North-dakota LCSW Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

In North Dakota, the clinical social work license is regulated by the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners under Chapter 43‑41 of the North Dakota Century Code and related administrative rules. Functionally, this is the state’s “LCSW‑equivalent” license, although North Dakota’s formal clinical title is Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). Many national guides still refer to it as a “Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW),” which can be confusing. (law.justia.com)

The sections below walk through the requirements with a focus on the types of hours and the board’s own terminology.

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1. License level and terminology in North Dakota

North Dakota has three main social work licenses: (careersinpsychology.org)

• LSW – Licensed Social Worker (bachelor’s level)
• LCSW – Licensed Certified Social Worker (master’s level, not independently clinical)
• LICSW – Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (independent clinical practice)

The clinical license with the 3,000-hour requirement is the LICSW. In statute, the board refers to licensure for “clinical social work” and to the supervising professional as a “licensed clinical social worker.” (law.justia.com)

For purposes of this guide, that LICSW clinical license is what corresponds to what most states call LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

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2. Educational requirement

To qualify for clinical licensure, the applicant must: (law.justia.com)

• Hold a master’s or doctoral degree in social work from a program approved by the board (i.e., CSWE‑accredited or equivalent) for “masters social work” / “clinical social work.”

Statute specifies that an applicant for licensure to practice clinical social work must show that they have been awarded a master’s or doctorate in social work from a program approved by the board. (law.justia.com)

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3. Core clinical experience requirement: 3,000 supervised hours

North Dakota law requires a single block of supervised post‑master’s clinical work, not separate “direct” vs “supervised” hour buckets the way some other states do.

The governing statute states that an applicant for clinical social work licensure must complete: (law.justia.com)

“three thousand hours of supervised post‑master’s clinical social work experience”
completed within a four‑year period.

In practical terms:

• Total clinical practice hours required:

  • 3,000 hours of post‑MSW clinical social work practice, under supervision
  • All 3,000 hours are supervised clinical social work; there is not a separate “non‑supervised” component.

• Timeframe:

  • Those 3,000 hours must be accrued within four (4) years after you begin post‑master’s clinical practice under an approved supervision plan. (law.justia.com)

• Nature of those hours (what “clinical social work practice” means):
  North Dakota administrative rules define “clinical social work practice” as the professional application of social work theory and methods to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and related conditions. (law.cornell.edu)
  In practice, your 3,000 hours should be made up primarily of:

  • Direct clinical services (assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, crisis intervention, treatment planning, etc.)
  • Closely related clinical activities (clinical documentation, case consultation on your caseload, treatment planning meetings)

These 3,000 hours are practice hours, not the meetings you have with your supervisor. Supervision itself has its own, additional minimums (below).

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4. How those 3,000 hours must be supervised

The type of supervisor and distribution of the 3,000 hours are specified in statute:

4.1 Distribution between LCSW/LICSW and other mental health professionals

State law requires that: (law.justia.com)

• You must complete 3,000 hours of supervised post‑master’s clinical social work experience.
• The initial 1,500 hours of that experience “must have been under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker.”
• The remaining 1,500 hours:
  • May be supervised by other qualified mental health professionals (e.g., licensed psychologist with a doctorate, licensed psychiatrist, or other board‑approved clinical supervisor),
  • But only if barriers such as geographic location, disability, or similar board‑recognized hardship make LCSW/LICSW supervision difficult to obtain.
  • Those non‑social‑work supervisors must be registered or otherwise qualified as clinical supervisors by the board that licenses them.

So, broken down the way you requested:

• 1,500 hours – supervised specifically by a licensed clinical social worker (in North Dakota terms, a clinical‑level licensee).
• 1,500 hours – may be supervised either by:
  • A licensed clinical social worker or
  • Another board‑approved mental health professional if the hardship criteria are met and the board accepts that arrangement.

All 3,000 hours remain supervised clinical practice; North Dakota does not create a category of “unsupervised” practice hours within that requirement.

4.2 Required format and amount of supervision (“clinical supervision for licensure”)

Separate from the raw 3,000 clinical practice hours, the board has requirements for how much formal supervision contact you must receive and in what format.

