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Florida Social Work — Requirements & Free Practice

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Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

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Certified Master Social Worker

Administrative social work certification; it does not authorize clinical social work services.

Licensing authority: Florida Department of Health · Application information

Biennial renewal of active certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Renewal fee and signed compliance statement; biennia begin April 1 of odd-numbered years.
Background screening
Current Department instructions require applicable fingerprinting or retention.
Continuing education
First renewal is exempt; later renewals require 30 approved hours. Rule 64B25-28.014 incorporates Rule 64B4-6.001 effective February 17, 2013; that dated incorporation is not silently replaced with later amendments.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Renewal of delinquent certification before nullification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply for active or inactive status before the delinquent cycle ends and pay applicable renewal, delinquency and change-of-status fees.
Continuing education
Meet certification continuing education requirements.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Certification by examination
ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam
Application
Submit the Department application, required fees, official transcripts, supervised-experience verification and verification of all prior licenses. Section 491.0145(1) requires application receipt at least 60 days before the scheduled examination.
Background screening
Current Department instructions require electronic fingerprinting and background screening.
Coursework
The Board specifies three graduate semester hours in each of agency administration and supervision, program planning and evaluation, staff development, research, community organization, community services, social planning and human services advocacy.
Education
Qualifying doctoral or master’s social work degree, including the statutory accreditation and foreign-equivalency requirements.
Experience
Three years of experience, including two post-master’s years under a qualifying supervisor. Rule 64B25-28.013 defines a year as 1,500 hours in 12 months, limits credit to 125 hours monthly and requires at least 100 face-to-face supervision hours.
Practice limit
This administrative designation does not authorize clinical social work.
Reactivation of inactive certification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the application, continuing education and any background investigation; pay Department reactivation and other required fees.
Continuing education
Complete applicable education for all inactive or delinquent biennia.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Election or renewal of inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Status
Elect inactive status on the Department form, pay applicable inactive fees and do not practice while inactive.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Certification by MOBILE endorsement
ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam
Application
Submit the application, required background screening, financial responsibility where applicable and fees. Current Rule 64B25-28.012 provides the certification application; the Department determines the MOBILE submission process.
Discipline
No current disciplinary proceeding or discipline in the preceding five years; satisfy section 456.0145(2)(c) and National Practitioner Data Bank eligibility.
Existing credential
Active, unencumbered United States jurisdiction credential with a similar scope of practice.
National certification alternative
Section 456.0145 permits a recognized national certification as an alternative to the examination score; certification recognition is an applicant condition, not another examination.
Practice
Active practice for two of the four years preceding application.
New certification after nullification
ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam
Historical exception
For the denial-of-renewal route, a denial under section 24, chapter 2009-223, between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012 does not require examination retaking. The waiver is an applicant condition for the currently offered registered examination.
Prior status
Prior certification became null or renewal was denied under section 456.0635; meet current initial qualifications and complete a new application.
Qualifications
Sections 491.0145 and 456.036 and Rules 64B25-28.012, .013 and .015 apply.
Requalification after denial of renewal
ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam
Historical exception
For the denial-of-renewal route, a denial under section 24, chapter 2009-223, between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012 does not require examination retaking. The waiver is an applicant condition for the currently offered registered examination.
Prior status
Prior certification became null or renewal was denied under section 456.0635; meet current initial qualifications and complete a new application.
Qualifications
Sections 491.0145 and 456.036 and Rules 64B25-28.012, .013 and .015 apply.
Reactivation after no more than five years in retired status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Duration
Retired for no more than five years.
Requirements
Complete applicable continuing education and pay renewal and reactivation fees. The statutory retired-competency discretion applies after more than five years.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Election of retired status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Status
Retired status remains a status of this license or certificate. Pay retired-status and applicable change-of-status fees; it does not authorize practice.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern

Registration before supervised experience; supervision remains required until full licensure.

