# Title 75.5 — Social Work Examiners, Board of

## Article 75.5-02 — Licensure

## Chapter 75.5-02-01 — Interpretive Rules

### § 75.5-02-01-01. Social work practice.

Repealed effective April 1, 1998.
### § 75.5-02-01-02. Accredited college or university.

With regard to the statutory requirement set forth in North Dakota Century Code section 43-41-04,
that an applicant for a social work license must earn a degree from a college or university whose social
work program has been accredited by an accrediting body approved by the board, the following
programs meet the accreditation requirement:
1. Programs currently accredited.
2. Programs in initial accreditation review status.
3. Programs in approved candidacy status.
4. Programs in conditional accreditation status.
History: Effective January 1, 1987; amended effective June 1, 1991; April 1, 1998; February 1, 2004.
General Authority: NDCC 43-41-09
Law Implemented: NDCC 43-41-04
### § 75.5-02-01-03. Definitions.

As used in this title, unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires:
1. "Board" means the North Dakota board of social work examiners.
2. "Client" means the individual, couple, family, group, organization, or community that seeks or
receives social work services from an individual licensed social worker or an organization,
regardless of whether the licensed social worker or organization bills or accepts or requests
the payment of fees for the services.
3. "Clinical social work practice" means the professional application of social work theory,
knowledge, methods, ethics, and the professional use of self to restore or enhance social,

psychosocial, or biopsychosocial functioning of individuals, couples, families, and groups. The
practice of clinical social work requires specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical
skills in the area of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and
behavioral disorder, conditions, and addictions. Treatment methods include the provision of
individual, marital, couple, family, and group psychotherapy.
4. "Clinical supervision for licensure" means an interactional professional relationship between a
clinical supervisor which meets the standards adopted by the board and a social worker and
which provides evaluation and direction over the supervisee's practice of clinical social work in
preparation for the social worker's licensure as a licensed clinical social worker, in accordance
with the requirements adopted by the board, and promotes development of the social worker's
knowledge, skills, and abilities to engage in the practice of clinical social work in an ethical and
competent manner.
5. "Consultation" means an advisory professional relationship between a social worker and an
individual with particular expertise, with the social worker legally and ethically maintaining
responsibility for all judgments and decisions regarding service to the client.
6. "Counseling" means a method used by a social worker to assist an individual, couple, family,
or group in learning how to solve problems and make decisions about personal, health, social,
educational, vocational, financial, and other interpersonal concerns.
7. "Electronic social work services" means the use of a computer, including the internet, social
media, online chat, text, and electronic mail, or other electronic means, such as a wireless
communications device, landline telephone, or video technology, to provide information to the
public, deliver social work services to a client, communicate with a client, manage confidential
information and case records, store and access information about clients, and arrange
payment for professional services.
8. "Face-to-face supervision" means a direct, interactive, live exchange, either in person, by
telephone, or by audio or audiovisual electronic device in either individual or group
supervision.
9. "Group supervision" means one supervisor and more than one supervisee, including health
professionals in related professions. Group supervision is facilitated by the supervisor and
involves an exchange among all group members. The size of the group shall be limited to
seven, including the supervisor.
10. "Individual supervision" means one supervisor and one supervisee.
11. "Licensed baccalaureate social worker" means an individual licensed under this chapter to
practice baccalaureate social work.
12. "Licensed clinical social worker" means an individual licensed under this chapter to practice
clinical social work.
13. "Licensed master social worker" means an individual licensed under this chapter to practice
masters social work.
14. "Private practice of social work" means the independent practice of social work by a licensee
who is practicing within that licensee's scope of practice, and who is self-employed on a
full-time or part-time basis and is responsible for that independent practice. Consultation
services provided to an organization or an agency are not considered to be the private
practice of social work.
15. "Psychotherapy" means the use of treatment methods utilizing a specialized, formal
interaction between a licensed clinical social worker and an individual, couple, family, or group

in which a therapeutic relationship is established, maintained, and sustained to understand
unconscious processes; intrapersonal, interpersonal, and psychosocial dynamics; and the
assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders,
conditions, or addictions.
16. "Social work case management" means a method to plan, provide, evaluate, and monitor
services by a licensed social worker from a variety of resources on behalf of and in
collaboration with a client.
17. "Social work practice" means the application of social work theory, knowledge, methods,
ethics, and the professional use of self to restore or enhance social, psychosocial, or
biopsychosocial functioning of individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, and
communities. The scope of practice for licensees of the board consists of the following:
a. The practice of baccalaureate social work, which includes the application of social work
theory, knowledge, methods, ethics, and the professional use of self to restore or
enhance social, psychosocial, or biopsychosocial functioning of individuals, couples,
families, groups, organizations, and communities. Baccalaureate social work is generalist
practice that includes assessment, planning, implementation, intervention, evaluation,
research, social work case management, information and referral, counseling,
supervision, consultation, education, advocacy, community organization, and the
development, implementation, and administration of policies, programs, and activities.
b. The practice of masters social work, which includes, in addition to the practice of
baccalaureate social work, the application of specialized knowledge and advanced
practice skills in the areas of assessment, treatment planning, implementation,
intervention, evaluation, social work case management information and referral,
counseling, supervision, consultation, education, research, advocacy, community
organization, and the development, implementation, and administration of policies,
programs, and activities. Under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker, the
practice of master's social work may include the practices reserved to licensed clinical
social workers.
c. The practice of clinical social work, which includes, in addition to the practice of
baccalaureate social work and the practice of masters social work, the application of
specialized clinical knowledge and advanced clinical skills in the areas of assessment;
treatment planning; implementation and evaluation; social work case management
information and referral; counseling; supervision; consultation; education; research;
advocacy; community organization; the development, implementation, intervention, and
administration of policies, programs, and activities; and the diagnosis and treatment of
mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, conditions, and addictions. Treatment
methods include the provision of individual, marital, couple, family, and group counseling
and psychotherapy. The practice of clinical social work may include the provision of
clinical supervision.
History: Effective February 1, 2004; amended effective April 1, 2012; April 1, 2021.
General Authority: NDCC 43-41-09
Law Implemented: NDCC 43-41-04
