This study aims to evaluate the perceptions of clinical social workers compared to other mental health professionals (OMHPs). This exploratory survey research evaluates the perceptions of clinical licensure from social workers (N = 519) and OMHPs (N = 624) in a midwestern state. The results indicate that most respondents believe that universities should be evaluated based on whether students pass licensing exams, and that faculty should be licensed. Many social workers feel ill-prepared to take a licensing exam. There are significant differences between social workers and OMHP in several areas. Additionally, differences are distinct between social workers who are people of color and White in their perception of universities’ ability to prepare them for licensing exams. This research serves as a prototype for a more extensive study exploring social workers’ perceptions of licensure's three main components: examination, supervision, and education.

本研究旨在评估临床社会工作者与其他心理健康专业人员 (OMHP) 相比的看法。这项探索性调查研究评估了社会工作者 ( N  = 519) 和 OMHP ( N = 624）在中西部的一个州。结果表明，大多数受访者认为应该根据学生是否通过执照考试来评估大学，并且教师应该获得执照。许多社会工作者对参加执照考试感到准备不足。社会工作者和 OMHP 在几个方面存在显着差异。此外，有色人种和白人社会工作者对大学为他们准备执照考试的能力的看法存在明显差异。这项研究作为更广泛研究的原型，探索社会工作者对执照三个主要组成部分的看法：考试、监督和教育。