Licensed Social Worker
Social Workers work with clients dealing with daily life issues, or work in an advocacy role for clients with social services agencies. In contrast to Professional Counselors, Social Workers tend to work more from the perspective of society and the surrounding environment, rather than focusing on an individual's personal motivations.States license Social Workers within a multi-tiered system to reflect differences in education, training and work experience. Titles for Social Workers vary from state to state and even when two states use the same title, the titles may imply completely different status levels.
Entry Level License:
In some states, a Licensed Social Worker is an entry-level license - which means he or she must work under the supervision of a higher licensed professional. In such a state, a Licensed Social Worker holds a Bachelor's degree in social work and has completed 2000 to 3000 hours of supervised work experience. Usually, a state that uses Licensed Social Worker to mean an entry level professional will use Licensed Certified Social Worker to designate the highest license level.
Equivalent entry-Level titles: Licensed Social Work Associate, Bachelor Social Worker
High Level License:
For other states, Licensed Social Worker is the highest license level. In addition to regular Social Worker duties, a Licensed Social Worker would provide training and supervision for the lower license levels. In states where Licensed Social Worker is the higher level license, it means the professional holds a Master's degree in social work, has completed 2000 to 3000 hours of supervised work experience (beyond that required for an entry-level license), and has passed a licensure exam. In these states, the title Licensed Social Work Associate, or Bachelor Social Worker would be used for the lower license levels.
Equivalent high-level titles: Licensed Certified Social Worker, Licensed Graduate Social Worker, Certified Master Social Worker, Master Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical, and Licensed Advanced Social Worker.
The titles Licensed Social Worker and Clinical Social Worker are titles can imply either status level, depending on the state.