A few months ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Krystal Reddick who is a blogger, a social work student, and overall someone with so much passion and drive. At the age of 23, Krystal was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder during her Master’s in Education grad program. Ten years later, through her own self-discovery
With an online Master of Social Work (MSW) from Tulane University, aspiring social workers can instill resilience in communities around the world.
Most states use the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exam which candidates must pass to gain licensure as a social worker. Some states require licensure at the Bachelors level, Masters level, and Clinical level, while other states only require Clinical licensure. (For a state-by-state listing of licensing requirements, visit this informative website.) My students want to know how to prepare for the exam, and I have some suggestions. 1. Plan ahead. Most states allow graduating students to test up to a month before graduation, which allows you to graduate with licensure. Some jobs may require a license in hand prior to applying or interviewing. You may have to register for the exam as much as a month early, and you may have to travel hours to a test site. Therefore, start planning for a test date several months ahead of time. 2. Know your state's hurdles. Some states require finger printing ahead of time and an application to the state before you can be approved to take the test. Other states require you to test before applying to the state's licensure board. If you are graduating in one state and moving to another after graduation, know the rules in the state where you plan to move. You can transfer test scores but will have to apply to the board in the state where you plan to practice. 3. Develop test-taking skills. Multiple-choice tests are similar in many ways. They require carefully reading options and eliminating bad ones. If you have a methodological approach to analyzing your answers, you will do better. This document lists some strategies to use when you have to guess. The questions often ask for the "best" answer and offer several potentially correct answers- but only one answer can be "best." Look for context and rule-out clues, like "always" and "never." If you have to guess, answers with more detail are often better, and answers related to client safety or confidentiality are often answers to the "what should you do first" questions. 4. Use multiple learning tools. Lots of people like study guides. They have varying quality- you can read reviews on sites like Amazon. Many of the questions relate to developmental theory, and podcasts can help with that sort of information. Here are some podcasts to listen to, either directly at these sites or search for them on youtube. 1. The Social Work Podcast. You can find a list of all the podcasts and direct links here. 2. Social Work Exam Prep. These brief audio clips are direct and to the point. 5. Make it mobile. There are a few exam prep apps you can download on your smartphone. I like the free app called "Social Work Lite" which allows you to choose how many questions you want to practice at one setting. You can turn waiting rooms in to study time. Similarly, if you do have paper-based study materials, scan them and save as a pdf document so that you can open them on your smartphone and read on the go. 6. Look at the free sample questions and the content areas listed at the ASWB website. This will help prepare you for the style of questions and the areas that you are expected to know. ASWB offers a paid online exam and a small booklet with more sample questions. The online exam is a good way to prepare for what it's like to answer questions on a computer, but your mileage may vary- you may not need these paid resources if you are good at using the other free resources I've talked about on this page. 7. Use a buddy system. Plan study dates with another test-taker so that you can hold each other accountable to study time. Use what works together- flashcards, quizzes, reading out loud, or just quiet time together. 8. Consider a local or online test prep workshop. Often your local social work department or chapter of NASW will know who is offering classes locally. Online classes are available- look around the web for reviews before signing up. These can be costly, at about $300 for the class offered by the Extension office at University of Michigan. However, if this is going to grab your attention it may be worth it- it's cheaper than retaking the exam in most cases. 9. If you plan to take the clinical license exam after your supervision hours are complete, enlist your clinical supervisor in test prep. Let your supervisor know your anticipated test date, and about six months early make a concentrated effort to fit some exam study practice in to each of your supervision visits. This may be via discussing theory, clinical scenarios, pharmacology, etc. 10. Do the things that will ease your anxiety. Your first step to a calm test experience is adequate study preparation, so make a plan that is SMART. The week before you drive to your test site, make sure you know the route, have plenty of time, have adequate rest and a good snack, and know the requirements for the test center regarding proof of identity and what you can take with you. Consider some mindfulness or breathing techniques to help you relax. Remember: The test is difficult, but not impossible. Most people pass the first time, and you only need a score of about 75%. Study, think good thoughts, think about the kind of supports that work for you, and relax. Best test-taking wishes to you!
