In this chapter, 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 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.
4. "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.
5. "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.
6. "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.
7. "Licensed baccalaureate social worker" means an individual licensed under this
chapter to practice baccalaureate social work.
8. "Licensed clinical social worker" means an individual licensed under this chapter to
practice clinical social work.
9. "Licensed master social worker" means an individual licensed under this chapter to
practice masters social work.
10. "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.
11. "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.
12. "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.
13. "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
consist 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 masters 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.