Show Notes

Kayla: Welcome back to the Designer Practice Podcast, and I’m your host Kayla Das.

If you’re a social worker in Alberta, British Columbia, or the United States, you may already be aware that you can receive an advanced social worker designation that’s called an RCSW, Registered Clinical Social Worker, in Alberta and BC, or LCSW, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, in most states in the United States.

In these provinces or states, to receive this advanced credential, you may need to complete additional coursework, direct practice, and supervision requirements. On top of that, you’ll need to pass the Association of Social Work Board’s Clinical Licensing Examination.

If you are or are planning on taking the ASWB’s clinical exam, you’ll want to listen to this episode.

Because in today’s episode, Charity Lui, Registered Clinical Social Worker and private practitioner, will discuss her experience preparing for, taking, and passing the ASWB clinical licensing exam in order to become a clinical social worker here in Alberta.

Hi, Charity. Welcome back to the show. It’s always so great to have you here.

Charity: Thanks, Kayla. It’s great to be back.

Kayla: So, Charity, for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to listen to your previous episodes, please introduce yourself. where you’re from and tell us a little bit about you and your own practice journey.

Charity: Sure. So, I know you’ve already said this, but I have to say it myself because I’m so proud. I’m now a Registered Clinical Social Worker. And it’s pretty exciting. Like you say, I’m also a private practitioner so a mental health therapist here in– well, my practice is in Edmonton. I’m in Edmonton. But I also see clients virtually either in Alberta or Ontario.

My practice is called Calm River Therapy or Thérapie Calme Rivière. As you can probably hear, I serve French speaking clients as well. And some of the areas that I focus on are trauma, its impacts, anxiety, and OCD.

Kayla: Amazing. Yes, and congratulations on getting your RCSW designation.

So, let’s just get into the basics. What is the ASWB clinical exam?

Charity: So, this exam depending on where you are, who you are, can be part of the registration process to become a social worker. Really, it’s a tool to measure test knowledge, skills, abilities in social work. Wanting to ensure that people in our profession are competent, are ethical.

In Alberta, this exam is voluntary for most people. It’s voluntary if you want to become part of the clinical registry, which is a specialized roster. It is for Registered Clinical Social Workers who are also social workers, who have demonstrated that they have advanced standing, advanced practice in clinical work.

And it’s interesting because there’s a very small percentage actually of RCSWs in Alberta. There’s 380. There’s 380 current RCSWs in Alberta. And there’s about, I think, between 8,000 to 9,000 social workers who aren’t on this registry. So, it is a fairly small percentage in our province.

Kayla: That’s really good to know, and I know that this question may vary province to province but as you could only speak to your experience in Alberta. What are some of the benefits for social workers who pass the ASWB clinical exam here in Alberta?

Charity: I think it’s really that recognition of being an advanced practitioner in clinical social work. And it’s interesting because I mean, there’s lots of people who are advanced clinicians who might not be on the roster. So that’s why it’s really important to realize that it’s voluntary, but it does signal to people that you’re recognized as having competency and using the DSM, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual. So, it doesn’t change what you can do. But it’s letting you use that additional protected title.

I think also it can be beneficial for social workers in Alberta to have this designation because there may be certain providers, like agencies, government, or insurance providers that may want you to be an RCSW. I think also some employers maybe looking to identify advanced practitioners. And so having that additional title of RCSW is a signal that you have met the level and the competencies in that level.

One last thing is, I’m not an expert in what happens in the United States of America at all. But I think being able to practice in the States, if you were ever interested in doing that, having that RCSW credential would likely be beneficial.

Kayla: Yeah, and I second that. I can’t speak for LCSWs in the States, but I do know that to be able to get some jobs down there, you do need that LCSW versus LSW credential. And like you said if you think that you may decide to move to the States, most states down there do require this exam to be taken. And so having it taken could just help you as you transition.

Charity: Yeah, absolutely.

Kayla: So, I have to ask, how did it feel when you got that passing result?

Charity: Well, it was pretty exciting. I had a bit of a different experience. Generally, you get your mark right away. And there was some kind of I don’t know what happened exactly, but I had to wait a lot longer than right away. I waited at the testing center for over an hour. Anyways, I guess I won’t get into details, but I had to wait about half a day. And so that was pretty nerve wracking. I mean, I felt fairly confident, but until you get that score you don’t know for sure.

I had not realized, I don’t think, the amount of tension I was carrying as I prepared for this exam, especially in the last two months. I felt it was like a huge marathon of just studying and studying and studying. And even when I had time where it was kind of downtime, I felt like I still need to study. And so it really gave me this sense of relief that I’m still trying to get used to, you know what, I can relax. I don’t have to be looking at all my notes. So, it feels really good to have that under my belt now.

Kayla: Amazing. So, the question that I think a lot of people are wondering is how did you prepare for the ASWB clinical exam?

