NEWS
Louisiana Board of Social Work Examiners
Summer, 2002
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Inside this Issue:
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LABSWE Supervision
Consultant The Rules, Standards and Procedures for the 1999 Louisiana Social Work Practice Act specify that GSWs seeking the LCSW credential must receive a minimum of 96 hours of face-to-face supervision for licensure from a Board Approved Clinical Supervisor. Supervision is seen as a primary mechanism for helping the new social work practitioner prepare for independent practice and as a critical means of assuring that the public is protected from incompetent or unethical practice. To accomplish these ends, supervision must be structured and guided by the supervisor over the required twenty-four months of supervised practice. While much of the supervision time will be focused on the development of knowledge base and practice skills arising from case material, it is imperative that adequate supervision time also be devoted to the values and ethics of the profession, to agency and social policies that affect client systems, to documentation requirements and legal issues, to professional relationships and organizational dynamics, to written and oral communication skills, and to learning to evaluate one’s own practice. The requirement that the supervisor and supervisee submit a Plan of Supervision at the beginning of the supervisory relationship is intended to help assure that this broad focus for supervision is structured into supervisory sessions. The Plan is also intended to make it clear to both the supervisee and the supervisor what the intended outcomes for supervision are (Objectives), what activities the supervisee is expected to engage in to accomplish these objectives (Growth Experiences), and how the supervisor and supervisee will know to what extent these objectives have been met (Indicators of Mastery). Initially members of the licensing board reviewed the Plan of Supervision and provided supervisors with a feedback checklist, indicating either that the Plan was acceptable as written or that revisions were required. Several concerns about this process surfaced over time: turnaround time for reviewing Plans and getting feedback to the supervisor was longer than desired; some supervisors objected to having their Plans reviewed by board members who were not LCSWs; and, with several people reviewing Plans, it was not clear that review standards were always consistent, even among LCSWs. To address these concerns, the board decided to follow the system used by several other states and contract with an independent LCSW to review the Plans. At the end of January of this year, I began to serve as Supervision Consultant for LABSWE. After reviewing an initial batch of accumulated Plans, I recommended some procedural changes to the board. The board had asked that I develop a list of Guidelines for completing the Plan of Supervision to accompany the packet of forms that is mailed to the applicant. I did this and included in the Guidelines brief definitions of the six required areas of learning objectives (Ethics, Professional Growth, Relationships, Intervention Process, Evaluation, and Communication), as I had found that these labels were not always interpreted in the same way by supervisors. I also revised the Feedback Checklist and recommended that the deadline for submitting required revisions to the Plan be extended from 10 days to 30 days, and this was approved. Finally, I recommended that the Plan of Supervision Form be revised (1) to include subheadings under each broad learning objective to make it clear that Growth Experiences and Indicators of Mastery were required, as well as individualized Objectives, and (2) to provide more space for each area to make it easier for the forms to be completed legibly. I hope these changes have been helpful. The board members, the staff, and I are all committed to making the submission process reasonable. To this end, the Plan can now be obtained on disc for those supervisors who prefer to write the Plan on a computer. The board has now asked me to develop the Board Orientation Workshop for Approved Supervisors required in the Rules, Standards and Procedures. This orientation has previously been offered in an abbreviated format at the end of board-approved workshops on the theory and techniques of supervision and has sometimes required the workshop presenter to trim their planned content to make time for the orientation. The board hopes to begin offering freestanding Board Orientation Workshops this Fall, which will address not only the logistics of supervision for licensure but will also allow time for discussion of how (1) to develop well-planned, well-worded, individualized learning objectives, (2) to design related growth experiences, and (3) to identify meaningful indicators of mastery. Sounds dry, but I hope to make it stimulating and fun as well as informative. I am grateful for this opportunity to work with you and the LABSWE, as we mutually strive to provide quality supervision and enhance practice competency in our state. The LABSWE Board encourages all Board Approved Clinical Supervisors to obtain a copy of Supervision for Professional Development and Public Protection: A Guide. Visit the Board’s website for ordering publications.
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2001-2002 Complaints
LABSWE received 94 complaints in the fiscal year July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. The following is a breakdown of the categories based on the Social Work Practice Act and the Board’s Rules, Standards and Procedures.
