Licensing and Exam Requirements
In compliance with federal regulations effective on July 1, 2020, and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), Indiana University must provide disclosures to students by listing all US states and territories with information regarding whether the completion of this academic program:
- will be sufficient to meet requirements for professional licensure or certification; or
- will not be sufficient to meet requirements for professional licensure or certification; or
- has not yet determined by IU to be sufficient to meet requirements for professional licensure or certification.
As a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited social work school, the programs of Indiana University School of Social Work meets the educational requirements for licensure with notable exceptions (field hours) in accordance with the jurisdictions under the licensing authority, Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).
The Indiana University Bachelor of Social Work meets the requirements to apply for the LBSW licensing examination in Indiana.
The Indiana University Master of Social Work meets the educational requirements to apply for the LSW and LCSW examination in Indiana. With specialized courses offered for the Master of Social Work School’s focus area, the curriculum also meets the educational requirements of the School Social Work License/Endorsement by the Department of Education in Indiana. With specialized courses in the Mental Health and Addictions MSW focus area and the completion of a qualified practicum, the curriculum also meets the educational requirements of the LCAC in Indiana.
There are 64 jurisdictions under the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) (all states, Guam, 10 provinces in Canada, Washington DC, US Virgin Islands, and North Mariana Island). Licensure requirements vary from state to state, and students seeking licensure or certification in a state other than Indiana are encouraged to review the state’s licensure requirements using the “Laws and regulations database”, or ASWB Full Report: U.S. states which education requirements for social work licensure beyond a degree from an accredited program, and application materials.
This information may not be exhaustive and could be updated in the future. We hope this information will be helpful, wherever your career plans take you! Direct specific inquiries to iusswcar@iu.edu.
Association of Social Work Boards #
The Association of Social Work Boards is the organization that produces the required licensure examinations for 49 states. The process of applying for licensure is located on the website.
Identify if an exam is required and which exam you must pass.
Indiana License Information and School Requirements #
Recommended Course Titles That May Be Used for the Application for Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
- Courses may only be used once to meet each educational requirement.
- It is the ultimate responsibility of the applicant for course selection.
- Upon completion of your undergraduate and/or graduate field practicum experience, make sure you retain the name and contact information of your Field Instructor (agency phone number and Field Instructor email address). You may need this person’s signature when applying for licensure in the future.
- For older courses, please contact Craig Campbell at ccampbe5@iu.edu
| Educational Requirements | Health | Mental Health & Addictions | Children Youth, and Families | Schools | Community & Organizational Leadership | Special Practice Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychopathology | 517 | 517 | 517 | 517 | 517 | 517 |
| Clinical Practice w/ Diverse Populations | 501, 507, 694, 555, 651, 652 | 501, 507, 555, 651, 652 | 501, 507, 555, 651, 652 | 501, 507, 555, 613, 651, 652 | 501, 507, 555, 651, 652 | 501, 507, 555, 602, 651, 652 |
| Clinical Theory & Practice | 504, 518 | 504, 518 | 504, 518 | 504, 518 | 504, 518 | 504, 518 |
| Family Practice | 514, 555, 693 | 514, 555, 685 | 514, 555, 633 | 514, 555, 614, 633 | 514, 555, 633, 685, 694 | 514, 555, 676, 677, 685 |
| Group Practice | 509, 514, 518, 634, 687 | 509, 514, 518, 634, 687 | 509, 514, 518, 634, 687 | 509, 514, 518, 634, 687 | 509, 514, 518, 634, 687 | 509, 514, 518, 679, 687 |
| Human Behavior and the Social Environment | 503, 508, 513, 519 | 503, 508, 513, 519 | 503, 508, 513, 519 | 503, 508, 513, 519 | 503, 508, 513, 519 | 503, 508, 513, 519 |
| Practice Evaluation | 623 | 623 | 623 | 623 | 624 | 623 |
Information pending.
Recommended Course Titles That May Be Used for Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC) for MSW Students
Upon completion of your undergraduate and/or graduate field practicum experience, make sure you retain the name and contact information of your Field Instructor (agency phone number and Field Instructor email address). You may need this person’s signature when applying for licensure in the future.
Disclaimer: It is the ultimate responsibility of the applicant for course selection.
Complete twenty-seven (27) semester hours or forty-one (41) quarter hours of graduate course work that must include graduate level course credits with material in at least the following content areas (see associated MSW courses that include the necessary content – courses may be listed for more than one area):
| Course Content | Foundation | Mental Health & Addictions |
|---|---|---|
| Addiction counseling theories and techniques | S508 | S685, S686 |
| Clinical Problems | S518 | S683, S685, S686 |
| Psychopharmacology | S517 | S686 |
| Psychopathology | S517 | |
| Clinical appraisal and assessment | S517, S518 | S685 |
| Theory & practice of group addiction counseling | S518 | S686, S687 |
| Counseling addicted family systems | S518 | S686 |
| Multicultural counseling | S507 | S683, S686 |
| Research methods in addictions | S502 Note: Students are advised to focus assigned projects on individuals with co-occurring disorders. | S623 Note: Students are advised to focus assigned projects on individuals with co-occurring disorders.
