Barriers to Licensure

An Innovative Program to Address Social Injustice in Social Work Professional Development Pathways

Abstract

This article describes the current barriers that exist for Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates when obtaining the advanced clinical social work licensure. Disparities that exist in pass rates based on demographic factors, the lack of social work roles that provide clinical supervision, and the economic costs to obtaining outside supervision deeply impact social workers, the profession, and ultimately, client care. These barriers to both professional licensure and the advanced clinical licensure comprise a workforce-centered social justice issue that has broad implications for practitioners, organizations, and vulnerable communities. In this article, we describe a pilot project called the Clinical Supervision Program at a school of social work in Pennsylvania, launched to address social justice needs through an innovative and guided pathway that will result in clinical social worker licensure. The pilot project is a collaboration of faculty and clinical practitioners that provides supervision, mentorship, sustainability, and support to practitioners with the aim of enhancing equity within the social work profession. In doing so, this project strives to address both the economic and societal costs of gatekeeping the social work profession via licensure through the strategy of supported and relational mentorship as a core part of the licensing and credentialing process.