Maryland LCSW-C Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Maryland licenses clinical social workers at the LCSW‑C (Licensed Certified Social Worker–Clinical) level under the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners and the Health Occupations Article, Title 19. Below is a breakdown of the requirements focused specifically on the types and amounts of hours you must complete, using the Board’s and State’s own terminology where possible.

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1. Basic eligibility and educational requirements

To qualify for LCSW‑C, you must:

• Hold a master’s degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). (health.maryland.gov)
• Have “documentation of twelve academic credit hours in clinical course work” from a CSWE‑accredited social work program. Up to 6 of the 12 credits may come from a BSW program, if accepted under Board guidance. (health.maryland.gov)

You must first be licensed as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) (formerly LGSW) before you begin counting any of the clinical hours used toward LCSW‑C. (health.maryland.gov)

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2. License sequence: LMSW → LCSW‑C

Before you can work toward the LCSW‑C:

1. Earn your MSW.
2. Apply to the Maryland Board for LMSW and pass the ASWB Masters exam.
3. Receive your LMSW license. Only now can you begin accruing LCSW‑C‑qualifying experience.

Maryland regulations make clear that the requisite 3,000 hours must be obtained while you hold a master social worker license in the jurisdiction where the hours are gained. (health.maryland.gov)

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3. Total clinical experience hours required for LCSW‑C

3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience

The core requirement is:

• At least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience completed after receiving your MSW and while licensed as a master social worker (LMSW or equivalent). (health.maryland.gov)

The Board’s licensing page states that you must have “at least two years, consisting of not less than 104 weeks, of at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical social work experience in direct service to clients.” (health.maryland.gov)

Key timing rules:

• Minimum duration: Not less than 2 years, and not less than 104 weeks.
• Maximum duration: Not more than 6 consecutive years to accumulate the 3,000 hours. (sites.google.com)

Experience must be:

• “Obtained… while performing social work activities professionally and for compensation” (i.e., paid professional work, not volunteer). (law.cornell.edu)

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4. Breakdown of the 3,000 clinical hours

Within the 3,000 supervised clinical hours, Maryland distinguishes between direct (face‑to‑face) clinical hours and other indirect clinical activities, and then separately counts formal supervision hours.

4.1 Direct clinical client contact: at least 1,500 hours

The Board’s licensing requirements specify that:

• At least 1,500 of the 3,000 hours “shall consist of face‑to‑face client contact.” (health.maryland.gov)

In practical terms:

• These are direct clinical services to clients, generally:
  • Individual, family, group, or couples therapy sessions (in person or secure synchronous video).
  • Intake, assessment, diagnostic formulation, treatment planning, crisis intervention, and psychotherapy sessions, usually ≥ 45 minutes per hour counted. (sites.google.com)

So, in the Board’s own framework, your hours look like:

• 1,500 hours (minimum) – direct face‑to‑face clinical work with clients.
• Up to 1,500 hours – other supervised clinical social work activities (see below), still within the 3,000 total.

4.2 Indirect clinical hours: up to 1,500 of the 3,000

The remaining hours (up to 1,500) can be made up of indirect but clearly clinical work, still under supervision, such as: (sites.google.com)

• Case documentation, progress notes, and report writing.
• Treatment planning done outside of sessions.
• Case staffing, case consultation, and interdisciplinary team meetings regarding client treatment.
• Clinical record review, outcome monitoring, discharge planning.
• Certain training and program‑development tasks directly tied to clinical service delivery.

All 3,000 hours must qualify as “supervised clinical social work experience in direct service to clients” in the broader sense used by the Board and COMAR, but only 1,500 of them must be actual face‑to‑face client contact. (health.maryland.gov)

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5. Supervision requirements for LCSW‑C

Maryland differentiates between clinical experience hours (3,000 total) and supervision hours (meetings with your supervisor). Supervision hours are not client‑service hours; they are separate but must occur while you are accruing the clinical hours.

5.1 Minimum number of supervision hours

There is a long‑standing discrepancy between the Board’s web summary and the controlling statute:

• The Board’s “Licensing Requirements” page still states:
  • “100 hours of periodic direct face‑to‑face supervision while obtaining clinical social work experience… under a contractual agreement form for supervision.” (health.maryland.gov)
• However, Maryland law (Health Occupations Article §19‑302(e)) and related Board‑linked summaries specify that an LCSW‑C applicant must document:
  • A minimum of 144 hours of periodic face‑to‑face supervision during the 3,000 hours, specifically in “the assessment, formulation of a diagnostic impression, and treatment of mental disorders and other conditions and the provision of psychotherapy.” (law.justia.com)

Because the statute controls over web summaries, the safer and legally aligned interpretation is:

• Plan on at least 144 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision during your 3,000 clinical hours.

