Clinical Social Worker

Clinical social workers (LCSW, LICSW and equivalents) hold a master’s degree in social work plus supervised clinical hours. They are the largest single group of licensed psychotherapy providers in the United States. Training emphasises the person in their environment, so alongside therapy they often help with practical systems — benefits, housing, school and medical coordination.

General clinical practice — assessment and treatment across a broad range of conditions.

The formal definition

A social worker who holds a master's or doctoral degree in social work from an accredited school of social work in addition to at least two years of post-master's supervised experience in a clinical setting. The social worker must be licensed, certified, or registered at the clinical level in the jurisdiction of practice. A clinical social worker provides direct services, including interventions focused on interpersonal interactions, intrapsychic dynamics, and life management issues. Clinical social work services are based on bio-psychosocial perspectives. Services consist of assessment, diagnosis, treatment (including psychotherapy and counseling), client-centered advocacy, consultation, evaluation, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, or behavioral disturbances.

Source: NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set. This is the definition used for billing and registration, which is why it reads the way it does.