Licensing authority: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling · Application information

One time emergency or hardship extension
ASWB Clinical Exam
Application
Submit the signed exception request no later than 30 days before expiration.
Eligibility
Complete all education and practicum requirements; circumstances outside the intern’s control must have prevented completion. Failure to pass the examination is not an emergency or hardship.
Extension
A timely complete request permits one 24-month extension; no further extensions are authorized.
Initial intern registration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the application, required fee and background screening.
Education
Meet statutory education prerequisites and submit an acceptable supervision plan for any incomplete practicum or fieldwork.
Practice
Remain under supervision. Registration lasts five years; complete all practicum hours before post-master’s hours count. ASWB information on the intern page addresses later full licensure, not initial registration.
Supervisor
Identify a qualified supervisor and obtain Board approval before experience counts.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Clinical social work license. Inactive and retired status retain the existing license identity. Qualifications for hypnosis, sex therapy, juvenile sexual offender therapy and qualified supervision operate within an existing license, rather than issuing another social work license.

Licensing authority: Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling · Application information

Biennial renewal of an active license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Pay the renewal fee, affirm compliance and meet applicable fingerprinting or retention requirements.
Continuing education
First renewal is exempt under Rule 64B4-6.001; later renewals require 30 approved hours with its medical-errors, ethics/boundary-or-telehealth, domestic-violence and recurring laws-and-rules requirements.
Course assessments
Rule 64B4-6.002(5) requires generic testing mechanisms for distance-learning credit; it does not identify a licensing examination. The three-hour renewal laws-and-rules course is distinct from the eight-hour prelicensure course.
Supervisors
Qualified supervisors need four hours of supervisory training every third renewal.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Renewal from delinquent status before nullification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply for active or inactive status in the delinquent biennium; pay applicable status, delinquency and change-of-status fees.
Continuing education
Document applicable continuing education. Failure to restore status before the cycle ends makes the license null.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reactivation after more than two consecutive inactive biennia
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the reactivation application; pay reactivation, current renewal and any change-of-status fees.
Competency
Section 456.036(9) permits competency conditions for prolonged inactivity but excludes full reexamination. The implementing rule imposes no particular examination; individualized unnamed requirements are applicant conditions.
Continuing education
Complete approved continuing education for each inactive biennium and any required background investigation.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reactivation after fewer than two consecutive inactive biennia
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the reactivation application; pay reactivation, current renewal and any change-of-status fees.
Competency
Section 456.036(9) permits competency conditions for prolonged inactivity but excludes full reexamination. The implementing rule imposes no particular examination; individualized unnamed requirements are applicant conditions.
Continuing education
Complete approved continuing education for each inactive biennium and any required background investigation.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Election or renewal of inactive status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Status
Elect inactive status on the Department form, pay applicable inactive fees and do not practice while inactive.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Military licensure based on an active unencumbered license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Complete application, disciplinary attestation, applicable fingerprinting and post-issuance information; statutory fees are waived.
Board course instruction
Rule 64B4-3.0035 states: "Completion of a Law and Rules approved course consisting of a minimum of eight (8) hours which shall include the following subject areas:". Section 456.024(4)(b) mandates issuance on its enumerated military qualifications; unlike section 456.0145(3), it does not authorize an additional state jurisprudential prerequisite. The statutory route controls; the broader Board course demand is disclosed as an applicant condition.
Eligibility
Qualifying military practitioner or active-duty military spouse under section 456.024(4)(a); supply the specified honorable-discharge evidence where applicable.
Existing license
Active, unencumbered United States jurisdiction license; no discipline in the preceding five years.
Experience
Active practice for the three years preceding application.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Professional licensure for an active duty military spouse under section 456.024(5)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Complete application, required proof, fingerprinting and screening; statutory ineligibility criteria apply and the application fee is waived.
Existing license
Valid license in a United States jurisdiction and no pending disciplinary proceeding.
Military status
Married to an active-duty member assigned to a Florida duty station under official orders.
Qualification
Otherwise entitled to full licensure and eligible to take the respective Florida examination; eligibility is a condition, not a passing-score requirement. A previous failure of the required Florida examination makes the applicant ineligible.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Military licensure for a practitioner whose profession required no jurisdiction license
ASWB Clinical Exam
Board course instruction
Rule 64B4-3.0035 states: "Completion of a Law and Rules approved course consisting of a minimum of eight (8) hours which shall include the following subject areas:". Section 456.024(4)(b) mandates issuance on its enumerated military qualifications; unlike section 456.0145(3), it does not authorize an additional state jurisprudential prerequisite. The statutory route controls; the broader Board course demand is disclosed as an applicant condition.
Eligibility
Meet the corresponding alternative in section 456.024(4)(b)3.b. or 3.c. with substantially equivalent military or other training or experience.
Experience
Three years of active practice before application; meet statutory attestation, discharge evidence where applicable, fingerprinting and application requirements.
National exam
The statute requires the appropriate national or regional examination when Florida requires one; Rule 64B4-3.003 identifies ASWB Clinical for this profession.
Military licensure for a spouse whose profession required no jurisdiction license
ASWB Clinical Exam
Board course instruction
Rule 64B4-3.0035 states: "Completion of a Law and Rules approved course consisting of a minimum of eight (8) hours which shall include the following subject areas:". Section 456.024(4)(b) mandates issuance on its enumerated military qualifications; unlike section 456.0145(3), it does not authorize an additional state jurisprudential prerequisite. The statutory route controls; the broader Board course demand is disclosed as an applicant condition.
Eligibility
Meet the corresponding alternative in section 456.024(4)(b)3.b. or 3.c. with substantially equivalent military or other training or experience.
Experience
Three years of active practice before application; meet statutory attestation, discharge evidence where applicable, fingerprinting and application requirements.
National exam
The statute requires the appropriate national or regional examination when Florida requires one; Rule 64B4-3.003 identifies ASWB Clinical for this profession.
Reactivation after fewer than ten years in retired status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Duration
Retired for fewer than ten years.
Requirements
Complete applicable continuing education for every retired biennium and pay all past renewal fees; mandatory retaking appears in the rule’s separate more-than-ten-years paragraph.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Election of retired status
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Status
Retired status remains a status of this license or certificate. Pay retired-status and applicable change-of-status fees; it does not authorize practice.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam

