(a) The Board of Social Work shall license as an independent clinical social worker a person who, in addition to meeting the requirements of subchapter V of this chapter, has a master’s degree or a doctorate from a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, has satisfactorily completed the examination process at the independent clinical level, and has at least 3,000 hours of post-master’s or postdoctoral experience participating in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals, families, and groups with psychosocial problems, under the supervision of a licensed independent clinical social worker over a period of not less than 2 years or more than 4 years; under special circumstances approved by the Board, supervision by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist may be substituted for up to 1500 hours of this requirement.
(b) A licensed independent clinical social worker (“L.I.C.S.W.”) may perform any function described as the practice of social work in this chapter, in an autonomous, self-regulated fashion, in an agency setting or independently, and may supervise other persons in the performance of these functions. A licensed independent clinical social worker shall not engage in the practice of medicine and shall refer patience or clients with apparent medical problems to an appropriate and qualified medical practitioner.