Society For Clinical Social

What Society For Clinical Social does

The California Society for Clinical Social Work (CSCSW), doing business as CSCSW, is a California nonprofit professional membership organization founded circa 1970, headquartered in Los Angeles, and operating statewide through approximately 10 district chapters including San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Midpeninsula/Silicon Valley, Greater Sacramento/Davis, Napa/Sonoma, Fresno, East Bay, and Orange County. Its primary customers are licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) in California, with secondary segments including MSW graduate students, associate social workers (ASWs) pursuing licensure, and allied mental health professionals such as LMFTs, LPCCs, and PhDs.

CSCSW generates revenue from three streams: (1) annual membership dues with a tiered structure including a $30 MSW student rate and a July 1 to June 30 membership year; (2) transaction-based continuing education revenue from district meetings, workshops, conferences, and webinars, where members attend free or at discount and non-members pay $15-$120 per event; and (3) ancillary services including a public Therapist Finder directory, job board, Consultant Finder, and advertising. Distribution is hybrid: online self-serve via the Wild Apricot membership platform for enrollment and renewals, and in-person district chapter events for CE delivery and networking. The organization is accredited by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as a continuing education provider (PCE #1), which is the regulatory foundation of its CE-driven value proposition.

CSCSW's core products and services comprise the Therapist Finder referral directory, a Mentorship Program connecting experienced practitioners with newer professionals, BBS-accredited CEU courses and webinars, district-level networking meetings, the Jannette Alexander Foundation scholarship program, a Job Board, Telemental Health Resources, an Online Video/Webinar Library, and the Student Ambassador Pilot Program. The organization employs approximately 8 people, has no parent company, no institutional investors, and no funding rounds; it is governed by an elected Board of Directors and an affiliated Jannette Alexander Foundation. Strategic emphasis is on advocacy for LCSW scope of practice and licensure protection, professional development, and member community across California.

Name

Society For Clinical Social

Legal name

California Society for Clinical Social Work

Website

https://clinicalsocialworksociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The California Society for Clinical Social Work (CSCSW) is a California nonprofit professional membership organization founded circa 1970 that serves licensed clinical social workers, MSW students, and allied mental health professionals statewide through BBS-accredited continuing education, advocacy, and 10 regional district chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association and Continuing Education Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Professional membership services
• Continuing education credits
• Clinical social work advocacy
• Mental health licensing
• Professional association networking

Headquarters

HQ city

California (Statewide)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues with tiered pricing for students, licensed members, and non-member professionals. The membership year runs from July 1 to June 30.
2. Continuing Education Events and Workshops: Revenue generated from CE course registrations, workshops, and seminars. Members typically receive free or discounted CE credits while non-members pay nominal fees ($15-$120 per event depending on event size and duration).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CSCSW is a nonprofit professional membership organization that provides accredited continuing education, advocacy, mentorship, and networking services to clinical social workers across California. It sells annual memberships (tiered for students, LCSWs, and allied professionals) and charges transactional fees for CE workshops, webinars, and conferences for both members and non-members. Supplemental services include the Therapist Finder referral directory, a job board, scholarships through the Jannette Alexander Foundation, and a student ambassador program.

Product overview

The California Society for Clinical Social Work (CSCSW) is a membership-based professional organization offering a unified platform of member services including the Therapist Finder directory, Mentorship Program, CEU-accredited courses and webinars, district networking meetings, scholarship programs, student ambassador initiatives, job board access, and telemental health resources. The organization serves clinical social workers across California through local district chapters providing continuing education, advocacy, and professional connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Therapist Finder Online directory service that allows individuals to find and connect with clinical social workers based on location, specialty, and other criteria.
• Mentorship Program Program connecting experienced clinical social workers with newer professionals for guidance and career development.
• CSCSW Continuing Education Courses and Workshops Continuing education courses, workshops, seminars, and webinars for professional development, accredited by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (PCE #1). Free or discounted for members; $15-$150 per event for non-members.
• District Meetings and Networking Events Regional networking events across California districts including San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Mid-Peninsula, Sacramento/Davis, Fresno, Napa-Sonoma, and East Bay, typically offering 1.5-2 CE credits.
• Jannette Alexander Foundation Scholarship Scholarship program supporting MSW students and post-graduate training for clinical social workers.
• Job Board Online job board platform connecting employers with clinical social work professionals.
• CSCSW Annual Membership Annual membership subscription for licensed clinical social workers, MSW students, and allied mental health professionals providing access to CE events, Therapist Finder listing, mentorship, ethics consultation, and advocacy. Student membership priced at $30 per academic year.
• Telemental Health Resources Resources and support for telehealth and telemental health practice for members.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and moderate.

• Sanville InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2014Sanville Institute co-sponsored clinical workshops with CSCSW, including Fall Convocation events and psychoanalytic training presentations. The Sanville Institute is a psychoanalytic psychotherapy training institution.
• AAPCSW Northern California ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2014CSCSW hosted AAPCSW (Association of Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Programs) Northern California Chapter events for professional development and networking.
• USC School of Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2013CSCSW co-sponsored The DSM 5: Transitions conference with USC School of Social Work at the Orange County Academic Center. Joint presentation of continuing education for mental health professionals.
• Fresno State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2013CSCSW co-sponsored The DSM 5: Contexts and Clinical Applications conference at Fresno State University's Alice Peters Auditorium. The partnership involves academic collaboration for professional education with university venue hosting and academic credit support.
• California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)coreOthersCSCSW is accredited by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (PCE #1) to provide continuing education credits for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs. This accreditation enables the organization to offer CE credits recognized for license renewal.
• NASW (National Association of Social Workers) California ChaptersmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSCSW offers affiliate organization pricing for NASW members at major conferences, indicating partnership in professional advocacy and continuing education across the California social work community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA): A national professional association specifically for clinical social workers, providing CE, advocacy, and member services. Closest peer at the national level, directly comparable in mission and member value proposition.
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW): The largest U.S. professional association for social workers, with a California chapter offering membership, CE, and advocacy. It is the primary competitive incumbent CSCSW differentiates against on clinical social work focus and California-specific advocacy.
• NASW California Chapter: The California state chapter of NASW, operating in the same geography and serving overlapping member segments. The two organizations explicitly cross-promote via affiliate pricing on major conferences.
• American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work (ABECSW): A credentialing body for clinical social workers with an active membership community. Comparable in target audience (clinical social workers) and in providing practice credentials that influence member engagement and dues value.
• California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT): California-based professional association serving LMFTs with CE, advocacy, and member benefits. Highly comparable in scale, state-level focus, BBS-aligned CE accreditation, and member-funded nonprofit model.

Broad incumbents

• American Counseling Association (ACA): A national professional association for counselors offering CE, publications, and advocacy. Comparable in nonprofit membership/CE model but broader in scope than CSCSW's clinical social work focus.

Regional players

• California Psychological Association (CPA): California state professional association for psychologists, with parallel CE accreditation, advocacy, and district programming. Comparable in operational structure but serves a different licensed profession.

Emerging players

• CEU.com: An online CE marketplace offering on-demand continuing education for social workers and allied professionals. Comparable in product (CE credits) but competes via convenience and price rather than community.
• PESI: A large commercial provider of mental health and behavioral health continuing education. Represents the digital CE threat — comparable product (CE courses) sold at scale, often online and on-demand, which could displace CSCSW's event-driven CE revenue.
• Sanville Institute: A psychoanalytic psychotherapy training institution that co-sponsors events with CSCSW. Comparable in clinical training and CE provision for mental health professionals, though primarily an academic rather than membership organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/society-for-clinical-social

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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