I will preface this with I do have some bias. I am a licensed independent social worker in Ohio with supervisory designation. I have past the BSW and advanced clinical ASWB exam on the first time without studying. I have provided training supervision for several social workers getting their independent licensure exam and have had success in supporting them to pass the ASWB exam.
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On Monday I listened to a panel on social work licensure that
was sponsored by ACOSA. I had a number of issues with the panel. The majority
of participants presented as White. One participant identified as bi-racial
(Black and White). The panel also really didn’t give a strong voice of why
social work licensure is beneficial with the focus of it being “bad”. Another
issue is a sort of picking and choosing what is gatekeeping and what is not. There
was an emphasis on how licensing is gatekeeping – which I agree – But there was
not recognition that getting a college degree and having to be accepted into a major
along with a certain GPA is also gatekeeping. I am not saying that the panelist
do not believe that, but fundamentally gatekeeping starts at getting the right degree.
From experience, I would add as a social work professional gatekeeping also involves
going to the “right school”. I didn’t attend a prestigious social work program.
I received by undergrad and graduate degree in social work form the University of
Toledo where I was trained in an advanced generalist model. I have the highest
social work licensure in my state and regularly give back to the profession. Often,
I am not recognized or do not get a platform because I did not graduate from somewhere
like Case Western or The Ohio State University. That’s a different topic of a
different day, but it seems inauthentic when the “elite” social workers discuss
professional gatekeeping when while practicing it themselves.
As I consider licensure, I reflect on the questions “what
social work activities need to be licensed”? Obviously, not all of the things social
workers do require a license. If social workers did not provide psychotherapy
would a license be necessary at all? A point during the panel that was touched
on several times was that social work is about relationship building. If social
work can be distilled to relationship building, then we do we need a license
or even a degree. There are a number of things that social workers are trained
in, but if it just comes down to relationship building there are many other
professions that can do that.
Maybe it is our social justice orientation that makes us a distinct
profession? I choose social work because I wanted to see systems that were just.
However, a lens of social justice or even a focus of social justice does not
necessarily require a license. Training through an organized curriculum,
probably – but a license to practice, I don’t think so.
So, what are the benefits to social work licensure?
- It creates a scope of practice that distinguishes us from other disciplines. Losing the license would also likely mean losing that scope of practice which may be similar to other professions.
- There is a body to contact (licensure board) when a social worker practices outside of that scope or unethically.
- It creates a requirement for continuing education. While professionals should constantly be learning, I have met more social workers than I care to count that have forgotten to engage in continuing education to complete their continuing education requirement.
- Finally, it adds legitimacy. Now we can argue about the extent of the legitimacy, but a license at least creates a framework for legitimacy.
The panel discussion seemed to argue two things simultaneously
which seemed to weaken both arguments. First there are significant and valid
issues with the ASWB licensure test so some are calling for the abolition of
that test and some alternative route to licensure. Arguing the invalidity of
the test (and it may very well not be a good measure) and establishing an alternative
licensure route at the same time seems a bit contradictory. An alternative pathway
to licensure may be beneficial, but it brings us back to asking what is the
point of licensure and what are we trying to establish with it.
I am willing to engage in more conversation on the issue and I am very open to hearing from other perspectives. These are just my thoughts upon reflecting on Monday's panel discussion.
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