I passed my MFT Exam - yesterday at 4 pm!!! Still kind of in shock, my body is not cooperating fully, but I am slowing down gradually and definitely need a break!.
I want you to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for your wonderful program. I honestly believe that I could have taken the test and passed on using your materials alone, having taken the test (the questions did make sense, as you have said)
I wish I had found the TDC sooner. I could not happily recommend the other company’s program to anyone. It demands spending a lot of time and energy in an obsessive fussiness (not my natural style, not healthy at all for anyone I might add, which you already knew). Taking and retaking those test banks at the beginning, intimidating people to stuff one's head with a bunch of unnecessary facts and theories. The sense of overwhelm in his whole program tends to erode one's self-confidence and caused me to literally dissociate and have a trauma response :-) So antithetical to natural learning Listening to his voice on tape, I might add (the little I did before I found you), was excruciating... and I swear, he sounds like he is over-medicated on anti-depressants, the old kind! I know that sounds insensitive, but a sense of humor about it at this point is the only way to go. What that company does is so contradictory to what is needed, that I can't help but feeling ripped off. Oh well, live and learn. I still have the part 2 sitting here and wonder if it can be returned. I rather doubt it but I'm going to try.
Having that aired--- your voice, on the other hand, was like a good mother's, in very sense --- each time I listened, I felt your caring, your encouragement, your desire to have your student pass. Your practical, grounded presence was so helpful, backed by your own personal experience, your sense of humor, and your real life illustrations. It gave me the basics of what was needed. Most importantly you supported our ability to think critically. You intelligently broke the important information down to make it more comprehensible in a straight talking, matter of fact, earthy way The rationale made sense and that alone made learning the material fun and enjoyable! I actually enjoyed going back and typing up my notes later from memory of the 50 topics and filled in the other outlines as well. That was a terrific study tool. I even wrote up my own Ethics TRUE statements after taking the T/F quiz which was exceedingly helpful. Also the recognition that we draw from our personal experience and expertise when taking the test, imagining "as-if" one is in a room with a client scenario...the fact that you strongly conveyed that was empowering. Not glossing over that test is really hard (and it was, mostly because of the marathon format). It was a revelation to me that what seemed hard at the beginning, when I returned to it later, did not seem as difficult. You said that too. (I finished 20 minute early and went back and re-checked the 25 q's I had marked - at your suggestion - and they almost all made sense and changed only a couple of them)
One of the test questions right now stands out that was particularly funny and somewhat tricky goes something like this: A 57-year old woman who had a history of child abuse is a caretaker for her mother and reports being" finally in control of her situation" Implied that she has access to her mother's checks, etc, yet no age of the mom in the Q stem...The mom had to be at least 70 if she gave birth at 13, so that's how I figured out that it was a mandated report for elder (financial) abuse! Of course even if she were under 65 and a dependent adult it would still be a report. Thought you'd enjoy hearing that one :-)
So again, thank you, thank you TDC. I'll be getting the Vignette curriculum soon.