The Social Work Compact is an interstate compact, or a form of agreement between individual states. If adopted by enough states, it will allow social workers in participating states to apply for a single, multi-state license that would give them practice privileges in all other participating states. As of January 15, 2024, only Missouri has adopted the compact. Several other states will consider legislation to join the compact this year.
Ben Caldwell
Prologue: A poem for new graduate students
I wrote this poem several years ago, and republish it each fall as a welcome to students beginning their graduate studies in the mental health professions.
Every fall, the university where I teach enrolls dozens of new students into our graduate programs in mental health care. Our new students tend to be immensely talented, and many of them (as at any school) are also immensely anxious as they begin their journey.
By not pursuing an interstate compact for MFTs, AAMFT is making a big mistake
In April, I wrote about AAMFT’s decision not to pursue an interstate compact for MFTs. You can see them discuss the issue and their rationale in this video. Their logic came down to two things: 1) since more than half of MFTs are in California and New York, and these states would almost certainly not join such a compact, the benefits to the MFT profession would be limited; and 2) the cost of such an effort, which would require resources to be pulled away from other initiatives, would not be worth it, especially given #1.
I think they’re wrong on both counts.
What artificial intelligence can do for your therapy practice right now
As with any new technology, artificial intelligence is drawing concern and skepticism from many therapists. It’s also drawing great enthusiasm from therapists who tend to be early adopters of new technologies. For all the promise that AI holds for future implementation, it’s reasonable to ask: What can artificial intelligence do for my therapy practice right now? Here, we look at three different places where AI can have an immediate impact on your therapy work.
Who owns the technology companies that serve therapists?
As venture capital has poured into mental health care in the past few years, some of the companies that provide critical services to therapists have been acquired by larger corporations. Others have taken on new investors. Corporate ownership or investment isn’t inherently either good or bad, of course. Larger corporations often have more resources to devote to their products and services, while private ownership can give companies more flexibility. Here’s a list of who owns what, derived from company web sites and public documents in April 2023.