Five years ago, I hadn’t yet been introduced to the concept of mindfulness and the idea of creating a daily meditation practice was far from my radar. As I entered into my first practicum experience where mindfulness was central both to the office culture and the mode of therapy used (DBT), I was unaware how foundational this would become to my own clinical and personal practices.
On Friday I drove up to Sacramento to attend the BBS board meeting. My goal was twofold: to gather information on matters of importance to MFTs and Social Workers, and to ask a few questions specific to the concerns we’ve heard regarding the MFT Clinical exam. Thankfully, both goals were achieved and I want to share with you what I learned and discuss how this information impacts you.
On Friday we posted the following question on our Tarasoff duty, and today we have the answer and rationale for you!
This week our practice question explores Tarasoff and our duty to protect. Oftentimes, people struggle with questions on this topic because the subject itself feels a bit abstract. Many clinicians have read case law and studied Tarasoff in graduate school, but have not encountered these situations in clinical practice. And while it is an intimidating prospect, the likelihood of our duties being triggered under Tarasoff is thankfully low. However, the BBS still wants to ensure you know what to do in the unlikely event you find yourself in this situation.
So often when I see a successful clinical social worker who is a leader in their area of expertise, I find myself wondering how they got there and what their first few years out of grad school were like. I’m excited to announce we are interviewing and sharing the stories of clinical social workers' and MFTs' “pathways to success.” These interviews share insights, hard earned wisdom, and tips that we hope will encourage and inspire you no matter where you are on your own pathway to success.
On Friday we posted the following question on suicidal clients, and today we have the answer and rationale for you!
In this week’s practice question, we explore the subject of suicide. You will likely see several questions on this subject regardless of which exam you take. This topic can be difficult to navigate whether you are working in the clinical setting or trying to determine the best answer on an exam question. However, reviewing the audio lectures that Amanda Rowan developed teaches you how best to approach these questions on the exam. You will also be able to take this knowledge with you into your clinical practice!
The ASWB recently announced that they will be making changes to their licensing exams, to take effect January 2, 2018. First of all, don't panic! These changes are being implemented to ensure exam content is 1. relevant to current practice and 2. demonstrates both the opinions and the expertise of a diverse group of stakeholders (ASWB, 2017). We have already been getting a number of emails and calls from test takers anxious about these upcoming changes-and rightfully so, as the exam is daunting enough without the uncertainty of new material. The ASWB states, “the updates to the blueprints can generally be described as a touching up and refining of details, with only a few specific topics receiving more extensive adjustments” (ASWB, 2017). This is good news! The changes being made for the LMSW and LCSW exams are minor (the exam undergoing the greatest changes is the Advanced Generalist Exam-an exam you don’t have to worry about if you are on the path to clinical licensure!).
Last month we discussed the removal of the multiaxial system between the DSM-IV-TR and the DSM 5. This month we’ve decided to take on one of the most talked about changes to the DSM 5: the new Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. This DSM 5 diagnosis represents one of the major shifts between the DSM-IV-TR and the DSM 5. The DSM 5’s Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis encompasses four separate DSM-IV-TR diagnoses that were previously under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Asperger’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Autism Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS. These four disorders no longer exist independently and are all captured within the Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. For the purposes of the exam, these changes make it a bit simpler as there are no longer four separate diagnoses to differentiate between. The change was made in hopes of greater reliability and consistency in the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and with general agreement that these four conditions all fall within one condition with varying levels of severity.
