{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1261.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-1261.1","heading":"Issuance of licenses - Qualifications - Types of","body":"license - Private practice – Definitions.\n\nA. To obtain a license under the Social Worker's Licensing Act,\n\nan applicant shall:\n\n1. Submit a written application in a form prescribed by the\n\nState Board of Licensed Social Workers;\n\n2. Have attained the age of majority;\n\n3. Have graduated and received a degree in social work from an\n\napproved social work program;\n\n4. Have completed any necessary post graduate experience and\n\nsupervision in the practice of social work;\n\n5. Have passed the necessary examination and paid all fees\n\nrequired by the Board; and\n\n6. Submit to a national criminal history record check, as\n\ndefined by Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The\n\ncosts associated with the national criminal history record check\n\nshall be paid by the applicant and submitted to the Board at the\n\ntime of application. With the required fee, the applicant shall\n\nprovide to the Board two classifiable sets of fingerprints to be\n\nprovided to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.\n\nB. If the results of the national criminal history record check\n\nrequired by subsection A of this section reveal that the applicant\n\nhas been convicted of, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to, any\n\nfelony crime that substantially relates to the occupation of a\n\nsocial worker and poses a reasonable threat to public safety, the\n\nindividual's application for licensure may be disapproved and no\n\nfurther action shall be taken on the application.\n\nC. Upon certification by the Board, the Board shall authorize\n\nthe issuance of social work licenses to persons who qualify as\n\nfollows:\n\n1. As a licensed social work associate (LSWA) who has a\n\nbaccalaureate degree in social work from an accredited institution\n\nor an approved social work program or both and has passed the\n\nexamination provided for under these provisions or who has a\n\ndoctoral or master's degree in social work from an institution with\n\na program accredited by an approved social work program and has\n\npassed the examination provided for under these provisions;\n\n2. As a licensed master's social worker (LMSW) who has a\n\nmaster's degree in social work from an accredited institution or an\n\napproved social work program or both and has passed the examination\n\nprovided for under the Social Worker's Licensing Act;\n\n3. As a licensed social worker (LSW) who has a master's degree\n\nin social work from an accredited institution or an approved social\n\nwork program or both and has three thousand (3,000) hours of\n\npostgraduate experience in the practice of social work under\n\nprofessional supervision of a person licensed under those\n\nprovisions, and who has passed the examination provided for under\n\nthe provisions of the Social Worker's Licensing Act;\n\n4. As a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who has a\n\nmaster's degree in social work from an accredited institution or an\n\napproved social work program or both and has three thousand (3,000)\n\nhours of postgraduate experience in the practice of clinical social\n\nwork under professional supervision of a person licensed by the\n\nSocial Worker's Licensing Act, and who has passed the examination\n\nprovided for under the Social Worker's Licensing Act; and\n\n5. As a licensed social worker with administration specialty\n\n(LSW-ADM) who has a master's degree in social work from an\n\naccredited institution or an approved social work program or both\n\nand has three thousand (3,000) hours of postgraduate experience in\n\nthe practice of administrative social work under professional\n\nsupervision of a person licensed by the Social Worker's Licensing\n\nAct, and who has passed the examination provided for under the\n\nSocial Worker's Licensing Act.\n\nD. Applicants who have been licensed as an LSWA, LMSW, LSW,\n\nLCSW or LSW-ADM in good standing in another state for a minimum of\n\nthree (3) years continually since the time of initial full licensure\n\npost-provisional term and comply with all other state requirements\nnsed by the Social Worker's Licensing\n\nAct, and who has passed the examination provided for under the\n\nSocial Worker's Licensing Act.\n\nD. Applicants who have been licensed as an LSWA, LMSW, LSW,\n\nLCSW or LSW-ADM in good standing in another state for a minimum of\n\nthree (3) years continually since the time of initial full licensure\n\npost-provisional term and comply with all other state requirements\n\nshall be licensed by the Board.\n\nE. No person may engage in the private practice of clinical\n\nsocial work unless that person:\n\n1. Is licensed under the Social Worker's Licensing Act as a\n\nlicensed clinical social worker (LCSW); and\n\n2. Continues to meet continuing education requirements set by\n\nthe Board.\n\nF. No person may engage in an independent social work practice\n\nunless that person:\n\n1. Is licensed under the Social Worker's Licensing Act as a\n\nlicensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed social worker with\n\nadministration specialty (LSW-ADM) or licensed social worker (LSW).\n\nThis specifically and intentionally excludes licensed social work\n\nassociates (LSWA) and licensed masters social workers (LMSW); and\n\n2. Continues to meet continuing education requirements set by\n\nthe Board.\n\nG. Any person seeking to pursue postgraduate supervision for\n\nthe licensed social worker (LSW), licensed social worker with\n\nadministration specialty (LSW-ADM), or licensed clinical social\n\nworker (LCSW) must hold licensure status of licensed social work\n\nassociate (LSWA) or licensed masters social worker (LMSW) prior to\n\nboard approval of postgraduate supervision for licensure as\n\nspecified in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of subsection C of this section.\n\nH. As used in this section:\n\n1. \"Substantially relates\" means the nature of criminal conduct\n\nfor which the person was convicted has a direct bearing on the\n\nfitness or ability to perform one or more of the duties or\n\nresponsibilities necessarily related to the occupation; and\n\n2. \"Poses a reasonable threat\" means the nature of criminal\n\nconduct for which the person was convicted involved an act or threat\n\nof harm against another and has a bearing on the fitness or ability\n\nto serve the public or work with others in the occupation.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"2fa280a72d09993acf589e54f7701392a7b7f54c03f2b691cf099f4cfed952de","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1256.2","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1261.1a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}