Rule 30-1902-2.3 - PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION REQUIREMENTS FOR LCSW LICENSUREA. Purpose Professional supervision for the LCSW candidate is intended to enhance professional development and competency and equip the applicant for autonomous practice. Supervision means the direct review, for the purpose of training or teaching by a supervisor, of the supervisee's interaction with a client or client system. The purpose of supervision shall be to promote the development of the supervisee's social work skills. Supervision occurs through multiple methods, including live supervision, video/audiotape review and case report. It must be a process clearly distinguishable from personal psychotherapy and is conducted in order to serve professional goals.
Interactions which do not constitute supervision include: peer supervision; supervision by current or former family members or any other person with whom the nature of the personal relationship prevents or makes difficult the establishment of a professional supervisory relationship; or a primarily didactic process wherein techniques or procedures are taught in a group setting, classroom, seminar, staff development, orientation or role-playing as a substitute for current social work practice.
B. Prior Approval All plans for professional post-Master's supervision must be approved by the Board prior to the beginning of said supervision, i.e., no retroactive approval of professional supervision will be granted.
Supervisor Approval: A LCSW who is providing post-Master's supervision to an LCSW candidate must be a Board-approved LCSW Supervisor, having met all requirements for Supervisor's and submitted the applicable fee.
LCSW Candidate Approval for Supervision: A LMSW seeking to become licensed at the LCSW level must meet all requirements, have submitted all fees and receive written approval by the Board prior to initiating the supervision experience.
Out-of-state Supervisor: An LCSW who is a board-approved Supervisor (or its equivalent) in another state, may qualify as a Mississippi supervisor if the Board finds that he or she meets qualifications substantially similar as those required by the Board. A separate application and verification by the respective boards shall be required. In addition, the applicant must be licensed in the state of Mississippi and pass the Mississippi LCSW supervisor test.
C. Approval Procedure LMSWs wishing to apply for LCSW status must:
1. Hold an active LMSW license with no pending complaint or disciplinary action and is otherwise in good standing as evidenced in Board records throughout the duration of the supervisory process;2. Submit an Application to Enter into the Contract for Supervision toward LCSW Status and processing costs (See Schedule: Part 1902, Chapter 2, Rule 2.3, A)3. Submit a Plan of Supervision which meets all points required by the Board (See Part 1902, Chapter 2, Rule 2.3, B) and the Outline for the Plan for Supervision provided by the Board in the Guide for Supervision (which may be accessed on the Board's website). All points must be covered in sufficient detail for review by the Social Work Credentials Committee and subsequent Board approval. This supervision plan must designate that the candidate intends to take the ASWB clinical exam. All supervisory efforts must be aligned with the candidates chosen track of desired expertise.4. Licensees who have completed supervision hours in other jurisdictions may apply to have those hours count towards their LCSW supervision in Mississippi if the Board finds that the other jurisdiction processes are similar to Mississippi and appropriate verification is received from the originating jurisdiction. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the Board receives acceptable verification from the originating jurisdictions.D. Supervisor's Qualifications and Responsibilities Supervision for the LCSW candidate must be provided by an LCSW who is a Board-approved LCSW Supervisor.
1. Certification as a Supervisor requires: a. a minimum of two years of verifiable practice at the LCSW (clinical or macro) level,b. completion of a Board approved supervision course for a minimum of sixteen (16) hours for initial approval as a supervisor and, thereafter, two (2) hours continuing education in supervision during each biennial renewal period. No supervision continuing education is required for the first renewal period. All supervision training must be approved by the Board in order to be considered for this purpose. Supervision trainers must be an approved LCSW supervisor. Effective April 1, 2009, all Board-approved supervisors must have completed the Board-approved supervision training required by this paragraph on or before July 1, 2011, in order to maintain their status as Board-approved supervisors. If supervisory training requirements were not met by July 1, 2011, approved supervisor status expired on that date and the licensee is required to meet all requirements set forth in these Rules and Regulations to become an approved supervisor.c. submission of an application for supervisory designation,d. an LCSW license in good standing as evidenced in Board records throughout the duration of the supervision process,e. initial and ongoing_approval from the Board, andf. payment of the required processing costs (See Schedule: Part 1902, Chapter 4, Rule 4.3, B).2. The LCSW Supervisor must maintain his/her license as a LCSW in accordance with licensure laws of the State of Mississippi. Board approved supervisor status remains in effect contingent upon the supervisor maintaining a current license in good standing with the Board and completing the Board-approved supervisor training required by these Rules and Regulations, during each license biennial renewal period.3. Initial supervisor approval expires on the date the licensee's regular license next expires. Thereafter, renewal of supervisor approval begins and expires on the same date for the supervisor's regular social worker's license. To renew the approved supervisor status, a supervisor must document at the time of license renewal that during the concluding license period the supervisor completed a Board approved supervision course for a minimum of sixteen (16) hours and two (2) hours continuing education in supervision.4. It shall be considered unethical