RMBI Transition to Practice
LCSW Program
RMBI Transition-to-Practice Program
Welcome to your first year of clinical social work practice as an LCSW-A.
This program is designed to support you as you move from graduate education into confident, competent practice. Over the next 12 months you will complete structured didactic coursework, virtual psychotherapy simulations, supervised clinical practice, monthly Psychotropic Medication Basics tests, biopsychosocial assessments, treatment plans, DAP notes, and reflective assignments — aligned with the nine MSW competencies, the NASW Code of Ethics, and NC Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) rules for the full LCSW.
Syllabus at a glance: onboarding and NC LCSW-A scope of practice; ethics and relational justice; relational inquiry and evidence-informed practice (CBT, DBT skills, MI, trauma-focused, solution-focused care); assessment, treatment planning and DAP documentation; crisis, safety planning and warm handoffs; rural mental health; and policy reform and advocacy — with supervision toward 3,000 clinical hours and 100 supervision hours.
19
course modules
310
didactic contact hours
4
program phases
Four phases, in order
Each phase maps to a window of your first year, so learning arrives when the clinical pressure does.
Phase 1 · Foundations: ethics, justice & assessment
Weeks 1–4Program orientation, NC LCSW-A scope of practice and NCSWCLB supervision, the NASW Code of Ethics, relational justice and anti-oppressive practice, engagement and relational inquiry, and the biopsychosocial assessment with DSM-5-TR impressions and ICD-10-CM codes.
- Program Overview: NC LCSW Transition-to-Practice Program, Schedule & Completion Requirements
- NC LCSW-A Scope of Practice, NCSWCLB Supervision & the NASW Code of Ethics (Competency 1)
- Relational Justice & Inclusive, Anti-Oppressive Practice (Competencies 2-3)
- Engagement & Relational Inquiry: Building the Therapeutic Alliance (Competency 4a-4b)
- Biopsychosocial Assessment, DSM-5-TR Impressions & ICD-10-CM Coding (Competency 5)
Phase 2 · Evidence-informed intervention & documentation
Weeks 5–12Measurable treatment plans, DAP progress notes, CBT, suicide risk assessment and safety planning with crisis warm handoffs, motivational interviewing for co-occurring substance use, and DBT skills.
- Treatment Planning: Measurable Goals & Objectives (Competencies 5-6)
- DAP Progress Notes & Defensible Documentation (Competency 7)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression & Anxiety (Competency 6)
- Suicide Risk Assessment, Safety Planning & Crisis Warm Handoffs
- Motivational Interviewing & Co-Occurring Substance Use (Competencies 4 & 6)
- DBT Skills: Emotion Regulation & Distress Tolerance (Competency 6)
Phase 3 · Populations, trauma & community
Weeks 13–24Children, adolescents and families, older adults and grief, trauma-focused and culturally responsive care, and rural mental health and community practice (Competency 8).
- Children, Adolescents & Family Systems (Competencies 5-6)
- Older Adults, Grief & Caregiver Support
- Trauma-Focused & Culturally Responsive Care
- Rural Mental Health & Community Practice (Competency 8)
Phase 4 · Evaluation, policy & licensure readiness
Weeks 25–52Solution-focused and integrated care, evaluating practice with outcome data (Competency 7), policy reform and advocacy in NC (Competency 9), and a capstone on LCSW licensure readiness and professional use of self.
- Solution-Focused Therapy & Brief Interventions in Integrated Care
- Evaluating Practice: Outcomes, Client Feedback & Quality (Competency 7)
- Policy Reform & Advocacy in NC Mental Health (Competency 9)
- Capstone: LCSW Licensure Readiness & Professional Use of Self
Program learning outcomes
What you will be able to do by the end of year one, and the evidence kept in your record for each outcome.
Assessment & diagnostic reasoning
Conduct a complete psychiatric evaluation across the lifespan — history, mental status, developmental and trauma history, substance use, and medical review — and produce a prioritized differential with documented medical rule-outs.
Evidence: Virtual client simulations, monthly note reviews, case presentations, module knowledge checks.
Medication literacy & care coordination
Recognize psychotropic medication classes, common side effects, and warning signs; support adherence conversations; and refer to or coordinate with prescribers — without prescribing or giving medication advice.
Evidence: Twelve monthly Medication Basics for Therapists tests (≥90%), case studies, and note reviews for scope-appropriate medication documentation.
Risk assessment & crisis response
Stratify suicide, self-harm, and violence risk; co-create safety plans including means restriction; manage acute agitation and involuntary pathways; and document a defensible disposition rationale.
Evidence: Risk-focused simulations, crisis case studies, note-review rubric risk domain.
Therapeutic alliance & psychotherapeutic skill
Integrate brief psychotherapeutic and motivational interventions, psychoeducation, and shared decision-making into medication visits, and repair alliance ruptures.
Evidence: Therapy-encounter simulations, peer discussion assignments, supervision observation.
Documentation, coding & throughput
Produce accurate, individualized, audit-ready documentation that supports the level of service billed, closed within 48 hours, while managing a full panel.
Evidence: Daily clinical log, timeliness and chart-edit metrics, supervisor note reviews.
Special & vulnerable populations
Adapt assessment, treatment, and access planning for children and adolescents, older adults, perinatal clients, co-occurring substance use, serious mental illness, LGBTQIA+ clients, and rural and high-barrier communities.
Evidence: Population modules, rural mental health case studies, complex-population simulations.
