Maine LS Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensed Social Worker (LS) licensure in Maine is tightly defined in board rules and on the State Board of Social Worker Licensure website. The credential is officially titled “Licensed Social Worker” and abbreviated LS (Maine does not use “LSW” in its own documents). (maine.gov)

The sections below walk through the requirements, with emphasis on the exact types and amounts of hours the Board requires.

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1. What the LS license is in Maine

The Board describes the LS as:

a non‑clinical, bachelor level, license which requires an earned bachelor’s degree in social work or social welfare OR completion of the consultation requirements while licensed conditionally (LSX); and a passing score on the ASWB Bachelor examination. LS licensees may not engage in private practice. (maine.gov)

Key points:

• It is non‑clinical and bachelor‑level.
• It either requires:
  • a BSW/social welfare bachelor’s degree, or
  • completion of the LSX (conditional) consultation requirements, plus a related bachelor’s degree.
• It always requires passing the ASWB Bachelors exam.
• LS licensees cannot do independent private practice.

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2. Two main education/experience pathways to LS

Pathway A – Direct LS with a BSW or social welfare degree

If you already hold a qualifying bachelor’s degree:

• You must have an earned bachelor’s degree in social work or social welfare from a CSWE‑accredited program. (maine.gov)
• You must pass the ASWB Bachelors examination.
• You then apply directly for LS, including a required consultation agreement (details in Section 4). (maine.gov)

There is no pre‑licensure hour requirement for this path; the major hour requirements begin once you are licensed (see Section 3B).

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Pathway B – From LSX (Licensed Social Worker, Conditional) to LS

If your bachelor’s is in a related field rather than social work/social welfare, you start with:

1. LSX (Licensed Social Worker, Conditional)

   • The Board describes the LSX as a non‑clinical, entry‑level license requiring “an earned bachelor’s degree and education that is sufficiently related to social work or social welfare.” (maine.gov)
   • You must have a consultation agreement on file the entire time you are practicing under LSX, and may not practice social work without an active consultation agreement. (maine.gov)

2. Hours required at the LSX stage (to be eligible to move up to LS)

   To advance from LSX to LS, the Board states that LSX licensees must complete:

   a total of 96 hours of consultation concurrent with 3,200 hours of social work employment, while holding an active LSX, in a period of not less than 2 years nor more than 4 years. (maine.gov)

   Interpreted:

   • 3,200 hours of social work employment
     • These are work hours in a social work role while you hold an active LSX.
     • They must be completed over at least 2 years and at most 4 years.
   • 96 hours of consultation
     • These are structured, planned consultation meetings with a qualified consultant under a Board‑approved consultation agreement.
     • They must occur concurrently with those 3,200 employment hours (not before or after).
   • Both conditions (3,200 employment hours + 96 consultation hours, within 2–4 years) must be met to step up from LSX to LS.

3. After completing LSX hours and consultation

   • You must pass the ASWB Bachelors examination.
   • When you apply for LS, you must submit a Verification of Consultation form (or forms) documenting completion of the 96 consultation hours concurrent with 3,200 hours of social work employment under LSX. (maine.gov)
   • You must also submit a new Agreement to Provide Consultation for the LS period (see below). (maine.gov)

Overall, an LSX licensee who advances to LS will have already completed 3,200 employment hours and 96 consultation hours before receiving the LS license.

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3. The hour requirements once you hold the LS license

Maine’s LS license has its own consultation and employment requirement after licensure, regardless of how you qualified for LS (BSW route or LSX route).

A. Required consultation arrangement (first 2–4 years of LS)

The Board states:

• “An applicant for LS licensure must enter an arrangement of consultation … and must have a consultation agreement on record with the Board for the first 2 to 4 years of licensure.” (maine.gov)

In other words:

• From the moment your LS license is issued, you must practice under a consultation agreement with a qualified consultant for at least 2 years and no more than 4 years.
• If that agreement ends (e.g., your consultant changes jobs), you must notify the Board and file a new consultation agreement until the consultation requirement is fully completed. (maine.gov)

This “arrangement of consultation” functions much like ongoing professional supervision, but in Maine’s terminology it is consultation, not “supervision.”

B. Post‑licensure hour requirement for LS

During that first consultation period as an LS, the Board requires you to complete:

• 3,200 hours of social work employment, and
• 96 hours of consultation with your approved consultant,

within a maximum of 4 years.

