Virginia Law

A. Licensed clinical social workers shall be required to have completed a minimum of 30 contact hours of continuing education. LBSWs and LMSWs shall be required to have completed a minimum of 15 contact hours of continuing education prior to licensure renewal in even years. Courses or activities shall be directly related to the practice of social work or another behavioral health field. A minimum of six of those hours for licensed clinical social workers and a minimum of three of those hours for licensed social workers must pertain to ethics or the standards of practice for the behavioral health professions or to laws governing the practice of social work in Virginia. Up to two continuing education hours required for renewal may be satisfied through delivery of social work services, without compensation, to low-income individuals receiving health services through a local health department or a free clinic organized in whole or primarily for the delivery of those services, as verified by the department or clinic. Three hours of volunteer service is required for one hour of continuing education credit.

1. The board may grant an extension for good cause of up to one year for the completion of continuing education requirements upon written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date. Such extension shall not relieve the licensee of the continuing education requirement.

2. The board may grant an exemption for all or part of the continuing education requirements due to circumstances beyond the control of the licensee such as temporary disability, mandatory military service, or officially declared disasters upon written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date.

B. Hours may be obtained from a combination of board-approved activities in the following two categories:

1. Category I. Formally Organized Learning Activities. A minimum of 20 hours for licensed clinical social workers or 10 hours for licensed social workers shall be documented in this category, which shall include one or more of the following:

a. Regionally accredited university or college academic courses in a behavioral health discipline. A maximum of 15 hours will be accepted for each academic course.

b. Continuing education programs offered by universities or colleges accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

c. Workshops, seminars, conferences, or courses in the behavioral health field offered by federal, state or local social service agencies, public school systems, or licensed health facilities and licensed hospitals.

d. Workshops, seminars, conferences, or courses in the behavioral health field offered by an individual or organization that has been certified or approved by one of the following:

(1) The Child Welfare League of America and its state and local affiliates.

(2) The National Association of Social Workers and its state and local affiliates.

(3) The National Association of Black Social Workers and its state and local affiliates.

(4) The Family Service Association of America and its state and local affiliates.

(5) The Clinical Social Work Association and its state and local affiliates.

(6) The Association of Social Work Boards.

(7) Any state social work board.

2. Category II. Individual Professional Activities. A maximum of 10 of the required 30 hours for licensed clinical social workers or a maximum of five of the required 15 hours for licensed social workers may be earned in this category, which shall include one or more of the following:

a. Participation in an Association of Social Work Boards item writing workshop. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours.)

b. Publication of a professional social work-related book or initial preparation or presentation of a social work-related course. (Activity will count for a maximum of 10 hours.)

c. Publication of a professional social work-related article or chapter of a book, or initial preparation or presentation of a social work-related in-service training, seminar, or workshop. (Activity will count for a maximum of five hours.)

d. Provision of a continuing education program sponsored or approved by an organization listed under Category I. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours and will only be accepted one time for any specific program.)

e. Field instruction of graduate students in a Council on Social Work Education-accredited school. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours.)

f. Serving as an officer or committee member of one of the national professional social work associations listed under subdivision B 1 d of this section or as a member of a state social work licensing board. (Activity will count for a maximum of two hours.)

g. Attendance at formal staffings at federal, state, or local social service agencies, public school systems, or licensed health facilities and licensed hospitals. (Activity will count for a maximum of five hours.)

h. Individual or group study including listening to audio tapes, viewing video tapes, or reading professional books or articles. (Activity will count for a maximum of five hours.)