Exam Prep

If you’re planning on getting licensed as a marriage and family therapist in California, the new BBS vote may impact you. As many of you may know, California is the only state that requires the MFT clinical exam to become licensed. All other 49 states recognize the Association of Marital and Family Therapists Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) national exam for licensure. However, in May 2024, the profession of marriage and family therapists reached a major milestone. The BBS voted to move toward transitioning from the current clinical exam to the AMFTRB national exam as a licensing requirement in

It’s official! The BBS has formally announced upcoming changes to the California MFT Clinical Exam. Beginning on September 1, 2024, the clinical exam will shift from 170 questions (150 scored and 20 non-scored questions) to 150 total questions. That means that once the changes go into effect, 125 questions will be scored and 25 experimental questions will not be scored. And there’s even better news. The four-hour time limit for the exam will remain unchanged, ensuring that test-takers will have more time to answer each question going forward. Additionally, the exam content and structure will

We’re excited to share that Kansas recently enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, making it the 7th state to join the compact! This is momentous, because having at least seven states enact the compact was required to move forward with the implementation of the compact. The seven states who have enacted the compact so far include: Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. A number of additional states have pending legislation. Why this matters Historically, obtaining licensure across multiple states has been a tedious and laborious process, costing social

Last month’s ASWB social work blog for the LMSW and LCSW exams covered the topics of countertransference and supervision. We answered the questions: What is countertransference? When should social workers seek supervision? When do we not need to seek supervision? Today we continue our discussion on this highly tested topic and answer the questions: Why supervision and not colleague consultation? When should social workers seek personal psychotherapy? We finish off this month's social work blog with a practice question. Why supervision and not colleague consultation? For exam purposes, the

Elder age continues to elicit questions among testers preparing for the LCSW and MFT CA Law and Ethics Exams. The source of the confusion began with AB 135, a California law that went into effect in January 2022. This law amended Chapter 13 of the Welfare and Institutions Code to state that an elder adult is defined as anyone 60 years of age and older. This allows APS staff to accept reports and conduct investigations of elder abuse and neglect for people 60 years and older. The intent of the law was to align with the age eligibility for the Older Americans Act programs, which serve

As one of TDC’s LCSW coaches, I receive hundreds of questions per week from customers preparing for their social work exams. Over the next few months, our social work blogs will focus on some of the most commonly asked questions for the ASWB exam that we’ve received in 2024. Whether you're preparing for your LMSW, LCSW, or LICSW exams, these blogs are for you. This month, the focus is on transference, countertransference, and supervision. I'll be responding to the questions: What is countertransference? When should I seek supervision on the exam? When should I NOT seek supervision? What is

For our third installment of our new blog series, we’re addressing a question we frequently receive from associates studying for the CA MFT or LCSW law and ethics exam: What is the difference between psychotherapy records and psychotherapy notes? Let’s break it down. Psychotherapy records are mental health records that therapists must maintain for every client. This medical record typically consists of intake forms, assessments, symptomatology, diagnoses, modalities, frequency of treatment, treatment plan, mental status exams, weekly progress reports, and other factual information about the

As a coach, I have received a LOT of questions from test takers this month. They are wondering whether our programs are up to date for the LMSW and LCSW exams for 2024. To answer that question: Yes! Our programs are fully up-to-date for the 2024 ASWB masters and clinical level exams. There’s more good news, though. The exam content has not changed this year. Last fall, the ASWB announced a change from Pearson to PSI testing centers. While some administrative changes have occurred, the content has not. From the ASWB themselves: ‘The exam questions and scoring will remain the same.' Two Reasons

Today is the last of our blogs on the DSM-5-TR changes (and the one I’m most eager to share about). Starting in January 2024, the ASWB exams will transition from testing the DSM-5 to the DSM-5-TR. As we’ve discussed over the past several months of blogs covering these changes, the updates are relatively minor overall. The final installment of our blog series on the DSM-5-TR isn’t a new or updated diagnosis. Rather, it is about the APA consulting with culture and equity professionals. Acknowledgement of Race and Discrimination in Mental Health For the first time, the DSM now acknowledges the

Beginning next month (can you believe it’s almost 2024?!) the ASWB will begin testing the DSM-5-TR. The past several months, we’ve been covering these updates. And, of course, all of our programs are up to date with the DSM-5-TR materials. Today’s blog covers Stimulant-Induced Mild Neurocognitive Disorder. And later this month, our final DSM-5-TR blog will look at the newly added considerations of the impact of racism and discrimination on mental disorders. Stimulant-Induced Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Stimulant-Induced Mild Neurocognitive Disorder was added to the types of substance-induced