I’ve been reading and enjoying Blind Spots, a 2011 book about why people make choices that go against their own genuinely-held values. It’s a good read, full of insights that I hope to bring to my work in ethics and policy going forward. One unexpected nugget for therapists: Your late cancellation fee might actually be encouraging late cancellations.
ASWB made two big promises about their social work exams. They haven’t kept either one
In 2022, ASWB released exam data that they had long denied even possessing. That data showed significant disparities in exam performance on the basis of race and ethnicity, leading to calls that their exams should be suspended or abolished. Some states have done so, at least at some licensure levels.
Since those 2022 revelations, ASWB has made two significant promises about how they would move forward with greater transparency around their exams: 1, They would continue to provide data broken down by demographic factors like race, and 2, They would release all of their psychometric validation studies.
So far, they haven’t fulfilled either promise.
ASWB misinformed examinees about changes to its social work exams
New evidence shows that the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) misinformed examinees about recent exam format changes. They then quietly updated their exam handbook two weeks after the changes had taken effect. Even if examinees had been correctly informed, the format changes appear to violate testing industry standards.
Value-based care in mental health: An explainer
Discussions about value-based care among therapists are often confusing and unproductive. In my experience, that seems to be because a lot of us simply don’t know what the term means. So it gets either dismissed as just a new term for things many of us already do (like measuring outcomes), or it gets framed as the boogeyman intent on destroying therapy as we know it.
Marketing therapy after disasters
In response to mass shootings, wildfires, and other disasters, many therapists and counselors have sought to support impacted areas. One way they have done so is with free services. Marketing therapy after disasters can be difficult, though. Done well, it reinforces our roles as community caregivers. It shows off the best of who we are as professionals. With some common mistakes, it can instead come off as a tacky form of marketing, accidentally pushing people in need away from help. Here’s how to tastefully and effectively offer counseling and therapy services to those in need.