A licensed associate social worker, licensed associate mental health counselor, or licensed associate marriage and family therapist is a person who has completed the educational requirements for licensure as a social worker, mental health counselor, or marriage and family therapist, including graduation from a master's degree or doctoral degree program, who is in training to accumulate the supervised experience hours necessary to obtain full licensure.  An associate must work under the supervision of an approved supervisor.  A licensed associate must also pass a competency exam to obtain full licensure.  Social workers include the classifications of licensed advanced social worker and independent clinical social worker.

The Department of Health (DOH) oversees licensure for mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers.  The Revised Code of Washington allows a separate classification of behavioral health professional, registered agency affiliated counselors, to work in their professional role while their application for registration is pending, provided that they provide required documentation to DOH within reasonable time limits established by DOH, and that they must not provide counseling unless their supervisor is physically present at the location where the counseling occurs prior to completion of a background check by the employer or DOH.

An applicant for an associate license as a social worker, mental health counselor, or marriage and family therapist may work while their application for licensure is being processed.  The applicant must provide required documentation to DOH within reasonable time limits established by DOH, or stop working.  The applicant's approved supervisor must be physically present onsite when the applicant is performing clinical counseling until the completion of a criminal background check by either the employer or DOH.

An approved supervisor is defined as a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed mental health counselor, licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist, licensed physician practicing as a psychiatrist, or licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner.  If the supervisor's license does not match the discipline for which the applicant has applied to be an associate, DOH may establish additional requirements by rule.