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Board Meeting Dates for 2002
September 27 & 28 LABSWE falls under the Louisiana Open Meetings Act. This law specifies that every meeting shall be open to the public, unless the subject of the meeting relates to the character and professional competence of a person, or to the investigation of a complaint or negotiation of litigation. Compliance Hearings (to ensure people comply with the licensing law) and Disciplinary Hearings (to address public complaints about professional practice) fall under the open meeting law. The schedule for each LABSWE meeting is posted 24 hours ahead of the scheduled meeting. Any member of the public who wishes to address the board may submit a request in writing at least 24 hours before a public meeting to be included on the agenda. All votes are public, as are all minutes of the meetings. Contact the Board office concerning meeting times and location.
November 15 & 16 December 13 & 14
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Deciding between taking the ASWB Advanced and Clinical examination can be a confusing one. The following is a brief discussion of the differences between the exam to assist you in making the decision. Both the ASWB Advanced and Clinical examinations are based on national surveys of social work practice. The responses--sorted by education (BSW, MSW), experience (no experience and 2-5 years post degree experience), and general practice setting (direct vs. non-direct practice)--play a key role in the final examination content.
The Advanced and Clinical examinations are both designed to test at the same educational degree (MSW) and number of years of post-graduate, supervised experience (2-5 years). The Advanced examination is about 70% percent clinical or direct service content, with approximately 30% devoted to social work/client relationships, professional ethics and values, and supervision in both direct and non-direct practice, as well as social work research, policy, and administration. The Clinical examination content is all focused on direct, clinical social work practice, including the supervision, research, policy, and management components. As you can see, there is a different emphasis in the two examinations, even though both are targeted at social workers with equivalent degrees and years of experience.
As of Spring 2001, a total of 18 jurisdictions noted that they accept either the Clinical or Advanced ASWB examinations for the Clinical license. A total of 31 jurisdictions do not accept the ASWB Advanced exam in lieu of the Clinical examination. Of those 31, eight jurisdictions have separate licensure categories that require the Advanced examination for one licensure level and the Clinical for another.
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2001 NATIONAL and STATE ASWB PASSING RATES
Exam Category and Group Type
NATIONAL Pass Rate
LOUISIANA Pass Rate
Total # of candidates
Number
Percentage
Total # of candidates
Number
Percentage
ASSOCIATE
First-Time
Repeat Group
Total Group
281
95
376
188
33
221
66.9
34.7
58.8
0
0
0
BASIC
First-Time
Repeat Group
Total Group
4063
689
4752
3414
265
3679
84
38.5
77.4
0
0
0
INTERMEDIATE
First-Time
Repeat Group
Total Group
7178
1650
8828
5650
581
6231
78.7
35.2
70.6
132
1
133
82
1
83
62.1
100
62.4
ADVANCED
First-Time
Repeat Group
Total Group
203
57
260
132
27
159
65
47.4
61.2
12
4
16
4
1
5
33.3
25
31.3
CLINICAL
First-Time
Repeat Group
Total Group
5858
2124
7982
4264
868
5131
72.8
40.8
64.3
160
108
268
85
27
112
53.1
25
41.8
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . by Brenda Trivette, LCSW
1. I am a GSW and I work in a partial hospitalization program. The program has several incentive programs for pa- tients and I would like your input on whether these methods violate the standards of practice for GSWs. The first method is that clients who complete our program are given a certificate of completion and a small gift (nominal) at a "going away" party. Second, clients earn bonus points for completing certain tasks and they can use those bonus points in the agency "store" to purchase certain supplies. Third, there is an award and bonus points are given to the "client of the week" who is chosen by the professional staff. I am very uncomfort- able with the award system and have asked to be excused from participation.
Does your partial hospitalization program serve developmentally disabled or chronically mentally ill clients? The "incentive programs" you describe sound like traditional behavior modification techniques. Certainly the first and second methods do not violate any standards of practice. The "Client of the Week" should be rotated throughout the population as a motivational tool to reward appropriate behavior and program participation. The use of these typical behavior therapy techniques should not create any ethical concerns.
2. A school social worker maintains his own records on the children he sees. School administrators (not social workers) have asked to review his therapy notes due to a complaint that has been filed with the school system. Can the social worker release those records without a release from the parents of the children that the social worker has seen?
No. School social workers work in a "host agency" where the majority of personnel are not bound by confidential- ity restraints. In order to release any information from a student’s therapeutic file, the social worker would have to obtain the parent’s informed written consent for such release to specific school administrators within a specific time frame. If the school social worker is being supervised by another social worker (or similar mental health pro- fessional), the supervisor can review the supervisee’s therapeutic records and is free to cite dates of service if rele- vant to a complaint filed against the school social worker. However, the supervisor would have to obtain parental consent in order to reveal any clinical content from these records to school administrators.
