According to the National Association of Social Workers, social work is a single profession with a distinct set of values, ethical principles, and standards. Under the Council on Social Work Education’s (n.d.) 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, we have a common set of core competencies and receive common degrees at the baccalaureate or master’s levels. BSW and MSW programs introduce students to the single profession concept early on, and it is not long before many students are faced with the question of whether they want to become clinical social workers. Unfortunately, people who are new to the profession may not be familiar with the notion of clinical social work, what it means, and what the other options are. This article seeks to answer these questions, as well as the question of what the clinical/nonclinical distinction means in terms of our ethical obligations.

 

    Clinical social work (CSW) refers to a “specialty practice area of social work which focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral disturbances. Individual, group and family therapy are common treatment modalities” (NASW, n.d.). To practice CSW, the laws in all 50 states require social workers to be licensed. To obtain licensure, they require an MSW with a CSW concentration (including classes and field), at least two years of post-MSW supervised clinical practice, and successful completion of a CSW exam (Association of Social Work Boards, n.d.). State laws provide licensed clinical social workers with a number of legal benefits, typically including the legal authority to diagnose mental health disorders, to conduct psychotherapy, to bill clients for third-party insurance reimbursement, to open an independent private practice, to provide clinical supervision, and to have the protection of “privilege” (i.e., courts cannot compel clinical social workers to testify unless clients provide permission).

 

    So, what is nonclinical social work (NCSW)? This term is reminiscent of the theme song for Gilligan’s Island when the lyrics enumerate key characters, “There’s Gilligan, the Skipper, too....” Rather than naming everyone, however, one version of the jingle states, “And the rest,” as if they have no name, no special identity. What social worker wants to be defined by who they are not? For the purposes of this article, I am using the term NCSW for convenience, to indicate social workers who engage in case management, counseling, administration, advocacy, community development, social action, and any other social work role that is not specifically clinical. I apologize if the term sounds dismissive, and I certainly believe that social workers should identify themselves by who they are rather than who they are not.

 

    Across the United States and Canada, approximately 29% of licensed social workers have clinical licensure (Association of Social Work Boards, 2015). In most states, NCSWs can operate with either a BSW or MSW degree. About 30 states have nonclinical licensure for social workers with BSW or MSW degrees. In practice, however, people can engage in many of the nonclinical social work functions without having a social work license—and without even having a social work degree.

 

    Although the NASW Code of Ethics (2017) applies to all social workers, certain parts of the Code have more relevance for some social workers than for others. Part 1 of the Code refers to ethical responsibilities to clients, which certainly fits well for clinical social workers. Depending on the type of NCSW, some standards in this part may not be so relevant.

 

We are excited to collaborate with BSCorbett Consulting LLC to bring you these experts as part of our Social Work Month (and beyond) celebration. We hope you will join us.

 

Jonathan Singer of the Social Work Podcast wrote the foreword to this book, and he said, "Danna pays attention to life’s details with a psychotherapist’s insight and writes about them with the passion of a slam poet. She speaks to the soul of social work and inspires us to think about more than just social work."