Contemporary Social Work Licensure: Implications for Macro Social Work Practice and Education

Abstract

Understanding the impact of state licensing on social work practice remains a critical concern for social work academics and professionals alike. Given the complex social problems of our times, social workers need to be prepared to intervene with the individual, in various structural dimensions, and to engage in policy debates at the core of human injustice and suffering. Currently, there is insufficient research on the impact of state licensing on the profession and on accredited social work education. The purpose of this article is to begin to address this by providing an overview of the current state of social work licensing across the United States and to analyze the implications of social work regulations as they relate to the future of macro social work practice and education.

Perceptions of Macro Social Work Education: An Exploratory Study of Educators and Practitioners

“…The findings from this study support previous work that showed that there are factors external to the social work curriculum that impact macro social work education (Donaldson et al, 2014;Netting et al, 2016;Pritzker & Applewhite, 2015;Reisch, 2015;Rothman, 2012). These factors may include institutional demands within social work education, social work licensure, marketplace and professional demands, and macro social work identity development.…”

“…Data supports this. The number of graduate social workers with a clinical license dominates the professional landscape, as approximately 93% of post-MSW licensee's hold a clinical license (Donaldson, Hill, Ferguson, Fogel, & Erickson, 2014). Earlier, we suggested that there are interrelated factors that have worked to create this dynamic.…”

“…The types of licenses available vary from state to state. In addition, states have a variety of additional requirements for the types of licensure they offer (Donaldson et al, 2014). Indeed, some states have moved to include specific MSW curricular content for advanced clinical social work licensure.…”

“…Indeed, some states have moved to include specific MSW curricular content for advanced clinical social work licensure. Required content that some states include is related specifically to clinical diagnoses and interventions and require field placements in clinical settings where students gain experience in clinical diagnosis and methods of treatment and intervention (Donaldson et al, 2014). As State board requirements have become more specific, some schools have moved to ensure that their students, who will need the licensing credential to practice, have the requisite clinical coursework during their MSW program .…”

“…Our first plan, to identify individuals through their licensure status (i.e., those with an advanced macro license) proved to be unsuccessful for several reasons. First, only three states offered an advanced macro license (Donaldson et al, 2014). Second, our collective professional knowledge told us that many macro social workers do not have an advanced license, and if they do, it is typically an advanced generalist license, not a macro license.…”