3. Can a clinical manager for a mental health rehabilitation agency provide therapy for clients if these clients are also clients of the mental health rehabilitation agency for which the clinical manager works? Should these clients be as- signed to another clinical manager?
Your first question does not suggest a dual relationship because the social worker is providing social work services both as a clinical manager and as a therapist. However, he is wearing two different and potentially confusing so- cial work hats with the client and he is now providing the "supervision" of his own work. So the answer to your second question is yes. If there is another clinical manager in this Mental Health Rehab Agency, why risk complicating the therapeutic relationship?
4. Can the clinical manager of a mental rehab agency provide private therapy during agency work hours when the mental rehab agency is an LLC?
Standards of Practice 121 C 2 states that "A social worker shall not solicit a private fee or other remuneration for providing services to clients who are entitled to such available services through the social worker’s employer or agency without employer or agency approval." To accept a fee from a private pay client on company time is obviously fraudulent, but many social workers working in mental rehab agencies work for the agency on a part-time basis. With agency approval, the social worker may see private pay clients on site as well but, of course, not at the same time he is billing Medicaid for services rendered.
5. A social worker was in partnership with two other mental health professionals. The other mental health pro- fessionals come into the office one weekend and take all their client records and leave. Their records contain the social worker’s original therapy notes. Is this a legal or an ethical problem?
Better luck next time. The Board assumes that you were working with a psychologist and/or a psychiatrist and that all of you were seeing and charting on the same clients. You did not indicate what type of "partnership" or legal arrangement was in place. This is a legal issue to determine who is considered "owner" of the records. To decide if it is also an ethical issue, you should contact the appropriate licensure boards.
6. A 13 year old had an altercation with another boy which resulted in the 13 year old being placed in an inpatient treatment facility on a court order. The 13 year old told his social worker that he was going to kill the kid who got him put in the treatment center. The social worker calls the police and reports the 13 year old’s statement and the other boy’s name. The police come out and talk to the boy but do not agree to try and locate the other boy or his family and advise them of the threat since they do not know his address. Should the social worker try to locate the other boy and his family (if he is a minor) and notify them of the threat?
Since young people often make idle suicidal and homicidal threats, the piece you omitted was whether the so- cial worker considered this to be a genuine Duty to Warn situation. Did the social worker believe that this 13 year old really had homicidal intent, a specific and workable plan to murder his classmate, access to an appro- priate weapon and a willingness to follow through with this plan regardless of consequences? Unless he was due to be discharged that day, the social worker may have jumped the gun. If he was due to be discharged and the social worker believed he might indeed attempt to carry out his threat, then he/she must notify the po- lice "in the vicinity of the client and the victim(s)" and make "reasonable efforts to communicate the threat to the potential victim(s)" whose address should be contained in the altercation police report or court order.
7. When parents have joint custody, do both parents have to agree for a social worker to see a child or can either parent bring a child in for therapy? If one parent brings a child in for therapy, is the social worker required to let the other parent know?
When parents have joint custody, the domiciliary parent can make medical and educational decisions for the child but is required by the court’s agreement to let the other parent know what those decisions may be. If the domiciliary parent is not designated as the decision maker, both parents have the same decision making author- ity. You should request a copy of any joint custody decrees or orders if you feel uncertain about this issue. Ideally, both parents should be informed and involved in a young child’s therapy. There are also other situa- tions (e.g. when the parents continue to fight through the child) when one parent’s fearful or spiteful refusal to give consent for treatment may prevent the child from obtaining appropriate and necessary help.
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Renewal Reminder
We are excited to announce our new online renewal form. Just visit the LABSWE website and click on online renewal. You can also submit your renewal by mail. Your completed renewal form and renewal fee must received in the Board’s office postmarked by November 30, 2002. Any renewal received after this date will be subject to double the renewal rates:
Before 11/30/02 After 11/30/02 LCSW $75 $150 GSW $50 $100 RSW $25 $50 All social worker credentials which were received before April 1, 2002, will lapse if renewals are not received by February 28, 2003.
Visit the Board’s web page for current information, forms, publication
and renewal information at http://www.labswe.org.
