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Psychology

Report: Clinical exams in mental health licensing are structural racism

January 12, 2023October 31, 2022 by Ben Caldwell

Empty track with hurdles in one lane. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels, used under licenseThe California Board of Behavioral Sciences will discuss clinical exams this Friday. My colleague Tony Rousmaniere and I decided to dig into these exams, beyond just the horrifying report ASWB released this summer. (TLDR: Wildly disparate passing rates by race/ethnicity.) While I’m previously on record as not a fan of clinical exams, they’re widely accepted. We figured we would follow where the data leads us. And so here it is:

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Kaiser to therapists on strike: We’re not abandoning patients, you are

August 19, 2022 by Ben Caldwell

person in suit pointing at viewerOn Tuesday, mental health clinicians for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California went on strike. While Kaiser and the union representing the therapists appear to have reached agreement on wages, the sides remain in dispute on issues related to staffing, working conditions, and client access to care. Kaiser reps have responded by calling the strike itself “unethical.” They have said that union leaders were asking therapists to “walk away from people who need help.” Suggesting that your own employees are unethical when they are striking to force Kaiser to improve patient access to mental health care is, as they say, a choice. It’s one that would seem destined to only worsen Kaiser’s ability to recruit and retain therapists in the future.

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NASW files FTC complaint over CareDash profiles funneling clients to BetterHelp [updated]

August 4, 2022August 2, 2022 by Ben Caldwell

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) informed its members last week that CareDash, which operates a health care provider directory, is engaging in what “appears to be an improper deceptive practice.” NASW says that CareDash’s process of using clinician listings to direct prospective clients to online therapy platform BetterHelp rather than to the listed clinicians “potentially violates federal and/or state consumer protection laws.”

You cannot, in fact, check my availability using the button that says Check Availability.
Despite what a reasonable consumer would expect, you cannot, in fact, check my availability using the button that says Check Availability.

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15 years of therapist salary data for Psychologists, counselors, social workers, and MFTs

July 11, 2022July 11, 2022 by Ben Caldwell

bills on woodgrainHow much does the average Psychologist, counselor, MFT, or social worker make? Are salaries rising or falling relative to inflation? Therapist salary data can tell us a lot about the overall health of the professions. I’ve gathered 15 years of therapist salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to see what insights can be gained from it.

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California sets new rules for therapists writing ESA letters

June 28, 2022November 17, 2021 by Ben Caldwell

Sleeping pug / Matthew Henry / Burst / Used under licenseEmotional support animals (ESAs), and therapists writing ESA letters for clients, are frequent topics around here. After years of overuse, the FAA allowed airlines to ban ESAs from passenger cabins early this year, and every major domestic airline has done so. Now California has developed new rules for therapists wanting to write ESA letters, most commonly for clients who want an ESA in a housing situation that does not allow pets.

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A therapist directory with the scale — and killer feature — to challenge Psychology Today

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 by Ben Caldwell

binocularsA couple of years ago, I wrote about some smaller therapist directories who were trying to take on Psychology Today’s directory. Now, there’s a new therapist directory with the scale — and the killer feature — to challenge PT’s dominance.

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This change in California child abuse reporting took 20 years

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 by Ben Caldwell

California flagAlmost eight years ago, I wrote about how California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act was naive and discriminatory. By applying one set of child abuse reporting mandates to consensual heterosexual intercourse, and a very different, stricter set of reporting mandates to other forms of consensual sexual activity, the law plainly discriminated against LGBT adolescents in same-sex relationships. It also failed to address typical adolescent sexual development, making intercourse non-reportable in many instances where other activities adolescents would engage in during the run-up to intercourse were mandated reports.

That law has finally changed.

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Mean salary data for Psychologists, Counselors, MFTs, and Social Workers [interactive chart]

December 29, 2020September 9, 2020 by Ben Caldwell

bills on woodgrainHow much salary are you likely to make as a Psychologist, counselor, MFT, or social worker? Are salaries rising or falling relative to inflation? The following chart shows 13 years of therapist salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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How coronavirus is affecting the California BBS [Updated 6/2/20]

June 3, 2020March 16, 2020 by Ben Caldwell
BBS logo

I’ve gotten a lot of questions in the past few days about how COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) is affecting the California BBS, or how it is likely to. I’m rounding up those questions here in hopes of making it easier to find the information you need. This post most recently updated on June 2, to include information about new BBS waivers.

Exams

Will license exams be cancelled or postponed?

The BBS-contracted testing provider Pearson VUE closed all of its US and Canada testing centers in March, and has been gradually reopening them since May. All exams scheduled while centers were closed have been cancelled and you will need to reschedule.

If your registration expired or is scheduled to expire between March 31 and June 30, 2020, see the information below on Law & Ethics Exam rule waivers.

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Is therapy more effective when people pay a fee for it?

February 4, 2020 by Ben Caldwell
Matthew Henry / Burst / Used under license

The idea that clients should pay at least a small fee for therapy in order for therapy to be effective has been around for a long time. But it doesn’t hold up as well as you might think. 

This is one of those things that I learned in grad school and simply accepted as truth for a long time. And then I was startled when I actually looked into it. Not only does forcing clients to pay even a small amount for therapy not help outcomes, some evidence suggests it makes outcomes worse.

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Saving Psychotherapy
Saving Psychotherapy: How therapists can bring the talking cure back from the brink
An action plan to improve your practice while helping the whole field. An unflinching, data-driven, and ultimately optimistic look at where we are and how your practice matters to all of our shared futures.
 
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Basics of California Law for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs – 9th ed

Basics of California Law for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs - 9th edition front cover (c) Copyright 2022 Ben Caldwell LabsNinth edition (2022). A concise, digestible summary of vital elements of state law for master’s level therapists and mental health professionals.

Online California MFT Law & Ethics Exam Prep

Matthew Henry via Burst / Used under licenseBe ready for your test in 7 days with our study plan, video lectures, and practice questions. All for less than half of what competitors charge.
 
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Preparing for the 2023 California MFT Law & Ethics Exam

Preparing for the 2023 California MFT Law & Ethics ExamThe easiest way to get ready for California’s MFT Law & Ethics exam. Includes a study guide and more than 100 practice test questions with rationales.

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  • Exam Prep
    • California LMFT Clinical Exam Prep
    • California LMFT Law & Ethics Exam Prep
    • California LPCC Law & Ethics Exam Prep
    • California LCSW Law & Ethics Exam Prep
    • National MFT Exam Test Bank
  • Advocacy
  • Books
    • Basics of California Law for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs (10th ed)
    • Saving Psychotherapy
    • Preparing for the 2023 California MFT Law & Ethics Exam
    • Preparing for the 2023 California Clinical Social Work Law & Ethics Exam
  • Blog
    • Blog home
    • Psychology
    • Professional Counseling
    • Family therapy
    • Clinical social work
    • Law and ethics
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Licensure
    • Public policy