Maryland Licensed Certified Social Worker – Clinical (LCSW-C)

Maryland Licensed Certified Social Worker – Clinical (LCSW-C) Licensure Process

This is an advanced level of the social work license in Maryland. It allows independent practice in a clinical social work setting. To get this privilege, you must meet the following requirement.

Educational Requirement

The LCSW-C license requires a master’s degree or doctorate degree in social work from a college or university approved by the Council of Social Work Education. Here you can find all schools offering social work degree programs in Maryland.

Examination Requirement

Passing the Association of Social Worker Boards clinical qualifying exam is a very important requirement for obtaining the LCSW-C license. The electronic exam is scheduled with Pearson Vue. An exam application fee of $260 is required by ASWB to allow you to take the exam.

Aspirants should apply to the board first and have their applications reviewed. The board will send a notification to eligible persons to proceed with the registration for the ASWB exam.

If you’re eligible to take the qualifying exam from ASWB, register via any of the following means.

• Online: Visit www.aswb.org.  Click on “Register for the Exam”. Then complete the Registration Form provided. Only credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) are allowed to make payments on this platform.
• Mail:  Print and fill out the Registration Form provided here correctly.  Then post it along with the examination fee to the ASWB Registration Center, P.O. Box 1508, Culpeper, VA 22701. The registration fee is $260.
• Fax: Complete the Registration Form provided in the Candidate Handbook and fax it to ASWB at 1-540-829-0142. Pay the registration fee of $260 using your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover).

Experience Requirement

If you must practice independently in a clinical social work setting, then it is crucial that you have some experience practicing under the supervision of a board-approved LCSW-C.

You’re required to hold an active Licensed Certified Social Worker license and you must complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience in no less than two years.

A minimum of 1,500 of these hours must be spent in direct patient contact, then a minimum of  100 hours on periodic face-to-face supervision by an LCSW-C. Before commencing your hours, your supervisor must be registered with the Board, and you must complete a supervision contract.

Reference Requirement

A supervision verification form from your social work supervisor is required for the LCSW-C licensure. Note that only an LCSW-C approved by the board is allowed to fill the form, otherwise, it is invalid.

The filled form will be mailed alongside other necessary documentation to the board.

Applying for Licensure as a Certified Clinical Social Worker

• Go to the board’s site and fill out the application
• Pay a fee of $130 which includes both the application fee and criminal history check fee
• Submit an official transcript from your program to the board. The program must be approved by CSWE. Send a request to the institution asking them to forward it directly to the board.
• All documents including the filled supervision contract, supervision verification, and summary sheet forms should be mailed to the board
• Register for the  Pearson VUE administered Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) clinical examination.

Meeting all the requirements and following all the steps above make you eligible for the LCSW-C license. When you pass your ASWB exam, the board is notified.

If you qualify for the license, the board will send a notice to you. Upon receiving the notice, you’ll need to pay a license fee of $75 to get the license.