Jared Douglas Ferguson

Utah Behavioral Health Board

Term ends: May 31, 2029

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

I have been in the helping profession for nearly 20 years, starting as a line staff worker during my BSW program in 2006. Graduating in 2008 with my MSW and a certificate in addictions counseling, I started my career in the substance use disorder treatment field, where I have worked ever since. I have served as a Clinical Director since 2013, worked in a part-time private practice, and in the last 8 years, have shifted my focus to policy and macro-level work. I am licensed in good standing as an LCSW in the State of Utah.

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

I petitioned the State of Utah for 7 years prior to being appointed as a board member in 2021. Beginning then, I served as a member of Utah’s Social Worker Licensing Board and in 2024, when Utah dissolved its board structure and created a composite board to oversee the mental health professions, became the Board Chair of the new licensing board. Shortly after my summer 2021 appointment, I became immediately involved with the ASWB and attended the New Board Member Training in the spring of 2022. I have moderated a Board Member Exchange (BMX), and been a REAL Committee member (2023-2024) and chaired the REAL Committee (2024-2025). I served as the Utah Delegate in 2022, 2024, and plan to serve in this capacity again in 2025.

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

I believe challenges of testing proficiency will continue to mount. In member jurisdictions, “alternate pathway” laws and discussions continue and will impact ASWB examinations, particularly at the master’s level. AI continues to carry tremendous potential impact for our profession, and I believe the ASWB should lead the discussion about how AI will affect the field of Social Work, specifically around regulation of AI and its impact on the public. Continuing to support DEIJ and other traditional social work initiatives in the face of new public hostility feels to me to be purely the purview of the ASWB, and I wish to see the ASWB continue to pursue the SW Compact in all member jurisdictions.