APSW to LCSW in Wisconsin
Verified reviewed and approved on 2026-10-10
Every rule for this pathway has been checked against the board’s published text by a named reviewer, and each one cites its source.
What Wisconsin requires
| Requirement | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total supervised practice “engaged in the equivalent of at least 3,000 hours of clinical social work practice”. | 3,000 hours | Wis. Stat. § 457.08(4)(c) As set out in TripleRoute’s approved research report · read 2026-10-09 |
| Direct client contact “including at least 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact that includes the diagnosis and treatment of individuals based on the applicable edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or its equivalent”. | 1,000 hours | Wis. Stat. § 457.08(4)(c) As set out in TripleRoute’s approved research report · read 2026-10-09 |
Also in the rule
Wisconsin’s rule says these too. TripleRoute does not count them for you, so keep your own record of each.
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Education
A master’s or doctoral degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited (or pre-accredited) program, with a clinical concentration and supervised clinical field training.
DSPS, Licensed Clinical Social Worker credentialing page
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Credential while accruing
Hours count toward the LCSW only while the person holds the Advanced Practice Social Worker or Independent Social Worker credential. A master’s degree alone is not enough: hours earned without one of those credentials are not countable.
Wis. Stat. § 457.08(4); the owner’s determination of 16 August 2026
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Diagnosis and treatment
Within the 1,000 hours of face-to-face client contact, at least 600 hours are diagnosis and treatment of individuals under the DSM. It is a part of the 1,000, not an addition to it.
Wisconsin Administrative Code (the section was not pinned in the package); the owner’s determination of 16 August 2026
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Supervisor
Supervised by one of: a licensed clinical social worker with a doctorate in social work; a licensed clinical social worker who has engaged in the equivalent of 5 years of full-time clinical social work; a psychiatrist or a licensed psychologist; or an individual approved by the social worker section or who satisfies the supervision requirements in the examining board’s rules.
Wis. Stat. § 457.08(4)(c)1.–4.
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Approval of another supervisor
A supervisor outside the standard categories must be approved in advance by the Social Worker Section: “the approval must be obtained prior to starting supervision.”
Wis. Admin. Code § MPSW 4.01(6)(e); DSPS credentialing page
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Pace
Supervision includes face-to-face individual or group sessions “of at least one hour duration during each week of supervised practice”. “The one hour per week supervision requirement may be averaged out over the course of the period of supervision.”
Wis. Admin. Code § MPSW 4.01(1)
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Group supervision
“the group shall consist of no more than 6 persons receiving supervision for every one person providing supervision”; time that is primarily social activity is not credited.
Wis. Admin. Code § MPSW 4.01 (the subsection was not pinned in the package)
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Who may supervise
“Such supervision may be exercised by a person other than an employment supervisor.”
Wis. Admin. Code § MPSW 4.01 (the subsection was not pinned in the package)
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Examination
The ASWB Clinical Examination, unless the applicant holds Board Certified Diplomate status from the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work.
DSPS, Licensed Clinical Social Worker credentialing page
About this reading
- Rule set version
- 1
- In effect from
- 2026-10-09
- Published here
- 2026-10-10
- Last checked by a person
- 2026-10-10
- Next check due
- 2027-01-08
- Who decides
- Wisconsin’s licensing board. Each source above names the rule a figure comes from; its link opens TripleRoute’s approved research report, where that rule is set out. Confirm with the board before relying on anything here.
Supervisors who can qualify you
No verified supervisors are listed in Wisconsin yet. If you already work with one, you can invite them — we will check them against these rules just the same.
This page is TripleRoute’s reading of publicly published rules and is not legal advice. Requirements change, and boards are the only authority on their own rules. Always confirm with Wisconsin’s licensing board before relying on anything here. How our coverage works