Social Worker - Licensed Clinical - Initial Licensure

To obtain the Licensed Clinical Social Worker license through the initial application method, you must meet the education requirements (including Clinical Field Training), meet the Clinical Social Work Practice requirements, pass the Wisconsin Statutes and Rules exam (if not previously taken), and pass the ASWB Clinical exam, 

Please note: Clinical Social Work Practice can only be accrued in Wisconsin while holding an active APSW or ISW.

If you are or have been credentialed in another jurisdiction, you will need to request official verification directly from each jurisdiction. Verifications can be uploaded directly to your application using the Third-Party Document Upload on LicensE or emailed to dspscredjointbd@wisconsin.gov. 

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

Create or log into your LicensE account

Select Apply for a License

Category: Health

License Type: Social Worker - Licensed Clinical

Application Method: Initial

If you are or have been credentialed in another jurisdiction, you will need to request official verification directly from each jurisdiction. Verifications can be uploaded directly to your application using the Third-Party Document Upload on LicensE or emailed to dspscredjointbd@wisconsin.gov.

Applicants must have a CSWE accredited Master's or Doctorate degree in Social Work with a concentration in clinical social work. An official transcript directly from the school is required.

To qualify, the course of study shall include one course in Psychopathology in Social Work (syllabus required) and two theory and practice courses (course descriptions required for degrees obtained outside of Wisconsin). The completion of supervised clinical field placement as part of the graduate degree or clinical social work experience outside of the graduate degree is also required.

Applicants whose Social Work degree was not taught in English must demonstrate proficiency in English by passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an equivalent exam. Official scores must be sent directly to DSPS by the testing agency.

Form 2673 needs one psychopathology course and 2 additional clinical courses, that fit into any of 5 different categories listed in the table. The definition of clinical social work concentration can be found in MPSW 2.01 (9).

Form 2673 must be completed and uploaded into the “Other” field of the documents section. It does not need to be completed and submitted by the school.

Common mistakes on Form 2673:

• Course listed as psychopathology course does not require reading DSM in the syllabus

• Course name and number are not listed on psychopathology line

• Courses are listed multiple times in the table

• More classes are listed in the table than the 2 course names requested

• Course name and number do not match what is on transcript.

Form 2672 is a 3-page document with 2 parts.  All 3 pages are required to be submitted; however, only Part I or Part II should be completed by the applicant and supervisor. 

Part I: Supervised Clinical Internship(s) as part of the applicant's graduate degree

• Internship dates on Form 2672 must be prior to graduation. 

• The clinical internship needed to occur in a “Primary Clinical Setting” and 50% or more of the practice in the Agency/Facility was to assess and treat interpersonal and intrapsychic issues with individual, families or small groups. 

• If any of the answers are “no” on this form, then Form 2672 Part II should be completed instead and Part I should be left blank.

OR

Part II: Supervised Clinical Social Work Experience

• Form 2672 Part II is completed when a supervised clinical internship was not completed as part of graduate degree. 

• Form 2672 Part II requires a minimum of 1500 total hours accrued over a minimum of 1 year. 

• Form 2672 Part II does not require the hours to be accrued with an active APSW license.

• Credit may be given for hours accrued outside of Wisconsin pending review of hours submitted on Form 2672 Part II and supervisor’s resume.

• Form 2672 Part II should have dates submitted that will not be counted/submitted on Form 2560.  There is no overlap in dates between Form 2672 Part II and Form 2560.  It is possible to omit Form 2672 Part II and have all hours submitted on Form 2560; however, that would require a minimum of 4500 total supervised clinical hours including 1500 face-to-face hours over a minimum of 2.5 years.

It is quite common for there to be multiple errors submitted on Form 2672 and revisions will be requested with initials at corrections or changes in signature date.

Common mistakes on Form 2672

• Missing pages

• Missing applicant/supervisor signature

• Missing supervisor credential type and number, title and phone number

• Missing the questions in the middle of page 2 for “Primary Clinical Setting” and 50% of practice

• Incorrect or incomplete dates of field placement

• Form 2672 Part II is submitted with same dates as on Form 2560

• Form 2672 Part II supervisor is not an approved supervisor.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):

• Applicants whose degree was not taught in English must demonstrate proficiency in English by passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an equivalent exam. Official scores must be sent directly to DSPS by the testing agency.

Applicants must complete 3,000 hours of clinical social work practice, including at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact. This experience may only be accrued while holding an active APSW or ISW and under the supervision of a qualified supervisor. For each week of clinical social work practice, there must be at least one hour of face-to-face direction with the supervisor. The one hour per week may be averaged out over the course of the period of supervision.

Clinical social work practice completed outside Wisconsin may be considered on a case-by-case basis. The out of state supervisor must include their resume along with form 2560.

Please note:

• Each supervisor at each location must submit form 2560 to verify the hours they supervised.

• If there is a significant gap in time where no hours are being accrued, the supervisor should submit two separate forms.

• If the clinical field training was not completed as part of the degree and the applicant must complete an additional 1,500 hours under Part II of form 2672:

  • The same clinical social work practice may not be used for form 2560 and form 2672.

  • The overall total number of hours must be at least 4,500.

