Minnesota Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
AKA: Minnesota LICSW License
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Minnesota’s Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) credential is the license many employers expect for clinical social work roles that involve diagnosing and treating mental health conditions, completing clinical assessments, and providing psychotherapy or other ongoing clinical treatment services. Social workers usually pursue it when they are ready to move into fully independent clinical practice and meet employer, payer, and hospital expectations for advanced behavioral health roles.
After licensure, Minnesota LICSWs renew on a two-year cycle and must meet continuing education requirements that include ethics, cultural responsiveness, and LICSW-specific clinical content.
You need a graduate degree in social work from a qualifying accredited program before you can move forward on Minnesota’s standard LICSW path. For most applicants, that means an MSW.
Minn. Stat. § 148E.055 requires a graduate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, or a similar accreditation body designated by the Board. The statute also recognizes a doctorate in social work from an accredited university.
A straightforward way to satisfy Minnesota’s education requirement is to earn your degree from a CSWE-accredited program. That is usually the simplest route for application review.
If you need clarification on how Minnesota applies these education standards, use the Board’s laws and regulations page: laws and regulations.
For Minnesota LICSW licensure by examination, you must pass the ASWB Clinical exam. Minnesota’s standard LICSW application page and Minn. Stat. § 148E.055 both use the Clinical exam for this pathway.
Register through ASWB and follow its scheduling and testing instructions here: ASWB exam information.
It helps to time your exam so your passing score is ready when the rest of your LICSW file is ready. A passing exam alone will not move the application forward if your supervised-practice documentation, 360 clinical clock hours documentation, or other required items are still missing.
Minnesota requires supervised postgraduate clinical practice before standard LICSW licensure. This is one of the most important parts of the file to document carefully.
Under Minn. Stat. § 148E.115, the supervised-practice requirement includes:
The Board’s supervised-practice page and forms are the practical reference points for documenting this requirement: supervised practice information.
To keep the LICSW application moving, treat it like a complete file: education, exam, supervised-practice verification, 360 clinical clock hours documentation, and criminal background check all need to line up cleanly.
Submit the standard LICSW application through Minnesota’s Online Services portal.
Minnesota requires LICSW applicants by examination to document 360 clock hours in six clinical knowledge areas. The Board’s LICSW application page lists these areas and explains that the 360 hours may be met through qualifying graduate coursework and, in some cases, limited continuing education documentation. The Board’s forms page provides the current 360 Clock Hours Forms 1-3 used for this requirement.
For initial licensure, Minnesota requires a fingerprint-based criminal background check unless you already hold a current standard or temporary Minnesota social work license. The Board’s CBC page explains that the CBC Program Office sends instructions only after the Board receives your application and fee, and that you should wait for those instructions before scheduling fingerprinting.
The Minnesota Board says getting a standard license generally takes at least three months, and often longer. Initial application review typically takes 30 to 60 days from the date the Board receives your application. Missing supporting documents or clarification requests can extend the timeline.
Renewing an LICSW in Minnesota means following the two-year cycle, completing the required continuing education mix, and keeping clean records.
Minnesota social work licenses renew on a two-year cycle.
For each two-year renewal term, Minnesota requires 40 total hours of continuing education, including:
Up to 50% of the total may be completed through independent learning.
For renewal instructions and status questions, use the Board’s license renewal page.
Regional issues matter most when a Minnesota-based clinical role crosses state lines or relies on tele-services with clients located outside Minnesota.
A Minnesota LICSW is still a Minnesota license. If a role involves clients in neighboring states, confirm early whether additional authorization is required where the client is located.
Tele-services can create licensing issues quickly when a client moves or receives treatment outside Minnesota. If telehealth is part of the role, ask how the employer handles client-location rules and cross-border clinical service delivery.
Minnesota has adopted the Social Work Licensure Compact in statute. That may matter for border-area practice and multistate service delivery, but applicants should still confirm current implementation details and employer expectations before assuming compact-based practice rights are available for a specific role.
It helps to keep transcripts, exam records, supervision verification, 360 clock hours forms, CE records, and Board correspondence organized in one place. That makes application, renewal, and employer credentialing easier to manage.
The LICSW is Minnesota’s independent clinical social work license. If a job involves diagnosis, treatment planning, or psychotherapy, make sure your role, license status, and employer expectations all line up before you begin practicing independently.
These FAQs cover common Minnesota LICSW questions about degree, exam, supervised practice, application timing, renewal, and clinical authority.
You need a graduate degree in social work from a qualifying accredited program, or a doctorate in social work from an accredited university.
You need the ASWB Clinical exam for the standard LICSW-by-examination path.
You need 4,000 to 8,000 hours of postgraduate clinical practice, at least 200 hours of supervision, and at least 1,800 hours of direct clinical client contact. Minnesota also requires supervision at a pace of at least 4 and not more than 8 hours for every 160 hours of practice.
For LICSW applicants by examination, Minnesota requires documentation of 360 clock hours in six clinical knowledge areas. The Board provides Forms 1-3 for documenting this requirement, depending on how the clock hours were completed.
Yes. For initial licensure, Minnesota requires a fingerprint-based criminal background check unless you already hold a current standard or temporary Minnesota social work license.
Apply through the Minnesota Board of Social Work’s Online Services portal.
The Minnesota Board says standard licensing generally takes at least three months, and initial review usually takes 30 to 60 days from the date your application is received.
You need 40 total continuing education hours every two years, including 2 hours in ethics, 4 hours in cultural responsiveness, and 12 hours of clinical content. Up to half of the total may be completed through independent learning.
