Animal cruelty whistleblowers targeted by chilling state laws | The Verge
The Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act, would place activists who enter “an animal or research facility to take pictures by photograph, video camera” with a view to “defame the facility or its owner” onto a “terrorist registry.”
Wow.
Technology, Social Media, and the Social Work Code of Ethics
by Deona Hooper, MSW The National Institute of Health (NIH) makes a strong argument in a 2011 journal article which suggests that it’s a violation of the social work code of ethics for social workers who fail to institute evidence based technologies within their practice. However, the…
http://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/03/25/how-failing-to-utilize-technology-and-social-media-violates-the-social-work-code-of-ethics/
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Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions | Feature Shoot
Sweet. Until you get to the one from Ukraine.
"The most solid advice for a writer is this, I think: Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough."
— Ernest Hemingway (via doecile)
(Source: irisblasi, via micahbaldwin)
Preparing for the ASWB Clinical Exam
Last week I passed the ASWB clinical exam. Based on my experience, I have 5 recommendations for future LCSW candidates:
1. Make good use of your clinical supervision. This is a clinical exam, so the best way to prepare for it is to have a solid foundation of clinical experience. If you can think like a clinician, you will feel right at home while taking the test.
2. Be familiar with the DSM IV-TR. I use the DSM nearly everyday in my practice and consider myself to be a competent assessor. Having said that, I tend to be more familiar with diagnoses that are common in children and adolescents. A good rule would be to focus on reviewing those parts of your DSM that aren’t worn out (mine practicaly opens iteslf to the Adjustment Disorder section).
3. Have basic knowledge of human development and treatment modalities, but don’t go crazy memorizing everything. Theoretical frameworks are a complex historical web of ideas that overlap, complement and contradict one another. I spent hours developing mnemonic devices and word associations to remember the basic concepts and terminologies of each theory. Although this enriched my personal and professional knowlege of clinical therapy, it did not help me with the ASWB exam.
The most helpful source of theoretical preparation for the exam was Jonathan Singer’s (Ph.D., LCSW) excellent Social Work Podcast. Specifically, I would recomend a visit to the archives to find great discussions on everything from Psychoanalytic to Gestalt therapy (the most useful episodes are found in 2007).
You may also want to skim through a study guide, however…
4. Don’t waste too much money or time on study guides. I spent hundreds of hours combing through study guides and practice tests by Independent Study and Mometrix. I also spent most of my freetime taking short practice tests using Upward Mobility’s LCSW app. In hindsight, neither of these books nor the app did a good job of reflecting the actual content and style of the exam.
5. Take the online practice test offered by the ASWB. I took the official ASWB practice test during my final preperations for the exam. There are two huge advantages to the practice test. First, it uses the same interface that will be used during the official exam. By taking the practice test, you won’t have to waste any time on the day of the exam trying to figure out how to use the software. Second, I found that the ASWB practice test presented questions in a style that was markedly different from that of other practice exams. The $70 cost of the practice test may seem high to some, but it is worth every penny.
Good luck and happy studying.
