This month’s FREE ASWB practice question for the LCSW and LMSW exams covers the topic of parenting styles. Parenting styles refer to the standard strategies, behaviors, attitudes, and emotional climate parents use in their child rearing. There are four main parenting styles we will cover today. The four most common parenting styles are: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. Four Parenting styles Authoritarian parenting can be thought of as strict and controlling. With authoritarian parenting, parents exert control through power. They believe strongly in stated rules and if

Is it legal for therapists to accept gifts from clients? Is it ethical? At what point is a gift considered too valuable? These are just a few of the questions we receive from associates who struggle with the nuance of gift-giving within the therapeutic relationship. The short answer is that there are no legal or ethical prohibitions against giving or receiving gifts between therapists and clients. And there’s no set guidelines for the monetary value of gifts. However, depending on the situation, ethical dilemmas (like dual relationships) and legal ramifications can arise when a potential gift

The past two months, our LMSW and LCSW blogs focused on the ASWB exam changes that began in January of this year. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the first and second blogs in this series. This will be our third and final month focusing on these changes. We didn’t plan on doing a third blog on this topic. But we had so much positive customer feedback on how helpful it was to see how a 4 answer option question changes to a 3 answer option question that we decided to do one more! So today will be a final set of practice question that first has 4 answer options and then changes to

Last month we wrote about the ASWB Exam Changes for the LMSW and LCSW exams for 2023. (If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check it out! Additionally, here is a direct link to the ASWB's announcement: https://www.aswb.org/testing-enhancements/). We had really positive feedback about the practice questions we put in last month's blog. Test takers shared it was helpful to see how a question would look changing it from 4 answer options to 3 answer options. So we decided to offer another example of that change this month! We will give you a free practice question that is a traditional 4

We’re writing today to share an important update coming to the ASWB exams. This change impacts both the masters level LMSW exam and the clinical level LCSW exams. The ASWB announced: "In January 2023, test-takers will begin seeing a mix of three- and four-option questions. Before that time, all exams include only four-option questions.” Additionally, test takers now have access to food! Test-takers will be allowed to get a snack from their lockers and consume it in the waiting room during the exam. Do keep in mind the timer for the exam does not stop during this time. Why the change to 3

One of the most fundamental aspects of navigating a new career as a psychotherapist is learning the business practices and policies that protect you and your clients. For many pre-licensed associates, this can feel like a daunting task. It’s no secret that these rules and regulations are extensive and include quite a few moving parts. This month’s blog cannot address every policy-related issue, but our MFT and LCSW exam prep programs will help you learn what you need to know to succeed. Below, we provide a brief overview of the specific business categories the BBS wants you to be proficient in

The past couple months’s blogs highlight two therapy theories that can show up on the test: Gestalt and Interpersonal Psychotherapy. Today’s blog covers another of the many therapy theories that can show up on the ASWB exams: Structural Family Therapy. For the ASWB exams, you need to know a little bit about a lot of therapy theories. Our ASWB LMSW and LCSW exam prep programs cover the many theories you'll want to know for the exams. Today we give a brief introduction into Structural Family Therapy. For those of you interested in learning more, TDC has an excellent and engaging 3 hour CE course

This month we're going to tackle an important topic of confidentiality as it relates to the law and ethics exam preparation. Confidentiality is both a legal and an ethical requirement placed on the therapist that restricts the volunteering of information obtained in a therapeutic relationship. By and large, maintaining confidentiality is the default state for therapists. However, there are mandatory and permitted exceptions to the rule, and the BBS wants you to know the information inside-out for the LMFT, LCSW, and LPCC law & ethics exams. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the confidentiality

Part I Welcome to Part I of our two-part blog series regarding DSM-5-TR updates. Earlier this year, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released the DSM-5-TR, which includes updates to the DSM 5. Before you panic, let me reassure you that most of the changes are minor. The primary purpose of the updates is to clarify the descriptive text of certain DSM disorders. Most of the changes include minor phrasing updates and grammatical changes. The criteria sets remain essentially unchanged. The significant change in the DSM-5-TR is the addition of some new diagnoses, which we review here. Let