In the study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, experts identified significant socioeconomic inequalities in access to care and clinical outcomes, with children and young people living in the most deprived neighborhoods more likely to have their referral to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) rejected, and to have worse clinical outcomes at 12 months' follow-up from their referral.

Younger children, particularly those aged under 11, were also less likely to receive help, hampering earlier intervention efforts.

Keep reading here.

When, if ever, can you break confidentiality if a client with HIV refuses to inform partners?

This is a topic you may have come across in your practice exams. You’re balancing Confidentiality vs. the Duty Protect or Warn.

The foundational case, Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, established duty to warn identifiable victims of serious, foreseeable harm. From there, various states adopted a form of this, whether it be a Duty to Protect or Duty to Warn. What you’ll want to keep in mind when answering questions is that:

HIV Status ≠ Automatic Duty to Warn

• HIV is not treated the same as an imminent violent threat

• Transmission risk is:

  • Context-dependent

  • Not always immediate or certain

Use this guide to assist with answering these types of questions, as it starts with the least intrusive actions first:

1. Encourage disclosure to partner

2. Educate about risks

3. Explore barriers to disclosure

4. Consult legal/ethical guidelines

5. Consider breach ONLY if:

   • Clear risk

   • Identifiable partner

   • Law allows it

     

If thoughts are the language of the mind and emotions are the language of the body, then art is the language of the soul. Creativity is far more than a hobby. It serves as a portal to a state of consciousness where mental obsessions simply cannot survive. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Rafael McMaster. Rafael is a creative director, artist, and youth mental health advocate dedicated to empowering young people through mindfulness, creativity, and emotional resilience. As the founder of Indivisible Arts, he leads a nonprofit that equips youth, especially those facing adversity, with practical tools for self-control and personal growth. After a successful career in the creative industry, including five years as a Creative Executive at Creative Artists Agency, Rafael shifted his focus to community impact. He now develops programs that blend artistic expression with mental wellness. His forthcoming book, “FundaMental Life Tools: Self-Empowering Toolkit for Being”, offers a hands-on guide designed to help teens cultivate emotional well-being and conscious decision-making. We are excited to have Rafael with us today to explore his personal journey and innovative approach to youth mental health. We will discuss the core principles of “FundaMental Life Tools”, and his vision for empowering millions of teens with practical, life-changing skills.

Success on the EPPP requires a structured "Snowball" effect rather than luck. By layering information and building community, you transform a debilitating and isolating process into a manageable path to licensure. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Dr. Erica Ligons. Erica is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder of Crush That Exam, and owner of Vilago Psychology. After overcoming her own ADHD, severe test anxiety, and a history of struggling with standardized exams, she passed the psychology licensing exam with a score far above the requirement and began helping others do the same. She launched her coaching work in 2019 to bring equity, structure, and confidence to overwhelmed test takers. Using her signature Snowball Study Method, Dr. Ligons helps students and professionals master content, calm anxiety, and truly crush their exams. I am excited to have Erica with me today to break down how test anxiety impacts performance, why traditional studying often fails anxious learners, and how coaching and mindset shifts help people study smarter and rebuild their confidence.

Success on the EPPP requires a structured "Snowball" effect rather than luck. By layering information and building community, you transform a debilitating and isolating process into a manageable path to licensure. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Dr. Erica Ligons. Erica is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder of Crush That Exam, and owner of Vilago Psychology. After overcoming her own ADHD, severe test anxiety, and a history of struggling with standardized exams, she passed the psychology licensing exam with a score far above the requirement and began helping others do the same. She launched her coaching work in 2019 to bring equity, structure, and confidence to overwhelmed test takers. Using her signature Snowball Study Method, Dr. Ligons helps students and professionals master content, calm anxiety, and truly crush their exams. I am excited to have Erica with me today to break down how test anxiety impacts performance, why traditional studying often fails anxious learners, and how coaching and mindset shifts help people study smarter and rebuild their confidence.

A couple enters conflict. One partner escalates emotionally. The other partner shuts down.

You track the cycle. You slow the process. You invite the withdrawn partner to access the deeper feeling. And he says, “I don’t know.” Or: “I’m fine.” Or he moves into explanation, logic, or analysis.

From the therapist’s chair, this can look like avoidance, resistance, or lack of emotional awareness. But very often something else is happening.

His nervous system has already moved outside the window of tolerance. And once that happens, the man has disconnected from his somatic experience, his emotions, and his partner.

This workshop explores a missing bridge that therapists recognize: the need for physiological access before emotional access.

Who This Workshop Is For

This event is designed for therapists who:

• practice Emotionally Focused Therapy

• work with men or couples

• frequently see emotional shutdown in session

• want practical somatic tools they can use immediately

This 75-minute workshop introduces practical ways therapists can integrate somatic awareness into EFT work with men.

You will learn:

Why do many men struggle to access emotion in session

How dysregulation of the nervous system blocks emotional awareness, even when the client wants to connect.

Register here.

President Trump has signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. He directed $50 million in federal funds to make them more accessible, and ordered the Food and Drug Administration to fast track a review of such drugs as psilocybin and ibogaine.

Keep reading here.

False and deceptive advertising of professional therapy services is ____________________.

a. Illegal and unethical

b. Illegal

c. Unethical

d. Not illegal nor unethical

Many people are hearing rumors about changes to the ASWB Social Work licensure exams. Instead of wondering what is true and what isn't, I would encourage you to go directly to the source to find out more information. ASWB plans to make changes to their exam in August of 2026 and will continue to provide information on what those updates specifically look like on their website. Click this link below to learn more information about these significant changes to the exams. This screenshot above was also taken from this link. Comment below with your thoughts and/or questions about these upcoming changes...

https://www.aswb.org/2026exams/

A marriage and family therapist is working with a couple experiencing frequent conflict. The therapist begins to notice how their own reactions and interventions influence the couple’s communication patterns during sessions. The therapist reflects on how their presence may be shaping the system rather than observing it objectively. Which of the following concepts is MOST consistent with the therapist’s perspective?

a. First-order cybernetics, because the therapist is observing patterns within the couple without influencing them

b. First-order cybernetics, because the therapist is focusing on feedback loops within the couple’s system

c. Second-order cybernetics, because the therapist recognizes their role as part of the system being observed

d. Second-order cybernetics, because the therapist is attempting to remain neutral and detached from the system