Rule 135-5-.04 - Clinical Social Workers(1)The Practice of Clinical Social Work. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker may practice all authorized services of licensed master's social workers and may provide: supervision; direction; psychosocial evaluation through data collection and analyses to determine the nature of an individual's mental, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems or conditions; counseling, and psychotherapy to individuals, marriages, couples, families and groups; interpretation of the psychosocial dynamics of a situation and recommend and implement a course of action to individuals, marriages, couples, families, or groups. This practice may occur in such settings as private practice, family service and counseling agencies, health care facilities and schools and may provide direct evaluation, casework, social work advocacy, education, training, prevention and intervention services in situations threatened or affected by social, intrapersonal stress, interpersonal stress or health impairment.(2)Licensure Process (Please refer to the section entitled "Definitions" for clarification of terms).(a)Education The applicant must have earned a master's degree in Social Work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education in which candidacy, conditional or accreditation status was in effect when the degree was awarded.(b)Experience - Masters Degree in Social Work. The applicant with a master's degree must have completed three years' full-time supervised experience in the practice of social work following granting of the master's degree. Of the three years of supervised experience, only the first two must be under direction. 1. The applicant must present evidence of having practiced clinical social work for a minimum of 3000 hours post social work master's degree supervised experience acquired over a period of no less than 36 months or more than 108 months, the first 2000 hours of experience must be under supervision and direction in the practice of clinical social work. Applicant must submit documentation of having acquired 120 hours of supervision during this time, no more than 50% of which may be group supervision and at least 50% must be provided by a licensed clinical social worker who meets requirements to be a duly qualified supervisor.2. Both supervisors and supervisees are required to maintain a contemporaneous record of the date, duration, type (individual, paired, or group), and a brief summary of the pertinent activity for each supervision session to be submitted to the Board upon request. If there are any discrepancies in hours, contemporaneous documentation of supervision will be requested.(c)Experience - Masters Degree in Social Work and a Doctoral Degree. An applicant who holds a master's degree in social work and holds a doctoral degree in Professional Counseling; Social Work; Marriage and Family Therapy; Medicine; Psychiatric Nursing; Applied Psychology; Pastoral Counseling; or Applied Child and Family Development and whose degree program included a supervised clinical internship may substitute this for one year of experience. 1. An individual who holds a master's degree in Social Work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and holds a doctoral degree in Professional Counseling; Social Work; Marriage and Family Therapy; Medicine, Psychiatric Nursing; Applied Psychology; Pastoral Counseling; or Applied Child and Family Development must also present evidence of two years full time supervised post master's degree experience (defined as 2000 hours) under direction in the practice of Clinical Social Work obtained in no less than 24 months or no more than 72 months. Such applicant must also submit evidence of 80 hours of supervision provided by a duly qualified supervisor, 50% of which may be group supervision. Fifty percent of the supervision must be provided by a licensed Clinical Social Worker.2. Both supervisors and supervisees are required to maintain a contemporaneous record of the date, duration, type (individual, paired, or group), and a brief summary of the pertinent activity for each supervision session to be submitted to the Board upon request. If there are any discrepancies in hours, contemporaneous documentation of supervision will be requested.(3)Extension. The Board, in its sole discretion, may extend the period of time in which the applicant must have acquired supervision and/or experience with adequate showing of hardship or good cause.(4)Examination. After having completed the above experience requirements the applicant must submit an application to the board for licensure and upon approval the applicant must take the first scheduled examination for which he/she qualifies, unless good cause is shown for postponement, in which case the applicant shall take the next scheduled examination. [Upon receipt of notification that the applicant has passed the Clinical Social Work licensing examination, the Board will issue a Clinical Social Work license.] If the applicant fails the examination, the Board shall require that the applicant's work remain supervised until the applicant has taken and passed the examination. The exam must be taken at the next scheduled exam date unless good cause is shown for postponement. The exam may be taken a total of three times. An applicant who fails the examination three times, applicant shall not engage in the private practice of counseling or psychotherapy in the State of Georgia until such time as he/she has taken and passed the examination, absent a statutory exemption.(5) Definitions.(a)Direction means the ongoing administrative oversight by an employer or superior of a Social Worker. The person providing direction shall be responsible for assuring the quality of the services rendered by the practitioner and shall ensure that qualified supervision or intervention occurs in situations which require expertise beyond that of the practitioner.(b)Director means the person who provides direction and who is either the employer of the person who receives direction or is the superior in the employment chain of command to the person who receives direction.(c)Directed Experience in the practice of Clinical Social Work means time spent under direction engaging in the activities defined as Clinical Social Work in Rule 135-5-.04(1).(d)Supervision means the direct clinical review, for the purpose of training or teaching, by a supervisor of a Social Worker's interaction with clients. The purpose of supervision shall be to promote the development of the practitioner's clinical skills. Supervision may include without being limited to, the review of case presentations, audiotapes, videotapes and direct observation. 1.Individual Supervision means one supervisor meeting with a maximum of two supervisees.2.Group Supervision means one supervisor meeting with a maximum of six supervisees.(e)Supervisor means a person who is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker, Professional Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist and must have practiced in their specialty for at least 2000 clock hours over a minimum of 2 years following licensure.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 135-5-.04
O.C.G.A. Secs. 43-1-25, 43-10A-5, 43-10A-12.
Original Rule entitled "Clinical Social Workers" was filed on May 23, 1986; effective June 12, 1986.Amended: Filed November 7, 1986; effective November 27, 1986.Amended: Filed January 20, 1988; effective February 9, 1988.Repealed: New Rule, same title, adopted. F. Feb. 4, 1992; eff. Feb. 24, 1992.Amended: F. May 29, 1992; eff. June 18, 1992.Amended: F. Jun. 27, 1995; eff. July 17, 1995.Amended: F. Jan. 30, 1996; eff. Feb. 19, 1996.Amended: F. Oct. 8, 1996; eff. Oct. 28, 1996.Amended: F. Mar. 16, 2007; eff. Apr. 5, 2007.Amended: F. Nov. 9, 2011; eff. Nov. 29, 2011.