virginia shall be under the supervision of a licensed clincial social worker designated on the board's website as an approved supervisor. If post-master's supervision was completed outside of Virginia, the applicant shall submit evidence that the supervised experience met the requirements of the jurisdiction towards licensure as an independent social worker in which it was completed.

3. The applicant shall complete a minimum of 100 hours of face-to-face supervision.

a. Supervision shall occur at minimum of one hour and a maximum of four hours per 40 hours of work experience.

b. No more than 50 of the 100 hours may be obtained in group supervision, nor shall there be more than six persons being supervised in a group.

4. Supervised experience shall be obtained in no less than two years.

5. A minimum of 500 hours of face-to-face client contact and 35 hours of supervision shall be completed within four years immedietally prior to application to the board for licensure as a licensed clinical social worker.

6. Supervisees shall meet the renewal requirements contained in 18VAC140-20-105 in order to maintain a license in current, active status.

B. Requirements for supervisors.

1. The supervisor shall hold an active, unrestricted license as a licensed clinical social worker in the jurisdiction in which the clinical services are being rendered with at least two years of post-licensure clinical social work experience. The board may consider supervisors with commensurate qualifications if the applicant can demonstrate an undue burden due to geography or disability or if supervision was obtained in another United States jurisdiction.

2. The supervisor shall have received professional training in supervision, consisting of a three credit-hour graduate course in supervision or at least 14 hours of continuing education offered by a provider approved under 18VAC140-20-105. After the initial graduate course or 14 hours of continuing education in supervision, at least seven hours of continuing education in supervision shall be obtained by a supervisor within five years immediately preceding registration of supervision.

3. The supervisor shall not provide supervision for a family member or provide supervision for anyone with whom the supervisor has a dual relationship.

4. The board may consider supervisors from jurisdictions outside of Virginia who provided clinical social work supervision if they have commensurate qualifications but were either (i) not licensed because their jurisdiction did not require licensure or (ii) not designated as clinical social workers because the jurisdiction did not require such designation.

C. Responsibilities of supervisors. The supervisor shall:

1. Be responsible for the social work activities of the supervisee and for ensuring that the supervisee only practices within the scope of the supervisee's education and training as set forth in this subsection once the supervisory arrangement contract is accepted;

2. Review and approve the diagnostic assessment and treatment plan of a representative sample of the clients assigned to the applicant during the course of supervision. The sample should be representative of the variables of gender, age, diagnosis, length of treatment, and treatment method within the client population seen by the applicant. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the representativeness of the sample that is presented to the supervisor;

3. Provide supervision only for those social work activities for which the supervisor has determined the applicant is competent to provide to clients;

4. Provide supervision only for those activities for which the supervisor is qualified by education, training, and experience;

5. Evaluate the supervisee's knowledge and document minimal competencies in the areas of an identified theory base, application of a differential diagnosis, establishing and monitoring a treatment plan, development and appropriate use of the professional relationship, assessing the client for risk of imminent danger, understanding the requirements of law for reporting any harm or risk of harm to self or others, and implementing a professional and ethical relationship with clients;

6. Be available to the applicant on a regularly scheduled basis for supervision;

7. Maintain a copy of all supervisory contracts and supervision documentation, for five years post-supervision, of which clients were the subject of supervision; and;

8. Ensure that the board is notified of any change in supervision or if supervision has ended or been terminated by the supervisor. Complete evaluation forms to be given to the supervisee at the end of each six-month period; and

9. Provide documentation to the board within 60 days of termination of the supervised experience or upon completion of the required number of hours for licensure as an LCSW.

D. Responsibilities of supervisees.

1. Supervisees may not directly bill for services rendered or in any way represent themselves as independent, autonomous practitioners, or licensed clinical social workers.

2. During the supervised experience, supervisees shall use their names and the initials of their degree, and the title "Supervisee in Social Work" abbreviation of their license in all written communications.

3. Clients shall be informed in writing of the supervisee's status and the supervisor's name, professional address, and telephone number.

4. Supervisees shall not supervise the provision of clinical social work services provided by another person.

5. While providing clinical social work services, a supervisee shall remain under board-approved supervision until licensed in Virginia as a licensed clinical social worker.

6. Supervisees shall maintain a copy of all supervisory contracts and supervision documentation for a period of five years.

A. In order to be approved to sit for the board-approved examination as an LBSW or an LMSW, an applicant shall:

1. Meet the education requirements prescribed in 18VAC140-20-60.

2. Submit a completed application to the board office to include:

a. The application fee prescribed in 18VAC140-20-30; and

b. Official transcripts submitted from the appropriate institutions of higher education.

B. In order to be licensed by examination as an LBSW or an LMSW, an applicant shall:

1. Meet the requirements prescribed in 18VAC140-20-60; and

2. Submit, in addition to the application requirements of subsection A of this section, the following:

a. Verification of a passing score on the board-approved national examination;

b. Documentation of any other health or mental health licensure or certification, if applicable; and

c. A current report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).

The applicant for licensure as an LBSW shall hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work. The applicant for licensure as an LMSW shall hold a master's degree from an accredited school of social work. Graduates of foreign institutions must establish the equivalency of their education to this requirement through the Foreign Equivalency Determination Service of the Council on Social Work Education.

A. An applicant for licensure by the board as an LBSW, an LMSW, or clinical social worker shall pass a written examination prescribed by the board.

