The Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

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• Requires the minimum of a Master's Degree in Social Work

• Refers to those licensed by a state board to provide Social Work based clinical/mental health services

• Must adhere to high standards regarding ethics and confidentiality as provided by the state board. Usually involves signing an ethics pledge or oath.

• Can be involved in direct therapy with patients in private practice.

• Might be a leader or part of a team conducting research for a university or private enterprise.

• Uses researched based strengths based social work approach to treating clients.

• Engages and participates in ongoing educational trainings to remain current on current trends in the field to best serve clients and train newly emerging professionals in the field.

• Can assess and make clinically sound evaluations of clients' mental health and diagnose mental illness.

• Make judgments on the best course of treatments based upon current clinical research in the social work field.