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. They should choose not to do so.
Licensure
Therapy and coaching: Understanding the differences
Itās not unusual for private practice therapists to seek to expand their practices through coaching. Some clients will engage in coaching, but not therapy, because of the stigma they associate with therapy. At the same time, some therapists note that the unregulated nature of coaching means that anyone can call themselves a ācoach,ā regardless of qualifications. So ācoachingā sometimes carries stigma in the world of licensed therapists.
Setting aside stigma, though, what are the actual differences between coaching and therapy? How different do these practices need to be in order for therapists to engage in both?
Write a letter to the editor: Drop the ASWB exams
Some problems can have large impacts, and still go unnoticed by the public and policymakers. ASWBās racist exams for social work licensure are a great example. When people learn of the problems with social work exams, they tend to be rightly horrified. But most people donāt know about the problem.
A letter to the editor of your local newspaper can be a great way to raise awareness of this issue, especially in states actively considering alternate pathways to licensure. Hereās a quick guide to writing one.
Journal article: Clinical exams in mental health do not meet testing industry standards
Regular readers here know that when it comes to clinical exams for mental health licensure, I’m not a fan. A recent article of mine, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology, tackles a key component of the legal underpinning for these exams. As I explain, despite the claims of exam developers, clinical exams in mental health care do not appear to meet basic testing industry standards.
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.