Michael Mallory, MSW, LCSW, Chicago District Chair
Happy April, Colleagues!
We are inching closer to warmer and (hopefully) sunnier weather! Thank you to those who attended our Chicago event last month. It was a pleasure seeing so many of you in person! I am looking forward to seeing more of you at coming events. In terms of NASW-IL news we have many exciting things in the works.
The largest and most exciting news is the proposed change to LCSW licensure requirements! This new legislation is proposing two routes toward licensure in response to the racial disparities in examination performance through the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). Basically, it would maintain the current route while introducing an alternative to the clinical exam by which a candidate could instead elect to obtain an additional 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience (non-clinical) total of 6000 clinical hours under supervision of an LCSW. If you’d like to learn more please read this article. Additionally, related to our licensing requirements, the department has submitted a change to the rule requiring CEUs to be conductied in-person. This proposal was submitted for public opinion which ended on 3/27. This means that we should be hearing more soon about whether or not this proposed rule change will be adopted by the state. For more information you can read this article. These are all exciting opportunities for our profession and I look forward of what is to come. For other updates please feel free to scroll through the sections below my message.
Again, thank you ALL for your continued work in our field and for being the change makers, advocates, therapists, and leaders our communities need.
Humbly yours,
Michael
Advocacy / Legislative Updates:
Kyle Hillman and social work supporters have been busy at the state level attempting to further change in our field so that we can better serve our communities. Please see our current updates HERE. For all of you interested in psychedelic supportive therapy there is some work being done related to psilocybin services.
Upcoming NASW-IL Events:
If you are looking for CEU opportunities please check our Event’s page to see what is coming up. Click HERE.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness [PSLF]
I encourage those of you who have federal student loans and that applied for the limited PSLF waiver in October to check their loan servicing website for updates. Over the course of the last week many individuals have been reporting that their PSLF status has been updated to reflect the waiver which may have counted previously ineligible payments. That said, please check your loan servicer website for more information. If you’re unfamiliar with PSLF please click HERE to read more about it.
2021–2023 LSW/LCSW Licensure News and Updates
News of the rule filing by IDFPR to remove the in-person continuing education requirement from licensure renewal has broadened the range of continuing education options available to Illinois social workers. However, it is still important to remember that in order to utilize an education course for continuing education units (CEUs) for licensure renewal, there are steps you can take to ensure whether a course fulfills IDFPR requirements continuing education. For more information click HERE.