If someone is suffering from depression of any kind, it is necessary to take help from counseling services or therapy for anxiety. Apart from just being unpleasant, it can even lead to many other conditions no matter whether it is physical or mental. Every year clinical depression is experienced by approximately 17 million Americans. It is one such condition that affects one's work, one's family, and even their social life. There can’t be anything frustrating as losing every simple thing just because of a clinical condition, and this can even push an individual even into their depressed state. Below are a few signs that you can look for, and when you see them, you can seek out the proper help: You have no control on your Negative Thoughts Find Difficulty in Concentrating Feelings of Helplessness Loss of Sleep Irritability You have Feelings that your Life is Not Worth Living The last symptom is one of the biggest signs of depression, and if at any point in life, you have experienced this then you must take depression and anxiety counseling as soon as possible. No matter how bad or even useless life seems, you have to keep in mind that suicide is not the answer. If you are not able to stop yourself, then you should keep in mind that there are people who care about you, and there are people who do not want to see you die. Your parents, your siblings, friends, family, all of these people care about you and not only you will be letting them down but you also would be ruining their lives. However not every depression leads to suicide but in some cases, it can simply be your roadblock to a better life. Finding the right treatment for depression and anxiety will help you in getting rid of it. These days there are medications available for depression, which says that you do not have to live with this condition. Never be one of the millions who simply let this condition go, never allow it to rule their everyday lives, and slowly push them over the edge.
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Nancy Smyth, Dean of the UBSSW, provides valuable career guidance on the skills clinical social workers need to focus on at the beginning of their careers.
Urie Bronfenbrenner founded the Ecological Systems Theory to understand the complex relationship between the infant, the family, and society and how they impact child development. The Ecological Systems Theory influenced the way psychologists and other social scientists approached the study of human beings in their environment. Before Bronfenbrenner, child psychologists studied the child, sociologists examined…
Counselors and social workers are two related but distinct professionals who provide human services. They have a wide array of job descriptions and work settings that often overlap as both counselors and social workers are
How to get this years freebies - Log into Stardoll... Click on the link below - http://www.stardoll.com/en/do/campaign/msw-give...
Their findings shed light on how the organism (baby) interacts with its environment (mobile), marking the transition from spontaneous to intentional behavior.
There are fairly easy ways to improve your concentration quickly and effectively. Improving your concentration in the long term, though, requires a great amount of effort and time. Even if you practice it for one week or a month, the...
Would you like to know what types of questions to expect or prepare for before heading out to an interview for a prospective new social work position? An earlier post had provided you with 20 questions every social worker needs to know for the interview preparation process. However, since then some important changes have taken place within […]
These two acronyms help social workers succeed in their social work licensing exam by prioritizing their interventions and/or work with clients.
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Social work theories are general explanations that are supported by evidence obtained through the scientific method. A theory may explain human behavior, for example, by describing how humans interact or how humans react to certain stimuli...
The word theory can become quite confusing…in social work ‘theory’ is thrown around and can often become synonymous with model, approach, or practice. Defining and understanding …
Since it is social work month, I wanted to share my thoughts and basically state my case for why social social workers should consider international travel social work. However, for the purpose of…
The mental status exam (MSE) is a basic assessment framework used in psychiatry for ongoing evaluation of a patient with mental illness.
Explore our practice test questions and other counseling and social work resources. Get started on the path to your new counseling career.
It may feel like you’re forever assessing your client, student, family, etc…if so -trust me, you are NOT alone. All great social workers are doing it! Assessment is the beginning and n…
Social Workers always need to be familiar with mental health-related medications especially when preparing for the exam. Below you'll find illustrations and a game to help you keep these meds in your memory bank:) Match the 5 categories to the boxes below: 1 3 5 2 4 The answers: 1) Psychostimulants 2) Antipsychotics 3)Antidepressants 4)Anti-Anxiety 5)Mood Stabilizers Did you get them all right? Click here to learn more
Overview Generally speaking, we can split psychiatric diagnoses in the following way: Axis I: major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, autism, substance abuse disorde…