Charity: So first I need to say that it’s been 20 years since I did my BSW or a bit over 20 years. So, I’ve been in practice for quite a bit. So, I think that changed a bit of how I studied because if I had more recently graduated, I think I would have been able to pull up my books, pull up my notes and include that. But seeing that I graduated so long ago, I didn’t have that.

So, my strategy was, you know what, I’m going to try doing this study on my own, because there are prep courses that you can take and purchase. But I decided that I was going to try to do it on my own.

So, the first thing I did was look at, it’s a 98 page, 98 pages of an exam guidebook. So, this is put out by ASWB. It’s free. It’s on their website. And reading through and going through that workbook is going to really help you understand the process. How many questions are there going to be? What kind of questions? Oh, these are all multiple choice. What can I expect? And so, then within that 98 pages, there’s 10 pages specific to the topic areas that are for this particular exam, the RCSW exam. So I printed out that complete outline of all 10 pages, and then I went through each of these, and there was a lot of them, and looking at like, what do I have no clue here, and for sure need to study, right, and highlight those, and which ones do I feel like I know what this is, and I’m feeling pretty confident in this so I’m not going to waste my time doing this. And what are ones that yeah, if I have time, I should really review this.

Because one thing unless you’re studying for a whole year, I don’t think you could ever go through every single topic area and feel confident in every area. Maybe there’s somebody who could, but I certainly can’t. So that was one of my big strategies was doing all of that. And then once I had an understanding of where I was short or what I didn’t know and honestly thinking about that and being honest with myself is I started preparing a Word document taking notes, and I got everything I could put my hands on. So, I listened to podcasts. There are podcasts and YouTube channels specific to the ASWB exam.

And then even for example, if I was looking up the principles of attachment and bonding, you could even just put that in YouTube, right? And add social work at the end and start to listen to videos and taking notes, reading blogs. Some of the courses that offer preparation courses also offer blogs. So, you can go through and read up on that.

And you know what the other thing is I found doing this process actually beneficial for my practice too. So, I’ll give you an example, is one of the areas on the outline was around the family life cycle. Like, hmm, I don’t really know what that is, I mean, I can guess. So I went, I learned about it and then it was like, wow, like I could really incorporate this with this one specific client that I’m working with right now. If I’m able to do some psychoeducation around this specific topic, I think that it’s going to be helpful for that person.

And it was, so even though it’s stressful and it feels like a chore, I think coming with this, I’m going to be curious. I’m going to learn. And a lot of this, not every single thing, I can probably incorporate into my practice and become a stronger social worker.

The other thing is really getting confident on ethics. And so the Code of Ethics. So, in Canada, we have a new Code of Ethics that has just come out. So, you might want to look at the old Code of Ethics, also the Code of Ethics from the States, and then really, really getting clear on that.

And, it’s not so much about memorization the entire exam. It’s not about memorization. It’s about understanding the concepts. So, as I was going through the Code of Ethics, it’s thinking about how would I actually apply this in my practice? Like, how does this specific thing that I’m reading about, whether it be about what to think about if you’re a clinical supervisor, what’s a dual relationship, really getting clear on what that means in a practical sense, as opposed to just this written code on a piece of paper.

The other two things that I want to highlight is the super big importance of doing the practice exam. So, the practice exam is something you can purchase. So you do have to put out some money. But I had actually decided that if I didn’t pass the practice exam, I was going to pay for one of the prep courses that was already in my head. Because I just knew that this was going to show if I had done my work and what it takes to take the exam. So it was exhausting actually. I feel like it was more exhausting than the exam itself. I don’t know why. The whole exam is really intense when you’re sitting and doing that much concentrating. But my actual number one thing for people to think about is doing the practice exam. And interestingly, my mark was just about the same as it was on the practice exam. So, I think it’s a really good indication of where you’re at.

The other thing that I think was important is to go and find the location of the exam so that you’re not feeling muddled on the day of figure out where there’s parking. I actually ended up taking a taxi because I felt that that would really help me feel more grounded and I wouldn’t have to figure out if I had the right amount of money for the parking and that there was going to be a parking spot.

And I have to tell you a funny story. On the testing center, it said. Like one, two, three, such and such a road. So, I go there, it’s at one of our colleges and I walk in and I’m like, great. That was easy. I found it, now where’s the room. And I couldn’t find the room. Couldn’t find the room. Couldn’t find a map. And so finally I saw somebody, because this was a weekend I went in, and I’m like, do you know where this number is? And he’s like, Oh yeah. So, you either take the tunnels and it’s about a five-minute walk through the tunnels. Or you can get out in your car and you can go across this street, that street, this street. And I was like, what? This is the address. So, it was quite the experience. And I would have been so frazzled if that was the day of the exam. I don’t even know. What I would have done because I would have just been freaked out. And I’m the kind of person who likes to be early on time feeling confident and that would have really thrown me off. So, I would just suggest to people to take the time to go and look at the location and get a sense of where it is. So that on the day of you’re not trying to figure all of that out.