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Welcome New LCSWs, GSWs, & RSWs
LCSWs
The following social workers have been granted the LCSW license by the Board as of 7/14/02
ANDERSON, ADRIAN CHEPOLIS, KATHERINE FREDERICK, REGINA MARTIN, MICHEE SIGNORELLI, ANNA ARMER, SANDRA COLLINS, CHERIE FULLER, IV, IRA MASON, SANDRA SMITH, ASHLEY BALLEW, MARY COMEAUX, ANDREW GARNER, JENNIFER MORAN, SARAH SMITH, HEATHER BIENVENU, BLANCHE CROSSLEY, MICHELLE HANNAH, CATHERINE MUSSER, MELANIE SMITH, SHANNON BILLIOT, MARLEEN DAHMER, TRACY HEFFINGTON, PAUL OSIPCHAK, MARC STRAIT, SARAH BLACK, JEAN DIXON-WHITE, TARSHA HIDALGO, MYRA PEAK, KIMBERLY VILLAMARIN, ANAMARIA BODE, ANGELE DOUGLAS, MELISSA HILTON, PATRICIA PITTMAN, CLAUDIA WALL, DEANNA BONVILLAIN, R DUBOIS, CAMILLE HIMEL, KRISTIE POPE, JULIET WALLACE, REGINA BOUDREAUX, DANIEL DULMAGE, LISA HOLLINGER, GWEN ROBERT, SHARYN WATSON, REGINA BROUSSARD, DINA DUPRE, AMANDA HOYT, DIANNA ROGERS, KELLIE WELCH, LISA BROWN, STEVEN EARLY, PAULETTE JOUBERT, ROBIN RUSHING, ANGEL WHITE, KITTY BUTTELL, FREDERICK ELDER, RACHEL KANEHL, MARY SACHSE, ESTHER WHITTINGTON, DONNA BUTTELL, JENNIFER ELLIS, KELLEY KOHCHI, JOANIKO SAGRERA, ANNE WILLIAMS, ANNE CALLENS, CHRISTY EMMETT, PAUL LEBLANC, GRETCHEN SCHERER-SCHIRO, DAWN YELDER, DWAN CARTER, MONIKA FAIR, JENNY LEBLANC, MICHAEL SCHREINER, CHARLENE ZANCO, JENA CHANDLER, ANGELA FLACK, REBECCA LYON, SARAH SHELBY, TRACEY ZILBER, JANET
GSWs
(The following social workers have been granted the GSW certification by the Board as of 7/5/02)
ADAM, BRIGID CERISE, DANA GRIFFIN, NATALIE MASSICOT, ANGIE SIMMONS, LAURIE AICHINGER, KAREN CHRISTY, CAROLINE HARPER, MELISSA MATA, LINDSAY SKELTON, SUSAN ANDREWS, ROSE DAVIS, ANGELA HASNEY, JOSEPH MATZINGER, BARBARA SLOAN, ALICIA APPLEWHITE, BRIAN DAWSON, DIANE HOPE, LAKEESHA MCCARTY, SUSAN SMITH, MYLISCHA AUGUSTINE, BERNITA DILLON, CLAUDETTE JOHNSON, LISA MCCOMB, LINDA STUDER, BRANDI AVERETT, KIMBERLY DOYLE, JACQUELYN JUNO, NICOLE MCNEILL, BRANDY SUBERVIELLE, STEPHANIE BAHAM, TANYA DUDLEY, LASANDRA KELLEY, PATRICIA MCWILLIAMS, RACHEL TAYLOR, CHARLOTTE BANKS, JEROLYN DYSARD, MEGAN KELLY, STEVE MILLER, MARISA THIBODEAUX, NIGEL BAUCOM, BENITA ERICHSON, LISA KLAMFOTH, ASHLEY MILLS, DONNA THOMAS, DRUCILLA BLANCHARD, SHELLY EVANS, DENISE LABORDE, DIANE MONTEILH, MARK THOMAS, SCOTT BOWEN, KEELY FAULK, KAREN LACOUR, NATOSHA MYERS, III, CHARLES THRASH, COLLIN BRAND, LAURIE FLEIDER, CARRIE LAWRENCE, CHRISTY NOERENBERG, LORI VENTRESS, KURISTEN BROWN, CYNTHIA FLOWER, JULIETTE LEGG, KATRINKA PARKER, MARY WEATHERSBY, CHARLES BROWN, LAWANA GAIGNARD, DONNA LEON, TERRI PERSILVER, MARGARET WILSON, NETRA CAMAL, NICOLLE GARRISON, KELLY LEVINS, CARLA PIAZZA, MELISSA CANTERBURY, N. GILKEY, DELORES LIRETTE, ANN PICCHI, STEPHEN CARAWAY, CHARLOTTE GLAVIANO, CECELIA LOVEALL, STACIA CENTANNI, ANGELA GAROFALO, VALERIE MAGEE, GARY Provisional GSWs
(The following social workers have been granted the provisional GSW certification by the Board as of 7/7/02)
