PDFWAC 246-809-330
Supervised postgraduate experience requirements.
(1) Licensed advanced social worker.
(a) An applicant who has held an active advanced social worker license for the past year or more in another state, the District of Columbia, or territory, without a disciplinary record or disqualifying criminal history, is deemed to have met the supervised experience requirements for Washington state licensure in subsection (1)(c) of this section.
(b) In accordance with RCW 18.225.090 and 18.225.095, for an applicant who can demonstrate they have practiced as a substance use disorder professional for at least three years within 10 years from the date their application for an advanced social worker license is submitted to the department, the department shall reduce the total required supervised hours from 3,200 hours to 2,880 hours. The requirements in subsection (3)(c)(i) through (iii) of this section shall apply regardless of the reduction of total required hours.
(c) The supervised experience requirement consists of a minimum of 3,000 hours with 90 hours of supervision by a licensed independent clinical social worker or a licensed advanced social worker who has been licensed or certified for at least two years. Of those hours:
(i) Eight hundred hours must be in direct client contact; and
(ii) Ninety hours must be in direct supervision under the supervision of a licensed independent clinical social worker, a licensed advanced social worker, or an equally qualified licensed mental health professional. Of those hours of direct supervised experience at least:
(A) Forty hours must be in one-to-one supervision; and
(B) Fifty hours may be in one-to-one or group supervision.
(2) Licensed independent clinical social worker.
(a) An applicant who has held an active independent clinical social worker license for the past year or more in another state, the District of Columbia, or territory, without a disciplinary record or disqualifying criminal history, is deemed to have met the supervised experience requirements for Washington state licensure in (c) of this subsection.
(b) In accordance with RCW 18.225.090 and 18.225.095, for an applicant who can demonstrate they have practiced as a substance use disorder professional for at least three years within 10 years from the date their application for an independent clinical social worker license is submitted to the department, the department shall reduce the total required supervised hours from 3,000 hours to 2,600 hours. The requirements in subsection (2)(c)(i) and (ii) of this section shall apply regardless of the reduction of total required hours.
(c) The experience requirement consists of a minimum of 3,000 hours of experience, over a period of not less than two years. Of those 3,000 hours:
(i) One thousand hours must be direct client contact supervised by a licensed independent clinical social worker;
(ii) One hundred hours of direct supervision as follows:
(A) Seventy hours must be with an independent clinical social worker;
(B) The remaining hours may be with an equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner as defined in WAC 246-809-310(3); and
(C) Sixty hours of the 100 hours of direct supervision must be in one-to-one supervision. The remaining hours may be in one-to-one supervision or group supervision.
(3) Licensed social worker associate-advanced and licensed social worker associate-independent clinical applicants are not required to have supervised postgraduate experience prior to becoming an associate.
(4) Licensed social worker associate-advanced and licensed social worker associate-independent clinical applicants shall declare they are working toward full licensure.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.225.040, 18.225.090, 18.225.145, 2023 c 425, and 2024 c 371. WSR 25-11-019, s 246-809-330, filed 5/12/25, effective 6/12/25. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.225.040, 2021 c 276, 2020 c 76, and 2023 c 425. WSR 23-23-150, § 246-809-330, filed 11/20/23, effective 1/1/24. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.225.040 and 2021 c 21; RCW 18.225.090. WSR 21-20-028, § 246-809-330, filed 9/24/21, effective 10/25/21. Statutory Authority: 2019 c 444, 2019 c 446, 2019 c 351, and RCW 18.19.050, 18.205.060, 18.225.040, 43.70.110, and 43.70.250. WSR 20-12-074, § 246-809-330, filed 6/1/20, effective 7/2/20. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.225.040. WSR 17-13-082, § 246-809-330, filed 6/16/17, effective 7/17/17.]