Arkansas Social Work License Requirements

The Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (SWLB) issues the following licenses:

Licensed Social Worker (LSW) – This license allows you to practice social work at a basic generalist level. You’re permitted to practice in organized settings, cannot practice privately or independently, and must practice under supervision. Types of social work activities you can engage in at a basic generalist level include:

• Assessment
• Case management
• Community organization
• Non-clinical counseling
• Advocacy
• Program administration

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) – This license allows you to practice social work that requires advanced skills and specialized knowledge. You’re permitted to practice in organized settings, cannot practice privately or independently, and must practice under supervision. You can engage in the same scope of practice as an LSW, plus in activities like:

• Mediation
• Treatment planning
• Gathering information and making referrals
• Making diagnoses
• Counseling

Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) – This license allows you to apply advanced clinical skills and specialized knowledge as you help individuals, families, and groups. You can choose to work independently, practice macro social work, operate a private practice, and engage in the LMSW scope of practice. You can additionally provide assessments, diagnoses, and treatments for behavioral disorders, mental conditions, and emotional disorders. You can qualify to supervise LMSWs who are fulfilling the supervised experience requirement to become LCSWs if you’ve been an LCSW for at least three years.

Steps Towards Licensure

To be eligible for all types of licenses from the Social Work Licensing Board (SWLB) you need to:

• Earn a degree in Social Work from a program that’s accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); request your school to send your official transcripts to the SWLB
• Pass an exam through the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
• Pass a background check
• Submit an application for licensure; the fee is $100 and you can do this by creating an online account or by mailing in the application materials listed below

The SWLB may grant a one-year provisional license prior to passage of the appropriate ASWB exam at the LSW and LMSW levels. These are only issued once, cannot be renewed, and expire after one year.

Licensed Social Worker (LSW)

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in Social Work.
2. Submit an application for licensure to the SWLB. Once it approves your application it will notify the ASWB that you’re cleared to test.
3. Register with the ASWB for its Bachelors exam. Once you pass this the SWLB will issue your LSW license.

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)

1. Earn a master’s degree in Social Work.
2. Submit an application for licensure to the SWLB. Once it approves your application it will notify the ASWB that you’re cleared to test.
3. Register with the ASWB for its Masters exam. Once you pass this the SWLB will issue your LMSW license
.
4. Once you become an LMSW you can start earning hours to meet the supervised experience requirement for becoming an LCSW. For your hours to count you’ll need to get your Supervision Plan approved by the SWLB within 60 days of starting.

Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW)

1. Earn a master’s degree in Social Work.
2. Fulfill the supervised experience requirement, which is 4,000 hours of post-graduate supervised clinical social work experience, including 100 hours of direct supervision, completed over at least two years. You must gain this supervised experience as an LMSW. Once you’ve completed this have your supervisor submit a Supervision Evaluation to the SWLB.
3. Submit an application for licensure to the SWLB. Once it approves your application it will notify the ASWB that you’re cleared to test.
4. Register with the ASWB for its Clinical exam. Once you pass this the SWLB will issue your LCSW license.

Renewing Your License

Social work licenses issued by the SWLB expire every two years. You can renew your license online or by mailing in a renewal application. The renewal fee is $80. To be eligible for renewal you need to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two-year period, including three hours on the subject of ethics. You can keep track of your continuing education on this form, and if requested you’ll need to submit it to the SWLB.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Social Worker in Arkansas?

It takes around four years to earn a BSW degree, and this will qualify you for the LSW license. Investing two years beyond that to earn an MSW degree will fulfill the education requirements for both the LMSW and LCSW licenses. At this point you’ll still need an additional two years of supervised experience to apply for the LCSW, amounting to eight years in total for this highest level of licensure.

Social Work Degrees in Arkansas

To qualify for social work licensure at any level in Arkansas you must have a degree from a program that’s accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Currently there are 12 CSWE-accredited degree programs in Arkansas, including four that are offered online.

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW)

If you want to qualify for the LSW license then you must earn a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited program. Right now there are nine of these programs available in Arkansas, including two that are offered online. BSW programs are at least 120 semester credits and part of being CSWE-accredited means they include a field education experience that’s at least 400 hours. Once you have a BSW the transition into an MSW program can be seamless.

Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW)

To meet the education requirements for the LMSW and LCSW licenses you must earn an MSW degree from a CSWE-accredited school. Arkansas is home to three of these programs, including two that have options for full completion online. Being CSWE-accredited means these programs automatically include a 900-hour field education experience. MSW programs are typically at least 30 semester credits.

Doctoral Degree in Social Work

While earning a doctoral degree won’t qualify you for social work licensure, it still fulfills several important roles. It shows you’ve committed yourself to this field to the point of earning the highest degree possible. It also shows you want to have as much theory and didactic knowledge about social work as possible. In sum it shows your commitment to this field as a professional. You can find degrees at this level offered as both PhD and Doctor of Social Work (DSW) programs.

Reciprocity

If you’re licensed in another state at a similar level of social work and have passed the appropriate ASWB exam then you can apply for licensure via reciprocity. Follow the procedures outlined above for your desired license. Have your state’s board of social work send verification of your out-of-state license to the SWLB. Also have the ASWB forward your exam scores to the SWLB. If you’re applying for the LCSW you still must provide proof of fulfilling a substantially equivalent experience to that of Arkansas’ supervised experience requirement, however you can be exempt from this if you’ve practiced as an independent LCSW for at least three years.

Social Work Salaries in Arkansas

In 2020 the US Department of Labor reported the following average annual salaries for several career trajectories in this field, specifically for Arkansas:

• Social and Community Service Manager – $56,560
• Healthcare Social Worker – $50,480
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker – $37,440
• Child, Family, and School Social Worker – $40,620
• Social Work Teachers, Post-secondary – $64,340
• Social Worker, All Other – $49,730

Arkansas Social Work Organizations, Chapters and Resources

Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers – This is the state chapter of the largest social work organization in the nation. The Arkansas chapter is comprised of eight branches that represent different geographic regions of the state. Membership provides great opportunities for professional networking, staying up-to-date on the latest rule changes and legislative developments, and keeping up on the latest options for continuing education.

Mental Health Council of Arkansas – This organization has the goal of making behavioral and mental healthcare accessible and affordable for everyone in the state. It focuses on healthcare reform and sponsors an annual conference. Its committees are at the heart of strategizing the best ways for achieving its goals across a range of topics.

Career Opportunities in Arkansas

Arkansas Department of Human Services – Social workers throughout the state are very familiar with this department. It provides vital services to some of the state’s most vulnerable. It has entire divisions within its organization devoted to issues like children and family services, developmental disabilities services, youth services, behavioral health services, medical services, and more.

Southeast Arkansas Behavioral Healthcare System – Being responsive, conscientious, and top-notch are how the professionals at this organization want to be viewed by their clients. They strive to be accessible, affordable, quality driven, and client-oriented. Services provided include inpatient, family and marriage counseling, substance abuse assessments, mental health diagnoses, psychiatric assessments, and much more.

Little Rock School District – Numbering 3,800, the teachers and staff in this district are responsible for providing over 24,000 students with the foundational knowledge they need to grow and develop into successful and fulfilled adults. Education takes place among the district’s 48 different educational facilities, including 27 elementary schools, eight middle schools, and five high schools.

Behavioral Health Services – Based in Little Rock, this agency offers a range of services that center around behavior and mental health, specifically for kids in school, families, and parents. Its staff of dedicated social workers and mental health practitioners can find their clients options where they previously saw none.

Arkansas Department of Health – This state-level organization plays an important role in ensuring that all residents have the tools they need to live healthy lives. To this end it sponsors programs that promote community, family, and children’s health, and provides services for people living with diseases and chronic conditions.

Springdale Public Schools – The history of schools in this district literally goes back to the days when class was held in log cabins. Today it’s one of the largest school districts in the state, educating more than 23,000 students by the most recent count. The backbone of this district are its more than 1,000 committed teachers, assisted by an invaluable team of support staff, including school social workers.

Recovery Centers of Arkansas – This agency is proud to call itself the premier facility for drug and alcohol treatment in the state. Perhaps best known for its residential programs, RCA also has outpatient programs, including an intensive program and a relapse prevention program. It serves its clients from five locations in the Little Rock and North Little Rock areas.