I am very happy to share that I passed my California clinical licensing examination to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)!!! I think it is also important to share that the process to get to this point was not easy. This journey started way back in 2006 when I started my Masters of Social Work Program and graduated in 2008 from San Jose State University with my (MSW). After graduate school, I accumulated over 5,000 hours of clinical work experience and supervision in the mental health field. The first time I took the LCSW clinical exam was in 2018 but I did not give myself sufficient time to study and review the entire Therapist Development program but was trying to be optimistic and took it anyway and did not pass. In 2018 prior to taking the test I remember I had to pump (because at that time I was still breastfeeding/pumping) every 3 hours, therefore, prior to taking my test I pumped in my car, took the test then after the test had to pump again and wash all the pump parts. Since I did not pass the exam in 2018, I made sure that if I was going to take it again, I had to give myself more time to study, review and complete the entire Therapist Development Study Program. After experiencing postpartum depression/anxiety (ppd/ppi) I decided to take a long break from studying until I felt better. I received support from my parents, seeked my own therapy, attended therapy support groups, postpartum support groups, and once a week/every two weeks took a salsa class to rejuvenate my soul. Once I felt like myself again and felt 100% better in December 2018-March 2019 I prepared and studied for the LCSW clinical exam using the Therapist Development Center which was the best program I could use for both the Law and Ethics exam and the LCSW clinical exam. After taking additional pre-requisite online courses, trainings, and passing the Law and Ethics Exam in 2017 I can finally say I have completed the last step of this this journey. On March 2nd 2019 after having test and overall exhaustion I received the best news that I passed the exam! Set goals and trust the process! Achieving this goal is a reminder that I would not be here today if it weren’t for my parent’s unconditional support, the TRIO 3-1-3 pre-college program I was in during high school and my husband’s encouragement and 100% support. I want to give a special thank you to my husband Alfredo, my sister, and my parents who supported me during this process and took care of Zanaira so I could focus and study. Thank you to my former co-workers who I would consult with about cases or talk about ways to better our communities. Thank you to all of my clinical supervisors and program managers who I learned from and who guided me during my career! Thank you to the amazing study program, Therapist Development Center!! Lastly, a big thank you to all of my former clients and their families who gave me the opportunity to learn from them, work with them and trust me to be their therapist/counselor. I hope where ever my former clients and their families may be that they are doing well! By obtaining my LCSW I hope in the future this can help me make a bigger impact in our community and help those in most need. “The harder you work for something the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.”
LCSW