Maryland LCSW Requirements & Hours Tracker

In Maryland, “LCSW” refers to the Licensed Certified Social Worker (advanced generalist), and “LCSW‑C” refers to the Licensed Certified Social Worker‑Clinical. Both are regulated by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (BSWE).

Below is a step‑by‑step outline of what the Board requires, with emphasis on the exact types and amounts of hours.

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1. License levels in Maryland (context)

Maryland recognizes four main social work licenses: LBSW, LMSW, LCSW, and LCSW‑C. (health.maryland.gov)

For advanced licensure:

• LCSW (Certified Social Worker / Licensed Certified Social Worker)

  • Advanced generalist practice; may practice independently but cannot diagnose or provide psychotherapy without LCSW‑C supervision and may not engage in private practice. (health.maryland.gov)

• LCSW‑C (Certified Social Worker‑Clinical / Licensed Certified Social Worker‑Clinical)

  • Full clinical scope: evaluate, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional conditions; may have a private clinical practice. (health.maryland.gov)

Your question names the LCSW, but because the Board’s hour requirements are often confused with the clinical license, this guide explains both, with the LCSW first.

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2. Pathway overview to LCSW in Maryland

To become a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) through the Maryland BSWE, you must:

1. Earn an MSW from a CSWE‑accredited program. (health.maryland.gov)
2. Hold an LMSW (formerly LGSW) in Maryland (or equivalent master‑level license if hours were earned in another jurisdiction). (health.maryland.gov)
3. Accrue qualifying supervised experience at the LMSW level:
   • 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience over at least 2 years (minimum 104 weeks). (health.maryland.gov)
   • 100 hours of periodic face‑to‑face supervision under a contractual agreement form for supervision (now often called a “written contract”). (health.maryland.gov)
4. Pass the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam. (ecpc-personnel-standards.dev.i3.uconn.edu)
5. Apply to the Board for LCSW licensure, submitting forms, fees, and detailed documentation of your supervised hours and supervision.

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3. Supervised experience requirements for LCSW

3.1 Total supervised practice hours

The Board’s licensing requirements page states that an LCSW must have:

“at least two years, consisting of not less than 104 weeks, of at least 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience” (health.maryland.gov)

Key points:

• Total practice hours:
  • 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience.
• Timeframe:
  • Per COMAR and Board summaries, the 3,000 hours must be completed in not less than 2 years and not more than 6 consecutive years. (dsd.maryland.gov)
• License status while earning hours:
  • For experience obtained in Maryland, you must already hold a licensed master social worker (LMSW) before beginning the 3,000 hours. (health.maryland.gov)

The Board does not split these 3,000 LCSW hours into “direct client” vs “indirect” categories the way it does for the LCSW‑C. They are described broadly as “supervised social work experience” that must:

• Comply with the supervision standards in COMAR 10.42.08, and
• Be work in which you are “performing social work activities professionally and for compensation.” (dsd.maryland.gov)

In practice, qualifying LCSW hours typically include, under LMSW scope:

• Assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation.
• Case management, information and referral.
• Counseling, advocacy, community organization.
• Program development, policy, and administrative activities related to social work practice. (health.maryland.gov)

All of this must occur under social work supervision as defined by the Board.

3.2 Supervision hours for LCSW

In addition to the 3,000 practice hours, the Board’s licensing requirements specify that an LCSW must complete: (health.maryland.gov)

• 100 hours of periodic face‑to‑face supervision in the practice of social work,
• Obtained under a contractual agreement form for supervision (Board‑approved written contract), and
• Provided by a qualified, registered and Board‑approved supervisor licensed as an LCSW or LCSW‑C.

COMAR adds that:

• A supervisor must provide at least 1 hour of face‑to‑face supervision for every 40 hours worked by each supervisee. (health.maryland.gov)
• Only half of the required supervision hours for advanced licensure may be group supervision; the rest must be individual. (health.maryland.gov)

Putting this together for LCSW:

• 3,000 hours = supervised social work practice (no further direct/indirect breakdown in Board language).
• 100 hours = supervision time (face‑to‑face, individual and/or group, under contract), nested within that overall practice period.

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4. LCSW‑C (clinical) hours, including “1,500 direct” requirement

Because your example (“1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience”) matches Maryland’s clinical requirements, it is useful to set them out separately.

The Board’s licensing requirements page states that an LCSW‑C shall have: (health.maryland.gov)

1. 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience in direct service to clients, over at least two years (not less than 104 weeks).
2. Of those 3,000 hours, half — 1,500 hours — must be face‑to‑face client contact.
   • These are your direct clinical hours (individual, family, or group sessions, intake, assessment, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, etc.).
   • The remaining up to 1,500 hours can be other clinical social work services related to clients, such as:
     • Clinical documentation and report writing,
     • Treatment planning, case conferences, consultation,
     • Collateral contacts with family, schools, or other providers,
     • Other clinical tasks that still qualify as “direct service to clients” in a broader sense. (sites.google.com)
3. 100 hours of periodic direct face‑to‑face supervision while obtaining that clinical experience, under a contractual agreement form for supervision. (health.maryland.gov)
4. Supervision must be specifically in:
   • Assessment, formulation of a diagnostic impression, and treatment of mental disorders and other conditions,
   • Including the provision of psychotherapy. (health.maryland.gov)
5. 12 academic credit hours of clinical coursework from a CSWE‑accredited social work program (up to 6 of these credits may be from a BSW program, per the Board’s summary and common practice guidance). (health.maryland.gov)
6. Supervision provided by a Board‑approved LCSW‑C supervisor. (health.maryland.gov)

So for the LCSW‑C you can think of it this way:

• 3,000 hours supervised clinical practice, over at least 2 years and no more than 6 years.
  • 1,500 hours = face‑to‑face client contact (direct clinical work).
  • Up to 1,500 hours = other clinical services linked to client care.
• 100 hours = face‑to‑face supervision with an LCSW‑C, under a Board‑approved contract.

