If you are an associate licensed social worker OR if you are in your first 5 years of being fully licensed or you are in your final year of your MSW graduate program, please join us for some evenings of rich conversation about being a social worker in today's world, opportunities to receive mentorship and support, sharing resources and connecting with a professional community. We will cover pertinent topics about entering and working in the field of clinical social work, hear from special speakers and hopefully, have some fun too! Snacks and beverages provided.
Limited spots available so RSVP soon!
Announcing our 2026 Advocacy Training on January 8th, 2026! In anticipation of the 2026 legislative session in Olympia, we are offering a hybrid training for Society members and the public. Our Social Justice and Equity Chair Jamie Weber, LICSW will begin the training. She will help us clarify our collective purpose. Each of us will leave the training knowing why we are advocating, and that we are working together toward shared goals for our communities and society. Our lobbyist, Sara Stewart, will then help us better understand the legislative process in Olympia, including her strategy for winning passage of our bills.
This year, we are focused on three bills:
1. Passage of a bill to allow associate clinical social workers to have an alternative to the ASWB exam. As you likely know, the exam has serious, unresolved problems, including dramatically disproportionate passage rates for Black, Indigenous, and Immigrant social workers. When we see policies with racist impacts on our profession, we act. Our bill will create an alternative pathway, supported by Washington's Department of Health, to allow associates to earn their license through enhanced supervision and attestation by their clinical supervisor.
2. Passage of a bill proposed by the Department of Health to create a Social Work Board, equivalent to the Psychology Board. This will allow clinical social workers to manage and decide on standards for continuing education, licensing, and ethics complaints.
3. In partnership with the Washington Metal Health Counselors Association, we are proposing a bill to ban AI therapy. Pushing three bills in a short Legislative session is ambitious. With your help, we have confidence we can win passage!
Please sign up today!
If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback, please reach out to Ben Packard at Legislative@wsscsw.org.
Gratefully, Ben Packard, LICSW
Legislative Chair, WSSCSW
