Kansas Clinical Social Work Licensure Supervision
Definitions (KNASW re: Kansas’ governing laws)
Clinical social work practice: “the application of social work theory to the treatment and prevention of psychosocial problems, disability, or impairment, including emotional and mental disorders.” This includes providing “psychotherapy”.
Psychotherapy: “the use of psychological and social methods within a professional relationship, to assist the person or persons to achieve a better psychosocial adaptation: to modify internal and external conditions which affect individuals, groups, or communities in respect to behavior, emotions and thinking, in respect to their intra-personal and interpersonal processes. Forms of psychotherapy include but are not restricted to individual psychotherapy, conjoint marital therapy, family therapy, and group psychotherapy.”
Purpose
The purpose of the two year period of supervised practice is two-fold: first and foremost, to “protect the public” from possible harm by an inexperienced practitioner, and secondly to prepare practicioners for competent, independent practice with a variety of clients and client systems.
LSCSW requirements for licensure supervision
Note: Check the Kansas state licensure statutes since the requirements periodically change, which means what you’ll read below may or may not be the most current requirements. For the 2-13-09 amendments to the LSCSW statutes, see K. A. R. 102-2-8 Supervision.
1. A Clinical Supervision Training Plan must be approved by Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) prior to supervision beginning. The written and signed agreement must include “specific goals and objectives, the means to attain the goals, and the manner in which the goals relate to the overall objective for supervision of the person.” Goals must include assessment, diagnosis, treatment (including psychotherapy & counseling), client-centered advocacy, consultation, evaluation, interventions directed to interpersonal interactions & intra-psychic dynamics, and life supports & management issues. The BSRB web site at http://www.ksbsrb.org/socialworkers.htm lists the various state statutes and regulations related to social work licensing, testing for licensure, license renewal, reciprocity, fees and so on, as well as the various forms their various forms.
2. Supervision must be distinct from personal therapy, didactic instruction, or professional consultation. The supervisor must have knowledge of and experience with the supervisee’s client population as well as the methods of practice the supervisee employs, have two years practice post clinical licensure, assume full or partial responsibility for the supervisee’s practice, not have a dual relationship with the supervisee or be under disciplinary sanction. The supervisor will “provide oversight, guidance, and direction of the supervisee’s practice of social work or delivery of social work services by assessing and evaluating the supervisee’s performance.”
3. Supervision will be for a period not less than 2 years and not more than 6 years to complete the postgraduate supervised professional experience prior to sitting for the LSCSW licensing exam.
4. The postgraduate supervisory period must include not less than 4000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience including at least 1500 hours of direct client contact conducting psychotherapy and assessment with individuals, couples, families or groups.
5. The supervised postgraduate experience must include completing not less than 150 hours of clinical supervision, with at least 75 of the hours being individual supervision. Up to 75 hours can be group supervision with no more than 4 members. Both individual and group supervision must be at least 1 hour per 20 hours of direct face-to-face client contact. As of 4-22-05, supervision meetings can be 1, 1½, or 2 hours per week with a maximum of 2 hours of supervision counted toward licensure for each week with 20 hours of direct practice. There must be at least 4 hours of supervision per month for each supervisee, and there must be at least 100 supervisory meetings during the supervision period.
6. Supervisory meetings must include documentation of the date, length of meeting, format (group or individual), method (face-to-face or video conference), content (client or issues discussed), and progress toward supervisee’s learning goals and objectives.
7. Supervisees must develop a plan to notify all clients they serve that they are practicing under supervision, that confidential information will be shared with the supervisor, and how to contact the supervisor should the client choose to do so.
Post-Graduate Work Experience that qualifies for Clinical Licensure [BSRB Board Talk: March, 2006]
1. “The setting needs to offer a broad range of practice.”
2. “The setting needs to allow you, the supervisee, the opportunity to assess, diagnose and treat mental disorders. All three need to be included in your training.”
3. “There needs to be a person on site who can supervise you or you will have to go outside of the agency and pay for supervision.”
4. “It is also important to have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in other professions.”
6. “Please remember that when you have completed your post-graduate work experience and obtained your clinical license, you will have the authority to diagnose and treat mental disorder independently. You will not be required to have any supervision, so you need to be sure you receive the broadest training possible.”
7. “You must submit a training plan to the Board for pre-approval before you may begin to accrue hours for your clinical license. The Board will review your training plan and notify you in writing once it has been reviewed. If more information is requested the date of approval will be the same date the additions are received and approved by the Board. The Board is not able to back date your training plan.”
8. “It is important that you (clinical supervisors) recognize, in many instances, you are assuming professional liability for your supervisees.”