Social workers who have already earned a clinical license to practice in other states may be able to take advantage of a provision in the New York State Education Law that allows social workers moving to the state to receive an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) on the basis of those out-of-state credentials.
Although this is often referred to as reciprocity, there are no actual reciprocal agreements involved.
You are not allowed to practice in New York, either in-person or remotely, under the authority of your out-of-state license.
Instead, New York’s Office of the Professions refers to this as endorsement, as in, your prior qualifications are endorsed as being equivalent to New York licensing standards. On that basis, you may receive a New York LCSW license that allows you to practice in the state.
Only clinical social workers are eligible to receive licensure by endorsement. Because the LMSW in New York is most commonly used as an interim credential, there is no path to LMSW endorsement from other states. You’ll have to go through the same steps to qualify and apply for LMSW licensure as any candidate, even if you already hold an LMSW elsewhere.
LCSW License by Endorsement Requirements for New York State
The requirements for becoming a New York LCSW by endorsement are as straightforward as other social work licensing standards here:
- Hold a Master of Social Work degree with clinical coursework involved
- Have undergone post-MSW supervised experience in diagnosis, psychotherapy, and treatment planning
- Have passed the ASWB Clinical social work exam
- Have at least 10 years of practice experience in the 15 years prior to application
Minus the practical experience, these are the same requirements you would have to fulfill if applying directly to NYSED for an LCSW; in this case, the state is simply recognizing that the licensing authority in some other state has already checked all the boxes to ensure your professional competency.
Because licenses are not actually reciprocal, there’s no list of states with pre-approved eligibility for taking advantage of the endorsement process. Instead, as long as the state where you are currently licensed has substantially similar requirements to New York, your license is likely to be accepted.
Understanding How To Take Advantage of New York LCSW Licensure by Endorsement
The process for becoming licensed by endorsement is very similar to applying for an LCSW license directly.
That means filling out and submitting the standard NYSED Office of the Professions forms required of all applicants for LCSW licensure:
- Form 1 - Application for Licensure
- Form 2 - Certification of Professional Education
Note that Form 2 has to be accompanied by your official transcript from your MSW program, as well as copies of course syllabi or other supporting materials. This is true even if, for some reason, your MSW is pre-approved by NYSED for clinical licensure in New York, but you didn’t initially get your license here.
Where most applicants will go on to fill out Form 4 – Applicant Experience record, and have their supervisors submit Form 4Bs to verify that experience, endorsement applicants take a slightly different path.
They will instead submit the following paperwork:
- Form 3 - Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification - This is a two section form, where applicants fill in the first section with their personal information, and the licensing agency of the state they are currently licensed in provides the verified details of their license, qualifying tests, and education. The form must be submitted directly from that licensing agency to NYSED; you are not allowed to return it yourself.
- Form 4E - Endorsement Experience Record - This form provides information detailing your years of practice experience, including locations and dates of service, in order to show you have practiced for the required 10 years on your current license.
- Form 4F - Certification of Licensed Experience - For each of the positions cited in your form 4E, a colleague or superior that you worked with must attest to your actual service during those dates. The colleagues do not need to hold a social work license, but do need to have a state license of some sort, and provide that information and verification of your work directly to NYSED.
As with direct LCSW applications, all verification materials that are required to be submitted to NYSED must come directly from the source, not from the applicant. So your supervisors, university, and colleagues must send records directly to NYSED.
Are There Any Limitations To Getting a New York LCSW License by Endorsement?
The good news is that once you jump through the hoops and are approved, you will have a full New York LCSW license without restriction.
That means you will be eligible for all the same social work jobs as any licensed social worker in New York. There is nothing on your LCSW license to indicate that it was received through reciprocity versus the normal in-state route (your resume will probably show this, but, as we’ll see in a minute, that is probably to your advantage). Other than the time to apply, there is no waiting period before you can begin performing social work.
The even better news is that you are likely to come in pretty high up on the social worker salary scale if you receive licensure by endorsement as an LCSW in New York.
By definition, you won’t be getting licensure by endorsement in New York unless you have at least ten years of practical experience as a clinical social worker in another state. That experience doesn’t evaporate when you cross the Hudson. Employers in New York are hungry for LCSWs who have buckets of experience to back up their training. That’s worth higher salaries in many cases.
If you’re just coming to New York after a decade or more or practice in other states, welcome to the big leagues! We’re a state that has a great need for experienced professional social workers, but also one that values that expertise and experience. You can make a big difference here and with an easy path to transfer your license, you will soon!