Board-derived standards (reported in multiple official summaries based on NDBSWE rules) specify that LICSW applicants must: (ecpcta.org)

• Participate in a minimum of 150 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision with a board‑approved supervisor,
• With no more than 50 of those hours allowed to be group supervision.

That can be summarized as:

• Total supervision contact required:
  • 150 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision over the 3,000‑hour supervised period.
• Individual vs group:
  • Up to 50 hours may be in group supervision (often limited to 7 participants including the supervisor).
  • At least 100 hours therefore must be individual (or dyadic) face‑to‑face supervision.
• Format of “face‑to‑face”:
  • Board policy and state summaries recognize that real‑time electronic video (e.g., secure telehealth platforms) may count as “face‑to‑face” when geographic constraints exist. (socialworkdegrees.org)

The phrase “clinical supervision for licensure” is defined in statute as a professional relationship in which the supervisor provides “evaluation and direction over the supervisee’s practice of clinical social work” in preparation for licensure as a licensed clinical social worker and to develop the social worker’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to practice ethically and competently. (codes.findlaw.com)

Putting this together:

• 3,000 hours = supervised clinical practice hours.
• Within that same supervised period you must log at least:
  • 150 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision,
  • Of which no more than 50 hours are group.

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5. Supervision plan and documentation

Before any of this supervised experience can count, the board expects a formal supervision arrangement: (msweducation.org)

1. Supervision plan approval

   • You submit a Supervision Plan to the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners before beginning your supervised post‑master’s clinical practice.
   • The plan identifies:
     • Your supervisor(s) and their professional license(s),
     • The setting and nature of your clinical duties,
     • How supervision will be provided (frequency, individual vs group, in‑person vs secure video).

2. Changing supervisors

   • If you change supervisors or settings, you must file a new or updated supervision plan with the board.

3. Verification at the end

   • When the 3,000 hours and 150 supervision hours are completed, your supervisor and employer submit:
     • A Verification of MSW Supervision form, and
     • A Verification of MSW Employment form,
       directly to the board to document your hours and duties.

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6. Exam and other licensure requirements (briefly)

Beyond the hour requirements, North Dakota clinical licensure also requires: (mswguide.org)

• Active social work licensure at the master’s level (LCSW in North Dakota’s terminology) while you accrue hours.
• Criminal background check (state and federal) as part of your first North Dakota license.
• Passing the ASWB Clinical exam for the independent clinical level (LICSW).
• Payment of fees set by rule (application, license, and renewal fees).

Continuing education for any North Dakota social work license (including clinical) currently requires 30 approved CE hours every two‑year renewal period, with at least 2 hours in social work ethics and a cap on independent‑study hours. (msweducation.org)

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7. Hour requirements summarized in the format you requested

For the clinical (LICSW / “LCSW‑equivalent”) license in North Dakota, as regulated by the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners, the hour requirements are:

• 3,000 hours of supervised post‑master’s clinical social work practice, completed within four (4) years. (law.justia.com)
  • These are clinical practice hours (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, etc.) under supervision.
• 1,500 of those 3,000 hours
  • Must be supervised by a licensed clinical social worker (in ND’s terms, a clinical‑level social work licensee). (law.justia.com)
• The remaining 1,500 hours
  • May be supervised by either another licensed clinical social worker or another qualified mental health professional (doctoral‑level psychologist, psychiatrist, or other board‑approved clinical supervisor) if the board accepts that arrangement due to geographic or comparable hardship. (law.justia.com)
• At least 150 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision with a board‑approved supervisor over the supervised period, with: (ecpcta.org)
  • No more than 50 hours allowed as group supervision
  • At least 100 hours therefore as individual (or dyadic) face‑to‑face supervision.

So, instead of “1,500 direct + 1,500 supervised,” North Dakota’s clinical license uses:

• 3,000 supervised clinical practice hours total,
• With a specific distribution of who supervises the first vs. second 1,500,
• And a minimum of 150 dedicated face‑to‑face supervision hours, capped at 50 group hours, built into that supervised period.