Virginia LCSW Requirements: Supervision, Hours & Exam

To become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia, you need a master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program, Board approval of your supervision contract before you start working, 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience completed over two to four years, a passing score on the ASWB Clinical examination, and a $165 application submitted to the Virginia Board of Social Work. The sequence matters as much as the pieces: hours logged before the Board approves your supervision registration do not count, and there is no way to recover them.

The MSW and Required Coursework

Your master’s degree must come from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Virginia accepts a master’s with a clinical concentration, or a nonclinical master’s supplemented by completing the clinical coursework requirements through a separate CSWE-accredited graduate program. Degrees earned outside the United States can qualify if the program is CSWE-recognized.¹

Virginia’s “clinical course of study” covers human behavior and the social environment, social justice and policy, psychopathology, diversity issues, research methods, and clinical practice with individuals, families, and groups.² Psychopathology is the piece applicants most often lack; if your program skipped it, you’ll need to add it before the Board accepts your education.

Your program must also include a clinical practicum of at least 600 hours in diagnostic, prevention, and treatment services. A short practicum isn’t fatal, but you’ll make up the shortfall with additional supervised hours on top of the 3,000 required after graduation.¹

Register Your Supervision Before You Start Working

Before you log a single post-graduate clinical hour, submit a Registration of Supervision to the Virginia Board of Social Work and wait for approval. Hours accumulated before the Board approves your registration do not count toward licensure, and there is no retroactive credit.³ This is the step applicants most often get wrong, and it costs them months.

The registration requires a supervisory contract describing your proposed clinical duties, your work setting, and the frequency of supervision. You start the process through the Department of Health Professions online portal.⁴ If you change jobs or supervisors, file an updated registration right away. Hours worked outside your current approved contract are at risk.

Who Can Supervise You

Your supervisor must hold an active, unrestricted LCSW license in the jurisdiction where you provide services and have at least two years of post-licensure clinical experience. They also need formal training in supervision: either a three credit-hour graduate course or at least 14 hours of approved continuing education on supervision, plus at least seven additional hours of supervision-focused CE within the five years before your registration.³

Supervisors cannot oversee family members or anyone they have a dual relationship with. If a prospective supervisor practiced in a state that used a different title for the clinical social work credential, the Board may still accept them if their qualifications are comparable.³

What the 3,000 Hours Have to Look Like

You need 3,000 hours of supervised post-master’s clinical work under your approved contract. At least 1,380 of those hours must be direct face-to-face client contact delivering clinical services. The remainder can go to documentation, treatment planning, case consultation, and similar supporting work.³

Supervision has its own thresholds. You need at least 100 hours of face-to-face supervision, with your supervisor meeting you for a minimum of one hour per 40 hours worked and a cap of four supervision hours per 40 worked. Group supervision can cover up to 50 of the 100 hours, and groups are limited to six supervisees.³

The clock also sets a floor and a ceiling. The supervised phase must run between two and four consecutive years. Finishing in less than two years is not allowed regardless of how many hours you’ve logged, and going past four years may require additional documentation or Board approval to keep going.⁵

The ASWB Clinical Exam

After the Board reviews and approves your completed supervised experience, you’re eligible to sit for the ASWB Clinical Level Examination. Registration is $260, paid to the Association of Social Work Boards, and you schedule your appointment at a Pearson VUE testing center.⁶

The exam has 170 multiple-choice questions, 150 of which are scored. The other 20 are unscored pretest items mixed in and not identified. Passing scores typically fall between 90 and 107 correct out of 150, with the exact cutoff shifting slightly by exam form.⁷

If you don’t pass, you must wait at least 90 days before retaking it. Candidates whose score fell within 10 correct answers of passing can request a waiver to retest sooner if the state board allows it. Some boards cap the total number of attempts, so check with Virginia or ASWB’s Candidate Services Center if you’re facing a second retake.⁸

Submitting the Application

Once you pass the exam, you file the final license application through the Virginia Department of Health Professions online portal. The fee is $165 and is nonrefundable.⁹ You’ll upload final supervision verification forms signed by your supervisor and arrange for official transcripts to be sent directly from your university.

The application also asks you to disclose criminal convictions, prior disciplinary actions, and potential impairments. A past conviction does not automatically disqualify you; the Board reviews disclosures individually, so be ready to provide documentation and context. After approval, you receive a license number and can confirm active status through the Department’s online license lookup.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

If you hold an active, unrestricted clinical social work license elsewhere, you can apply by endorsement instead of repeating the full supervision process. You still need to show a passing score on the ASWB Clinical exam, though the Board may waive that requirement if your original state didn’t require it when you were licensed, based on evidence from that jurisdiction.¹⁰

Endorsement applicants submit license verification from their current state, a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query report, and documentation for any criminal convictions or disciplinary actions. The fee is the same $165.¹⁰

Renewing Your License

Virginia LCSW licenses renew every two years for $90.⁹ Each renewal cycle requires 30 contact hours of continuing education, with at least six of those hours in ethics, standards of practice for behavioral health professions, or Virginia social work law.¹¹

You can earn up to two CE hours per cycle through pro bono social work services provided at a local health department or free clinic, at a rate of one CE hour per three hours volunteered. The rest of your CE must relate directly to social work practice or another behavioral health field.¹¹

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC140-20-49 – Educational Requirements for a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
2
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC140-20 – Regulations Governing the Practice of Social Work
3
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC140-20-50 – Experience Requirements for a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
4
Virginia Department of Health Professions. LCSW Initial Registration
5
Virginia Department of Health Professions. Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) – By Examination
6
Association of Social Work Boards. Exam
7
Association of Social Work Boards. Exam Scoring
8
Association of Social Work Boards. If You Fail the Exam
9
Virginia Board of Social Work. Fees
10
Virginia Department of Health Professions. LCSW Endorsement
11
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC140-20-105 – Continued Competency Requirements