Provider
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); administered on computer at Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination (three- and four-option questions) in two 61-question sections, each with a two-hour time limit; scored and pretest questions are mixed together; results reported as pass/fail
Exam questions
122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions
Time limit
4 hours (two sections, each with a two-hour time limit)
Passing score
Pass/fail; the number of correct answers required varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions
Exam fee
US$260 exam registration fee
Examination outline
  • I. VALUES AND ETHICS (35%) (35%)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues related to the practice of social work, including responsibility to clients/client systems, colleagues, the profession, and society
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Professional values and principles (e.g., competence, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality, including limitations of confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, PHI, privacy)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Principles and processes of obtaining informed consent
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Social worker self-care principles
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Importance of professional development activities to improve practice and maintain current professional knowledge (e.g., in-service training, licensing requirements, reviews of literature, workshops, on-going supervision, consultation)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Protecting and enhancing client/client system self-determination (e.g., medication, medical treatment, counseling, placement, right to refuse services)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Professional boundaries in the social worker-client/client system relationship (e.g., power differences, influence, privilege, conflicts of interest, self-disclosure, dual relationships)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding documentation (e.g., maintaining client records)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding mandatory reporting (e.g., abuse, threat of harm, impaired professionals, duty to warn)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Impact of governmental policies on service delivery (e.g., local, state, federal legislation and policy)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues related to death and dying
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Responsible billing practices (e.g., managed care, insurance reimbursement, incident to billing)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues in supervision and management
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues related to electronic practice
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Research ethics (e.g., institutional review boards, use of human subjects, informed consent)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding termination
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Anti-oppressive and anti-racist approaches
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Accessibility including language, physical, and cultural access (e.g., translation and interpretation, neurodiversity, American Sign Language)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social, racial, environmental, and economic justice principles
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and intersectionality on behaviors, attitudes, and identity formation
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Privilege and bias and their impact on client/client systems (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Cultural impacts of exploitation across marginalized communities (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Power differential and racial privilege (e.g., internalized racial and ethnic inferiority and superiority)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social justice, truth and reconciliation, and restorative practices related to clients/client systems from historically oppressed and marginalized communities
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of globalization, immigration, and refugee or immigration status on clients/client systems and service delivery
  • II. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (33%) (33%)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of trauma, stressors, violence, and crises on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., intergenerational, historical, and complex)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Family dynamics and functioning and the effects on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Dynamics of interpersonal relationships and relationship development (e.g., family, couples, groups, polyamory)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of poverty on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., social determinants of health)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators of mental and emotional illness throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Biopsychosocial assessment model and related components and factors
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Co-occurring disorders and conditions
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Characteristics of perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of caregiving on families
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Effects of physical and mental ability throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of out-of-home placement (e.g., hospitalization, foster care, residential care, criminal justice system) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of exploitation across the lifespan (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of aging on the individual and family systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Racial, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual/faith development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of addiction and substance use and abuse on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors influencing self- and body-image (e.g., culture, race, religion/spirituality, age, ability, trauma, gender, sexuality, size)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Typical and atypical physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors of out-of-home displacement (e.g., homelessness, immigration, and refugee status) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Defense mechanisms and their effects on behavior and relationships
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — The influence and impact of technology, including social media, on client/client-systems (personal and professional)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of urbanization, globalization, environmental hazards, and climate change on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Client/client system competence, self-determination, and self-monitoring techniques (e.g., financial decisions, treatment decisions, emancipation, age of consent, permanency planning)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods, techniques, and instruments for assessing client/client system strengths, resources, needs, and challenges
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, problem solving, and intervention planning
