Jude M. Hines, PhD, JD, LCSW
providing online LCSW and LCPC supervision
Requirements for LCSW Supervision in Illinois
Per the NASW-IL
SUPERVISION FOR LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS (LCSWs)
Do I need supervision hours for the LCSW?
Persons holding a master's degree in social work shall have completed 3,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience subsequent to the receipt of the degree.
Persons holding a doctorate degree in social work shall have completed 2,000 hours of satisfactory, supervised clinical professional experience subsequent to the receipt of the degree.
Of these hours, the required number of hours may have been obtained in the following manners:
For full-time experience, a minimum of 30 hours per week but not more than 40 hours per week.
For part-time experience, not more than 29 hours per week.
What qualifies as “clinical professional experience” for the LCSW?
Supervised experience shall be experience directly related to clinical social work practice as defined in Section 3(5) of the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act—that is, “the providing of mental health services for the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders in individuals, families, and groups based on knowledge and theory of professionally accepted theoretical structures, including, but not limited to, psychosocial development, behavior, psychopathology, unconscious motivation, interpersonal relationships, and environmental stress.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Are there requirements of the supervisor to provide adequate supervision?
Rules for the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act (Section 1470.20 Professional Experience) further list requirements for the supervisor:
The supervisor shall have met with the applicant an average of at least 4 hours each month to discuss client cases and treatment procedures.
Only experience supervised by an LCSW will be acceptable to meet the professional experience requirement. If supervision was in another jurisdiction in which clinical social workers are not licensed, the supervisor shall have been engaged in clinical social work and be credentialed at the highest level required by that jurisdiction.
The experience shall have been evaluated by the supervisor as satisfactory.
An applicant may contract with an LCSW to provide supervision
Supervision may be provided within an agency of employment or outside the agency.
Supervision may be paid or unpaid.
Supervision may be on an individual or group basis. When group supervision is provided, the number of supervisees may not exceed five.
Do my supervision hours expire?
While the hours of supervision themselves do not expire, the licensure application expires after three years (from the date it is received and entered into IDFPR's system). If a person waited two years after their application expired to reapply, they would be told that they needed to resubmit all supporting documents, including proof of experience. (Expired applications are generally destroyed after 6 months unless the applicant reapplies before then.) If you switch supervisors at any point during the process, we strongly encourage that you get your previous supervisor to sign off on all hours acquired before moving on to a new supervisor.
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)
Application Requirements:
Fulfill the education requirement, which is the same as the LPC license.
Fulfill the supervised professional counseling experience requirement. This is completed as an LPC. One year of supervised experience means 1,680 hours over at least 48 weeks, including 960 hours of face-to-face client service. The amount you must complete depends on your level of education: 1.) If you have a master’s degree you need two years of post-master’s supervised experience. 2.) If you have a doctoral degree you need two years of supervised experience, one of which must be completed after earning your doctoral degree; internships can count towards your supervised experience.
- Submit an application for LCPC licensure via examination to the IDFPR, including a $150 application fee. Once the IDFPR approves your application it will notify the NBCC that you’re cleared to test.
- Register with the NBCC for its National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). Once the IDFPR is notified that you passed the NCE exam it will issue your LCPC license.
LCSW and LCPC Supervision
I provide LCSW and LCPC supervision in Illinois and we meet remotely. I use a protected server called Doxy.me. I decided to provide LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Work) supervision because I had a difficult time finding supervision that I could conveniently (or even inconveniently) attend when I was a fledgling school social worker. I also enjoy supporting people through this process and celebrate when folks finish their hours and pass their licensing exam. I have a PhD in social work from Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois at Chicago and I have clinical supervision training from NASW.
Groups tend to be the preferred method as they foster camaraderie, they can be a little more fun and they are easier on the wallet.
Groups are limited to five people.
We meet on Saturday and Sunday mornings for two hours approximately twice a month. Potential supervisees must be available to meet on Saturdays and Sundays. However, I can offer individual supervision on another weekday if this isn't possible.
The fee is $30/hour so $60/session for groups
- I have a small group that meets weekly for one hour for $50/hour. These people are waiting for a spot to open up in the larger, five person
group, and are able to start the process and start getting their supervision hours in while they wait.
- I can meet 1:1 with people if their schedule does not accommodate any of these options for $75/hr.
- Everyone in the five person groups receive one "freebie" a year (no show=no charge), but after that you must pay for missed sessions.