Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern

To become a registered clinical social work intern in Florida you must have:

1. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT: A master’s degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited school of social work showing graduate level coursework. Ensure your program is accredited by visiting https://cswe.org/.

NOTE: Electronic Transcripts may be sent through a secure parchment service directly to MQA.491@flhealth.gov. Please check with your university to see if this service is available.

Mailed transcripts must be sent in a sealed envelope from the university or they will not be considered official. A degree conferred date must be listed on the transcript. This is the only document that CANNOT be uploaded in your online account. Official transcripts may be mailed to:

Florida Department of Health
Board of CSW, MFT, and MHC
4052 Bald Cypress Way
Bin C-08
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3258

COURSEWORK

COURSEWORK: Completed 24 semester hours or 32 quarter hours in theory of human behavior and practice methods as courses in clinically oriented services, including a minimum of one course in psychopathology. Courses not considered to be clinically oriented are: policy, administration, organization and communities. Complete the Education Worksheet for clinical social work to determine if you have satisfied the coursework requirements for licensure.

NOTE: You may become a registered intern having met 15 semester or 22 quarter hours of the required coursework.  The remaining courses must be met prior to obtaining exam approval and licensure.

FOREIGN EDUCATION

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you received your social work degree from a program outside the U.S. or Canada, documentation must be received that the program was determined to be equivalent to programs approved by the Council on Social Work Education by the International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service provided by the Office of Social Work Accreditation (OSWA), and a course by course evaluation must be completed by a Board approved evaluator. To contact the OSWA, please visit https://cswe.org/ or call (703) 683-8080. For a list of approved Foreign Education Evaluators, please click here.

2. PRACTICUM: A supervised field placement that was part of the applicant’s master’s program, during which the applicant provided clinical services directly to clients. An official of the school (Dean, Department Chair) that awarded your graduate degree must provide a letter on university letterhead verifying that the supervised practicum, internship, or field experience was completed. Please review the specific requirements on the Education Worksheet for clinical social work.

3. ADVANCED STANDING LETTER: If you are an advanced standing student, you may need to request an advanced standing letter from the school of social work listing the courses completed at the bachelor’s level that were not required at the master’s level. Review the Education Worksheet for clinical social work to determine if the coursework requirements for licensure have been satisfied. The letter must include the course title and number of credit hours completed.

4. QUALIFIED SUPERVISOR: Applicants must obtain a letter from a Board approved qualified supervisor and submit to the Board Office. The letter may be sent by mail or electronic mail. To submit via electronic mail, click here. The correspondence must originate from the supervisor with an original signature, include the supervisor’s license number and the applicant’s name as it appears on the application, and state that the supervisor has agreed to provide the applicant with supervision while a registered intern. NOTE: Your registered intern number will not be issued until the Board has received this information.

Applicants for initial licensure must use a Livescan service provider to submit a set of fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for the purpose of conducting a search for any Florida and national criminal history records that may pertain to applicant. The results of the search will be returned to the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and made available to the Department for consideration during the licensure process. The fingerprints submitted by the applicant will be retained by FDLE and the Clearinghouse. All costs for conducting a criminal history background screening are borne by the applicant.

It is important to use the correct Originating Agency Identification (ORI) when submitting fingerprints. If you do not provide an ORI number or if you provide an incorrect ORI number to the service provider, the board office will not receive your fingerprint results, so it is extremely important to use the correct ORI when having your fingerprints scanned.

Applicants can use any FDLE approved Livescan service provider to submit their fingerprints. The applicant is fully responsible for selecting the service provider and ensuring the results are reported to the Department.  If you are applying for initial licensure after December 15, 2012, You must print this form and take it with you to a Livescan service provider. For more information, FAQs, and a list of all approved Livescan service providers please visit the Department’s website at: FLHealthSource.gov/Background-Screening.

Find A Qualified Supervisor:

Did you know that you can obtain a list of supervisors in your area at any time 24 hours a day 7 days a week? Simply use the Department’s Public Data Portal to download a current list of Board approved Qualified Supervisors. For detailed instructions, use the Licensure Data Download Guide. Obtain a letter from your selected Qualified Supervisor and send to the Board Office.

Before Supervision Begins:

Verify that your intern registration number has been issued by the Department and that the Board Office has approved your Qualified Supervisor. To verify, click here. Supervised experience will not count towards licensure until the intern registration has been issued and the Board has approved your supervisor.

