Frequently Asked Licensure Renewal Questions
The current renewal period is April 1, 2023–March 31, 2025.
Q: How many continuing education credits must I receive?
A: The Florida Licensure Board requires 30 hours of continuing education credits for each biennial renewal. 6 hours of this may be administrative hours.
Q: What are the required courses I must take for the current renewal period?
A: The required courses for the biennium ending March 31, 2023, are 3 hours of Ethics and Boundary Issues, 2 hours of Prevention of Medical Errors. Additionally, licensees are required to take Domestic Violence (2 hours) and a Laws and Rules Update (3 hours) every 6 years, or 3rd biennium.
Q: Can I take all of my continuing education credits in one year or do they have to be split evenly throughout the renewal period?
A: There are no requirements regarding the timing of your credits, as long as they are within the renewal period. If you prefer, you can receive all of your continuing education credits at one event (such as the NASW-FL conference!).
Q: Can continuing education credits transfer from one renewal period to the next?
A: No. Credits can only be counted for the period in which they are taken. Watch your license renewal date closely to determine when the next period will begin.
Q: What is the limit on the amount of courses that can be taken through homestudy and/or online courses?
A: There is no restriction. You may take all 30 hours through homestudy or online courses if you prefer. However, be sure that each of your courses is approved for Florida licensure.
Q: How can I tell if a course qualifies for my license?
A: If a continuing education provider is approved through the Florida licensure board, they are required to include their provider number in any advertisements or course brochures.
Q: What about courses that are out of state?
A: Certain providers, such as NASW (National), are recognized by the Florida licensure board as continuing education providers in all states. These include most of the large mental health associations. These courses are still be acceptable under online tracking, but you will need to enter the course information yourself. Go to www.CEBroker.com to create an account and enter your own credit for out of state approved providers ONLY. Be sure to keep track of all workshop descriptions, learning objectives, presenter bios, and completion certificates to help in getting this course approved. This also applies to homestudy and online courses from out of state providers.
Q: Am I exempt from obtaining continuing education hours for my first renewal?
A: Yes. You are exempt from continuing education requirements from the time of initial licensure to the end of the current biennium of your license. You will begin accruing your continuing education hours after the first expiration date of your license.
Q: Do copies of my continuing education certificates need to be sent to the Board office?
A: No, certificates are for your records and would only be used to help settle any disputes with the Board. However, applicants for licensure taking the Laws and Rules course must submit the original certificate to the Board. Also, licensees wishing to become Qualified Supervisors must submit the original certificate of the 16-hour Clinical Supervision training.
Q: How does the Board receive proof of continuing education?
A: Every continuing education provider submits the name and license number of every workshop participant to the online tracking system, CE Broker. Every licensee will be required to have completed all 30 hours, including all required courses, or their licenses will be ineligible for renewal.
Q: How do I monitor if my credits are entered correctly into CE Broker?
A: You will be able to access your records online. Currently, this is through a subscription through CE Broker. Go to their website at www.CEBroker.com for information on setting up an account.
Q: What providers are nationally approved for CE Credit under 491?
A: Under 64B4 - 6.002, the 491 rules permit the following 16 national organizations and associations to be approved continuing education providers for all 491 licensees. These groups are:
- National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)
- American Association of Sex Educators Counselors and Therapists (AASECT)
- American Association of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH)
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Clinical Social Work Federation (CSWF)
- Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
- American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
- American Psychiatric Association
- International Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Counselors (IAMFC)
- American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB)
- American Counseling Association (ACA)
- American Mental Health Counseling Association (AMHCA)
- American Society of Clinical Social Work
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- Association of Marital and Family Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB)
LICENSURE IN FLORIDA
HELPFUL LINKS
- Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling
- Licensure Board Application Forms
- Association of Social Work Boards
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Significant Licensure Updates for
Florida Social Workers
Update for 491 Registered Clinical Social Work Interns affected by the “5-year rule” whose internship permanently expires March 31, 2022.
