Frequently Asked Questions

Advertising: Can you email individuals to solicit business (such as following up on a free consultation with someone who did not rebook)?

The ACSW does not have specific guidance about following up with potential clients. Before contacting individuals who have inquired about your services, but not booked or engaged in your services, consider:

• Will the individual feel unduly pressured?
• How will you communicate the individual’s freedom to choose to engage with your services?
• How many times would it be appropriate to follow up with a potential client before ceasing email communication?
• How can individuals unsubscribe from your emails?

Advertising: Do I have to use the term social work in my advertising? Can I use the term mental health therapist, counsellor or consultant depending on my practice?

All registered social workers who are working within the scope of social work practice must hold an active registration and must ensure clients know they are registered social workers. Clients should also know as part of the informed consent process of their right and ability to file a complaint with the ACSW.

If you are providing a service that commonly uses another descriptor, like mental health counselling or consulting, consider the following titling options:

Jiminy Cricket, RSW
Mental Health Therapist

Jenny Cricket
Registered Social Worker
Addictions Counsellor

This displays both your professional designation and your role.

Advertising: Is it appropriate to include personal information about myself, my family, and my relationships on my website and in my advertising?

The ACSW expects you to be aware of how your personal representations may reflect on the profession. This includes considering what type of content is appropriate to place in a public medium. The ACSW does not have specific guidance about self-disclosure as part of advertising your private practice. As a registered social worker, consider the following when establishing your advertising:

• What is the intention or purpose of the disclosure?
• How might the disclosure impact your professional relationship with the client?
• How personal is the disclosure you’re contemplating?
• How will you manage boundary setting with a client who is seeking additional disclosure from you about other personal matters?
• Is the information what you would share with a client if you were in person?
• What are any potential risks or impacts for you and your family because of the disclosure of personal information?

Advertising: What do I do if I advertise on third party platforms whose descriptions or categories of practice are misleading or incomplete?

You are expected to identify and describe education, training experience, professional affiliations, competence, nature of your service and your actions in an honest and accurate manner. If you’re considering advertising on a third-party platform, you should consider:

• Does this platform use language that could be misleading and how might I mitigate it?
• Can I have the platform correct the problematic language?
• Are there other platforms I could use to advertise?
• How can I ensure my description is clear and not misleading in any way?

Am I required to take an entry-to-practice exam to register?

If you are applying within three years of completing your recognized social work credential, you are not required to take the entry-to-practice exam. 

When you apply to register, your file is assessed to determine if the exam is needed. (An example would be someone who has not been registered to practice in a recognized jurisdiction for the past three years). 

Are there minimum hours for supervision?

In most practice contexts, ACSW’s Standards of Practice do not set a universal minimum number of supervision hours. Supervision expectations are competency-and-risk informed: the appropriate frequency and intensity depends on factors such as the supervisee’s experience, the complexity/risk of the work, and whether the social worker is new to a role, population, method, or restricted activity.

However, some ACSW programs/policies do have defined hour requirements, such as provisional registration (supervised practice hours) and clinical/restricted activity pathways (per applicable program policies). Where a policy or pathway specifies hours, those requirements must be met.

Are there other requirements for maintaining my status as a registered social worker?

Yes. There are registration requirements to be maintained annually. RSWs must

Complete annual registration renewal
Maintain and renew professional liability insurance
Pay annual fees
Maintain an up-to-date registrant profile with your name, employer, and contact information
Complete annual competence program requirements

Are there practice limitations for RSWs on the provisional registry?

RSWs on the provisional registry are generally new to regulated social work practice. Provisional RSWs are required to work with supervision and should not provide practice supervision until they have more experience and are on the general registry. Provisional RSWs should not be in private practice.

Individual authorization for restricted psychosocial interventions, clinical registration and mobility to other provinces is limited to those on the general registry.

Can a provisionally registered social worker provide supervision?

No. ACSW’s Provisional Registration guidance states provisional registrants do not qualify to provide practice supervision. Provisional registrants must themselves practice under supervision by an RSW in good standing on the general registry (per ACSW requirements).

Can an ACSW-authorized social worker supervise a non-regulated person performing the restricted activity of psychosocial intervention?

Generally, non regulated persons are not permitted to perform restricted activities. An exception to this is non regulated Addiction Counsellors employed by Recovery Alberta enabled under the Government Organization Act Restricted Activity Authorization Regulation. This regulation enables this group of individuals to perform the restricted activity of psychosocial intervention for the purpose of providing addiction counselling in respect of alcohol, drugs, gambling, or tobacco.

Under the Government Organization Act Restricted Activity Authorization Regulation, authorization processes and practice standards for these non-regulated addiction counsellors are administered through Recovery Alberta. Within this regulatory framework, an ACSW-authorized social worker may provide the required supervision.

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