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing risk of harm to self and others
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles and techniques of interviewing (e.g., supporting, clarifying, confronting, validating, feedback, reflecting, language differences, use of interpreters)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for assessing resilience and coping abilities
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for obtaining sensitive and/or confidential information (e.g., substance use, sexual abuse)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Indicators of and methods of assessing motivation, barriers, and readiness for change
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing clients’/client systems’ communication skills
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Components and function of the mental status examination
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of incorporating information from records and evaluations (e.g., employment, medical, psychological, school)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Assessing the availability of and determining appropriate community resources
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Factors and processes used in goal planning, treatment planning, triage, and service plans
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Criteria used in the selection of intervention/treatment modalities (e.g., client/client system abilities, developmental level, culture, life stage)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Cultural considerations in the creation of an intervention plan
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Use and side effects of common prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Indicators of client/client system readiness for termination
  • III. INTERVENTION AND PRACTICE (32%) (32%)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Strengths-based and empowerment strategies and interventions
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary team collaboration (e.g., co-therapy, care conference, IEP)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — The social worker’s role in the problem-solving process
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Principles and techniques for building and maintaining a helping relationship (e.g., acceptance, empathy, rapport)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — End of life practice (e.g., continuity of care, hospice, palliative care, stages of death and dying)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Developing formal documents (e.g., grants, proposals, reports, evaluations)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation and their impact on social work practice and service delivery
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Permanency planning (e.g., child welfare)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Community organizing, development, and mobilizing community participation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, congruence, feedback)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Limit and boundary setting techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Emotional regulation techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Case management techniques (e.g., case recording, documentation, case presentation)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Methods of teaching coping and other self-care skills to clients
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Crisis intervention and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Stress management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Methods and approaches for providing trauma-informed care for various types of trauma (e.g., complex, vicarious)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Contracting and goal-setting techniques (e.g., partializing, measurable objectives)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Methods for engaging and motivating voluntary and involuntary clients/client systems
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Approaches to and methods of advocacy for needed services and resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Principles of active listening and observation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Problem-solving models and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Practice with clients experiencing loss, separation, and grief
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Harm reduction techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Conflict resolution methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Establishing service networks or community resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Discharge, aftercare, wrap-around services, and follow-up
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Anger management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Psychoeducation methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Group work techniques and approaches (e.g., developing and managing group processes and cohesion)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Family therapy models, interventions, and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES (printed in the guidebook as 'IIB.') — Techniques and methods for addiction intervention
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Techniques for evaluating progress and effectiveness of intervention, treatment, and service plans
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods, techniques, and instruments used to evaluate social work practice
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Quality assurance (e.g., program reviews and audits by external sources)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of establishing program objectives and outcomes
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Program evaluation and related impact on services
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of evaluating agency programs (e.g., needs assessment, formative/summative assessment, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis, outcomes assessment)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Basic and applied research design and methods, data collection and analysis methods, and methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research (e.g., objective, subjective, qualitative, quantitative)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Leadership and management techniques
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures for safe, inclusive, and a healthy work environment
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures that minimize risk for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Transference and countertransference within supervisory relationships
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervisee’s role in supervision (e.g., identifying learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervision and consultation models and techniques (e.g., individual, peer, group, case recording)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Organizational development, structure, and functioning (e.g., policies, procedures)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Employee recruitment, training, retention, performance appraisal, evaluation, and discipline
Examination sources

