Start with license readiness
Your license type determines whether you can practice independently, need supervision, or should launch inside a group practice first. Confirm the current rules with the state board before accepting clients.
This table is a launch-readiness starting point, not a substitute for current board review.
Next step: confirm your Oregon board status
Use the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers, Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists, or Oregon Board of Psychology before deciding whether to launch independently, stay supervised, or join a group first.
Oregon associate implementation note
Do not treat CSWA, professional counselor associate, marriage and family therapist associate, or psychologist resident status as the same as full independent licensure. Oregon associate pathways may allow supervised practice, but payer enrollment, claim submission, ownership, advertising, and supervision documentation need a separate check.
| Credential | Independent practice? | Supervision issue? | Entity/business note | Bomi relevance | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCSW | Generally yes, once the Oregon LCSW license is active. | Oregon's LCSW path includes an MSW, ASWB Clinical Exam, Oregon Laws and Rules Exam, 3,500 total post-MSW work hours, 2,000 direct-client hours, 100 supervision hours with at least 50 individual supervision hours, and at least 24 months of supervised experience. | Good candidate for solo or group launch once license, entity or assumed name, NPI, CAQH, W-9, malpractice, EHR, clearinghouse, and payer records match. | Strong fit for CAQH cleanup, payer enrollment, EFT/ERA, claim setup, eligibility, denials, and revenue workflow support. | Oregon BLSW license types |
| CSWA - Clinical Social Worker Associate | No independent solo-practice launch. Treat as a supervised path. | Oregon says the CSWA is a supervisory certification, not a license to practice independently. Authority to practice clinical social work comes from the approved plan of supervision and supervisor. The Board also warns that private-practice or own-business client hours may not count toward the LCSW path. | Do not create payer-facing independent-practice assumptions for CSWAs. Verify agency, supervision plan, employment, practice setting, and payer rules. | Bomi may help a supervised group workflow, but independent payer enrollment should wait until the practice model and payer rules are clear. | Oregon BLSW CSWA guidance |
| LMSW / RBSW | Not an independent clinical therapy private-practice credential. | Oregon distinguishes non-clinical social work from clinical social work. The Board says non-clinical licenses may support individuals, families, and communities without therapy or diagnosis, while clinical licensure covers assessment, diagnosis, treatment, counseling, and psychotherapy. | Use non-clinical, administrative, or case-management framing unless another clinical credential applies. | Bomi support depends on whether the clinician also has a payer-recognized clinical license or is part of a compliant group model. | Oregon BLSW license descriptions |
| LPC | Generally yes, once the Oregon LPC license is active. | Oregon's LPC experience requirement is at least 36 months of supervised clinical counseling experience and at least 1,900 supervised direct-client contact hours; the Board also requires competency and Oregon law/rules exams. | Good candidate for solo or group launch once license, entity, assumed name if any, NPI, CAQH, W-9, malpractice, bank, EHR, clearinghouse, and payer records match. | Strong fit for credentialing, payer enrollment tracking, claim testing, denial follow-up, and revenue reporting. | Oregon OBLPCT experience and exam rules |
| Professional Counselor Associate / Registered Associate | No independent licensure yet. Treat as a supervised associate path. | Oregon registered associates must practice under supervision until licensed. The Board says associates generally are not restricted to one setting, but they must follow the associate plan and supervision rules. | Do not call this an independent solo practice. It may be private, group, agency, or another setting only if the associate plan, supervisor, payer, and documentation model support it. | Bomi may help a supervised group or associate workflow if the group, supervisor, payer, and billing model are compliant. | Oregon OBLPCT associate guidance |
| LMFT | Generally yes, once the Oregon LMFT license is active. | Oregon's LMFT path requires at least 36 months of supervised clinical experience and at least 1,900 supervised direct-client contact hours of therapy, including at least 750 hours working with couples and families in the same session. | Good candidate for payer launch once license, entity, assumed name if any, NPI, CAQH, W-9, bank, EHR, and clearinghouse records match. | Strong fit for payer credentialing, commercial payer follow-up, EFT/ERA, claims, denials, and recredentialing tracking. | Oregon OBLPCT LMFT experience requirements |
| Marriage and Family Therapist Associate / Registered Associate | No independent licensure yet. Treat as a supervised associate path. | Must remain within the approved associate plan and supervision rules until full LMFT licensure. | Use supervised or group-practice language. Avoid independent payer setup assumptions unless the payer and supervising practice clearly support the model. | Bomi support depends on supervising practice, payer, and billing structure. | Oregon OBLPCT associate guidance |
| Licensed Psychologist | Generally yes, once the Oregon psychologist license is active. | Oregon psychologist licensure includes postdoctoral supervised experience, EPPP, and Oregon Jurisprudence Exam. Oregon requires one year or 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised work experience for psychologist licensure. | Good candidate for solo or group launch once license, entity, NPI, CAQH, W-9, malpractice, EHR, clearinghouse, and payer records match. | Strong fit for payer credentialing, commercial payer enrollment, Oregon Health Plan workflow, claims, denials, and revenue operations. | Oregon Board of Psychology residency guidance |
| Psychologist Resident / pre-licensed psychologist | No independent solo-practice launch. Treat as a supervised path. | Oregon says a person may not begin practicing or use the title psychologist resident until the Board-approved resident contract has been approved. Oregon rules also state that, unless licensed or exempt, a person must be in a Board-approved Resident Supervision Contract to practice psychology in Oregon. | Do not create independent solo payer enrollment assumptions for residents. | Bomi support depends on the supervising practice's payer and billing structure. | Oregon Board of Psychology residency guidance |