Social Work Licensure in Wyoming: LCSW Requirements, Hours and Exams

Wyoming's sources name three social work rungs, and the wording separates them sharply.

The certified social worker (CSW) is defined as a person "certified under this act" — a certification, not a license — to perform social work treatment, prevention, intervention, case management, referral and follow up with individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses or mental disorders under a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming; an applicant has six months from the date of employment to become certified unless the board extends the grace period (33-38-106(b)(vi)).

The provisional clinical social worker holds a license, which the statute describes as a means to continue progress toward satisfying all licensure requirements.

The licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) is the rung whose holders may practice independent of supervision.

Those three are the rungs the research records.

The LCSW statute requires "a master's or doctorate degree in one (1) of the disciplines identified from an accredited program and institution of higher education", professional in content and meeting the board's academic and training content standards; the board applies the professional training and experience standards of the appropriate professional associations through its rules (33-38-106(a)(iii)).

The sources read do not list which disciplines qualify, nor the accreditor, so confirm with the board before assuming a particular degree counts.

The CSW requires a baccalaureate degree in social work from an accredited program (33-38-106(b)(iii)).

A provisional applicant whose master's or doctorate is clinical in content from a regionally accredited institution may be licensed provisionally, completing any program deficiencies the board requires during the term (33-38-106(d)(iii)(B)).

The hour rule sits in the licensure statute itself: 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience including at least 100 hours of face-to-face individual clinical supervision from a qualified clinical supervisor.

The supervision component is individual and face-to-face in the statute's own words; a group format is not part of the requirement as written.

The board's examination page adds the duration floor: applicants sitting for the Clinical exam must show the Chapter 9, Section 4 hours were completed "in no less than eighteen (18) months", and supervisors certify them on the Verification and Evaluation of Supervised Experience (VESE) form sent directly to the board office.

No maximum duration appears in the sources read.

Keep an eye on the provisional license too: it expires 36 months after issuance unless extended (33-38-106(d)(v)).

Each rung maps to one exam.

The CSW takes the ASWB examination at the Bachelor's Level (board rules Chapter 6, Section 4, per the board's exam page); the provisional clinical social worker and the LCSW take the ASWB examination at the Clinical Level (Chapter 9, Section 5).

The statute requires "passing a standard examination" and obliges the board to provide examination opportunities at reasonable times and places at least twice each year (33-38-106(a)(iv)).

Two practical rules wrap around the exam: the board approves you to sit only when you hold a valid Wyoming application that requires the exam or are a provisional licensee working toward independent licensure, and a score earned as part of schooling or licensure in another jurisdiction must be transferred to Wyoming through the test agency.

Wyoming writes cross-discipline supervision into its definition of a qualified clinical supervisor, so the person signing off on your hours need not be an LCSW — an LPC, LMFT, licensed addictions therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, addictionology physician or psychiatric APRN qualifies.

One condition narrows the field at the baccalaureate rung: the CSW definition specifies supervision by a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming (33-38-102(a)(xi)).

For an associate choosing where to work, that still widens the employers whose on-site supervisor can count; confirm the supervisor's license at the interview.

Whether the board imposes further supervisor requirements — such as any separate supervisor credential — is not stated in the sources read, which do not include rules Chapter 9, the chapter the board's exam page cites for the LCSW hours; confirm supervisor eligibility with the board.

The statute's hour rule still constrains format: the 100 supervision hours must be face-to-face and individual, and it is the supervisor who completes the VESE form and submits it directly to the board office.

The statute defines the practice of clinical social work as applying social work theory and methods to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of psychosocial dysfunction, disability or impairment, including emotional and mental disorders, with services spanning assessment, diagnosis, treatment (including psychotherapy and counseling), client-centered advocacy, consultation and evaluation (33-38-102(a)(v)).

Only the LCSW may deliver that independently: its holders may practice independent of supervision (33-38-102(a)(iii)).

The CSW's defined scope — social work treatment, prevention, intervention, case management, referral and follow up with individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses or mental disorders — runs entirely under a qualified clinical supervisor licensed in the state of Wyoming (33-38-102(a)(xi)).

The provisional clinical social worker likewise practices only under supervision and any other restrictions the board specifies (33-38-106(d)(iv)).

Read job posts accordingly: independent clinical duties map to the LCSW.

The reciprocity section has three doors.

The main one: a license in good standing from another state with substantially similar licensure requirements can be exchanged for a Wyoming license upon board approval (33-38-108(a)).

A parallel subsection covers certification-level reciprocity for social work, addictions therapy and mental health work (33-38-108(b)), and for good cause shown the board shall issue a license or certification to a reciprocity seeker — the statute names social worker, addictions practitioner, addictions practitioner assistant or mental health worker — who does not meet subsections (a) or (b) (33-38-108(d)).

There is also a provisional fallback: a clinician holding an independent clinical practice license in good standing in a jurisdiction that does not meet the reciprocity criteria may take a provisional license and complete any program deficiencies during the term (33-38-106(d)(iii)(C)).

If you already passed the ASWB exam, ask the test agency to transfer the score to Wyoming.

As of September 2026 Wyoming has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact: it is absent from the commission's list of member jurisdictions (retrieved 2026-09-24), and the commission is not yet issuing multistate licenses anywhere.

Do not confuse the two compacts you will meet on the board's website: the board's compact page is about the Counseling Compact, under which Wyoming began issuing privileges to licensed professional counselors on August 31, 2026.

That compact does not cover social workers.

There is no multistate-license route into Wyoming social work; practice takes a Wyoming license, by the standard route or the reciprocity routes above.

Check the commission's jurisdiction list and the board before relying on either status.

Renewal is biennial: the statute requires a renewal fee every two years (33-38-107), and the board sets expiration on the holder's date of birth, renewing the license for two calendar years on approval.

The renewal page's non-audit attestation certifies 45 contact hours as described in Chapter 14, Sections 3 and 4, including at least 3 hours in professional ethics and 3 in suicide assessment or intervention; the rule chapter itself was not read, so the page is the source for the CE structure.

Courses the board classes as business-related — it names BLS, Drugs in the Workplace and HIPAA — do not count toward the 45.

Fingerprints accompany renewal every four years.

There is no late renewal: miss the expiration date and you must cease practice until relicensed, and a license expired more than five years requires retaking the exam.