As a coach, I get a lot of questions on HIV and how it will show up on the exam. Are we required to maintain confidentiality of a person’s status? What if they are having unprotected sex and not telling their partner(s)? Doesn’t this fall under duty to warn? HIV on the LMSW and LCSW exams These are all great questions! The answer to most of these for our actual practice is: it depends. This is an area where what to do depends largely on individual state laws. A lot of people don’t know this, but the LMSW/LCSW exams are national exams given by the ASWB. So state laws are not tested. While it is

In this month’s MFT FREE practice question we are talking about suicide. This is an important and relevant topic, not only because you are guaranteed to see it on the exam, but also because it is a major public health concern and something every therapist will deal with in the course of their clinical practice. Unfortunately, as significant as this topic is, most therapists do not receive adequate training on how to assess and manage suicide. Amanda Rowan noticed this gap in training and decided to do something about it. She created the Edge of Life Model, a humanistic approach to treating

Today’s topic is one near and dear to us here at TDC-suicide. If you haven’t already heard, I’m excited to share with you that Amanda Rowan’s incomparable 6 hour suicide training is here. On the Edge of Life: Introduction to Treating Suicidality brings a new perspective to the conceptualization and treatment of suicide, and is truly unlike any suicide course you’ve taken before. It’s the culmination of nearly a decade of research, exploration, and Amanda’s personal experiences battling her own suicidality throughout her life. On the Edge of Life takes a humanistic approach and a profoundly

Imagine sitting on the Edge of Life with the person in the picture. What emotions do you experience? What physical sensations arise? What thoughts do you have? Treating suicidality is scary for both the patient and the therapist. To help clients move away from the edge, we must first be able to welcome, explore and understand the depths of their unique suffering. And we must learn how to sit wholeheartedly on the edge of life with them. On the Edge of Life: Introduction to Treating Suicidality is the culmination of nearly a decade of research, exploration and my personal experiences battling

8 BBS supervision changes every licensed and pre-licensed clinician should be aware of: On January 1st, 2022, a significant number of changes impacting supervision in California took effect. Some of these changes are designed to streamline documentation for trainees and associates, while other changes are more substantive and add new requirements for supervisors and supervisees. The overall goal of these changes is to enrich the professional development of supervisees and ultimately enhance client care. 1. Supervisor Self-Assessment Report All supervisors are now required to complete and

Dear TDC Community Member, The Therapist Development Center is recruiting members for our new Continuing Education Oversight Committee. We plan to bring together a diverse group of LICENSED therapists from a range of clinical backgrounds to provide quality assurance through on-going guidance and feedback of continuing education courses as they are developed. We are seeking CE Oversight Committee licensed therapists who are able to: Commit to piloting a minimum of 15 *free* CE hours each year Collaborate with TDC staff to create courses in your area(s) of expertise, if desired Provide

We’re back with more on negative reinforcement! Today wraps up our series comparing recall vs. application vs. reasoning questions. Throughout 2021, every two months we’ve taken a topic that could show up on the ASWB exams and compared two ways it could be tested. February and March covered Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In April and May we looked at Antisocial Personality Disorder. In June and July we covered the differences between Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2. Last month, we tackled the topic of negative reinforcement with a recall question. This month we’re back with a final question on

So, after a 2 month hiatus to cover recent changes to the NASW code of ethics, we are back with another ASWB practice question! This month we continue our series comparing recall vs. application vs. reasoning questions. Every two months this year, we're taking a topic that could show up on the ASWB exams and comparing two ways it could be tested. In February and March we covered Narcissistic Personality Disorder. April and May were all about Antisocial Personality Disorder. In June and July we covered the differences between Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2. This month we are diving into a commonly

You may or may not have heard that the NASW recently published revisions to the social work code of ethics. While minor, these revisions are so important to our field (and in my opinion, were a long time coming!). These changes fall into two main categories: self-care and cultural competence. Last month’s blog discussed the updates regarding self-care, and today’s blog discusses updates regarding cultural competence. Similarly to self-care, these updates impact our practice more than they will the exam (more on that below!). These changes come at a time where racism, discrimination, and

For many social workers, ASWB exam registration means facing one of their biggest fears: taking an exam. Anxiety sets in when we have to face the unknown. Understanding how tests like the ASWB exam are developed can help to demystify the process, and guide your studying process. Test anxiety is real. Every day social workers worldwide fret about taking their ASWB exam. Some complain that the exam is unfair and should be eliminated. Others procrastinate while repeating the mantra that they are “...bad at tests.” Very few social workers look forward to ASWB exam registration and the challenge