Michigan LLMSW-Clinical Requirements & Hours Tracker

Michigan regulates the Limited License Master Social Worker (LLMSW) through the Board of Social Work in the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The LLMSW is the provisional, supervised license you must hold while you complete the clinical hours needed for full LMSW‑Clinical licensure.

Although the rules refer simply to a “limited master’s social worker license,” in practice an LLMSW who is pursuing clinical practice is often described as “LLMSW‑Clinical.” The underlying legal requirements are the same LLMSW requirements, plus specific clinical hour and supervision rules.

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1. Basic structure of Michigan’s LLMSW → LMSW‑Clinical pathway

Michigan’s rules create a two‑step process for clinical practice at the master’s level:

1. Step 1 – Limited license (LLMSW):
   You obtain a Limited Master’s Social Worker license so you can accumulate supervised practice hours. (law.cornell.edu)

2. Step 2 – Full license with clinical designation (LMSW‑Clinical):
   While holding the LLMSW you complete 4,000 hours of post‑degree supervised work experience in clinical social work over at least two years, then pass the ASWB Clinical exam and apply for the full LMSW with a clinical practice designation. (regulations.justia.com)

The rules do not split the 4,000 hours into separate “direct client” vs “general” or “supervision” hour buckets (for example, 1,500 + 1,500). Instead, they treat all 4,000 as supervised work experience, subject to specific supervision‑time and content requirements. (regulations.justia.com)

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2. Eligibility to apply for the LLMSW (clinical track)

2.1 Education

To qualify for a Limited Master’s Social Worker license you must have:

• A master’s or doctoral degree in social work from a program that complies with Michigan’s standards in Rule R 338.2923 (effectively, a CSWE‑accredited MSW or equivalent). (law.cornell.edu)

2.2 Application and character/training requirements

LARA’s procedures (summarized in official and university disclosures) add several standard health‑profession requirements: (socialworklicensemap.com)

• Submit a completed LLMSW application and pay the required fee.
• Criminal background check (fingerprints).
• Demonstrate “good moral character.”
• Complete required one‑time trainings:
  • Human trafficking identification training.
  • Implicit bias training (at least 2 hours for initial licensure).

2.3 Limited‑license status and duration

Relevant rules for limited master’s licenses (Rule R 338.2947 and earlier Rule 338.2908g) state that: (law.cornell.edu)

• The limited license is issued for 1 year.
• It may be renewed no more than 6 times (maximum of 7 years total of LLMSW status, including relicensure).
• You may only accumulate your supervised work experience while holding a Michigan limited master’s license (you cannot retroactively count post‑MSW work done without the LLMSW). (regulations.justia.com)

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3. Practice restrictions while holding an LLMSW‑Clinical

Once you hold the LLMSW, Michigan places tight conditions on where and how you practice.

3.1 Supervision requirement

• You must practice under the supervision of a Michigan‑licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). (law.cornell.edu)
• To qualify for clinical licensure, your supervised experience must be under an LMSW who holds the clinical practice designation (LMSW‑Clinical). (law.cornell.edu)

3.2 Approved settings

The Board approves agencies, health facilities, institutions, and similar entities where master’s‑level social work is practiced as appropriate sites for accumulating hours. Limited licensees must: (law.cornell.edu)

• Work in an “agency, health facility, institution, or other entity” approved under MCL 333.18506,
• Engage in practice at the master’s level as defined in the statute and rules.

This effectively means your LLMSW‑Clinical work should be in a legitimate service setting (community mental health, hospitals, clinics, group practices, etc.) doing master’s‑level social work.

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4. Hour requirements under the LLMSW for clinical licensure

All of the hour requirements that matter for “LLMSW‑Clinical” status are actually the LMSW‑Clinical requirements you must satisfy while holding the limited license.

There are two overlapping sets of hour rules:

1. General supervised work experience rules for all master’s‑level licensees (Rule R 338.2949). (regulations.justia.com)
2. Additional requirements for the clinical practice designation (Rule R 338.2953). (law.cornell.edu)

4.1 Total supervised work experience hours

For full LMSW (macro or clinical), Michigan requires: (regulations.justia.com)

• 4,000 hours of post‑degree supervised work experience at the master’s level,
• Accrued over not less than 2 years,
• Earned only while holding a Michigan LLMSW.

For the clinical practice designation, the same 4,000 hours must additionally: (law.cornell.edu)

• Be post‑MSW,
• Be clinical in nature (see 4.4 below),
• Be supervised by an LMSW with a clinical designation.

There is no separate second 4,000‑hour requirement; the same 4,000 supervised hours satisfy both the general LMSW requirement and the clinical‑designation requirement, as long as they are clinical hours under a clinical supervisor.

4.2 Weekly and yearly hour limits

Michigan defines strict parameters for how the 4,000 hours can be accumulated: (regulations.justia.com)

• You must average at least 16 hours per week of supervised work experience.
• You may not average more than 40 hours per week toward licensure.
• You may not accumulate more than 2,080 hours in any 12‑month period (essentially, one full‑time year).

