Licensed Clinicial Social Worker Requirements in California 2024

Educational Requirements

• - Master's degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work
• - Electronic Transcripts

Experience Requirements

At least 3,000 total supervised hours, over 104 weeks (minimum).

2,000 hours of Clinicial Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment (including Therapy): Minimum 2,000 hours overall (Must include a minimum of 750 hours performing face-to-face individual or group psychotherapy in the context of clinical social work services)

1,000 hours max of everything else: Client-Centered Advocacy; Consultation, Evaluation, Research; Workshops, Seminars, Training Sessions or Conferences; Direct Supervisor Contact

Gotchas

You cannot log more than 40 hours in a week (7 consecutive days)

You cannot log any hours from a week that was not supervised (at least 1 hour individual/triadic or 2 hours of group supervision logged during that week)

You cannot log more than 6 hours of direct supervision in a week (7 consecutive days)

Additional Coursework

- Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention (6 hours of coursework or applied experience)

- Provision of Mental Health Services via Telehealth (must include law and ethics related to telehealth) (3 hours)

- Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting in California (7 hours)

- Human Sexuality (10 hours)

- Alcoholism and Other Chemical Substance Abuse and Dependency (15 hours)

- Aging, Long Term Care and Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse (10 hours)

- Spousal/Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection, and Intervention (15 hours if you got your MSW after 2003)

When can I start counting my hours? What is the 90-day rule?

TLDR: if you apply to get your ASW number within 90 days of graduating from your MSW, you can start counting hours immediately. If you do NOT apply for an ASW number until 90+ days after graduation, you have to wait to get your ASW number to start counting hours. (You must do a LiveScan fingerprint when you are first employed there and before you gain those hours).

The date that you may begin counting post-degree hours of experience toward licensure depends on all of the following:

- If you submit your Application for Associate Registration WITHIN 90 days from the date your qualifying degree was conferred, as posted on your transcript, you may begin accruing hours immediately upon graduation if your employer gives you a Livescan when you are first employed.

- If you submit your Application for Associate Registration MORE than 90 days after the date your qualifying degree was conferred, as posted on your transcript, you may not begin accruing hours until your Associate registration (ASW) number has been issued.

Ready to start your license journey?

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