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5. Supervision structure and “Board‑approved supervisor”

Maryland’s supervision regulations (COMAR 10.42.08) set out detailed standards that apply to supervision for both LCSW and LCSW‑C seekers. Key Board language and concepts include: (health.maryland.gov)

• “Supervision”:
  A formal professional relationship in which the supervisor directs, monitors, and evaluates the supervisee’s practice while promoting their development and ensuring ethical and competent services.

• “Board‑approved supervisor”:

  • Must hold an active Maryland LCSW, LCSW‑C, LMSW, or LBSW (depending on who is being supervised),
  • Meet specific experience and training requirements in supervision,
  • Have an unencumbered license, and
  • Be expressly approved by the Board as a supervisor.

• Face‑to‑face supervision:

  • Includes both in‑person and secure real‑time video,
  • Does not include telephone‑only or text/email‑only contact.

• Written contract for supervision:

  • For advanced licensure, there must be a Board‑provided written contract, signed before supervision begins, describing:
    • The scope of the supervisee’s duties,
    • The frequency and format of supervision,
    • How hours and competencies will be documented.

Supervisees must maintain documentation of supervised experience (supervision logs, hours, and activities) to submit with their application. (health.maryland.gov)

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6. Exam and application

For LCSW

• Exam: ASWB Advanced Generalist exam. (ecpc-personnel-standards.dev.i3.uconn.edu)
• Application: After meeting education, licensure, and supervised‑experience requirements, you submit:
  • Board application form and fee,
  • Official transcripts (MSW),
  • Documentation of your 3,000 supervised hours and 100 supervision hours under contract,
  • Proof of passing the ASWB Advanced Generalist exam.

For LCSW‑C

• Exam: ASWB Clinical exam. (ecpc-personnel-standards.dev.i3.uconn.edu)
• Application: Similar process, but you must also document:
  • 1,500 face‑to‑face client contact hours within the 3,000‑hour total,
  • 100 hours of clinical supervision, specifically focused on assessment, diagnosis, and psychotherapy,
  • 12 credits of clinical coursework. (health.maryland.gov)

COMAR 10.42.01 and the Board’s forms govern the detailed documentation requirements. (health.maryland.gov)

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7. Quick hour-by-hour summary

LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker – advanced generalist)

• Prerequisite license: LMSW (or equivalent in another jurisdiction). (health.maryland.gov)
• Practice hours:
  • 3,000 hours of supervised social work experience.
  • Completed over at least 2 years (104 weeks) and within 6 consecutive years. (health.maryland.gov)
  • No Board‑specified split between “direct” and “indirect” hours; must meet LMSW/LCSW scope and COMAR supervision standards.
• Supervision hours:
  • 100 hours of face‑to‑face supervision in the practice of social work,
  • Under a contractual agreement / written contract for supervision,
  • With a Board‑approved LCSW or LCSW‑C supervisor. (health.maryland.gov)
  • At least 1 hour of supervision per 40 hours of work; only half of supervision may be group. (health.maryland.gov)
• Exam: ASWB Advanced Generalist.

LCSW‑C (Licensed Certified Social Worker‑Clinical)

• Prerequisite license: LMSW (or equivalent) and required clinical coursework. (health.maryland.gov)
• Practice hours:
  • 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience in direct service to clients.
  • At least 1,500 of these hours must be face‑to‑face client contact.
  • Remainder (up to 1,500 hours) can be clinical services related to client care (documentation, treatment planning, consultation, etc.). (health.maryland.gov)
  • Completed in no fewer than 2 years (104 weeks) and within a Board‑allowed maximum period (commonly referenced as up to 6 consecutive years). (health.maryland.gov)
• Supervision hours:
  • 100 hours of periodic direct face‑to‑face clinical supervision,
  • Under a contractual agreement form for supervision,
  • Provided by a Board‑approved LCSW‑C supervisor,
  • Focused on assessment, diagnostic impressions, and psychotherapy. (health.maryland.gov)
• Clinical coursework:
  • 12 academic credit hours in clinical social work from a CSWE‑accredited program. (health.maryland.gov)
• Exam: ASWB Clinical.

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In sum, for the non‑clinical LCSW in Maryland you are looking at:

• 3,000 total supervised social work hours,
• 100 supervision hours,
• Over at least 2 years, under a Board‑approved supervisor and a Board contract.

For the LCSW‑C, those same 3,000 hours must be clinical, and the Board explicitly requires that 1,500 of them be face‑to‑face client contact, plus the 100 clinical supervision hours and 12 clinical course credits.