Prevention, systems & advocacy
Build screening and prevention into routine care; collaborate with pediatrics, schools, and families; and articulate an evidence-based case for lifespan mental health screening and prevention policy.
Evidence: Prevention and policy advocacy assignments, integration project, capstone presentation.
Professional identity & sustainability
Practice within licensed scope, escalate appropriately, use supervision deliberately, and sustain a workload with documented burnout-prevention and reflective practice habits.
Evidence: Supervision documentation, reflective practice entries, month-12 competency review.
Your year-one timeline
Didactic hours taper as clinical autonomy grows — from half-time classroom in week one to fully clinical practice with twice-monthly supervision by month eight.
Week 1 · Onboarding
~90% didactic / ~10% observationSupervision: Direct and continuous · Volume: No independent panel
- Module 1 course overview completed and attested
- Credentialing, EHR access, and LCSW-A Board supervision documentation verified
- Scope-of-practice and supervision agreement signed
Weeks 2–3 · Simulation & shadowing
50% didactic / 50% clinicalSupervision: Side-by-side with a skilled LCSW-A · Volume: Observation and co-interviewing
- 3 virtual client encounters at ≥90% in week 2
- 3 more virtual client encounters at ≥90% in week 3
- First full case study and treatment-plan assignment submitted
Week 4 · Supervised independent start
~35% didactic / ~65% clinicalSupervision: Same-day precepting, 100% note review · Volume: 2–4 clients/day, extended visits
- First independent visits with filtered complexity
- Daily clinical log established
- Documentation closed within 48 hours
Months 2–4 · Graduated autonomy I
~25% didactic / ~75% clinicalSupervision: Weekly 60-minute supervision meeting — team supervision (weeks 1 & 3), collaborative supervising LCSW meeting (weeks 2 & 4) · Volume: 7 → 9 clients/day, 20–25% new evaluations
- 3 supervisor note reviews + 3 case presentations each month
- Monthly Medication Basics for Therapists test passed at ≥90%
- Rural access and diagnostic reasoning case studies completed
Months 5–8 · Graduated autonomy II
~25% didactic / ~75% clinicalSupervision: Weekly alternating supervision (team weeks 1 & 3 · supervising LCSW weeks 2 & 4), complexity expanded · Volume: 10 → 14 clients/day, 30–35% new evaluations
- Complex-population and co-occurring-use modules completed
- Prevention, integration, and policy advocacy project submitted
- Competency ratings at Competent in most domains
Months 9–11 · Independent practice readiness
Effectively 100% clinicalSupervision: Twice-monthly supervision meetings · Volume: Full panel
- Documentation timeliness sustained at ≥95%
- Note-review scores sustained at ≥90%
- Panel-management, billing, and sustainability modules completed
Month 12 · Graduation review
100% clinical + reviewSupervision: Final competency review with supervising LCSWs and leadership · Volume: Full panel, independent
- Capstone independent-practice readiness review
- All seven competency domains rated Competent or Independent
- Written approval → TTP Program certificate issued
Graduation checklist
Completion is criterion-based. Every item below is signed off by the program director or a supervising LCSW before you practice independently.
Didactic curriculum
All modules completed, including Module 1 course overview
Every knowledge check ≥80%, every attestation signed · verified by Portal completion record
All weekly assignments: case studies, treatment plans, clinical decision-making, peer discussion
All graded and passing; peer replies substantive · verified by Reviewer grading in the gradebook
Rural mental health case series completed
Passing grade on each · verified by Program director
Prevention, integration, and policy advocacy project submitted
Passing grade with reviewer feedback addressed · verified by Program director
Simulation & examinations
Three virtual client encounters in week 2
≥90% each, before independent practice · verified by Simulation scoring record
Three virtual client encounters in week 3
≥90% each, before independent practice · verified by Simulation scoring record
Complex-population simulations assigned later in the year
≥90% each · verified by Simulation scoring record
Twelve monthly Medication Basics for Therapists tests
≥90% each; retake after remediation if missed · verified by Examination record
Clinical performance
36 supervisor note reviews (3 per month × 12)
Rubric ≥90%, with documented improvement where early scores fall short · verified by Supervising LCSW
36 case presentations to a supervising LCSW (3 per month × 12)
Passing on the shared presentation rubric · verified by Supervising LCSW
Documentation timeliness and accuracy
≥95% of notes closed within 48 hours; chart edits trending down; no unsigned orders at month close · verified by Clinical log metrics
Volume ramp met through each stage to a full panel
Stage targets met with acceptable accuracy · verified by Clinical log + clinical lead
Daily clinical log maintained across all 52 weeks
Contemporaneous, not reconstructed · verified by Program director
Competency & final approval
All seven competency domains rated Competent or Independent
Final competency review at month 12 · verified by Supervising LCSWs + reviewers
Capstone independent-practice readiness review
Passing · verified by Program director + supervising LCSWs
Written graduation approval
Signed by supervising LCSWs and RMBI leadership · verified by Program director
Program certificate issued with documented contact hours and verification code
Issued on approval · verified by Portal certificate record
Program FAQ
Knowledge checks with rationales
Every module ends in a scored check at an 80% threshold, with a rationale for each answer.
Signed attestations
Learners sign a timestamped attestation per module — retained for supervision and credentialing files.
Certificates on completion
Each completion issues a certificate with contact hours and a verification code.
This portal is invitation only. Enrollment accounts are issued by the program administrator to @rmbigroup.org addresses, and every account requires two-step verification with an authenticator app at each sign-in.