Many current licensure guides and law summaries for Maryland repeat the 144‑hour figure for LCSW‑C supervision. (publichealthonline.org)

5.2 Frequency and format of supervision

COMAR 10.42.08 (Supervision) and related Board guidance require that: (health.maryland.gov)

• A supervisor must provide at least 1 hour of face‑to‑face supervision for every 40 hours worked by each supervisee.
• “Face‑to‑face” supervision may be:
  • In the physical presence of both parties, or
  • Via secure video conferencing or other real‑time audio‑visual platforms; telephone‑only supervision and purely written online communication do not count as face‑to‑face.

Supervision content for LCSW‑C hours must include oversight of:

• Clinical assessment.
• Formulation of diagnostic impressions.
• Treatment of mental disorders and related conditions.
• Provision of psychotherapy. (health.maryland.gov)

5.3 Supervisor qualifications and contract

The Board requires that supervision for clinical licensure be conducted under a formal written contract and by a Board‑approved supervisor:

• Contractual agreement form for supervision (or written contract on a Board form) must be in place before you begin counting hours. (law.cornell.edu)
• Your supervisor must:
  • Be approved by the Board as a “Board‑approved supervisor”. (health.maryland.gov)
  • Hold an active Maryland social work license; for clinical licensure supervision, that supervisor must be licensed as an LCSW‑C. (sites.google.com)
  • Meet specific training (supervision coursework/CE) and experience requirements before being approved. (law.cornell.edu)

The Board’s own summary emphasizes that “THE SOCIAL WORK EXPERIENCE… MUST BE OBTAINED… UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A QUALIFIED, REGISTERED AND BOARD APPROVED SUPERVISOR.” (health.maryland.gov)

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6. Nature and setting of the clinical experience

Maryland’s law and regulations also address the kind of work that counts:

• Hours must be clinical social work, in “direct service to clients”, not administrative or macro‑only roles. (health.maryland.gov)
• Work must be performed professionally and for compensation. (law.cornell.edu)
• The experience must include:
  • Assessment and diagnostic impression.
  • Treatment planning and provision of psychotherapy.
  • Treatment of mental and emotional disorders and related conditions. (law.justia.com)

Clinical hours may be completed in a variety of settings (community mental health, hospitals, outpatient clinics, private practices where you are employed as LMSW, schools with clinical roles, etc.) as long as:

• The setting allows clinical social work, and
• You are practicing within LMSW scope under LCSW‑C supervision according to Board rules. (health.maryland.gov)

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7. Examination and application for LCSW‑C

Once you have:

• Completed your 3,000 supervised clinical hours (with at least 1,500 face‑to‑face client contact hours),
• Accrued at least 144 hours of periodic face‑to‑face clinical supervision under a Board‑approved LCSW‑C, and
• Met the 12 clinical credit requirement,

you then:

1. Submit the LCSW‑C application and required supervision documentation (contract, verification, summary forms, transcripts). (socialworkerlicense.com)
2. Once the Board approves your eligibility, you register for and pass the ASWB Clinical examination. (mswguide.org)
3. Pay the licensing fee after passing; the Board issues the LCSW‑C license.

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8. Independent practice and private practice

Maryland defines independent/private practice separately in COMAR:

• “An LCSW‑C may engage in private practice.” (health.maryland.gov)

LMSWs and LBSWs must meet additional separate supervised‑experience requirements before approval for independent practice, but those independent‑practice provisions do not restrict an LCSW‑C from private practice once licensed. (health.maryland.gov)

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Hour summary in plain numbers

Putting the numbers in one place:

• Total supervised clinical social work experience:
  • 3,000 hours (all supervised; post‑MSW; while licensed as LMSW or equivalent).
  • Spanning at least 2 years / 104 weeks, and no more than 6 consecutive years.
• Direct clinical client contact (“face‑to‑face client contact”):
  • At least 1,500 hours of the above 3,000.
• Indirect but clinical hours:
  • Up to 1,500 hours (documentation, treatment planning, case consultation, etc.).
• Formal supervision sessions:
  • Board web summary: 100 hours (likely outdated). (health.maryland.gov)
  • Controlling statute & most current interpretations: minimum 144 hours of periodic face‑to‑face supervision focused on assessment, diagnostic impression, treatment of mental disorders, and psychotherapy. (law.justia.com)

Because the statute and updated summaries are more authoritative than the older 100‑hour web text, planning for 3,000 total clinical hours (1,500 direct) plus at least 144 hours of supervision with a Board‑approved LCSW‑C is the standard that aligns best with current Maryland law and Board‑linked regulatory materials as of November 2025.

Requirements and Board forms can change, so it is prudent to compare your plan against the current Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners website and the latest COMAR Title 10, Subtitle 42 and Health Occupations §19‑302 before finalizing your supervision contract.