During Supervision:

Two (2) years of post-master’s supervised experience under the supervision of a Board approved Qualified Supervisor is required for full licensure.

The supervised experience must consist of:

• At least 100 hours of supervision in no less than 100 weeks;
• 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy with clients; and,
• One (1) hour of supervision every two (2) weeks.

NOTE: Please see Rule 64B4-2.002, F.A.C., for information regarding group supervision and supervision by electronic methods.

Need to Change or Add a Qualified Supervisor? Follow the steps below:

STEP ONE: Obtain a letter from your new or additional Qualified Supervisor and send to the Board Office. The correspondence must originate from the supervisor with an original signature, include the supervisor’s license number and the applicant’s name as it appears on the application, and state that the supervisor has agreed to provide the applicant with supervision while a registered intern.

STEP TWO: Receive a letter from the Board Office stating that your supervisor has been approved and note the date of approval. Supervision under the new or additional supervisor will not count until he/she has been approved.

Need to Remove a Qualified Supervisor? Follow the steps below:

STEP ONE: Ask the supervisor you are removing to complete the Verification of Clinical Experience Form and select “I am no longer providing this intern with supervision.” Please make sure a supervision end date is listed.

STEP TWO: Submit the Verification of Clinical Experience Form to the Board Office. To submit electronically, click here. The Board will remove your supervisor from your intern file and place a copy of the required form on file for review upon submission of a full licensure application.

After Supervision:

Your post-master’s clinical experience hours obtained under supervision must be documented on the Verification of Clinical Experience Form by the Qualified Supervisor or they will not count towards licensure. To submit electronically, click here. This form is not required until the intern is ready to submit their full licensure application. For information on full licensure requirements and to apply, click here. Please limit one (1) form per Qualified Supervisor.

NOTE: Registered interns must remain under supervision until fully licensed pursuant to Rule 64B4-3.008, F.A.C.

CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK applicants must request exam approval prior to contacting their test provider – if the letter you received from us when you became a registered intern or applied for licensure gave you that approval; you do not need to call our office.  To request exam approval, email MQA.491@flhealth.gov.

Beginning January 1, 2023, applicants shall be deemed eligible to take the examination after the completion of all graduate-level coursework and 18 months of documented experience in clinical settings. These 18 months do not include the applicant’s practicum or other experience received in the applicant’s graduate program. Applicants must request exam approval prior to contacting their test provider. To request exam approval, email MQA.491@flhealth.gov.

Please send the registration fee of $260 DIRECTLY TO Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). Board-approved candidates may register on the ASWB website at www.aswb.org for the clinical level of the ASWB National Social Work Exam. Registration forms can also be printed under “Register for the Exam” and faxed or mailed to ASWB if paying with a money order. The exam is offered Monday through Saturday by individual appointment computer-based format worldwide. To locate a test center, candidates would go to ASWB’s website and select “On Exam Day” under the “Exam” tab. They can then choose “Find an Exam Site Near You”.  ASWB’s website includes an outline of the clinical-level exam content, an exam site list, and a candidate handbook.

Special accommodations information can be found under nonstandard testing arrangements.  Select the “Exam” tab to learn more and download the form to request for nonstandard Testing arrangements. These requests must be made through ASWB. Candidates may request an English as a Second Language (ESL) Form by contacting ASWB Candidate Services at 888.579.3926 or directing questions to the special arrangements team at 800.225.6880, ext. 3250

ASWB Candidate Services Information
Phone: 888.579.3926
Fax: 540.829.0142
Email: info@aswb.org

Passing exam scores will be forwarded to the board in 2-4 weeks. Score transfers must be requested from the exam vendor.

Applicants with Health History

If a “Yes” response was provided to any of the questions in this section, provide the following documents directly to the board office:

A letter from a licensed health care practitioner, who is qualified by skill and training to address the condition identified, which explains the impact the condition may have on the ability to practice the profession with reasonable skill and safety. The letter must specify that the applicant is safe to practice the profession without restrictions or specifically indicate the restrictions that are necessary. Documentation provided must be dated within one year of the application date.

A written self-explanation, identifying the medical condition(s) or occurrence(s); and current status.

