WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Acceptance and treatment of mental health and behavioral issues have been at the forefront of discussions about medical care for years now.
Right now, the state of Florida is at a crossroads where action must be taken or the need for care will simply overwhelm the resources available. State lawmakers have poured funding into expanding programs at state colleges and universities to train the next generation of Behavioral Health professionals.
CBS12 News Reporter Stefany Valderrama is looking into an issue that some worry is keeping qualified people from being able to do their part.
“I, myself, have been in long-term recovery for over 24 years,” said Susan Silverstein Knee, a primary therapist.
Silverstein-Knee has firsthand experience of therapy from both sides, as a patientand a provider. After decades working in the fashion industry, the New Yorker got her Masters in Social Work in 2017 and moved to Florida to pursue her new career.
“I have been working in the addiction treatment space since then… where we treat concurring mental illness and addiction,” she told CBS12 News.
Along with her advanced degree, she has years of experience and multiple professional licenses. But the one thing Silverstein-Knee doesn’t have is a Clinical Social Worker License. That credential would allow her to move up in her facility, provide out-patient care, or even set up a private practice.
The problem is she can’t pass the exam.
“How much time and money have you invested into getting this certification?” AskedCBS12 News Reporter Stefany Valderrama.
“A few thousand dollars,”Silverstein-Knee answered. “Time? A lot. I have been trying to pass this for almost 4 years. You can take it every 90 days, but every time I take it, and I don’t pass, it just sets me back emotionally.”
Her story is not uncommon.
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In 2022, the Association of Social Work Boards put together an extensive analysis of data collected over a decade. The information is all self-reported by test takers, so it isn’t perfect, but it does provide a picture of who is passing this test and who isn’t.
Between 2011 and 2021, the number of people taking the test, which has different versions for Clinical, Masters, Bachelors, and Associate levels, has steadily increased. It’s a positive sign people from all backgrounds and age groups, want to join the field.
The analysis also determined more women pass than men, young people pass at a higher rate than older folks, as do those for whom English is their native language, and Black test takers fail at a higher rate than most other groups.
That led the National Association of Black Social Workers to demand changes to address the disparity in pass rates, and to remove the institutional barrier which it said was not the fault of the test takers, but the testing process.
Here’s the full statement posted to its website:
The National Association of Black Social Workers, Inc. (NABSW) is comprised of people of African ancestry. We are committed to enhancing the quality of life and empowering people of African ancestry through advocacy, human services delivery, and research. Therefore, NABSW finds it necessary to formally respond to the demographic data released by the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB).
NABSW works to create a world in which people of African ancestry will live free from racial domination, economic exploitation, and cultural oppression. Unfortunately, the demographic data released by ASWB lacks information that would provide the necessary data relevant to causality or correlation. Therefore, we cannot accept the reported data and outcomes that have resulted in multiple failed attempts and millions of dollars spent by African American professionals.
African Americans have been practicing Social Work professionally for over 100 years. The institutional barriers experienced by thousands of practitioners to receive the highest level of licensure are not a failure of the test takers but a failure of the testing process. We must acknowledge the historical aspect of the information and the discriminatory practices prevalent systemically in Social Work education and licensure.
NABSW stands firm in our collaboration with national, international, and other appropriate groups who assume the responsibility of safeguarding the rights of Black people and Black communities. Collectively we must address the profound injustices and historical practices integrated into the fabric of truth in disclosure.
The ASWB data demonstrate that racial discrimination is prevalent in assuring equitable opportunities to achieve licensing warrants immediate action. NABSW believes ASWB claim to ” provide support and services to the social work regulatory community to advance safe, competent, and ethical practices to strengthen public protection.
To ensure the Missions of both NABSW and ASWB, we respectfully demand the following:
Additional data be released to include the differentiation and scoring process data.Alternative pathways to licensure are implemented, including modular testing and conditioning for the exam.ASWB to document support to state Social Work license board of passage of those who failed by 10 points or lessASWB to provide free test taking for those who have failed three or more timesASWB to contract with professional social work organizations and practitioners to provide culturally appropriate supports
NABSW believes immediate action is needed to assist those impacted. We are willing to work with ASWB and other professional Social Work organizations to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion for all practitioners.
Stacey Hardy-Chandler is the CEO of the Association of Social Work Boards, or ASWB, which administers the exam.
“Certainly, issues that are impacted by systemic factors need systemic solutions,” she told CBS12 News.
“Is there anything being done to help certain groups be able to succeed and pass this test?” Asked CBS12 News Reporter Stefany Valderrama.
“First of all, working with educators, on the other end of the spectrum, working with the advocate component of the Social Work profession,” Hardy-Chandler told CBS12 News. “We have to work across the profession in order to be able to see any difference in these disparities.”
Hardy-Chandler tellsCBS12 News data collected from the 2022 analysis identified issues which will ultimately help test takers and improve the exam. She adds the ASWB has a number of study guides and other initiatives to help test takers. However, she points out that the test is rigorous because it should be.
“Items are designed to test critical thinking and decision making,” Hardy-Chandler explained. “The examination is about here is a general situation… entry to practice. What you should know on day one as an LCSW. Here’s a situation, based on the information that you have available, which of these options is the best under these circumstances.”
Every 5 to 7 years, the exam is revamped.
A new version will be available in 2026, based on data collected from more than 26,000 practicing Clinical Social Workers in the U.S. and Canada.
Silverstein-Knee has hired tutors, she’s done the study guides and she’s put in the work. Now, she’s out thousands of dollars and emotionally spent trying to get this license.
I feel, because this is my second career, it has been a little bit more challenging. At some point… like how many times is someone going to keep going.
“I feel, because this is my second career, it has been a little bit more challenging,” she told CBS12 News. “At some point… like how many times is someone going to keep going.”
This exam is for the highest level of licensure in this field, with the greatest level of responsibility for patient treatment and prescriptions.
As Hardy-Chandler makes clear, failing doesn’t mean you can’t get a job.
“You can practice without it?”Asked CBS12 News Reporter Stefany Valderrama.
“Correct, yes,”Silverstein-Knee said. “You can practice without it because if you work for a facility, you are under the facility license.”
In addition to getting a degree in this field, before you can sit for the exam you have to complete supervised clinical hours. That can be another challenge when trying to pass this exam.
Silverstein-Knee tells CBS12 News if she could offer one suggestion, it would be to allow students to know what they got wrong when they fail. She believes that alone could improve pass rates.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the ASWB tells CBS12 News that’s currently not how it’s done, but could be something they consider in the future.
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