Are you ready to take the next step in your social work career and become a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) in Ohio? The process may seem daunting, but we've broken it down into easy-to-follow steps to help you navigate through it smoothly. Here's everything you need to know to get your LISW license.
Requirements
First things first, you need to meet some basic requirements:
- Completion of a master's degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program.
- A minimum of two years post-MSW and post-LSW experience, including 150 hours of documented training supervision by a LISW-S.
- Your supervision must be complete and documented with the Board before you begin the licensure process.
Steps Toward Licensure
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you complete the licensure process:
- Each of your training supervisors must submit a Professional Employment Reference via eLicense. The supervisor must include a recommendation and complete the attestation for the Reference to be applied toward your LISW.
- Complete at least two full years (24 unique months) and 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience. Note: Overlapping supervision time does not count as extra months.
- Supervision should average one hour of individual or group supervision for every 20 hours of work, with a minimum of 150 total hours of supervision for the 3,000 hours of supervised social work practice.
- If you are practicing part-time, you may not be credited with more than 1,500 hours of experience during any 12-month period.
- Once training supervision hours are submitted to the Board by your supervisor(s), complete the LISW application online and pay the $100 application fee (plus a $3.50 processing fee) on the eLicense site.
- Indicate whether you wish to take either the Clinical or Advanced Generalist Exam when you complete the application.
- Attach a copy of your social work master's degree, unofficial transcript, or official transcript to the application.
- After the Board reviews your application, you will receive an exam pre-approval email if you have not already passed the Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam.
- Register for your exam with the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) and schedule an exam date at a PSI Testing Center.
- View the Board's online Laws and Rules video to understand your responsibilities as a licensee.
- If the Board does not have your MSW transcripts on file, submit OFFICIAL transcripts showing your degree conferred. You or your school can email the official transcripts to socialwork@cswb.ohio.gov.
- Complete the BCI and FBI background checks. Background checks are valid for one year once completed.
- Print the BCI & FBI Instructions and take them with you to your local police, sheriff's department, department of motor vehicles, or other WebCheck location.
Documents Required
Here's a checklist of the documents you'll need to complete your LISW licensure application:
- Professional Employment Reference(s) submitted via eLicense.
- Submitted LISW application in eLicense.
- Passing ASWB Clinical or Advanced Generalist exam results.
- View the Board's online Laws & Rules Video.
- Official Transcript indicating conferral of a CSWE-accredited MSW or equivalent social work degree.
- BCI and FBI criminal records Checks.
Log into your eLicense account to track the status of your application by clicking on Review Status under Options on your license application tile in eLicense. The review checklist indicates whether the Board has received your background checks, submissions such as your transcript or hours of supervision, and your exam score.
Once you are licensed, you will receive an email from the board indicating that you may now call yourself a LISW. A wall certificate will be attached to this email, which you may print and display in your workplace.
For more information, please follow this link.
