Claudia P. Vicencio

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling

Term ends: October 31, 2024

Please give a brief biography, including your education, licensure or certification level and employment history:

I am driven by heart and purpose, combining over 21 years of board and community leadership with a deep commitment to clinical excellence, social work regulation, and the future of our profession. Born in Peru and raised in South Florida after emigrating at age ten, I bring a unique global perspective grounded in lived experience. My path began in the Miami-Dade public schools, led me to a Head Start classroom as teacher and administrator, and inspired me to earn my MSW at Barry University. Since then, I have served in schools, inpatient crisis stabilization units, outpatient addiction and mental health clinics, and the community division of a major public hospital. As an LCSW with a PhD in SW, I am currently the director of Outpatient Behavioral Health at one of the largest public hospitals in the U.S. I oversee programmatic, financial, and regulatory functions for a team of 75 professionals, facilitating 18,000 patient visits a year and $7.7 million in annual revenue. My leadership has consistently emphasized innovation, equity, and high-quality care. It is my mission to create spaces where individuals can flourish, and our SW profession can thrive.

Give a synopsis of your regulatory and professional experience. Please emphasize your involvement with ASWB:

I was appointed to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling in 2021, and elected Chair in 2023. In that role, I’ve built stronger partnerships with academic institutions and made the Board more accessible to our communities and stakeholders.

My work with the Association of Social Work Boards began in 2022 at the New Board Member Training. Since then, I’ve served as Florida’s Delegate to the ASWB Delegate Assembly for the past two consecutive years. In 2024, I volunteered for and was appointed to the Bylaws & Resolutions Committee, and this year I was honored to be elected Committee Chair. I remain committed to ASWB’s mission and look forward to continuing my service in the years ahead.

Finally, make a brief statement on the major issues you see facing ASWB, and how you would address them:

Today, we face urgent challenges: growing resistance to licensure, an unclear professional identity, and the imperative to advance the Social Work Licensure Compact.

I believe we can meet these challenges by:

• Forging Strategic Alliances
  Partner with CSWE, NASW, CASW, and other stakeholders to craft and broadcast a unified narrative of social work—one rooted in diversity, justice, and equity.
• Elevating Public Understanding
  Leverage ASWB’s research, data, and communications channels to showcase the unique value of licensure for client protection, and lobby key legislators and regulators in support of our Compact.
• Expanding Member Engagement
  Create accessible pathways for fresh voices to become engaged in ASWB, and build research partnerships that deepen member involvement in shaping ASWB’s future.

By strengthening collaboration and connection across our profession, we will clarify who we are, fortify public trust in licensed social work, and accelerate adoption of the Compact.