FAQs

A Texas license only grants authority to practice in Texas. If you have a client in another state or country you may have to meet the practice requirements of both Texas and the state or country where the client is located. You will need to contact the other state to determine whether you can deliver services in that jurisdiction with your Texas license.

Yes. Texas law requires a provider to hold a Texas license to administer services to an individual in Texas.

Texas does not have jurisdiction on Federal ground. As long as the client is on Federal ground, Federal laws and regulations apply. You will need to contact the Federal government to determine if care can continue. If the client is on Texas ground (off-base residence, for example), a Texas license is required for care to continue.

Yes. A Texas license is only required to provide services if the client is within the borders of Texas at the time services are delivered.

To be eligible to become a social worker in Texas, you must have graduated from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program (CSWE) with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Social Work and have passed the applicable Association of Social Worker Board (ASWB) licensing exam. All applicants must: • submit a complete application and fee • submit passing scores from the ASWB • submit an official transcript that shows the conferral date of your social work degree • complete the Texas Jurisprudence Examination • submit a self-query report from the National Practitioner Data Bank • submit electronic fingerprints for a nationwide criminal history search Applicants licensed as a social worker in another state must also submit official verification of licensure from every state in which a social worker license is/was held. Applicants who have not yet taken the licensing exam begin the process by applying for the exam with ASWB. Information on that process is available on our ASWB Licensure Examinations webpage. Applicants for social work licensure who have graduated and passed the licensing exam or who are licensed as Social Workers in another state should submit their application and supporting documents via our online licensing system.

-In State: To be eligible for the Clinical Social Worker license (LCSW) you must hold a license as a Master Social Worker in Texas and complete supervised training under a board approved supervisor. All in state candidates must complete the following in no less than 24 months and no more than 48 months: • 3,000 hours of supervised practice • 100 hours of direct supervision A licensed master social worker should contact a board approved supervisor to set up a supervisory relationship. The supervisor will develop a supervision plan and initiate supervised practice. Once the minimum requirements are met, the supervisor will complete the supervised clinical experience verification form and provide it to the supervisee. The supervisee will then apply to take the clinical exam with ASWB by following the instructions on our ASWB Licensure Examinations webpage. Upon passage of the clinical exam, the LMSW should submit their application for license to the board office.  The application is available on the “Forms and Publications” page of the board’s website. -Out of State: Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) from out of state must follow the same steps required for obtaining a Master Social Worker license as show above. If the applicant has been licensed as a clinical social worker for less than one year, the applicant must submit verification of the completion of the 3,000 hours of supervised practice and 100 hours of supervision. Applicants licensed as a clinical social worker greater than one year are considered to have met the hourly experience requirement and are not required to submit verification of hours earned.

All fees are found in Chapter 885 of the Texas Administrative Code. A link to the rules is available on the BHEC website. The link to Chapter 885 is found toward the middle of the page under the heading: Relevant Administrative Rules.

If you are taking the exam for the first time you will be able to designate the state in which you are pursuing licensure and ASWB will send the scores upon completion of the exam. If you took the exam for another state’s licensing authority you will need to contact ASWB to have the scores transferred to Texas. For more information please visit ASWB’s webpage

Electronic transcripts should be sent to transcripts@bhec.texas.gov . Hardcopy transcripts should be mailed to: BHEC SW Transcripts 333 Guadalupe St., Ste. 3-900 Austin, TX 78701

The jurisprudence exam is administered online by a third-party vendor. To register visit our Jurisprudence Exam webpage.

Instructions for obtaining a self-query can be found at the NPDB webpage.

A list of active supervisors is available on the BHEC website.

BHEC has a Clinical Supervision Verification Form available on our forms webpage. This form should be filled out by and signed by the supervisor.

Upon submission of your application, you will be sent guidance on fingerprint submission. The fingerprinting is done electronically and locations all over the country. There is a fee paid to the fingerprint facility. Typically, it takes approximately 15 minutes to complete the process of getting fingerprinted.

There are many variables that impact application processing times. Typically, one can expect the process to take several weeks. BHEC provides a chart that shows the receipt date of the applications staff is currently processing here.

Yes. There are various waivers and advantages provided for active duty military, veterans and military spouses. For more information review Council rule 882.60 and 882.61.

BHEC has a verification form that an applicant should submit to the verifying state. Some states will complete the form while others will provide verification on their own form. A small number of states use their online verification for this purpose. The verification request form can be found on our forms webpage.

House Bill 2059 (86R) requires all licensed healthcare providers to complete a course in Human Trafficking Awareness approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A list of available training courses is provided on HHSC’s Human Trafficking Resource Center webpage.

Similar to continuing education, an approved human trafficking course must be completed every renewal cycle.

The Council does not approve continuing education courses. Instead, the Council has adopted rules that outline what is considered appropriate continuing education. This means a licensee can receive continuing education from any person or organization that provides the education in accordance with the Council’s rules. No approval by the Council is needed for the individual or organization to engage in the delivery of continuing education and no approval of specific courses are required. Licensees are still audited for continuing education compliance and during those reviews, staff evaluate the continuing education documentation submitted. The rules on continuing education course requirements can be found in each profession's consolidated rule book found here.

The Council does not approve continuing education providers. Instead, the Council has adopted rules that outline what is considered appropriate continuing education. This means a licensee can receive continuing education from any person or organization that provides the education in accordance with the Council’s rules. No approval by the Council is needed for the individual or organization to engage in the delivery of continuing education. Licensees are still audited for continuing education compliance and during those reviews, staff evaluate the continuing education documentation submitted. If you were an “approved provider” with HHSC, you may continue to provide continuing education without having to renew. The rules on continuing education course requirements can be found in each profession's consolidated rule book found here.

Licensees under CE audit receive a renewal notification letter while those not under audit receive a renewal notification postcard.

Self-study refers to activities undertaken by a licensee that are informal and do not involve a CE provider. Reading professional journal articles is an example of self-study. A good rule of thumb is, “If you get a certificate at the completion of the endeavor, it’s NOT self-study.”

Staff cannot provide guidance on which type of business entity is best for your situation. You should consult either a CPA or an Attorney with experience in these matters. Additionally, if you do set up a business entity, you do not need to register it with the board as we do not collect that data.

There is nothing in the rules that prohibits a licensee from providing life-coaching services. However, a client might file a complaint against your BHEC license for life-coaching services. The complaint will be investigated and if the services provided overlap with your licensed scope of practice disciplinary action may result. In short, though life-coaching does not require a license in Texas, that doesn’t automatically exempt a BHEC licensee from discipline should there be a complaint regarding services provided as a life-coach.

The board is not involved with the administration of these Federal programs. Please direct any Medicare/Medicaid questions to the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services