Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), State of Nevada – License #4753-C
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), State of California – License #21773

LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. To obtain this license in Nevada, candidates must possess a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a minimum of 3,000 hours practicing psychotherapy under supervision.

Generally, mental health therapists must possess at least a Master’s Degree in a related field and the appropriate corresponding license for that degree. Though there are many degrees that prepare a professional to provide therapy, the Master’s in Social Work is unique in its emphasis on the person-in-environment perspective. According to this perspective, people and their difficulties influence and are influenced by a multitude of factors surrounding them, including but not limited to ethnicity, spirituality, social and occupational pressures, family environment, and medical health. Though LCSW’s diagnose and treat mental health disorders, the emphasis of clinical social work is on a comprehensive and dynamic approach toward assessment and treatment of a system, rather than on the pathology of the individual.