The renewal section states:

LS licensees shall report the number of hours worked and number of consultation hours received at each license renewal until the LS consultation requirement is completed. If the licensee fails to complete 3,200 hours of social work employment and 96 hours of consultation in a period of 4 years, the license is subject to revocation and will not be further renewed. (maine.gov)

So, for the LS consultation requirement:

• Employment hours
  • 3,200 hours of social work employment as an LS.
  • These hours must be accumulated within 4 years of the start of your LS license.
• Consultation hours
  • 96 hours of consultation with an approved consultant.
  • Again, these must be completed within that 4‑year window and occur while you are working in your social work role.

You must document both sets of hours on the Board’s Verification of Consultation form(s) at renewal until this requirement is met. (maine.gov)

C. How this looks in practice

Depending on your path:

• Direct BSW → LS
  • You get LS, then complete:
    • 3,200 hours of LS‑level social work employment, and
    • 96 hours of consultation over 2–4 years post‑licensure.
• Related BA/BS → LSX → LS
  • Under LSX: 3,200 hours employment + 96 consultation hours (2–4 years).
  • Under LS: an additional 3,200 hours employment + 96 consultation hours (up to another 4 years). (maine.gov)

This is why some summaries describe the LSX + LS sequence as effectively requiring 6,400 hours of employment and 192 hours of consultation across both licenses.

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4. Step‑by‑step guide to becoming an LS in Maine

Step 1 – Complete the qualifying education

• If you want to go directly to LS
  Earn a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or Social Welfare degree from a CSWE‑accredited program. (maine.gov)

• If your degree is in a related discipline
  Earn a bachelor’s degree in a field “sufficiently related to social work or social welfare” (e.g., behavioral science, psychology, education, human development, sociology, etc.) and apply first for LSX. (maine.gov)

Step 2 – Obtain conditional licensure if needed (LSX pathway only)

For LSX:

• File the online LSX application.
• Submit an Agreement to Provide Consultation, signed by a qualified consultant.
• Submit an official transcript and, if required, the Educational Worksheet listing your major and relevant coursework. (maine.gov)

Then:

• Work under LSX while completing:
  • 3,200 hours of social work employment,
  • 96 hours of consultation,
    in 2–4 years. (maine.gov)

Step 3 – Pass the ASWB Bachelors exam

Whether you come from BSW or LSX:

• Register for and pass the ASWB Bachelors examination, as required for LS licensure. (maine.gov)

Step 4 – Apply for the LS license

On the LS application, Maine requires (summarized from the Board’s LS application section): (maine.gov)

For applicants with a BSW/Social Welfare degree:

• Online LS application.
• Documentation of successful passage of the ASWB Bachelors exam.
• Official transcript showing an earned BSW or Social Welfare degree from a CSWE‑accredited program.
• A signed Agreement to Provide Consultation with a qualified consultant.
• Official verifications for any professional licenses you currently hold or have ever held.

For LSX licensees moving up to LS:

• Online LS application.
• Documentation of ASWB Bachelors exam passage.
• Official transcript of your related bachelor’s degree.
• Verification of Consultation documenting:
  • completion of 96 consultation hours concurrent with 3,200 hours of social work employment while holding LSX.
• A new Agreement to Provide Consultation for your LS period.
• Official verifications for all professional licenses you’ve ever held.

Step 5 – Complete the LS consultation and employment requirement

Once your LS is issued:

• Maintain an active consultation agreement with a qualified consultant for your first 2–4 years as an LS. (maine.gov)
• Accumulate:
  • 3,200 hours of social work employment, and
  • 96 hours of consultation
    within 4 years of LS licensure.
• Report hours worked and consultation hours at each renewal and submit Verification of Consultation forms as required. (maine.gov)

Failure to meet both the 3,200 employment‑hour and 96 consultation‑hour requirements within 4 years makes the LS license “subject to revocation and [it] will not be further renewed,” per the Board. (maine.gov)

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5. Continuing education and renewal (briefly)

While you are completing your LS consultation and hours, you must also meet ongoing CE requirements:

• LS licenses renew every 2 years. (maine.gov)
• Each renewal requires:
  • 25 hours of continuing education,
  • At least 4 hours in social work ethics, and
  • A one‑time requirement of 12 hours in family or intimate partner violence (Title 32 §7060). (maine.gov)

These CE requirements are in addition to, and separate from, the employment and consultation hour requirements described above.

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6. How Maine’s hours compare to “direct” vs “supervised” language

Your example referenced a split like “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience.” In Maine’s LS system, the Board does not use that direct/supervised breakdown. Instead, its own terminology is:

• “3,200 hours of social work employment” (work hours in a social work position), and
• “96 hours of consultation” (structured meetings under a consultation agreement with a qualified consultant),
• completed within specific 2–4 year windows, depending on the license. (maine.gov)

The word “consultation” is the key term in Maine’s rules and should be used when describing the supervised‑practice component for LS and LSX licensees.