Applicants with Discipline History

Applicants with prior disciplinary actions are required to submit the following:

Board Actions – Certified copies of document(s) relative to any disciplinary action taken against any license. The documents must come from the agency that took the disciplinary action and must be certified by that agency.

Self-Explanation – A detailed description of the circumstances surrounding your disciplinary action and a thorough description of the rehabilitative changes in your lifestyle since the time of the disciplinary action which would enable you to avoid future occurrences. It would be helpful to include factors in your life, which you feel may have contributed to your disciplinary action, what you have learned about yourself since that time, and the changes you have made that support your rehabilitation.

Applicants with Criminal History

Applicants with prior criminal convictions are required to submit the following:

Final Dispositions/Arrest Records – Final disposition records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Completion of Probation/Parole/Sanctions – Probation and financial sanction records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. Parole records for offenses can be obtained from the Department of Corrections or at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Self Explanation – Applicants who have listed offenses on the application must submit a letter in their own words describing the circumstances of the offense. Include in your letter the date of the original offense, the charge, and the jurisdiction where it occurred.

To review the conviction record guidelines adopted by the Board, click here.

Section 456.0635, Florida Statutes (F.S.), requires that health care boards or the department shall refuse to issue a license, certificate or registration and shall refuse to admit a candidate for examination if the applicant:

1. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under Chapter 409, F.S., (relating to social and economic assistance), Chapter 817, F.S., (relating to fraudulent practices), Chapter 893, F.S., (relating to drug abuse prevention and control) or a similar felony offense(s) in another state or jurisdiction unless the candidate or applicant has successfully completed a drug court program for that felony and provides proof that the plea has been withdrawn or the charges have been dismissed. Any such conviction or plea shall exclude the applicant or candidate from licensure, examination, certification, or registration, unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or plea ended:
   1. For the felonies of the first or second degree, more than 15 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
   2. For the felonies of the third degree, more than 10 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
   3. For the felonies of the third degree under section 893.13(6)(a), F.S., more than five years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
2. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 (relating to controlled substances) or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396 (relating to public health, welfare, Medicare and Medicaid issues), unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or pleas ended more than 15 years prior to the date of the application;
3. Has been terminated for cause from the Florida Medicaid program pursuant to section 409.913, F.S., unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for the most recent five years;
4. Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the appeals procedures established by the state or Federal Government, from any other state Medicaid program, unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with a state Medicaid program for the most recent five years and the termination occurred at least 20 years before the date of the application;
5. Is currently listed on the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities. The section above does not apply to candidates or applicants for initial licensure or certification who were enrolled in an educational or training program on or before July 1, 2009, which was recognized by a board or, if there is no board, recognized by the department, and who applied for licensure after July 1, 2012

You should apply for licensure if you have:

• Completed at least two (2) years of post-master’s supervised clinical experience; and
• Passed the required national examination.

Before submitting your application, review your supervision records to ensure you have completed the required experience. The Board Office does not calculate your supervised experience until a completed licensure application and fee have been received. You must complete the remaining requirements such as background screening and continuing education coursework prior to licensure.

For more information about licensure and to apply, visit the Board’s Licensure page at https://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/licensing-renewals/.

For information about registering for the required national examination, visit the Exam Information page at https://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/exam-schedule-2/.

If you have experienced an emergency or hardship that prevented you from completing your internship requirements, you may qualify for a one-time extension of your Registered Intern registration.

To qualify, you must:

• Have passed the required national examination.
• Have completed all educational requirements, including the required clinical practicum.
• Sign and submit the Registered Intern Exception Request Form no later than 30 days before your registration expires.

Please note that not passing the national examination does not qualify as an emergency or hardship.

If approved, the Board may grant a one-time extension of 24 months from the expiration date of your original registration.

No additional extensions are authorized under section 491.0045, Florida Statutes.

To request a hardship extension, complete and submit the Registered Intern Exception Request Form available at https://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/forms/intern-hardship-form.pdf.

A Provisional License is available only to applicants for licensure by examination or MOBILE endorsement who have:

• Completed the required two (2) years of post-master’s supervised clinical experience; but
• Not yet met all Florida licensure requirements.

A Provisional License allows you to practice under supervision while completing any remaining licensure requirements, such as:

• Required graduate-level coursework;
• Continuing education requirements; or
• Passing the required national examination.

