Certified Master Social Worker (CMSW) Requirements
If you use the title ‘social worker’ or represent yourself as a social worker, you must apply for certification. Social work practice or the practice of social work is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, and families or larger systems such as organizations and communities to improve, restore, or enhance their capacities for personal and social functioning and the professional application of social work values, knowledge, principles, and methods. (Description Continued)
Applications
CMSW description continued....
- A certified master social worker who only practices within the confines of the definition of social work is not required to also be licensed as a mental health practitioner. However, if you wish to provide mental health services and represent yourself as a social worker, you must hold both the mental health practice license and the certification as a social worker.
- A person who is licensed as a mental health practitioner (LMHP) and certified as a master social worker (CMSW) may use the title licensed clinical social worker (LCSW).
Social Work is defined as: the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, and families or larger systems such as organizations and communities to improve, restore, or enhance their capacities for personal and social functioning and the professional application of social work values, knowledge, principles, and methods in the following areas of practice:
- information, resource identification and development, and/or referral services;
- preparation and evaluation of psychosocial assessments and development of social work service plans;
- case management, coordination, and monitoring of social work service plans in the areas of personal, social, or economic resources, conditions, or problems;
- development, implementation, evaluation, and/or administration of social work programs and policies;
- supportive contacts to assist individuals and groups with personal adjustment to crisis, transition, economic changes, or a personal or family member's health condition, especially in the area of services given in hospitals, health clinics, home health agencies, schools, shelters for the homeless, shelters for the urgent care of victims of sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, or domestic violence, nursing homes, and correctional facilities;
- social casework for the prevention of psychosocial dysfunction, disability, or impairment; and
- social work research, consultation, and education.
Social work practice does not include:
- the measuring and testing of personality or intelligence;
- accepting fees or compensation for the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity of persons by drugs, surgery, or any manual or mechanical treatment whatsoever;
- prescribing drugs or electroconvulsive therapy; and
- treating organic diseases or major psychiatric diseases, except by an individual seeking to fulfill postgraduate requirements for licensure as a mental health practitioner under the supervision of a licensed qualified professional.
You may provide social work services without being licensed as a mental health practitioner providing you do not provide mental health services. Additionally, persons who provide the services specified under the social work scope do not have to be certified as long as they do not represent themselves as a social worker.
Be advised that if you plan to provide Mental Health Services you must be:
- Licensed as a Mental Health Practitioner;
- Meet one of the exceptions delineated in statute (
exceptions); or
- Under supervision of a licensed mental health practitioner, licensed psychologist, or qualified physician and be in the process of obtaining the required post-master's experience (you must hold a provisional license in order to gain the post-masters experience towards licensure (provisional license page).
Provisional Certification as a Master Social Worker (PCMSW) is a person who needs to obtain the required three thousand hours of supervised experience in social work as specified in section
Certificate Requirements and Application Process
Initial Certification: (See
To apply for an initial certificate, you must submit the completed
Licensing & Regulatory Affairs
PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509-4986Reciprocity: (See
To apply for a certificate by reciprocity, you must submit the completed
Licensing & Regulatory Affairs
PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509-4986
Issuance and Processing Time
If the
If you meet all the requirements for a certificate within 90 days prior to the biennial renewal date, you may:
- Request that the Department delay the processing of the application and the issuance of the certificate until the biennial renewal date and pay only the fee for initial certification (you would not be able to practice until the renewal date); or
- Request that a certificate be issued immediately (which will be valid until the current renewal date) and pay the fee for initial certification and an additional fee of one-fourth of the biennial renewal fee.
Certification Expiration: All Master Social Work Certificates expire 9/1 of even-numbered years.
These forms may be completed online, however, they cannot be submitted via e-mail due to the fact that all applications and forms require original signatures. If you complete the form online, you must print the form and mail it to the address listed.
All materials shall be submitted to Licensing & Regulatory Affairs with fee payable to the "Licensing & Regulatory Affairs".
Licensing & Regulatory Affairs
PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509-4986
Examination (this does not apply to provisional certification)
To be certified, an applicant must have passed the Association of Social Work Boards Advanced or Clinical Examination, with a scaled score of 75.
- The clinical examination must be taken if you are also applying for licensure as a mental health practitioner.
- ASWB examination information, click
- To register for the test, click
Misdemeanor/Felony Convictions or Licensure Discipline
If you had a misdemeanor or felony conviction (other than a minor traffic violation) or had your license in any health care profession in another state revoked, suspended, limited or disciplined in any manner, you must request the following documents be sent directly to this office:
- Official Court Record, which includes charges and disposition;
- If the conviction involved a drug and/or alcohol related offense, all addiction/mental health evaluations and proof of treatment (if treatment was obtained and/or required);
- If you are currently on probation, a letter from your probation officer addressing probationary conditions and your current status; and
- If your license in health care in another state has been revoked, suspended, limited or disciplined in any way, an official copy of the disciplinary action, including charges and disposition.
NOTE: If you have any criminal charges or license disciplinary actions pending that results in conviction or license discipline, you are required to report such actions to this department within 30 days.
Renewal (this does not apply to provisional certification)
Expiration Date: All master social work certificates expire 9/1, of each even-numbered year. If you provide mental health practice services, you must renew your mental health practice license in order to renew the master social work certification.
Renewal Process: See
A person who practices after expiration of his/her credential is subject to assessment of an administrative penalty fee of $10 per day up to $1000.
Final Notice: Renewals not postmarked or received by 9/1 will be sent a final notice. All final notices will be assessed a $25.00 late fee.
Revocation: Renewals not postmarked or received by 10/1 will be sent a notice of revocation.
Continuing Education Waiver: The Department of Health and Human Services Regulation and Licensure, Licensing & Regulatory Affairs Division, on the recommendation of the Board of Mental Health Practice may waive the continuing education requirements, in part or in total, for any two-year licensing period when a certificate holder submits documentation that circumstances beyond his or her control prevented completion of such requirements. Such circumstances shall include situations in which:
- The certificate holder holds a Nebraska certificate but is not practicing his or her profession in Nebraska;
- The certificate holder has served in the regular armed forces of the United States during part of the 24 months immediately preceding the certificate renewal date;
- The certificate holder has submitted proof that he or she was suffering from a serious or disabling illness or physical disability which prevented completion of the required number of continuing education hours during the 24 months immediately preceding the certificate renewal date; and
- The certificate holder was first certified within the 24 months immediately proceeding the certificate renewal date.
Inactive or Lapsed Status: A certificate holder may request that his/her certificate be placed on inactive or lapsed status (this request can only occur at the time of renewal). If you choose either inactive or lapsed status, you can not represent yourself as a social worker.
- Inactive status means the voluntary termination of the right or privilege to represent oneself as a social worker, but retains the right to represent himself or herself as holding an inactive certificate. A $25.00 fee is required for this status.
- Lapsed status means the voluntary termination of the right or privilege to represent oneself as a social worker. No fee is required.
Continuing Education (this does not apply to provisional certification)
On or before 9/1 of each even-numbered year, each social worker who is in active practice in the State of Nebraska shall complete 32 hours of approved continuing education during the proceeding 24-month period.
Hours earned prior to this date will be not be acceptable; and hours earned in excess of the requirement may not be carried over for the next certificate renewal.
Effective 9/1/96, the Board of Mental Health Practice no longer approves continuing education offerings, but may accept as continuing education for certification renewal, learning experiences, provided they are planned and conducted for mental health practitioners and if they are related to mental health practice. Click
Documents in PDF format require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free from Adobe Systems, Inc.
Professions and Occupations Index