ASWB Clinical Exam

Provider
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); administered on computer at Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice examination (three- and four-option questions) in two 61-question sections, each with a two-hour time limit; scored and pretest questions are mixed together; results reported as pass/fail
Exam questions
122 multiple-choice questions: 110 scored and 12 unscored pretest questions
Time limit
4 hours (two sections, each with a two-hour time limit)
Passing score
Pass/fail; the number of correct answers required varies by exam form and generally ranges from 66 to 78 of the 110 scored questions
Exam fee
US$260 exam registration fee
Examination outline
  • I. VALUES AND ETHICS (36%) (36%)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality, including limitations of confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, PHI, privacy)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Legal and ethical issues related to the practice of social work, including responsibility to clients/client systems, colleagues, the profession, and society
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Principles and processes of obtaining informed consent
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Professional values and principles (e.g., competence, social justice, integrity, dignity and worth of the person)
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Burnout, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Social worker self-care principles
    • IA. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Importance of professional development activities to improve practice and maintain current professional knowledge (e.g., in-service training, licensing requirements, reviews of literature, workshops, on-going supervision, consultation)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Protecting and enhancing client/client system self-determination (e.g., medication, medical treatment, counseling, placement, right to refuse services)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Professional boundaries in the social worker-client/client system relationship (e.g., power differences, influence, privilege, conflicts of interest, self-disclosure, dual relationships)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding mandatory reporting (e.g., abuse, threat of harm, impaired professionals, duty to warn)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding documentation (e.g., maintaining client records)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Responsible billing practices (e.g., managed care, insurance reimbursement, incident to billing)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues related to death and dying
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues in supervision and management
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Impact of governmental policies on service delivery (e.g., local, state, federal legislation and policy)
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Legal and ethical issues regarding termination
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Ethical issues related to electronic practice
    • IB. ETHICAL SERVICE DELIVERY — Research ethics (e.g., institutional review boards, use of human subjects, informed consent)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Anti-oppressive and anti-racist approaches
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social, racial, environmental, and economic justice principles
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and intersectionality on behaviors, attitudes, and identity formation
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Accessibility including language, physical, and cultural access (e.g., translation and interpretation, neurodiversity, American Sign Language)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Power differential and racial privilege (e.g., internalized racial and ethnic inferiority and superiority)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Privilege and bias and their impact on client/client systems (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Cultural impacts of exploitation across marginalized communities (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Social justice, truth and reconciliation, and restorative practices related to clients/client systems from historically oppressed and marginalized communities
    • IC. DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE — Impact of globalization, immigration, and refugee or immigration status on clients/client systems and service delivery
  • II. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (32% — the heading in the Clinical content outline prints no percentage; page 6 of the guidebook states the Clinical examination will have 32 percent of the questions testing Assessment and Planning) (32%)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of trauma, stressors, violence, and crises on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., intergenerational, historical, and complex)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Family dynamics and functioning and the effects on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Dynamics of interpersonal relationships and relationship development (e.g., family, couples, groups, polyamory)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators of mental and emotional illness throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Co-occurring disorders and conditions
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Biopsychosocial assessment model and related components and factors
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators and impact of addiction and substance use and abuse on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of poverty on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (e.g., social determinants of health)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors influencing self- and body-image (e.g., culture, race, religion/spirituality, age, ability, trauma, gender, sexuality, size)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Defense mechanisms and their effects on behavior and relationships
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Characteristics of perpetrators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of out-of-home placement (e.g., hospitalization, foster care, residential care, criminal justice system) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of caregiving on families
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Indicators, dynamics, and impact of exploitation across the lifespan (e.g., financial, immigration status, trafficking)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Typical and atypical physical, cognitive, emotional, and sexual development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Effects of physical and mental ability throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of aging on the individual and family systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Racial, ethnic, cultural, and spiritual/faith development throughout the lifespan
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Factors of out-of-home displacement (e.g., homelessness, immigration, and refugee status) on clients/client systems
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — The influence and impact of technology, including social media, on client/client-systems (personal and professional)
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Impact of urbanization, globalization, environmental hazards, and climate change on individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIA. ASSESSMENT CONCEPTS — Client/client system competence, self-determination, and self-monitoring techniques (e.g., financial decisions, treatment decisions, emancipation, age of consent, permanency planning)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing risk of harm to self and others