What is the problem and who it impacts:
It is estimated that more than 2,000 Florida Registered Clinical Social Work Interns, who are registered over 5 years come March 2022, are slated to lose their Intern status. This means, they will be “dropped” and no longer able to identify and work as “clinical” social workers. The law is very clear, as written, that those affected will not be able to re-apply, although there is an up-to two-year extension if supervision wasn’t completed at that time. The law clearly states there is NO extension if they have not passed their licensure exams. We continue working behind the scenes to protect some of the best social workers we know.
What’s the update?
This week, thanks goes to Janet Hartman, the Executive Director of the 491 Board who created and received Board approval for a process allowing “former Registered Interns” to re-take their examinations. Even if affected social workers lose their Registered Intern Status, the 491 Board will submit approval notices to ASWB, keeping a pathway to retake the clinical exam. For those who pass, (even after losing their intern status), they can re-apply to the 491 Board to be a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW).
Click here to read the full Licensure Update.
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ASWB Testing during Coronovirus letter
In the State of Florida, there is currently one form of licensure for social workers—the LCSW, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker. The requirements include a Master's degree in social work with specified coursework, two years of supervision after graduation, an 8-hour Florida Laws and Rules course, and successful completion of the Clinical national exam from the Association of Social Work Boards. Recent graduates of social work programs who plan to pursue licensure in Florida should become Registered Interns with the State of Florida while obtaining supervision.
Florida does not offer reciprocity for those licensed in other states, however, social workers interested in obtaining Florida licensure may apply for Licensure by Endorsement or Examination. These applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if the requirements for Florida license have been met. A social worker in the state temporarily or in the process of obtaining Licensure by Endorsement may practice in the state of Florida by applying for a provisional license. Applications for Registered Interns, Licensure by Endorsement, and Provisional Licensure may be obtained by contacting the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling by calling (850) 245-4474 or visiting their website, listed in the links above.
The Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling provided this information for qualified supervisors or registered interns.
Find A Qualified Supervisor:
Did you know that you can obtain a list of supervisors in your area at any time 24 hours a day 7 days a week? Simply use the Department’s Public Data Portal to download a current list of Board approved Qualified Supervisors. For detailed instructions, use the Licensure Data Download Guide. Obtain a letter from your selected Qualified Supervisor and send to the Board Office.
Before Supervision Begins:
Verify that your intern registration number has been issued by the Department and that the Board Office has approved your qualified supervisor. To verify, click here. Supervision experience will not count towards licensure until the intern registration has been issued and the Board has approved your supervisor.
During Supervision:
Two (2) years of post-master’s supervised experience under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker is required for full licensure.
The supervision experience must have consisted of:
- At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;
- 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients; and,
- One (1) hour of supervision every two weeks.
NOTE: Please see Rule 64B4-2.002, F.A.C., for information regarding group supervision and supervision by electronic methods.
Need to Change or Add a Qualified Supervisor?
STEP ONE: Obtain a letter from your new or additional Qualified Supervisor and send to the Board Office. The correspondence must originate from the supervisor, include the supervisor’s license number and the applicant’s name as it appears on the application, and state that the supervisor has agreed to provide the applicant with supervision while a registered intern.
STEP TWO: Receive letter from the Board Office stating that your supervisor has been approved and note the date of approval. Supervision under the new or additional supervisor will not count until he/she has been approved.
Need to Remove a Qualified Supervisor?
STEP ONE: Ask the supervisor you are removing to complete the Verification of Clinical Experience Form and select “I am no longer providing this intern with supervision.” Please make sure a supervision end date is listed.
STEP TWO: Submit Verification of Clinical Experience Form to the Board Office. To submit electronically, click here. The Board will remove your supervisor from your intern file and place a copy of the required form on file for review upon submission of a full licensure application.
After Supervision:
Your post-master’s clinical experience hours obtained under supervision must be documented on the Verification of Clinical Experience Form by the qualified supervisor or they will not count towards licensure. To submit electronically, click here. This form is not required until the intern is ready to submit his/her full licensure application. For information on full licensure requirements and to apply, click here. Please limit one (1) form per qualified supervisor.
NOTE: Registered interns must remain under supervision until fully licensed pursuant to Rule 64B4-3.008, F.A.C.