Licensure
Social Work Licensure and Continuing Education
In the state of Georgia, social work licensure is overseen by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists. The Composite Board is located at P.O. Box 13446, 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA 31208 and is within the Health and Consumer Services Section of the Examining Boards Division of the Secretary of State.
There are two levels of licensure for Master’s level social workers in the state of Georgia. The first level, Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), is available via application and examination to those completing a master’s degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The second level, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), is available via application and examination to those who have completed four years of post-MSW supervised work.
With license renewal occurring every two years, licensed social workers are required by the Composite Board to complete at least 35 contact or clock hours of approved continuing education credits within the two year period. At least 15 of these hours must be approved as core hours; 15 hours can be approved as related hours; and 5 hours must be approved as ethics hours.
How to Determine if a Program is a Core Hours Program
For a program to be considered core hours it must be within the content areas of social work practice and be approved by an academic school or department of Social Work or by a professional social work association such as NASW or GSCW. A program can also be considered core hours if it has been approved by a state’s licensing or certification board in the specialty of social work.
How to Determine if a Program is a Related Hours Program
For social work professionals, programs considered to be related hours are those that are in the content areas of professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, or in the content areas of the allied professions (psychiatry, psychology, psychiatric nursing, or pastoral counseling). In addition, graduate level course work taken in an academic department may be considered related hours. Programs sponsored by federal, state, local government agencies, public school systems, and licensed hospitals can also be considered as related hours. In addition, a program can also be accepted as related hours if has been approved by another state's licensing or certification board in the related fields identified here.
Ethics Hours
Five professional ethics hours are a must and cannot be considered core or related. You can apply ethics hours beyond the five needed for the ethics requirement to core or related depending on who has sponsored the program. According to the Composite Board you can take ethics hours in any specialty or allied profession.
What About Independent Study?
Did you know that independent study is a possible way of meeting some of your continuing education requirements? Up to five related hours can be documented as independent study. Such activities as teaching a course, listening to audio tapes, viewing videotapes, reading, writing, or editing a professional article, books, and/or conducting professional research are considered acceptable. Be sure to document your activities in affidavit form that notes a description of your activity, subject matter, dates, and hours invested.
