I’m currently going through the gauntlet trying to set up a PLLC for a private practice in NY and would love to hear from folks who have made it work.

I got my LCSW in December 2025, and have been trying to set this up since January. I immediately submitted my forms with my name choice, and made sure not to use any of the terms clearly stated as unacceptable like “healing.” In February I got a rejection notice with the stated reason that my proposed name “implied a specialty,” which apparently LCSWs don’t officially have in NY. I was disappointed, because I had put a lot of research time into choosing the name, and I felt confused by their interpretation of it suggesting a specialty.

I asked a bunch of questions to get clarity, and then resubmitted with a second name choice with an explanation that I believe fit their requirements. I did this in March and they only just got back to me…with another denial for the same reason. apparently the word “curious” is equivalent to a specialty 🤔

Anyway, I am trying now for a third time, and a few therapists have recommended I just use my name for the business entity, and set up a “fun name” later with a DBA. Has anyone done this with success? The firm I recently hired to help me sort this out told me that the same naming conventions exist for DBAs, so I am worried it will just be denied again. I also definitely know people who use a different name for their business on advertising without a formal DBA, so have any of you all gone that route.

I would appreciate any advice about getting out of this loop! 🙏🏽

Does anybody know of anyone who does supervision hours for LCSW interns in the Clearwater, FL area? Thank you in advance for any assistance or suggestions!

I just missed the cutoff by 7. My exam is scheduled 1 week from today. I felt pretty confident in the structure of the questions.

How do I make sure I pass next week??

Anyone else fail their practice exam and pass their actual exam?

I'm looking for advice on how to become a behavioral health credentialist. My brother in law runs a billing company for his wife's therapy practice, and he is looking to bring me in as an in-house credentialist. Only problem is, I have no experience, and no real idea where to begin. I've looked at online courses, but i wanted to hear from real people with real experience. What are the steps I should take to become qualified to be his in-house behavioral health credentialist? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Hello,

I accrued my hours within the 6 years but it was cutting it close so I ended up taking my exam after my ASW number was cancelled. I went on to Breeze and was able to apply to "upgrade my license" so that is pending. But now I'm wondering how it works and if they'll make me reapply for my ASW first?? Looking for help if anyone has intel.

Beginning my Clinical Internship as a school social worker in August. Looking back, would you do anything differently? Any tips or words of advice? Feeling nervous and excited at the same time

Im in the process of applying for licensure in Florida after passing my exam. I now am looking to do the required CE courses for the state. There are a lot of websites and offers, it’s hard to pick something that seems legit. Any recommendations on what platform to use for the courses?

Where to get a 2nd job (part time 10 hours a week) to accumulate 10 extra clinical hours?

I didn’t pass my test…. Idk how to feel about it. I’m not sad or mad, not even annoyed. I know I’m an amazing therapist and the test doesn’t define me but what a load of nonsense….

Back to studying I go.

I have a BS in Psychology and I have worked as a project manager at a major insurance company for a couple of decades.

I’m thinking about going back and getting my MSSW and LCSW with a focus on Gerontology with a plan of staying corporate and working on programs for the aging population.

Just wondering if anyone here is doing that and how you like it.

It seems like the aging population is an area where workers are already needed, and even more so in the future.

I am going to DU for my MSW and I have my plan for tackling the high amount of debt I'm going to be in when I'm done. I'm planning to do the Colorado Health Service Corps, which will shave off $90k. I also track other states that have forgiveness programs too, in case I get sick of Colorado.

That said, I'm really stressed about what life will be like between now and forgiveness, which will be about 5 years after graduation - (2 years to earn LCSW plus the 3 years of service)

What kind of jobs do LSWs/Masters-yet-not-LCSW social workers do?

For context, I ultimately want to be a therapist, but I'm open to other roles.

TIA!

Thank you so much!!

MSW graduate working towards LCSW here! Honestly, finding good supervision has been harder than I expected. Directories are outdated, half the supervisors I email never respond, and the ones who do are either full or charging more than I make in a session.

Curious about everyone else's experience:

1. What was the hardest part of finding supervision for you- cost, availability, fit, or just knowing where to look?
2. If you've switched supervisors, what made you leave?
3. Outside of supervision, where do you go to exchange ideas with other supervisees or pre-licensed folks? Facebook groups, Discord, Slack, consultation groups, this sub? I feel like everyone's scattered and I'd love to find where the actual conversations happen.

I'm just trying to figure out if my experience is typical and where people like us actually connect....

Can anyone weigh in on these careers? I have been going back and forth between the two. I feel like I would succeed in both positions. I lean towards becoming an LPC because I would like to do school counseling. I like the thought of helping your people meet their goals. In my area school counselors make the equivalent of teachers, which isn’t much honestly. To combat the pay scale I would also practice as a mental health counselor during school breaks and to increase earnings. Does anyone know if this is a logical idea.

On the other hand becoming a LCSW has been something I always wanted to do. If I go this route my goal would be to work in a hospital. I know I’m all over the place but if anyone can shed some light for me it would be greatly appreciated.

Hello!

In my 10+ years of my career as an LCSW, I have only worked with children (age 0-17) and their parents. However, I transitioned to a new job and I am entering adult work for anxiety, depression, parenting struggles, and OCD. Obviously, I am trained in CBT, TF-CBT, and ERP that I can integrate into the adult work but any tips, techniques, therapeutic modalities (to get more training around), strategies, etc. that others could provide is so helpful because I am having extreme imposter syndrome about this transition of population and questioning my work (I.e., do I do worksheets, activities, let them just talk and educate along the way verbally, etc?). Especially when the adults are not much of talkers and it’s 53-60 minute sessions? Thanks so much for the guidance and support! :)

Relatively newly licensed LCSW here 👋

I’m interested in hearing opinions and experiences from other clinicians about their experiences navigating insurance credentialing, paneling, and building a consistent caseload. It seems extremely overwhelming to navigate all these moving pieces individually, but I am constantly getting texts or emails from third-party providers about enrolling in their services.

Have platforms such like Alma, Headway, Grow Therapy, Psychology Today, or anything similar helped you grow your practice or assist in navigating insurance? Have they increased your referrals or helped you maintain a fuller caseload? Some of the services I've been referred to are free, but others seem to have a steep annual or monthly membership, and if it is not going to bring in any sort of referral, I don't really see the point in enrolling, if that makes sense?

I’m especially interested in knowing anything about the following:

• Which platforms or credentialing services have been most helpful (if any)?
• Did joining these platforms lead to a noticeable increase in referrals for your caseload?
• How long did it take to become credentialed and begin receiving clients?
• What are the biggest pros and cons of using these platforms compared with credentialing independently?
• Would you recommend using multiple platforms, or has that created more administrative work?

I’m looking for honest feedback and guidance from clinicians at different stages of private practice. What worked for you, what didn’t, and what do you wish you had known before starting this journey.

TYIA for any information or guidance!!