Washington LSWAIC Supervision Requirements

Supervision Standards for Every Licensure Candidate

One rule sets the floor for every Washington licensure candidate, social work included: "regular supervision, meeting at least one hour for every 80 hours of the licensure candidate's clinical practice time" (WAC 246-809-020(2)(b)). That is a minimum frequency, not a total; it does not replace the 100-hour figure below. The same rule requires the supervisor and candidate to communicate the nature of the supervisory relationship to the public, other professionals and all clients served (WAC 246-809-020(2)(a)), and requires supervision to discuss seven topics: the services the candidate provides, the candidate's caseload and treatment plans, the theory and practice behind the candidate's work, relevant Washington laws and rules, standards of practice, coordination with other professionals, and relevant professional literature and research (WAC 246-809-020(2)(d)).

The supervisor must maintain documentation of the supervision provided (WAC 246-809-020(3)(e)) and must immediately notify any candidates under their supervision if the supervisor no longer meets the qualifications to be an approved supervisor (WAC 246-809-020(3)(a)). For a candidate practicing on a pending associate credential, the approved supervisor must also review any assessment or diagnosis and must agree with it before it is provided to the patient (WAC 246-809-020(2)(c)).

100 Hours of Direct Supervision: 70 With an LICSW, 60 One-to-One

On top of the one-per-80 rate, an LSWAIC candidate needs "one hundred hours of direct supervision" (WAC 246-809-330(2)(c)(ii)). Of those, "seventy hours must be with an independent clinical social worker"; the remaining hours may be with an equally qualified licensed mental health practitioner, defined as a licensed mental health counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed psychologist, licensed physician practicing as a psychiatrist, or licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner (WAC 246-809-330(2)(c)(ii)(A); WAC 246-809-310(3)).

"Sixty hours of the 100 hours of direct supervision must be in one-to-one supervision. The remaining hours may be in one-to-one supervision or group supervision" (WAC 246-809-330(2)(c)(ii)(C)). One-on-one supervision on this track means face-to-face or virtual supervision involving one supervisor and one licensure candidate (WAC 246-809-310(7)), the strictest individual-session definition of Washington's three tracks; counseling and marriage and family therapy both allow up to two candidates in an individual session. Group supervision means face-to-face or virtual supervision with one supervisor and no more than six licensure candidates (WAC 246-809-310(4)).

The 1,000 Direct Client Contact Hours

Separate from the 100 supervision hours, the rule requires "one thousand hours must be direct client contact supervised by a licensed independent clinical social worker" (WAC 246-809-330(2)(c)(i)). The direct-hour requirement itself is tied to LICSW supervision, not to any equally qualified practitioner.

Who Qualifies as an Approved Supervisor

An approved supervisor's license must be without restrictions and must have been active and in good standing for the previous two years (WAC 246-809-334(1)). The supervisor also has to have completed 15 clock hours of training in clinical supervision, obtained through a supervision course, continuing education credits on supervision, or supervision of supervision; 25 hours of experience in supervision of clinical practice; and two years of clinical experience postlicensure (WAC 246-809-334(4)). Candidates whose supervised postgraduate experience began before September 30, 2006 are exempt from those three training and experience items (WAC 246-809-334(6)).

For a supervisor who is themselves an LICSW, the statute adds one more condition: the supervisor must have "at least one year of experience in supervising the clinical social work of others" (RCW 18.225.090(1)(a)(ii)(C)).

Who May Not Supervise a Candidate

The rule states the bar directly: an approved supervisor "must not be a blood or legal relative or cohabitant of the licensure candidate, licensure candidate's peer, or someone who has acted as the licensure candidate's therapist within the past two years" (WAC 246-809-334(2)). "Peer" is defined as "a co-worker who is not the licensure candidate's employer or supervisor" (WAC 246-809-310(8)).

The Supervisor's Declaration: DOH 670-091

Before beginning supervision, the approved supervisor must give the licensure candidate a declaration stating that the supervisor has met the requirements of WAC 246-809-334 and qualifies as an approved supervisor, on a form the department provides (WAC 246-809-334(3)). On DOH form 670-091 (March 2025), the Approved Supervisor Declaration for Licensed Social Worker Candidates, the supervisor attests to completing the 15 hours of clinical supervision training, the 25 hours of supervision experience, and the two years of clinical experience post license, and to gaining thorough knowledge of the candidate's practice setting, recordkeeping, financial management, ethics of clinical practice, and backup plan for coverage (WAC 246-809-334(5)).

DOH's social work FAQ also lists the Approved Supervisor Form, "submitted directly by your supervisor," among the items a complete associate application needs, and the associate packet (DOH 670-105) includes it.

What DOH 670-011 Warns

The Verification of Social Worker Supervised Postgraduate Experience form, DOH 670-011 (May 2023), carries two warnings worth reading before hours are logged. First: "experience gained through inappropriate supervision will not count toward the applicant's supervised postgraduate experience requirement." Second: "the supervisor must be licensed and legally able to practice in the location where supervision hours are being earned."

A separate form is required for each supervisor and each practice setting. For what the form asks for line by line, see the Washington supervised experience verification forms.

The Supervisor Directory and the Stipend

DOH's licensed counselor supervisor directory, effective October 1, 2023, helps place associates with eligible supervisors, but listing in it is not required to be a supervisor under WAC 246-809-334 (WAC 246-809-070(1), (5)). A supervisor stipend program also exists under WAC 246-809-099, subject to the availability of appropriated funds; it is not a guaranteed payment.

The LASW Track: Fewer Supervision Hours, Different Supervisors

The licensed advanced social worker (LASW) is a separate top-tier license under the same statute chapter, not a step toward the LICSW. Its supervised experience requirement includes 90 hours of direct supervision under a licensed independent clinical social worker, a licensed advanced social worker, or an equally qualified licensed mental health professional, of which 40 hours must be one-to-one and 50 hours may be one-to-one or group; 800 hours must be direct client contact (WAC 246-809-330(1)(c)).

For the rest of that comparison, see LSWAIC vs LICSW in Washington.

The One-Per-80 Rate, Worked Out

At 20 hours of clinical practice time a week, an LSWAIC candidate reaches 80 hours in 4 weeks, so a supervision hour is due about every 4 weeks by the rate alone. That is arithmetic, not the rule itself, and it is measured against clinical practice time, a term the rule does not define further; it does not shrink or replace the 100-hour total. Whatever the rate works out to in a given month, the candidate still needs 100 hours of direct supervision by the end of the process, 70 of them with an LICSW and 60 of them one-to-one (WAC 246-809-330(2)(c)(ii)).

Common Mistakes on Washington LSWAIC Supervision

Related Washington Social Work Guides

FAQ: Washington LSWAIC Supervision Requirements