If you reach 4,000 hours but did not meet the weekly/hour‑per‑year pattern (for example, you worked fewer than 16 hours per week on average), you may petition the Board for a waiver of the pattern requirements. (regulations.justia.com)

4.3 Required supervision time (within those 4,000 hours)

Within your 4,000 hours of supervised work experience, Michigan’s rules specify a minimum amount of supervisory contact, not a separate block of “supervision hours” that substitutes for practice hours.

Under R 338.2949(3): (regulations.justia.com)

• Supervisory review must total at least 4 hours per month.
• At least 2 of those hours each month must be individual supervision (one‑to‑one) conducted either:
  • In person, or
  • By live, simultaneous telecommunications (e.g., secure video).
• The remaining supervisory time (up to half) can be in group supervision, but at least 50% of your supervision must involve individual review of your work and records.

Over the minimum two years, 4 hours of supervision per month will typically come to just under 100 hours of supervision. This is where the often‑quoted “about 100 supervision hours” figure originates, but the legal requirement is expressed as monthly supervision hours, not a stand‑alone 100‑hour quota. (slideserve.com)

Importantly, all 4,000 hours are “supervised experience”; the 4 hours per month is a supervision minimum, not a separate category of licensable hours.

4.4 What must count as “clinical” experience

For the clinical practice designation, Michigan defines the types of activities that must be represented in your experience. Rule R 338.2953 says your 4,000 post‑degree hours must include one or more of a set of clinical activities, including (paraphrased): (law.cornell.edu)

• Assessment and diagnosis of individuals, couples, families, or groups;
• Treatment and intervention methods through structured professional relationships;
• Psychotherapy and counseling;
• Advocacy for client care and protection of vulnerable clients;
• Forensic social work functions;
• Case management for complex or high‑risk situations;
• Education and resource linkage related to mental health and psychosocial needs;
• Participation on clinical or community committees; and
• Providing clinical supervision or directing clinical programs (for those in higher‑level roles).

To be credited toward LMSW‑Clinical, your work under the LLMSW must substantially consist of this kind of clinical social work, not purely macro/administrative duties.

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5. How the Board’s wording categorizes “types” of hours

Michigan’s Board rules use specific phrases rather than informal categories like “direct client hours.” The key terms are:

1. “Post‑degree supervised work experience” (4,000 hours):
   This is your actual job/volunteer work as an MSW in an approved setting, under an LMSW supervisor. It includes both direct client work and related professional activities, as long as it fits the definitions in the master’s‑level and clinical practice rules. (regulations.justia.com)

2. “Supervisory review” (at least 4 hours per month):
   This is scheduled time when your LMSW supervisor reviews your cases, documentation, ethics issues, and professional development. It can be individual or (partially) group, but must include substantial individual case review. (regulations.justia.com)

3. “Clinical practice designation” experience:
   This is not a separate hour total; rather, the Board requires that your 4,000 supervised hours include clinical activities as outlined in R 338.2953, and that supervision be by an LMSW‑Clinical. (law.cornell.edu)

Put differently:

• There is one primary numeric requirement: 4,000 total supervised hours.
• Within those 4,000 hours, you must meet:
  • The pattern rules (16–40 hours/week, ≤2,080/year), and
  • The supervision minimum (≥4 hours/month, with ≥2 hours individual).
• For the clinical pathway, those 4,000 hours must be mostly clinical work under an LMSW‑Clinical and must reflect the Board’s list of clinical activities.

Michigan does not currently specify something like “1,500 direct client hours and 1,500 supervised experience hours.” Any such split is not in the controlling rules.

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6. Moving from LLMSW‑Clinical to full LMSW‑Clinical

After you have:

1. Completed 4,000 hours of qualifying, post‑MSW supervised clinical experience under an LMSW‑Clinical over at least 2 years; and (regulations.justia.com)
2. Met the supervision‑time and hour‑pattern rules; and
3. Passed the ASWB Clinical examination; (regulations.justia.com)

you can apply to LARA for full LMSW licensure with a clinical practice designation.

Your supervisor(s) will need to verify your hours and describe your work as clinical in nature. If you later want a second designation (for example, macro), you must complete an additional 2,000 hours over at least one year in the second specialty area with at least 50 hours of supervisory review, and pass the corresponding exam. (regulations.justia.com)

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7. Concise hour summary for the LLMSW‑Clinical pathway

While holding an LLMSW and pursuing clinical licensure, Michigan’s Board requires:

• 4,000 hours of post‑degree supervised work experience at the master’s level,

  • Accrued over at least 2 years,
  • In an approved setting,
  • Under an LMSW‑Clinical supervisor,
  • With work content that falls within the Board’s definition of clinical social work. (regulations.justia.com)

• Hour pattern constraints:

  • Minimum 16 hours/week, maximum 40 hours/week counted.
  • Maximum 2,080 hours in any 12‑month period. (regulations.justia.com)

• Supervision minimum within that timeframe:

  • At least 4 hours of supervision per month,
  • Of which at least 2 hours per month must be one‑to‑one supervision (in‑person or live telecommunication),
  • Group supervision allowed for up to half of supervision time, provided it includes individual review of your work and records. (regulations.justia.com)

The Board does not subdivide the 4,000 hours into separate numerical requirements for “direct service” vs “indirect” hours; instead, the regulations focus on total supervised clinical work, supervision frequency, and the clinical nature of your activities.