Licensing and Exam Requirements

Reciprocity

Recommended Course Titles That May Be Used for the Application for Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

• Courses may only be used once to meet each educational requirement.
• It is the ultimate responsibility of the applicant for course selection.
• Upon completion of your undergraduate and/or graduate field practicum experience, make sure you retain the name and contact information of your Practicum Instructor (agency phone number and Practicum Instructor email address). You may need this person’s signature when applying for licensure in the future.
• For older courses, please contact Craig Campbell at ccampbe5@iu.edu

LCAC Indiana Application and Instructions

Recommended Course Titles That May Be Used for Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC) for MSW Students

Upon completion of your undergraduate and/or graduate field practicum experience, make sure you retain the name and contact information of your Practicum Instructor (agency phone number and Practicum Instructor email address). You may need this person’s signature when applying for licensure in the future.

Disclaimer: It is the ultimate responsibility of the applicant for course selection.

Complete twenty-seven (27) semester hours or forty-one (41) quarter hours of graduate course work that must include graduate level course credits with material in at least the following content areas (see associated MSW courses that include the necessary content – courses may be listed for more than one area):

The following requirements are met with S651 & S652:

Background Information

The LCAC requires students to complete at least one (1) supervised practicum, internship, or field experience in a counseling setting. This practicum must include:

• A minimum of 280 face-to-face client contact hours providing addiction counseling services, and
• At least 35 hours of supervision from a qualified supervisor with five (5) or more years of professional experience.

A “qualified supervisor,” as defined by the board, is an individual who has five (5) or more years of professional experience working in addictions and:

• Provides supervision within their scope of training and experience,
• Holds an active license at the time of supervision as one of the following:
  1. Clinical Addiction Counselor
  2. Clinical Social Worker
  3. Marriage and Family Therapist
  4. Physician with training in psychiatric medicine
  5. Psychologist
  6. Clinical Nurse Specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing
  7. Another state-regulated addiction counseling professional, or in states without regulation, an addictions or behavioral health professional of equivalent status

The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA) requires the Indiana University School of Social Work (IUSSW) to verify completion of these criteria on Form P. To request the completion of this form please complete the licensing verification and student records request form. https://socialwork.iu.edu/student-records-and-licensing/

Policies and Procedures

Current Students

Policy:
Students must record practicum hours in Sonia using the designated activities in the Timesheets function. They must record their addictions direct practice hours and addictions supervision time accordingly. Failure to document hours correctly may prevent IUSSW from verifying eligibility on Form P.

Procedures:

• Students should document their practicum hours accurately
• Practicum Instructors (site supervisor) will verify and approve hours as they do with other practicum activities.
• Once a student requests Form P verification, IUSSW will confirm eligibility using a practicum hours report provided by the Practicum Education Team.

Alumni (completed practicum before the 2025–2026 AY)

Policy:
Alumni must provide verification that they met LCAC practicum criteria either by:

1. Documenting the minimum hours in Sonia under either Addiction Direct Practice (280 hours) or Addiction Supervision (35 hours), selecting the appropriate activity from the drop-down menu while they were a student.
2. Submitting a signed letter confirming they met the practicum criteria, along with a signed letter on letterhead from their Practicum Instructor (site supervisor) verifying both:
   • The student’s completion of practicum requirements, and
   • That the instructor met the “qualified supervisor” criteria during the student’s practicum.

IUSSW cannot sign Form P without appropriate verification.

Procedures:

• When an alumnus requests Form P verification, IUSSW will request a Sonia timesheet report from the Practicum Education Team.
• If hours were not documented as Addiction Direct Practice or Addiction Supervision, the alumnus must:
  • Submit a signed letter stating they met practicum requirements, and
  • Request a signed letter on letterhead from their Practicum Instructor (site supervisor) confirming both the practicum criteria and their own qualification as a supervisor.

• When an alumnus requests Form P verification, Craig will request a Sonia timesheet report from the Practicum Education Team.
• If hours were not documented as Addiction Direct Practice or Addiction Supervision, the alumnus must:
  • Submit a signed letter stating they met practicum requirements, and
  • Request a signed letter on letterhead from their Practicum Instructor (site supervisor) confirming both the practicum criteria and their own qualification as a supervisor.

POST GRADUATION REQUIREMENT

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE/SUPERVISION Applicants must have at least two (2) years of post-graduation clinical addiction counseling experience that must include at least two hundred (200) hours under supervision, one hundred (100) hours of which must be under individual supervision and up to one hundred (100) hours of which may be under group supervision. The supervision required must be provided by a qualified supervisor, as determined by the board. The experience requirement may not be performed away from the qualified supervisor’s premises if: (1) The work is the independent private practice of addiction therapy; and (2) The work is not performed at a place that has the supervision of a qualified supervisor. As used in IC 25-23.6-10.5-8, “qualified supervisor” means an individual who is supervising within his or her scope of experience and training and holds an active license at the time of supervision as: (1) A clinical addiction counselor; (2) A clinical social worker; (3) A marriage and family therapist; (4) A physician who has training in psychiatric medicine; (5) A psychologist; (6) A clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric or mental health nursing; or (7) Another state-regulated addiction counseling professional or, if the experience was gained in a state where no regulation exists, by an addictions or behavioral health professional of equivalent status; with at least five (5) years of experience in addictions counseling. The verification of clinical experience and supervision forms must come directly to our office from the individual(s) verifying the clinical experience and supervision hours.

Note:  It is your responsibility to keep records of your clinical supervision post-graduation

School social work is defined as a specialty by a number of national and local organizations. Indiana, along with several other states, requires individuals to be dually licensed to practice as a school social worker. In order to qualify for licensure, individuals must receive their training through higher education programs approved by the Indiana Department of Education. Indiana University and its School of Social Work in collaboration with the School of Education provide the required training for the school social work licensure.

Requirements
Master of Social Work Students (MSW) choose a Practice Area as part of their education plan. Indiana University School of Social Work offers the School Social Work Practice Area as part of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program on two campuses, IU Indianapolis and IU Northwest. The Schools Focus Area Curriculum incorporates the IDOE School Services and the School Social Work Standards.

Curriculum requirements by campus

Post-MSW Degree Applicants
IU MSW graduates who did not do the Schools Practice Area (formerly “Concentration”) may request a review of their MSW coursework and post-MSW degree school-based experiences.* Credit toward the MSW Schools Practice Area endorsement is available for MSW graduates who can demonstrate substantive evidence of MSW school-based practice experience. In exceptional cases where IU MSW graduates can demonstrate substantive school-based experience where they are employed directly by a school corporation, the Schools Practice Area License Review Committee may provide the Schools Practice Area endorsement without requiring additional coursework.

In most cases, including MSW graduates with school-based community mental health experience, MSW graduates who did not do the Schools Practice Area as part of their educational plan will be required to take additional MSW coursework to qualify for the IDOE MSW school social work endorsement.

Documents needed for review upon submission:

• Your updated resume with your MSW practicum placements
• If you are not an Indiana University MSW graduate, your official MSW transcript
• If you are employed directly by a school now or within the last 5 years providing school social work services, include a letter on official letterhead from a school administrator documenting your length of hire, full or part-time status, and your school social work roles and functions.
• State if you do or do not hold an LSW

Inquiries about having MSW coursework assessed for the MSW Schools Practice Area, should be directed to Kyle Walke at kwalke@iu.edu.

Applying for Licensure
MSW graduates who have obtained the LSW/LCSW license and who have done the MSW Schools Practice Area coursework may proceed with applying for the IDOE School PEL School Social Work license.