S683 |
| Legal, ethical, and professional standards… | S506 | S686 |
| Appraisal & assessment for individual or interpersonal disorder or dysfunction | S517 | S685 |
The following requirements are met with S651 & S652:
PRACTICUM, INTERNSHIP, and ADVANCED INTERNSHIP Applicants must complete not less than one (1) supervised practicum, internship, or field experience in a counseling setting, which must include a minimum of two hundred eighty (280) face-to-face client contact hours of addiction counseling services with a minimum of thirty-five (35) hours of supervision from a qualified supervisor who has at least five (5) years’ experience. A “qualified supervisor” as determined by the board is an individual who is supervising within his or her scope of experience and training and holds an active license at the time of supervision as: (1) A clinical addiction counselor; (2) A clinical social worker; (3) A marriage and family therapist; (4) A physician with training in psychiatric medicine; (5) A psychologist; (6) A clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing; or (7) Another state-regulated addiction counseling professional or, if the experience was gained in a state where no regulation exists, by an addictions or behavioral health professional of equivalent status; who has at least five (5) years of experience in providing addiction services.
Note: It is the responsibility of the student to document the above for the purpose of LCAC licensure.
POST GRADUATION REQUIREMENT
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE/SUPERVISION Applicants must have at least two (2) years of post-graduation clinical addiction counseling experience that must include at least two hundred (200) hours under supervision, one hundred (100) hours of which must be under individual supervision and up to one hundred (100) hours of which may be under group supervision. The supervision required must be provided by a qualified supervisor, as determined by the board. The experience requirement may not be performed away from the qualified supervisor’s premises if: (1) The work is the independent private practice of addiction therapy; and (2) The work is not performed at a place that has the supervision of a qualified supervisor. As used in IC 25-23.6-10.5-8, “qualified supervisor” means an individual who is supervising within his or her scope of experience and training and holds an active license at the time of supervision as: (1) A clinical addiction counselor; (2) A clinical social worker; (3) A marriage and family therapist; (4) A physician who has training in psychiatric medicine; (5) A psychologist; (6) A clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing; or (7) Another state-regulated addiction counseling professional or, if the experience was gained in a state where no regulation exists, by an addictions or behavioral health professional of equivalent status; with at least five (5) years of experience in addictions counseling. The verification of clinical experience and supervision forms must come directly to our office from the individual(s) verifying the clinical experience and supervision hours.
Note: It is your responsibility to keep records of your clinical supervision post-graduation.
School social work is defined as a specialty by a number of national and local organizations. Indiana, along with several other states, requires individuals to be dually licensed to practice as a school social worker. In order to qualify for licensure, individuals must receive their training through higher education programs approved by the Indiana Department of Education. Indiana University and its School of Social Work in collaboration with the School of Education provide the required training for the school social work licensure.
Requirements
Master of Social Work Students (MSW) choose a Practice Area as part of their education plan. Indiana University School of Social Work offers the School Social Work Practice Area as part of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program on two campuses, IU Indianapolis and IU Northwest. The Schools Focus Area Curriculum incorporates the IDOE School Services and the School Social Work Standards.
Curriculum requirements by campus
Post-MSW Degree Applicants
IU MSW graduates who did not do the Schools Practice Area (formerly “Concentration”) may request a review of their MSW coursework and post-MSW degree school-based experiences.* Credit toward the MSW Schools Practice Area endorsement is available for MSW graduates who can demonstrate substantive evidence of MSW school-based practice experience. In exceptional cases where IU MSW graduates can demonstrate substantive school-based experience where they are employed directly by a school corporation, the Schools Practice Area License Review Committee may provide the Schools Practice Area endorsement without requiring additional coursework.
In most cases, including MSW graduates with school-based community mental health experience, MSW graduates who did not do the Schools Practice Area as part of their educational plan will be required to take additional MSW coursework to qualify for the IDOE MSW school social work endorsement.
Documents needed for review upon submission:
- Your updated resume with your MSW practicum placements
- If you are not an Indiana University MSW graduate, your official MSW transcript
- If you are employed directly by a school now or within the last 5 years providing school social work services, include a letter on official letterhead from a school administrator documenting your length of hire, full or part-time status, and your school social work roles and functions.
- State if you do or do not hold an LSW
Inquiries about having MSW coursework assessed for the MSW Schools Practice Area, should be directed to Kyle Walke at kwalke@iu.edu.
Applying for Licensure
MSW graduates who have obtained the LSW/LCSW license and who have done the MSW Schools Practice Area coursework may proceed with applying for the IDOE School PEL School Social Work license.
Licensing Test Preparation Workshops #
During the Fall and Spring terms we host hosts Licensing Test Preparation workshops with nationally known presenter and trainer for licensing prep, Dr. Dawn Apgar. Dr. Apgar is an expert who has helped thousands of social workers across the country pass their licensing exams. She has written exam guides for each of the levels of licensure, and, as part of your class registration, you’ll receive a personal code to download the learning management system with access to book author, discussion board, study games, flashcards, and interactive study features ($95 value). You will also receive a 50-question pre-test before the course to help the presenter tailor the training to meet your needs and provide you with a report that you can use to help you with the course.
Materials reflect ASWB’s revised 2018 test blueprint used for test construction. Invaluable tips for how to read the questions, overcome test anxiety, avoid common pitfalls, and assess one’s learning style which help foster exam confidence. This training also provides a thorough content review of the four core areas of the examination: human development. diversity, and behavior in the environment; assessment. diagnosis, and treatment planning, psychotherapy, clinical interventions, and case management; and professional values and ethics. Begins with a self-assessment to help identify areas of strength and weakness. A full practice test with 170 questions that mirrors the actual test in length, structure, and content. with detail explanations of the correct answers.