The extensive work of obtaining your social work license will leave you a credentialed professional with full authority in your state of residence. But what if you decide to move to a new state?
Social work licenses are conferred on a state-by-state basis because each state has its own guidelines and regulations for social work practice. But it’s understood that social workers frequently wish to relocate over the course of their careers, prompting states to devise systems by which they can easily transfer their licenses while gaining an understanding of the frameworks within which they will be working once they move.
Some states have formal systems by which incoming social workers can use their existing credentials to earn licenses in their new state of residence. This is known as license reciprocity.
The state of Texas does not have an official license reciprocity system in place. However, licensed social workers who are moving to the state have the opportunity to expedite the process of securing their Texas licenses.
This should be cause for a sigh of relief for anyone who’s been considering moving to Texas but hasn’t been sure how they could resume their social work career.
So does Texas’ re-licensing system work? Read on to find out.
Social Workers Can Make a Difference Wherever They Go
Those who pursue careers as social workers are motivated to create change in the lives of some of society’s hardest-hit individuals, families, and communities. Though particular issues and needs may vary considerably from one location to another, there are always ways for social workers to help make peoples’ lives better. This means that social workers can always find opportunities for employment, no matter where in the country they move.
If you are a social worker considering relocating, take this to heart, as not every professional field offers such widespread opportunity. You also may find that engaging with communities through social work is an important and meaningful way of understanding how civic causes affect people from different backgrounds, contributing to your larger sense of purpose and an understanding of the critical impact of the social work field overall.
The Alternative for Texas Social Work License Reciprocity
In Texas, social work licensing is overseen by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, a department of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC). Though BHEC does not offer an official social work license reciprocity system, they do offer a path by which social workers licensed in other states can bypass requirements such as supervised field work hours (for LCSWs) and ASWB board exams.
In order to receive Texas social work licenses, social workers who are licensed in other states must submit their existing licensure for verification with the TSBSWE.
In most cases, those who have completed all licensing requirements in another state can use this to skip the steps that would normally be mandatory for new social workers. However, there are still a few steps any social worker new to Texas must complete.
The first of these steps is passing the Texas Jurisprudence Exam, provided by the TSBSWE. This exam is intended to measure your knowledge of all guidelines and protocols for social workers in Texas. Since those regulations are unique to the state of Texas alone, there is no way to sidestep or defer this requirement.
The Texas Jurisprudence Exam is an open-book, “no-fail” test that students can retake until they have passed it. However, it is worth going in having reviewed the laws in Texas so that you can complete your exam quickly and easily.
You also must receive endorsement from the state where you have previously held your social work license. This is to be provided by every state licensing agency that has issued you a professional license, even if your license in that place has expired. In some cases, these documents are accessible online; the TSBSWE has recently amended their policies to accept such documentation.
If you are an LCSW, your state endorsement will include verification of the supervised field work hours you completed when pursuing your clinical license. However, if you are an LCSWs who has been practicing for less than one year, you must also complete the Clinical Supervision Verification Form, as your endorsing state verification will not include this information.
Required Documents for Receiving Texas Social Work Licensing After Relocating
The following can serve as your checklist of documentation needed to apply for a Texas license if you are already a licensed social worker. It’s strongly advised to prepare all of these materials prior to opening your application.
The following two materials, mentioned in the section above, you can submit yourself:
- Certificate of passage of the Texas Jurisprudence Exam
- Clinical supervision verification form (recently licensed LCSWs only)
The following remaining materials must be submitted by third parties on your behalf:
- National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report
- Fingerprinting
- Verification of Licensure in Another State
- ASWB Scores
- Official MSW transcripts (electronic submission preferred)
By providing these to the TSWBSE, you are creating a solid record of your time in the social work field that can confirm to the Board that you indeed are qualified for social work licensing and are eligible to bypass the requirements for those entering the field.
You cannot practice as a social worker in Texas without your social work license, so it’s important to take this process seriously and be scrupulous as you prepare your materials.
The future of your career depends on this documentation, so it’s essential to be as thorough and as diligent as you were when you obtained your social work license for the first time.
FAQs
Does Texas offer social work license reciprocity?
Technically, it does not, but it is possible for practicing social workers to bypass most of the exam and field work requirements for new social workers if they are able to provide verification of their existing license, completed field work hours (for LCSWs), and passed ASWB exams. You can do this by submitting the documentation listed above to the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners.
Beyond submitting verification for my existing social work license, are there any other requirements for social workers licensed in other states to obtain their Texas licenses?
Yes. Incoming social workers from out of state are also expected to pass the Texas Jurisprudence Exam, a mandatory test that is unilaterally required for all social work professionals in the state.
I am an LMSW in another state, but I wish to become an LCSW in Texas. Will I still have to complete LCSW field work requirements in Texas?
Yes. You can only receive the same license level you hold in another state. If you are not yet an LCSW, this means you will have to complete the mandatory 3,000 field work hours required to receive clinical licensing.
What states have reciprocity for your social work license?
Most states offer some means by which social workers who are licensed in another state can relocate to theirs without starting the process all over again. However, this is not always termed “reciprocity,” meaning you will find different answers in different places. It’s crucial to do your research on the policy of whatever state you plan to move to before pursuing a license transfer to ensure that your goals are possible and that you have the documentation required to receive your new license.