Wisconsin Administrative Code Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board
1. Overview
The MPSW Board is a regulatory body in Wisconsin that oversees the practice of:
Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)
Professional Counseling (PC)
Social Work (SW)
Its main purpose is to protect the public by ensuring that practitioners are qualified and adhere to professional and ethical standards.
2. Key Functions of the Board
According to the Wisconsin Administrative Code, the board:
Licensing and Certification
Reviews and approves applications for licensure in marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, and social work.
Issues licenses and permits for practice.
Maintains continuing education requirements for license renewal.
Examinations
Determines eligibility requirements for exams.
Administers or approves examinations to assess competence.
Rules and Standards
Establishes rules for ethical practice.
Sets standards for professional conduct and practice.
Issues guidance on supervision, clinical requirements, and recordkeeping.
Discipline
Investigates complaints against licensees.
Imposes disciplinary actions such as reprimands, fines, or suspension/revocation of licenses.
Continuing Education
Requires licensees to complete continuing education for renewal.
Approves programs and courses that qualify for credit.
3. Licensing Requirements (general summary)
Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT):
Master’s or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy or a related field.
Supervised clinical experience (typically 2 years post-degree).
Passing a national MFT exam.
Professional Counseling (PC):
Master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or a related field.
Supervised clinical hours (often 3,000 post-degree).
Passing a national counseling exam.
Social Work (SW):
Bachelor’s (BSW) or Master’s (MSW) degree in social work.
For clinical licensure, a Master’s degree and supervised clinical hours are required.
Passing a national social work exam.
4. Administrative Code Structure
The rules for the MPSW Board are mainly found under:
Ch. MPSW 1–30 (Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board rules)
MPSW 1–6: Definitions, organization, and general provisions
MPSW 7–15: Licensing procedures, applications, exams
MPSW 16–20: Supervision and continuing education
MPSW 21–30: Ethical standards, discipline, and enforcement
Each section of the code provides details about eligibility, application procedures, recordkeeping, and disciplinary processes.
5. Ethics and Professional Conduct
The Code requires licensees to follow ethical standards including:
Maintaining confidentiality
Practicing within scope of competence
Avoiding conflicts of interest
Reporting violations of the law or ethical codes
Proper supervision and documentation of services
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