Feb 7

Feb 7 Brief Overview of Getting Your Clinical Social Work License in Oregon

Here are the basics of getting your clinical social work associate license in Oregon. It took me much longer than it needed to just to get started (9 months!), and I want to help you get yours much more quickly.

First, start by bookmarking this page, and spend 15 minutes getting familiar with it. The Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers recently re-vamped their website, and they did a great job of laying out the information in a visually pleasing, straightforward and easy-to-understand way.

It takes 2-3 years to get your license, once you begin accruing hours. It takes most people an average of 6-9 months to start the entire process, primarily because you need a job and approval from the board before you can get going. {Sidenote: A lot of people put off starting the process because they are confused, intimidated, or don’t see the value of it. You’ll definitely appreciate yourself for jumping in and getting started.}

To start with, remember this equation:

HOURS + REPORTS + EXAM = INDEPENDENT CLINICAL LICENSE

HOURS: What are you accruing hours in? Three main areas: work hours, direct client services, and supervision time. By the time you’ve got your license, you’ll have obtained 3500 hours in work hours, 2000 in direct client services, and 100 hours in clinical supervision.

REPORTS: Like I mentioned, the board requires you receive their approval before you can officially start counting your hours. Once approved, you need to update them on your hours every six months. You will also need to do this if your place of employment or supervisors change.

EXAM: Once you have clocked 100 hours of supervision, the board will approve you to take the national ASWB exam. Most people begin studying for the exam 3-6 months before taking it.

The first step of this entire process is getting a Clinical Social Work Associate license (here). I’ve got a follow up post about this here.

In the meantime, let me know if you have questions. I’m here to help.