for an LCSW without clinical expertise to supervise a LMSW candidate seeking to become a clinician.5. Supervisor may not supervise more than seven (7) LMSWs who are in candidacy for the LCSW at any one time. No plan of supervision will be approved if the contracted supervisor is supervising more than seven (7) licensed master social workers who are in pursuit of the LCSW licensure designation. If the supervisor provides supervision for up to seven (7) supervisees, only 50% of the supervision can take place in a group format. Hence, 50% of supervisory interactions must take place in the form of individual, face-to-face interaction.6. The LCSW Supervisor may provide supervision utilizing the following acceptable modes: a. Individual supervision shall mean a maximum of two (2) supervisees meeting with one supervisor;b. Group supervision shall consist of a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of seven (7) supervisees meeting with one supervisor.E. The Supervisory Experience 1. Supervision must occur within an agency, institution, or group practice setting. A LMSW practicing independent of an agency, institution, or group practice setting will be practicing outside Board regulations, and therefore, will not be considered a candidate for LCSW supervision, and may face disciplinary action.2. In order to be approved by the Social Work Discipline Specific Committee of the Board, the supervision application and experience must include the following: a. A contractual agreement between social worker and supervisor;b. A Plan of Supervision, approved by the Board, utilizing the plan outline provided by the Board;c. The supervisee having a minimum of one hour per week face-to-face supervision with the LCSW supervisor for a minimum of one hundred (100) hours. The supervision period must be for a minimum period of twenty-four (24) months and may not exceed thirty-six (36) consecutive months. Within sixty (60) calendar days prior to the end of the thirty-six (36) month supervision time period, the supervisor or supervisee must notify the Board in writing of any extenuating circumstances (i.e. Major Medical Issues, Loss of Employment, Family Crisis, etc), anticipated by the supervisor and/or supervisee that would require an extension of the supervisory period. Any request for an extension of the supervision period must be accompanied by supporting evidence of the extenuating circumstances. An extension will be limited to six months beyond the thirty-six (36) month maximum. Retroactive requests for extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Supervisees may receive up to four (4) hours credit for developing the supervision plan collaboratively with their prospective supervisor;
For supervisors and supervisees who are not employed within the same agency, there must be a written plan approved by the Board to address how the LCSW Supervisor will insure that the face-to-face supervision is observed or carried out. Such face-to-face supervision must include onsite visits to the supervisees practice location at least once per six (6) month supervision period;
Supervision may include alternate means of supervision by audiovisual electronic device (i.e. skype, facetime, webex, etc.) provided there is direct, interactive, live exchange between the supervisor and supervisee or provided that communication is verbally or visually interactive between the supervisor and the supervisee. It is incumbent that the supervisor and supervisee recognize the risks of sharing confidential information of clients and ensure that measures are in place that protect confidentiality through electronic encryption or related methods. No more than one-fourth (1/4) of the required hours may be by alternate means to direct face-to-face contact for a total of twenty-five (25) hours;
d. During the supervision period, the LMSW must complete a minimum of one-thousand (1,000) hours of face-to-face client contact;e. Evaluations should document personal growth and improvement in specific areas from one evaluation period to the next evaluation period. See Instructions for Supervisors, Supervision Evaluation For Post-Master's Professional Supervision. Written evaluations from the supervisor must be submitted to the Board for review at six (6) month intervals and approved by the Board before beginning the next six (6) month supervision and evaluation period. A copy of each evaluation must be maintained in the LCSW Supervisor's file for a period of three (3) calendar years.3. The applicant seeking LCSW designation must submit with the final evaluation forms, three (3) form letters of reference from appropriate professionals which indicate that the applicant's conduct is congruent with social work law and ethics and that there are no violations of standards of practice as set forth in the statute and the regulations. Forms are available on the Board's website.F. How To Change Supervisors 1. If it is necessary for supervision to be terminated, prior to the completion of the supervision experience between an LCSW candidate and their LCSW supervisor, the terminating supervisor is responsible for completing a current evaluation form and a Termination of Supervision Form on which the LCSW supervisor shall verify the total number of supervised hours. The documents must be submitted to the Board for review within thirty (30) calendar days of the termination of supervision.2. The Board shall review the supervision record along with the termination contract to determine the extent to which the supervision process is completed up to the date submitted to the Board.3. If supervision is to be continued with another LCSW supervisor, the LMSW in candidacy for the LCSW must submit to the Board:a. a new Application to Enter Into Contract for Supervision toward LCSW status, listing the prospective LCSW Board approved supervisor;b. the supervisory contract signed by the new LCSW Board approved supervisor; andc. any revisions necessary to the plan under the new supervision agreement.G. Termination of Supervision Agreement The Board, on its own motion or on the complaint of any party, and after notice and an opportunity to be heard, may terminate or suspend a supervision agreement/contract for cause.
30 Miss. Code. R. 1902-2.3
Miss. Code Ann. §§ 73-53-11(1)(c),(d), (k) and (l) and 73-53-13(c)(ii).