Social Work

Appendix A
Requirements for Supervised Experience
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Psychotherapy "R" Privilege

• An applicant for the psychotherapy privilege must be licensed and registered as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New York State and must document the completion of 36 months of supervised experience in psychotherapy as defined in section 74.5(b) of the Commissioner's Regulations, acceptable to the Department. The supervised experience must be after the three-years of supervised experience that qualified the individual for licensure as an LCSW.
• A total of 36 months and 2,400 hours of direct client contact in psychotherapy is required. Full-time experience shall consist of no more than 20 client contact hours per week and a minimum of 400 client contact hours in any 12-month period. Part-time experience will increase the time to complete the required hours and an applicant may not shorten the 36-month requirement by providing more than 20 client contact hours per week.
• A client contact hour is defined as at least 45 minutes of psychotherapy with individuals, families or groups. An applicant may combine sessions of less than 45 minutes to calculate the client hours if clinically appropriate, as determined by the supervisor. Concrete social work services, including collateral contacts, record-keeping, case management, and other activities are not considered the practice of psychotherapy and may not be considered in the calculation of client contact hours.

Qualified Supervisor

The experience must be supervised by an individual who is a(n):

• LCSW in New York State or the equivalent as determined by the Department, equivalent meaning the supervisor has his or her own 3 years of supervised experience; or
• Psychologist who, at the time of supervision of the applicant, was licensed as a psychologist in the state where supervision occurred, was qualified in psychotherapy as determined by the Department based upon the Department's review of the psychologist's education and training, including but not limited to education and training in psychotherapy obtained through completion of a program in psychotherapy registered pursuant to Part 52 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education or a program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association; or
• Physician who, at the time of supervision of the applicant, was a diplomate in psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. or had the equivalent training and experience as determined by the Department.

A supervisor may not have a familial relationship with the applicant, as such dual relationships may constitute a charge of unprofessional conduct under the Education Law and Regents Rules.

The Department will review the qualifications of a prospective supervisor prior to the experience if the supervisor submits a completed Form 4Q. Approval of a supervisor does not guarantee approval of the applicant's experience which must be completed in accordance with Part 74.5 of the Commissioner's Regulations.

Supervision Sessions

The supervision must meet the following requirements:

• Individual supervision or consultation of no less than two hours per month;
• Group supervision or consultation of no less than four hours per month;
• Case seminars of no less than four hours per month in a formal course offered by an institution of higher education chartered by the Board of Regents; or
• Peer supervision consisting of no less than four hours per month.
• Candidates must submit 2 case summaries in duplicate when any portion of the submitted experience was under peer supervision or non-facility group supervision (see Case Summaries section of requirements).

Setting for the Experience

The supervised experience must be obtained in a facility or a non-facility setting or a combination of the two.

• A Facility Setting is an entity formally approved in a manner acceptable to the Department by the State Education Department, Office of Mental Health, Office of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities, Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services, Department of Health, State Board of Social Welfare, Office of Children & Family Services, Secretary of State (except professional service corporations), the Legislature of the State of New York, or comparable departments of other states, territories of the United States or the United States, as determined by the Department.
• A Non-facility Setting means any other setting not listed above.

See Part 74.5 of the Commissioner's Regulations for more detail.