To be eligible for a license to practice as an independent clinical social worker, the applicant must:

(1) Submit an application to the board;

(2) Be at least eighteen years of age;

(3) Be of good moral character;

(4) Have obtained a master's degree from a school of social work accredited by the council on social work education that included a concentration of clinically oriented course work as defined by the board;

(5) Have completed a supervised clinical field placement at the graduate level, or post-master's clinical training that is found by the board to be equivalent;

(6) Have practiced clinical social work for at least two years in full-time employment, or three thousand hours under the supervision of an independent clinical social worker, or clinical supervision that is found by the board to be equivalent;

(7) Have passed an examination approved by the board;

(8) Have satisfied the board that he or she merits the public trust by providing the board with three letters of recommendation from persons not related to the applicant;

(9) Not be an alcohol or drug abuser, as these terms are defined in section eleven, article one-a, chapter twenty-seven of this code: Provided, That an applicant in an active recovery process, which may, in the discretion of the board, be evidenced by participation in an acknowledged substance abuse treatment and/or recovery program may be considered;

(10) Not have been convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction within five years preceding the date of application for license which conviction remains unreversed;

(11) Not have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in any jurisdiction if the offense for which he or she was convicted related to the practice of social work, which conviction remains unreversed; and

(12) Meet any other requirements established by the board.