Provisional licensure applications are available upon request and will not be provided until an application by MOBILE endorsement or examination has been received by the Board Office and experience has been verified complete.  Requests can be sent to mqa.491@flhealth.gov.

Provisional licensees are required to meet face-to-face with their supervisor at least one hour per month. A supervisor for a provisional licensee is defined as a Florida Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, or Mental Health Counselor.

An individual who has held a provisional license issued by the board may not apply for an intern registration in the same profession.

The application fee is $100 and is non-refundable.

This license is valid for 24 months and cannot be renewed.

Registered Intern registrations cannot be renewed. If you have not completed the required two (2) years of post-master’s supervised clinical experience before your registration expires, you may submit a new application for Registered Intern registration.

To qualify, you must meet the current Florida laws and Board rules in effect at the time of application. Please have your qualified supervisor to submit a new letter for Board approval.

If you are applying for a third Registered Intern registration, your application must be reviewed by the full Board at its next available meeting before a decision is made.

To apply, visit the Board’s Licensure page at https://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/licensing-renewals/.

The telehealth provider registration is for health care practitioners licensed outside of Florida ONLY. Florida licensees can already provide telehealth services to patients in Florida that they can treat in person.

Florida Practitioners

If you would like to provide services to a client outside of the state of Florida, you must contact the board in the jurisdiction where the patient is located. Not all states permit telehealth service even under emergency circumstances.

Florida Registered Interns

Pursuant to rule 64B4-2.002, Florida Administrative Code, registered interns may provide face-to-face psychotherapy by electronic methods if the registered intern has a written telehealth protocol and safety plan in place with their current qualified supervisor which includes the provision that the qualified supervisor must be readily available during the electronic therapy session.  Additionally, the registered intern and their qualified supervisor must have determined, through their professional judgement, that providing face-to-face psychotherapy by electronic methods is not detrimental to the patient, is necessary to protect the health, safety, or welfare of the patient, the registered intern, or both, and does not violate any existing statutes or regulations.

Qualified supervisors may utilize face-to-face electronic methods, including telephone only communication, to conduct all supervisory sessions for internship hours if the qualified supervisor determines, through their professional judgment, that such methods are not detrimental to the registered intern’s patients and are necessary to protect the health, safety, or welfare of the qualified supervisor, the registered intern, or both.

Any clinical hours obtained via face-to-face psychotherapy by electronic means shall be considered clinical hours for the purpose of meeting internship requirements.

For further information regarding telehealth guidelines, please click here.

Health care practitioners with an out-of-state license or certification that falls under section 456.47(1)(b), F.S, qualify for an out-of-state telehealth provider registration number when they meet the following requirements:

• Submit the completed Application for Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Registration
• Maintain an active, unencumbered license from another state, the District of Columbia, or a possession or territory of the United States (license verification is required);
• Not have a pending investigation, discipline, or revocation on your license within the last five years;
• Designate a duly appointed registered agent for service of process in Florida (see Application for Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Registration)
• Maintain liability coverage or financial responsibility for telehealth services provided to patients in Florida in an amount equal to or greater than Florida health care practitioner requirements
• Not open a Florida office or provide in-person health care services to Florida patients
• Only use a Florida-licensed pharmacy, registered nonresident pharmacy, or outsourcing facility to dispense medicinal drugs to patients in Florida (pharmacists only)

Out-of-State Health Care Practitioners

Out-of-state health care practitioners must be registered with the Florida Department of Health to perform telehealth services for patients in Florida. The out-of-state telehealth provider registration is for health care practitioners licensed outside of Florida ONLY. Florida licensees can already provide telehealth services to patients in Florida that they can treat in person.

Pursuant to section 491.014(4)(d), Florida Statutes, you may practice under a limited basis without a license as specified below:

4. No person shall be required to be licensed, provisionally licensed, registered, or certified under this chapter who:
   4. Is not a resident of this state but offers services in this state, provided:
      1. Such services are performed for no more than 15 days in any calendar year; and
      2. Such nonresident is licensed or certified to practice the services provided by a state or territory of the United States or by a foreign country or province.

The Department has created a website that allows interested parties to review information about Florida telehealth, sign up for updates, and register to become an out-of-state telehealth provider. Learn more about becoming an out-of-state Designated Registered Agent.

For questions, contact the Telehealth Office at MQA.Telehealth@flhealth.gov.