State Board of Social Work Examiners

Licensed Social Worker (LSW)

An applicant for licensure as a social worker shall submit the following, on forms provided by the Board:

1. A completed application form, which requests information concerning the applicant's educational and experiential background;


2. A completed Certification and Authorization Form for a Criminal History Background Check. Upon receipt of the completed form and licensure / certification application, you will receive additional information and instructions about completing the background check.


3. The application fee set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1;


4. An official transcript indicating that the applicant has received a master's degree in social work from an educational program accredited, or in candidacy for accreditation, by the Council on Social Work Education; or a doctorate in social work from an accredited institution of higher education; and


5. Proof of successful completion of the masters level examination administered by the Association of Social Work Boards.
   If you have not taken the examination, apply for approval first HERE.


6. An applicant pursuing a master's degree in social work and enrolled in the last semester of an educational program accredited or in candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education is eligible to take the masters level examination.

Start Application
Note: Please print and mail all applications to the State Board of Social Work Examiners.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

For purposes of this section, "two years of full-time clinical social work" means 3,000 hours under direct supervision pursuant to the standards set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:44G-8.1, subsequent to earning a master’s degree in social work. The 3,000 hours shall be completed in no less than two years and no more than four years. At least 1,920 hours of the 3,000 hours shall be in face-to-face client contact, and half of these 1,920 hours shall be in psychotherapeutic counseling. The other 1,080 hours can include time spent in supervision or other social work services.

An applicant for licensure as a clinical social worker shall submit the following, on forms provided by the Board:

1. A completed application form, which requests information concerning the applicant's educational and experiential background;


2. A completed Certification and Authorization Form for a Criminal History Background Check. Upon receipt of the completed form and licensure / certification application, you will receive additional information and instructions about completing the background check.


3. The application fee set forth in N.J.A.C.13:44G-14.1;


4. An official transcript indicating that the applicant:
   
   
   1. Received a master's degree in social work from an educational program accredited, or in candidacy for accreditation, by the Council on Social Work Education; or a doctorate degree in social work from an accredited institution of higher education;
   
   
   2. Completed 12 semester hours of graduate level course work in methods of clinical social work practice, exclusive of field placement, from an educational program accredited, or in candidacy for accreditation, by the Council on Social Work Education. The applicant shall obtain 12 credits in any of the following areas of study:
      
      
      1. Human behavior and the social environment;
      
      
      2. Diagnosis and assessment in social work practice;
      
      
      3. Models of psychotherapy or clinical practice (for example, psychodynamics, behavioral, cognitive therapies, task-centered, psychosocial,crisis intervention approaches, etc.) ;
      
      
      4. Clinical supervision and consultation; and/or
      
      
      5. Intervention with special populations.
      
      
   3. A supervisor's certification, or the applicant's affidavit in lieu of a supervisor's certification, indicating that the applicant has acquired two years of full-time clinical social work experience under supervision within a period of not less than two, and not more than three, consecutive years;
   
   
   4. Proof that the applicant has successfully completed the clinical examination administered by the Association of Social Work Boards; and, If you have not taken the examination, apply for approval first by clicking HERE.
   
   
   5. Proof that the applicant was a licensed social worker at the time that the experience in (a) above was acquired, or proof that the applicant engaged in social work practice in a setting in which licensure is not required pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-5.

Start Application
Note: Please print and mail all applications to the State Board of Social Work Examiners.

Certified Social Worker (CSW)

An applicant for certification as a social worker shall submit the following, on forms provided by the Board:

1. A completed application form, which requests information concerning the applicant's educational and experiential background;


2. A completed Certification and Authorization Form for a Criminal History Background Check. Upon receipt of the completed form and licensure / certification application, you will receive additional information and instructions about completing the background check.


3. The application fee set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:44G-14.1; and


4. The following documents:
   
   • An official transcript indicating that the applicant has received a baccalaureate degree in social work from an educational program accredited, or in candidacy for accreditation, by the Council on Social Work Education; or
   
   
   • An official transcript indicating that the applicant acquired a baccalaureate degree prior to April 6, 1995, from an accredited institution of higher education in one of the following fields: guidance and counseling, human services, marriage and family counseling, psychology, sociology, vocational/disability rehabilitation, and social work (from institutions not accredited, or in candidacy for accreditation, by the Council on Social Work Education), and an affidavit or other form as the Board may require attesting to the applicant having acquired one year of full-time social work experience (1,600 hours in any consecutive 18-month period) prior to April 6, 1995.

Start Application
Note: Please print and mail all applications to the State Board of Social Work Examiners.