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles and techniques of interviewing (e.g., supporting, clarifying, confronting, validating, feedback, reflecting, language differences, use of interpreters)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, problem solving, and intervention planning
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Indicators of and methods of assessing motivation, barriers, and readiness for change
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for assessing resilience and coping abilities
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods, techniques, and instruments for assessing client/client system strengths, resources, needs, and challenges
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for obtaining sensitive and/or confidential information (e.g., substance use, sexual abuse)
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of assessing clients’/client systems’ communication skills
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in assessment and common indicators of mental health and brain-related conditions
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Components and function of the mental status examination
    • IIB. ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of incorporating information from records and evaluations (e.g., employment, medical, psychological, school)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Assessing the availability of and determining appropriate community resources
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Factors and processes used in goal planning, treatment planning, triage, and service plans
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Criteria used in the selection of intervention/treatment modalities (e.g., client/client system abilities, developmental level, culture, life stage)
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Cultural considerations in the creation of an intervention plan
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Use and side effects of common prescription, over-the-counter, and alternative medications
    • IIC. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES — Indicators of client/client system readiness for termination
  • III. INTERVENTION AND PRACTICE (32%) (32%)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Strengths-based and empowerment strategies and interventions
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Principles and techniques for building and maintaining a helping relationship (e.g., acceptance, empathy, rapport)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary team collaboration (e.g., co-therapy, care conference, IEP)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — The social worker’s role in the problem-solving process
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — End of life practice (e.g., continuity of care, hospice, palliative care, stages of death and dying)
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Parenting capacities and skill building
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Policies, procedures, regulations, and legislation and their impact on social work practice and service delivery
    • IIIA. PRACTICE CONCEPTS — Developing formal documents (e.g., grants, proposals, reports, evaluations)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods and approaches for providing trauma-informed care for various types of trauma (e.g., complex, vicarious)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, congruence, feedback)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Principles of active listening and observation
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Limit and boundary setting techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Crisis intervention and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Emotional regulation techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Evidence-based practices (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods of teaching coping and other self-care skills to clients
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Stress management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Practice with clients experiencing loss, separation, and grief
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Methods for engaging and motivating voluntary and involuntary clients/client systems
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Harm reduction techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Approaches to and methods of advocacy for needed services and resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Psychoeducation methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Contracting and goal-setting techniques (e.g., partializing, measurable objectives)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Problem-solving models and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Techniques and methods for addiction intervention
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Case management techniques (e.g., case recording, documentation, case presentation)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Conflict resolution methods
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Anger management techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Family therapy models, interventions, and approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Discharge, aftercare, wrap-around services, and follow-up
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Group work techniques and approaches (e.g., developing and managing group processes and cohesion)
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Establishing service networks or community resources
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Assertiveness training techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Role modeling techniques
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Couples interventions and treatment approaches
    • IIIB. INTERVENTION METHODS AND TECHNIQUES — Role play techniques
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Techniques for evaluating progress and effectiveness of intervention, treatment, and service plans
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of establishing program objectives and outcomes
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Program evaluation and related impact on services
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Methods of evaluating agency programs (e.g., needs assessment, formative/summative assessment, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis, outcomes assessment)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Basic and applied research design and methods, data collection and analysis methods, and methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research (e.g., objective, subjective, qualitative, quantitative)
    • IIIC. PRACTICE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH — Quality assurance (e.g., program reviews and audits by external sources)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervisee’s role in supervision (e.g., identifying learning needs, self-assessment, prioritizing)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Supervision and consultation models and techniques (e.g., individual, peer, group, case recording)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Transference and countertransference within supervisory relationships
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Methods for creating, implementing, and evaluating policies and procedures that minimize risk for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Organizational development, structure, and functioning (e.g., policies, procedures)
    • IIID. SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION — Fiscal management and resource allocation techniques
Examination sources