Kayla: Wow, that’s such great tips and there’s so many things I want to like touch on with all of that. First of all, I love that you looked at the exam as a way to enhance your practice. Because I think sometimes, we’re just looking at I need this piece of paper, I need this exam pass. And it’s totally legitimate, right? Like a part of that, you’ve worked so hard, you’re paying lots of money. But if we’re able to reframe it in a way that how can I use this to my benefit as well as to the benefit of my clients now and in the future. It’s really going to change the experience of studying for it.

One thing I do want to highlight is, although I’ve never taken the ASWB clinical exam, I have taken a standardized test in the past as a recreation therapist. I took the CTRS exam in the past. So, I kind of understand some of the processes that you’re talking about having a standardized exam to take. Yeah, most standardized exams are about that understanding. It’s like do you actually understand the concepts as they apply versus just memorizing?

One thing I remember when I took the CTRS exam, I found that the structure of any practice exams were almost identical in structure to the standardized.

Charity: Yeah, it was exactly the same. Exactly the same format. The questions and topics were totally different. Like I said, there’s so many possible topics in this big book and the 10 pages specific to the RCSW exam. There were no duplicate questions. It’s not like, Oh, I saw this on the practice exam. But yeah, it was super helpful. Oh, and the other tip is you can keep that exam and it’ll tell you all the answers. And a brief description of why it was a instead of BCD. And so, I went through and highlighted the ones that I got wrong and really tried to understand why I got them wrong. And then I got to see a theme of why they were wrong. And out of all the questions, I studied those, even the ones that I didn’t get wrong, just so I could sort of familiarize myself by going through the exam again. So, I wrote the practice exam about two weeks before I scheduled the exam.

And the other thing to know at least it’s like that here in Canada, it’s probably all over is I thought I would have had to book this exam like five months in advance or two months in advance, but you don’t. I looked on August on their website and saw even next week I could write it if I wanted to. So that really helped too. I didn’t feel like there was this looming I have to decide which date I’m going to write it on. Yeah, so I actually didn’t book my exam until after I wrote the practice exam.

Kayla: That’s amazing. One other tip I want us to go back to is how you planned for the day in advance, right? Going to the place, making sure you knew where you had to go. Knowing yourself well enough that you’re like, I’m going to take a taxi so that I don’t have to worry about parking and all of that, especially on a weekday.

And I think that that is so important to think about some of these things that you can do for yourself in advance because you will be stressed the day of and trying to navigate where it is. And again, I remember when I took my CTRS exam, geez, that was probably 15 years ago. But when I took it, similar to you, I was in this place I never went to before. It was in one of the colleges. I had to navigate. I don’t know if I had to leave the building that I thought it was, but I remember having to navigate, like, where in this big building do I need to go? And I’m like you, I’m always early, so fortunately I had some time to find the place. But yeah, do what you need to do to prepare, so that you’re not stressed the day of, even though you’re going to be stressed, but you’re not stressed for any other reason than the exam.

Charity: Yeah. Absolutely.

Kayla: So, if you could highlight just one thing that you think might be helpful for listeners specifically about preparing for or taking the ASWB clinical exam, what would it be?

Charity: I think everyone’s method of studying is different. So, I’ve highlighted here what worked for me. Like we alluded to earlier, being really honest in your reflection about what you know on this huge list of possible topics. What your weaknesses might be, or what you don’t know at all. I think that’s something I would like to highlight.

And like you say, taking it as an opportunity to learn, so that we can incorporate it into our practice. So, knowing what you need and being honest when you look at that list, so that you can really identify where to spend your study time.

Kayla: Good advice. So, Charity, if any listener would like to connect with you, how can they do that? And also, are you currently accepting clients in your practice?

Charity: Yeah, actually I am accepting new clients right now. I have two websites, one website, but it’s in French or English, so calmriver.ca or calmriviere.ca

 Yeah, that’s how you can get in touch with me. And like I said, again, my office is in Edmonton. But I also do serve clients virtually anywhere in Alberta or Ontario.

Kayla: Amazing. So, to check out Charity’s website, head to calmriver.ca

Or simply scroll down to the show notes and click on the link.

Charity, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast again today to discuss your experience preparing for, taking, and passing the ASWB clinical examination.

Charity: Oh, thanks, Kayla. You know, this was super fun. Hopefully some of your listeners who are social workers will know that this is a big step and a big thing. I mean, it’s one thing when you tell your parents or you tell friends who don’t really understand and they’re like, yeah, great. I’m glad you passed your exam. Like, oh my gosh, it’s way more than that. So, this was super fun. I feel like it was a bit of a celebration and not just a conversation. And I hope that it can be useful for other people who are going to be preparing for this exam.

Kayla: I look forward to seeing where this takes you.

Thank you everyone for tuning into today’s episode. And I hope you join me again soon on the designer practice podcast.

Until next time. Bye for now.

Credits & Disclaimers

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