The Texas Society for Clinical Social Work (TSCSW) was founded in 1971 by clinical social workers Eileen Crosier of San Antonio and Betty Synar of Dallas. This professional organization was established for the purpose of providing clinical social workers with educational opportunities in Texas, information of state and national issues related to the practice of clinical social work, and an organization advocating for legal regulation in Texas to protect consumers of clinical social work services. TSCSW members held graduate degrees in social work and practiced in a variety of settings:
community mental health centers, family service agencies, child guidance centers, hospitals, schools, medical clinics, residential treatment centers, and private practice. Many members held faculty positions at Schools of Social Work across Texas and the United States. The primary theoretical orientation was psychoanalytic with ego psychology which reflected the members’ graduate school training and degrees at the time. The Texas Society for Clinical Social Work was commonly referred to as Texas Clinical. Texas Clinical annually held two and half day retreats in the Spring on Ethics and two day conferences in the Fall on clinical social work practice with specific client/patient populations. These educational events were usually held in the Hill Country providing opportunities for professional growth and renewal. Speakers were clinical social workers who were known nationally for their respective areas of expertise. Study groups meeting monthly were established in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio giving more opportunities for clinical study for social work practitioners.
 

The Texas Society for Clinical Social Work was also a member of The National Federation of Clinical Social Work Societies. The Federation was made up of clinical state societies from across the United States. In the beginning, the major focus was to establish legal regulation of clinical social work in every state for the protection of the consumer and the licensure of MSWs.
 

In 1973 Texas Clinical began to work with the Texas Legislature to pass legislation regulating the practice of social work. Since the 1920s social workers have been the major providers of mental health services in the United States. Texas Clinical led the charge at the Texas Legislature to secure passage of legislation to regulate social work practice. In 1975, The Texas Legislature passed legislation and with the signature of the Governor which legally regulated the practice of clinical social work. The legislation created a license for a social psychotherapist, i.e., a clinical social worker. To qualify for licensure in Texas as a social psychotherapist, a person had to hold a Masters degree
in Social Work from an accredited Graduate School of Social Work. In 1981, the social work profession in Texas came together to introduce legislation that would provide legal regulation, i.e., certification, for the practice of social work. This multi-tiered certification included the specialty category of Advanced Clinical Practitioner to designate a certified social worker who met the qualifications of being a clinical social worker (CSW-ACP). The licensure of a social psychotherapist (SP) was discontinued with this legislation. Subsequently, in 1991 legislation was passed creating the LMSW-ACP for persons holding an MSW from an accredited School of Social Work and having two years of
post-graduate experience and having passed the licensing examination to be eligible for this specialty recognition. Social Workers who had previously been a CSW-ACP were grandfathered into the new category of LMSW-ACP. This multi-tiered (five categories of social work practice) licensing was legal regulation in Texas until 2003. With the sunset review process of Texas, the social work profession of Texas agreed to three categories of licensure, i.e., LBSW, LMSW, LCSW. Only a LCSW may practice clinical social work independently. Thus, The Social Work Practice Act was created by legislation. Therefore as of 2003, all persons identifying themselves as social workers and practicing social work in Texas were required to be licensed. Since 2006, The Texas Society for Clinical Social Work is an affiliated society of the Clinical Social Work Association, which is the national voice for clinical social work. As of 2024, there are over 30,000 licensed social workers in Texas with over 13,000 LCSWs. Clinical continues to take the lead in monitoring legislation that regulates social work practice and provides for the protection of the consumer of social work services. Texas Clinical has a full-time lobbyist who is a healthcare attorney in Austin.
 

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TSCSW continues to offer Spring and Fall educational conferences as well as having study groups across the state which offer opportunities for professional growth, mentoring, and networking.

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