1. The examination prescribed for licensure as a clinical social worker shall be the licensing examination of the Association of Social Work Boards at the clinical level.

2. The examination prescribed for licensure as an LBSW shall be the licensing examination of the Association of Social Work Boards at the bachelor's level.

3. The examination prescribed for licensure as an LMSW shall be the licensing examination of the Association of Social Work Boards at the master's or clinical level.

B. An applicant approved by the board to sit for an examination shall take that examination within two years of the date of the initial board approval. If the applicant has not passed the examination by the end of the two-year period here prescribed following board approval to test, the applicant shall reapply according to the requirements of the regulations in effect at that time in order to be approved for another two years in which to pass the examination.

C. If an applicant for clinical social work licensure has not passed the examination within the second two-year approval period, the applicant shall be required to register for supervision and complete one additional year as a supervisee before approval for another two-year period in which to re-take the examination may be granted.

A. Beginning with the 2017 renewal, licensees Licensees shall renew their licenses on or before June 30 of each year and pay the renewal fee prescribed by the board.

B. Licensees who wish to maintain an active license shall pay the appropriate fee and document on the renewal form compliance with the continued competency requirements prescribed in 18VAC140-20-105. Newly licensed individuals are not required to document continuing education on the first renewal date following initial licensure.

C. A licensee who wishes to place his license in inactive status may do so upon payment of a fee equal to one-half of the annual license renewal fee as indicated on the renewal form. No person shall practice social work or clinical social work in Virginia unless he holds a current active license. A licensee who has placed himself in inactive status may become active by fulfilling the reactivation requirements set forth in 18VAC140-20-110.

D. Each licensee shall furnish the board his current address of record. All notices required by law or by this chapter to be mailed by the board to any such licensee shall be validly given when mailed to the latest address of record given by the licensee. Any change in the address of record or the public address, if different from the address of record, shall be furnished to the board within 30 days of such change.

A. Licensed clinical social workers shall be required to have completed a minimum of 30 contact hours of continuing education. LBSWs and LMSWs shall be required to have completed a minimum of 15 contact hours of continuing education prior to licensure renewal in even years. Courses or activities shall be directly related to the practice of social work or another behavioral health field. A minimum of six of those hours for licensed clinical social workers and a minimum of three of those hours for licensed social workers must pertain to ethics or the standards of practice for the behavioral health professions or to laws governing the practice of social work in Virginia. Up to two continuing education hours required for renewal may be satisfied through delivery of social work services, without compensation, to low-income individuals receiving health services through a local health department or a free clinic organized in whole or primarily for the delivery of those services, as verified by the department or clinic. Three hours of volunteer service is required for one hour of continuing education credit.

1. The board may grant an extension for good cause of up to one year for the completion of continuing education requirements upon written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date. Such extension shall not relieve the licensee of the continuing education requirement.

2. The board may grant an exemption for all or part of the continuing education requirements due to circumstances beyond the control of the licensee such as temporary disability, mandatory military service, or officially declared disasters upon written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date.

B. Hours may be obtained from a combination of board-approved activities in the following two categories:

1. Category I. Formally Organized Learning Activities. A minimum of 20 hours for licensed clinical social workers or 10 hours for licensed social workers LMSWs and LBSWs shall be documented in this category, which shall include one or more of the following:

a. Regionally accredited university or college academic courses in a behavioral health discipline. A maximum of 15 hours will be accepted for each academic course.

b. Continuing education programs offered by universities or colleges accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

c. Workshops, seminars, conferences, or courses in the behavioral health field offered by federal, state or local social service agencies, public school systems, or licensed health facilities and licensed hospitals.

d. Workshops, seminars, conferences, or courses in the behavioral health field offered by an individual or organization that has been certified or approved by one of the following:

(1) The Child Welfare League of America and its state and local affiliates.

(2) The National Association of Social Workers and its state and local affiliates.

(3) The National Association of Black Social Workers and its state and local affiliates.

(4) The Family Service Association of America and its state and local affiliates.

(5) The Clinical Social Work Association and its state and local affiliates.

(6) The Association of Social Work Boards.

(7) Any state social work board.

2. Category II. Individual Professional Activities. A maximum of 10 of the required 30 hours for licensed clinical social workers or a maximum of five of the required 15 hours for licensed social workers LMSWs and LBSWs may be earned in this category, which shall include one or more of the following:

a. Participation in an Association of Social Work Boards item writing workshop. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours.)

b. Publication of a professional social work-related book or initial preparation or presentation of a social work-related course. (Activity will count for a maximum of 10 hours.)

c. Publication of a professional social work-related article or chapter of a book, or initial preparation or presentation of a social work-related in-service training, seminar, or workshop. (Activity will count for a maximum of five hours.)

d. Provision of a continuing education program sponsored or approved by an organization listed under Category I. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours and will only be accepted one time for any specific program.)

e. Field instruction of graduate students in a Council on Social Work Education-accredited school. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours.)

f. Serving as an officer or committee member of one of the national professional social work associations listed under subdivision B 1 d of this section or as a member of a state social work licensing board. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours.)

g. Attendance at formal staffings at federal, state, or local social service agencies, public school systems, or licensed health facilities and licensed hospitals. (Activity will count for a maximum of five hours.)

h. Individual or group study including listening to audio tapes, viewing video tapes, or reading professional books or articles. (Activity will count for a maximum of five hours.)