The National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL), with the valuable assistance of one of our longtime supervision presenters, Natalie K. Holzman, LCSW, is pleased to introduce a voluntary tracking log designed to help social workers track their clinical supervision. This log is a practical tool to support you in your journey toward obtaining your Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) license.
Although maintaining a log of supervision hours is mandatory, this specific document is neither approved nor required by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR). You have the flexibility to record your hours in any format that fulfills the licensure requirements.
The log aligns with the newly updated IDFPR Verification of Employment/Experience Form (VE-SW). The VE-SW is required by the department to be completed at the completion of your supervision hours with your supervisor.
As this is a new document, we welcome your feedback on changes that would improve or help clarify the document for future updates.
Why Use This Tracking Log?
Enhanced Tracking: The tracking log is designed to help both supervisees and supervisors track the supervised clinical practice hours required for LCSW licensure in Illinois while fulfilling the log requirement. We recommend completing this tracking log monthly to ensure accurate and up-to-date tracking.
Facilitates Comprehensive Documentation: By periodically reviewing the log throughout the supervision process, supervisees can ensure comprehensive tracking and reflection on their progress. This proactive approach aids in identifying areas for improvement and celebrating milestones achieved.
Multiple Supervisors Management: In instances where a supervisee engages with multiple clinical supervisors either consecutively or simultaneously, each supervisor must complete a VE-SW upon concluding their supervision period with the supervisee. This tracking log helps manage and document these interactions efficiently.
Protecting Your Professional Journey: Using this tracking log can also help protect your professional journey. In rare instances, a supervisor may become unable or unwilling to sign off on all of your supervision hours at the end of the clinical supervision period. By consistently using this tracking log to document your hours and supervision activities, you have a comprehensive and detailed record of your clinical experience. This documentation can be invaluable in demonstrating your fulfillment of the licensure requirements, ensuring that your progress is recognized even if unforeseen issues arise with your supervisor.
How to Get Started
Download the Tracking Log: Access the NASW-IL Clinical Supervision Hours Tracking Log and related resources on the NASW-Illinois Chapter Supervision webpage and click on the link to the tracking log.
Begin Logging Hours: Start using the tracking log to document your supervision hours monthly. We strongly encourage you to have your supervisor sign a copy of the tracking log following your monthly clinical supervision.
Understanding the NASW-IL Clinical Supervision Hours Tracking Log
Page 1: Purpose
This page includes detailed information about the purpose of the tracking log and valuable guidance on supervision.
Page 2: Professional Experience Eligible for Clinical Hours
This page outlines various work experiences that could qualify for clinical hours in Illinois. While a range of activities can contribute to acquiring these hours, it is crucial for both the applicant and the supervisor to remain focused on the primary goal—achieving sufficient competency in clinical social work practice. This competency is necessary for the applicant to qualify for a license to practice clinical social work independently. Therefore, the primary work experiences should directly reflect and support this objective.
Page 3: Clinical Supervision Hours Tracking Log
The initial fields of the tracking log (Month/Year through Name of and Address of Worksite) will likely remain consistent across most of your monthly logs. To save time, we recommend completing this information once and either saving the log digitally or printing multiple copies for future use. Completing these fields is essential as they mirror the required information on the VE-SW.
On the line labeled Total number of clinical work hours acquired this month (maximum of 40hr/week), enter the total number of hours worked in that particular month that qualify for clinical hours (refer to page 2 for examples). Please note that for the purposes of clinical supervision, you cannot exceed 40 hours per week, even if you have worked more than 40 hours.
The next section includes the following fields:
Date of Supervision: _____________________________________
Choose or Circle One: Individual or Group
Length of supervision: _________________________________
To ensure your clinical hours count toward the required number, you must meet with a supervisor for at least 4 hours each month. We have provided four sections to log these hours for those meeting one hour per week. If you meet in longer sessions, such as all 4 hours at once, you do not need to use all the lines. Simply ensure that the total in the section labeled “Total hours of supervision this month” equals at least 4 hours.
The next section should be completed by your supervisor:
The applicant's performance was satisfactory or better (Choose or circle answer): YES / NO
The above indicated clinical experience has been documented by myself and has been performed by the applicant pursuant to my order, control, and full professional and legal responsibility as a supervisor. I do hereby declare that the information contained herein is true and correct.
Name of Supervisor: __________________________
Supervisor Signature: ________________________ Date: ___________
Again, these fields mimic the VE-SW, and we strongly encourage you to have your supervisor circle the appropriate answer and sign this monthly.
The final line is for your personal records. After your supervisor has signed off on your hours, total all your accrued hours to date and record the sum at the bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions
We will update this section as questions arise. The following was correct at the time of printing. However, rules are subject to change, and we recommend that you verify requirements if you have questions.
Do I have to use this tracking log?
No, this log was created by the NASW-Illinois Chapter to assist you in logging and tracking your clinical hours. While we strongly recommend usage of this tracking log or a method of logging your hours that mimic the VE-SW form, you are only required to log your hours. At the completion of your clinical hours, you will need to have your supervisor complete the VE-SW form through IDFPR.
I already have a log for my hours—do I have to use this tracking log now?
No. If you are happy with how you are currently logging your hours, you are free to continue using that method. This tracking log is entirely voluntary and meant only as a tool to help you track your hours in a way that better protects your process.
Has IDFPR approved this tracking log?
No. The state currently only requires you to maintain a log of your hours and to have your supervisor complete the VE-SW form upon completion of your clinical hours. This tracking log was designed to help you track your clinical hours effectively. The department does not require any specific format for the tracking log.
Do supervisors refuse to complete the VE-SW?
While it is incredibly rare, situations can arise where a supervisor is unable or unwilling to sign off on all of your hours on the VE-SW at the end of your supervision period. We specifically designed the tracking log to provide you with the best support for an appeal in such cases. Additionally, the VE-SW requires supervisors to certify that your work is satisfactory or better. It is beneficial to know early on if there are concerns about the quality of your work so you can address them before investing significant time and money in completing your clinical hours.
What’s the difference between clinical work hours and hours of supervision?
In the social work field, terms are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion, and there is no consistency in definitions across state licensure practices. In Illinois, an MSW must accumulate 3,000 clinical work hours. These are the hours worked each week—not exceeding 40 hours—that qualify (i.e., clinical work hours. For these weekly hours to count toward your 3,000 clinical work hours, you must spend at least 4 hours per month with your supervisor reviewing your work (i.e., hours of supervision).
Is there a minimum or maximum number of hours?
There is no longer a minimum number of hours you must work per week to acquire clinical work hours. Therefore, if you work only 10 hours a week, you can count all 10 hours toward your 3,000 required hours, provided you still complete a minimum of 4 hours per month with your supervisor. However, there is a maximum limit of 40 hours per week. Even if you work more than 40 hours in a week, you can only count up to 40 hours per week toward your 3,000 clinical work hours.
I am doing group supervision—is this allowed?
Yes, if you are meeting with your supervisor for at least 4 hours a month to review your work in a group setting, your clinical work hours will qualify. However, the group (including yourself) can consist of no more than 5 people, excluding the supervisor. In Illinois, there is no limit on the number of hours you can acquire through group supervision.
Is my supervisor qualified to provide supervision?
In Illinois, only supervisors who are a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in good standing with the state of Illinois may provide supervision. You should verify their license and standing before doing clinical supervision. If you reside in Illinois, your supervisor must be also licensed as an LCSW in Illinois.