Common mistakes on Form 2560:

• Missing applicant/supervisor signature

• Missing supervisor credential type and number, title and phone number

• Dates of supervision should start after APSW license was issued, double check years

• Total number of hours should be the largest number and include face-to-face client contact and individual/group supervision

• Missing facility’s mission and clients served

• Missing sentence answers to questions, particularly question 3 at the top of page 2 and missing responses in all rows on page

Applicants should confirm with their potential supervisor(s) that they are already approved to supervise APSW/ISWs prior to beginning supervision.  Board liaisons are not accepting supervised hours that are completed prior to a supervisor being approved.

See MPSW 4.01(6) (see Link List for MPSW 4) for who can supervise APSW/ISW post-graduate clinical hours.  See LCSW Main Page for information on requesting approval to supervise and verifying supervised hours.

Form 7763 may be submitted by the applicant in the special circumstances when a supervisor is unavailable to complete Form 2560 – post graduate clinical experience.  It requires additional documentation including the applicant’s resume and other supporting documentation.  Form 7763 is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Common mistakes on Form 7763

• Missing applicant signature; dates of supervision, particularly year

• Total number of hours should be the largest number and include face-to-face client contact and individual/group supervision

• Missing sentence answers to questions and missing responses in all rows on page 2.

Wisconsin Statutes and Rules Exam:

• To pay for the exam, leave the checkbox for “WI Statutes and Law Exam” checked at the payment screen. Instructions to take the exam will be automatically emailed after you have completed payment and submitted your application. Please note that exam results are processed manually, so it may take some time for them to appear in your application.

ASWB Bachelor's Exam:

• After a credentialing team member reviews your application, you will be authorized to take the AWSB Bachelor's exam. Your application's due diligence checklist will be updated after you are authorized.

• If you need assistance registering or scheduling the exam after authorization, please call ASWB at 888-579-3926 or email candidateservices@aswb.org.

• Your authorization to test is valid for one year from the date of approval. If you need to be reapproved, please submit a support ticket through your LicensE account. 

• If you passed the ASWB Bachelor's exam in another state, your passing score will be accepted. Score reports must be sent directly to DSPS by ASWB. For instructions on transferring your score to Wisconsin, please visit the ASWB website.

When should a LCSW initial application be submitted? 

• Applicants should have graduated with an MSW and have been granted either an APSW or APSW temporary license with a portion of their supervised hours already completed.

Is there a minimum or maximum time limit on the LCSW initial application?

• An average, reasonable number of hours per week is expected.  A minimum amount of time is about 1.5 years of clinical supervised hours.  There is not a maximum amount of time on the application; however, according to MPSW 4.01, an average of 1 supervisor hour per week is expected, and the application needs to remain active.  Applications without any activity for 365 days will automatically be closed.

How do I keep my application active while I am working on my clinical hours? 

• Any time a document is submitted to an application the year Inactivity timer starts over.  Support tickets with questions or status updates can be used to reset the Inactivity timer.  It is recommended to submit a status update every 3-4 months through either a support ticket or a statement uploaded and submitted to the application to keep it active.

What does Pending Applicant Input mean?

• Pending Applicant Input means your application needs attention from you directly or indirectly.  Documents may be needed that the applicant can upload or request from schools, supervisors or other state agencies.  Exams may need to be scheduled/taken.  Retake fees for failed exam will be requested.  You can view your Due Diligence Notes by logging into your LicensE account, click check application status, click the down arrow under ACTIONS on the far right (may need to turn phone sideways) and click View Due Diligence.

What does Credential Team Review mean?

• Credentialing Team Review means that your application will be reviewed by DSPS staff within the next 7-10 days because new documents have been added to the application.  No need to submit a support ticket to notify DSPS of document uploads when in this status.  It is time to review your application when the status changes back to Pending Applicant Input.

What does Board Liaison Review mean?

• All LCSW initial applications will be sent to the Board Liaison for review when DSPS staff believe all the reviewable documents are ready for review.  If any additional information is needed after the Board Liaison Review, the application status will change back to Pending Applicant Input, and the Due Diligence Notes will be updated.  Response time varies by application.  ASWB clinical exam can be taken prior to Board approval of application.

What does Awaiting Exam Status mean?

• Awaiting Exam Status means that everything on the application is complete except for ASWB clinical exam score.  If ASWB approval is nearing expiration or has expired and the clinical exam is still needed, submit a support ticket requesting an extension for ASWB clinical exam.

What does 30-day inactivity status mean? 

• The 30-day inactivity status means that the status on the application has not changed from Pending Applicant Input for 30 days.  You are requested to review your Due Diligence Notes to determine if there is anything on your application that can be done by you.  It also lets the DSPS staff know that your application is up for its monthly review to make sure nothing has been added to the application without the status being changed and to make sure nothing has been previously missed.  An application will be reviewed for 6 months with no activity.  After 6 months, the application will switch to Inactive status.

What does Inactive status mean?

• Inactive status means that your application has had no activity for at least 6 months and is no longer being reviewed by DSPS staff.  It is a warning that action is needed for your application or it will be closed.  Submit a support ticket immediately to update staff on your next steps with the application or if you wish to have your application withdrawn.  Applications are automatically withdrawn after 1 year of no activity and you would need to start the application over if you are still interested in the license method that you originally submitted.

Currently Licensed in Another State

• If you have an active license in another state, check the Not Reciprocal list (see Link List below) to determine which application method you should submit.  If none of your active state licenses are on the list, submit a reciprocity application.  Reciprocity applications that are found not to be reciprocal to Wisconsin will be given options to apply differently or receive a partial refund.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.