Clinical Supervision

This credential enables clinical social workers to be publicly recognized for proficiency in Clinical Supervision Social Work. It is offered by the American Board of Clinical Social Work (ABCSW), which has set a standard for competency in this specialty and will promote your expertise.

The ABCSW markets this certification through social media and other methods, and supports this credential and practice in clinical supervision through the online resources of the organization. The fee for applying for this certification is $275.

Description - Clinical supervision is a specialty in clinical social work that involves the provision of clinical supervisory services which are informed by advanced training, years of experience, and mastery of a range of competencies in clinical social work practice. Clinical supervision services are imparted by an advanced clinical social worker supervisor to a less experienced social worker or social work student who needs of the knowledge and skill of the clinical supervisor in order to provide optimal services. The supervisor specialist has mastery of the relevant knowledge and skills of clinical supervision, and excels in helping supervisees to develop clinical skills in their work across many settings and contexts. Clinical supervision includes work-related clinical supervision, the clinical supervision of a master level social worker seeking advanced clinical licensure, the clinical supervision of social workers providing clinical services who are licensed at other levels of practice, as defined by the respective state, or the clinical supervision of social work graduate students (master’s or doctoral) in a social work program with clinical courses.  

Specific Criteria:  

  1. To have practiced in the specialty area for five (5) or more years, and have accumulated at least 500 clinical hours of practice experience during the five (5) or more years’ time frame; 100 of which must have been in the past year. 

  1. To have identified a peer of equal or greater experience that may be consulted on an ongoing basis. The peer consultant must have held the highest clinical licensure in their state for at least five years as a clinical social worker. 

  1. To have completed a 40-clock hour course in clinical supervision, a three semester credit hour (or five quarter credit hour) graduate course in clinical supervision, or is approved by their state of practice as a clinical social work supervisor. 

  1. To have obtained at least six (6) clock hours of continuing education in the last year relating to the specialty area, and thirty (30) clock hours of continuing education during the time the 500 clinical hours of practice experience was accumulated. 

This credential may be attained online at this website by those who are or become a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (BCD). 

Unsuccessful applicants who wish to re-apply should promptly inform the ABCSW in writing of the intention to re-apply and submit the re-application fee of $125. You will provide two new Evaluators who will be sent a new set of Evaluation Packages. The ABCSW will retain the rest of your application information. As before, your Evaluators would be of your own choosing.

RECERTIFICATION

This certification must be renewed annually based on the following criteria:

  • Maintain BCD certification
  • Have at least 150 hours of practice in clinical supervision
  • Have at least 6 hours in continuing education about clinical supervision
  • Pay renewal fees for BCD ($135 at present) and clinical supervision credential ($100 at present)
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