ALVEREZ, DANA DUPARD, JOE ANN JACKSON, RITA ROBERTS, LYDIA WATSON, SHANNON ANDRES, KIMBERLY DUPLESSIS, KAREN JAMES, CORA ROBINSON, KEISHA WEBB, MICHAEL BENDER, ESTORIA ESTOPINAL, ROBYN JONES, D'NAIS ROGERS, HOLLYE WILLIAMS, ERICA BILLINGSLEY, LASHANDA FIELDS-DUNN, DIANNE JONES, SARAH SCHNEIDER, EMILY WILLIAMS, GRETA BRAUD, TOIYA GARRICK, BRENDA JONES, SHEILA SMITH, TANJIE WILLIAMS, TANIA BROUSSARD, KATHERINE GROOVER, MELISSA KNOBLAUCH, JILL SMITH, TIFFANY WILLIAMS, TRESSELAR CEESAY, IRENE HENRIE, STEFANIE MEYERS, DAWN SNEED, BARBETTEMILY WILSON, LETRA CRUMPTON, TAMMY HOLDEN, LORRAINE O'SHEE, JOHN STEWART, MARIETTA WINZER, ANGELA DEJEAN, JR, ERNEST HOLMES, DENISE PALFREY, TRACY TRIGGS, DEBBIE DICKINSON, MYRA HONORE-COLLINS, CYNTHIA PERRAULT, MARY WALKER, PITTRE JACKSON, KIMBERLY ROBERSON, EDNA WASHINGTON, BARBARA
RSWs
(RSW registration by the Board as of 7/16/02)
ARANCIBIA, TARA GREEN, UMEKKI KRICK, MELINDA RAPP, SHAUN TADEMY, LASHONDA BATISTE, LORETTA GUILLORY, VALERIE LACOMBE, HEATHER RICHARDSON, JACQUELINE TETU, BETTY CASE-LIS, BETHANY GUIMBELLOT, SUSAN LINAM, MARSHA RUCKS, E'TERICA TOUSSAINT, LORENZA CHAUDOIR, ALIS GULYAS, GLENDA LODGE, SUE RUSHING, EDWARD TURNER, ROBIN COLLINS, ORA JACKSON, SHAWNETTA MACKAY, LISA SAENGER, SIEGLINDE VEREEN, ANTHONY COX, SUZANNE JACKSON, TONIKA MARSLAND, HENRY SANDERS, JURLEE WILLIAMS, EUNICE CROWLEY, TARA JACKSON, TYRA MONK, LAURIE SCOTT, STACIE WILSON, CALANDRA DEGENERES, LEILA JOHNSON, CYNTHIA PACILLO, DONNA SMITH, ANTHONY WINFIELD, DEBRA DUPARD, PATRICIA JOHNSON, STEPHANIE PACKER-ZENON, VANICE SOSA, TINA YOUNG, FREDDIE GAGNARD, SANDRA JUDKINS, KEISHA PATTERSON, ANNIE SPARKS, DINAH GILYARD-GAUT, KIMBERLY KAYAL, LINA PHILLIPS, CHRISTOPHER STARWOOD, DENISE
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Continuing Education Program Update
The LABSWE Board sponsored two workshops this spring. The first one focusing on Play Therapy and Practice Issues was held in Alexandria, and was attended by 102 individuals. The second seminar which addressed Professionals at Risk was held in Shreveport, and was attended by 63 participants. The evaluations for both workshops were positive, and we received many suggestions for future workshops.
The Board staff is working to schedule a workshop on the Mandatory Reporting Laws, Record Keeping Requirements and Legal Issues Facing Social Workers for Spring 2003 in Lafayette. We are also planning an Ethics Workshop with a national presenter in Spring 2003.
It is the Board’s goal to present continuing education workshops on timely topics at affordable rates. We welcome your ideas and suggestions.
For more information on any of these continuing education opportunities, visit the LABSWE website at http:/www.labswe.org, or call the Board office at #(225) 756-3470 or 1-800-521-1941.
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(as of 8/02)
Registered Social Worker (RSW) 727 Provisional Graduate Social Worker 101 Graduate Social Worker (GSW) 1580
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) 2124 Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Board Approved Clinical Supervisor (LCSW-BACS) 1337
In Remembrance:
Jamie Hopson, LCSW
Beryl Kline Hartman, GSW
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