This blog is a place where fellow colleagues can go to obtain research, read articles, gain insight, laugh a little and find useful tools and tips. I love discussion and want to hear your opinion as well, whether it supports or challenges the posted view. The field of social work is not a walk in the park, and we need the support of others to make it through.
I am a Military Spouse who has had 12 years of experience learning how to juggle a career while moving every few years. I have experience in School Social Work, Private Practice, Community Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Hospital Social Work, Hospice and Home Health. I hold both a Master's and Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a specialization in Trauma.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Military Spousal Licensing


If you are a military family or know a military family personally, you are probably familiar with the term "PCS."  This stands for "Permanent Change of Station" and the nuts and bolts of it mean, ya gotta move.  What begins as a phone call from a detailer, moves swiftly into research of your new state and city.  After that the spouse begins to see what it takes to apply for licensure in his/her new state.  While not all spouses work in licensed fields, this is a very real problem for many.  Most states do not offer reciprocity for Licensed Clinical Social Workers.  So what this means is that the spouse is then forced to apply for a new license (typically by endorsement).  Each state has their own rules and regulations for licensure, not to mention fees that add up very quickly for sending test scores, license verifications and application fees.  This becomes a very lofty task ON TOP of moving.  Oh and did I mention that this happens every 1-3 years for most military families??

Proudly wearing the title of "Military Spouse" puts me right in the thick of this as we have just PCS'ed.  I hold a current licensed in my departing state and have begun the arduous task of applying for licensure by endorsement in my new state.  There are also non monetary "costs" such as being unable to apply to jobs until the new license is in hand and the hours that are spent trying to navigate through the new state's laws and rules.  Finally, waiting with baited breath to see if the new state will accept everything without having to do additional supervision or classes.

On July 1st, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced that all 50 states have taken action on licensing for Military Spouses.  This is a follow up from an initiative they began in 2011.  You can read more about it here.  I love what they have set out to do and the potential benefits for the future.  Looking at this map, you can see the legislature and action that each state has already put into place.  The downfalls I can see are that the legislature is not listed specific to a licensed occupation or a specific benefit.  This makes it very difficult to tell what benefits there are to help support military spouses who are transitioning to a new state.

While this may affect military spouses more often than the general population, this is a very real problem for all licensed social workers and other mental health professionals.  We almost become locked into the state we are in because of the differing requirements for licensure.  Even with a national board and exam (for social workers it is the ACSW), the state variances for licensure are great.

This begs to ask the question, if there is a national exam for licensing clinical social workers, why can there not be a national standard for licensure?

6 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to military splices facing all these gauntlets, so very frequently!!!
    Although this blog was specific to professional licensing of Socisl Workers, I'm aware of the difficulties facing early childhood educators. All licensed educators (N through 12) face similar gauntlets as do Social Workers, but ECE teachers have more increasing costs as standard bars are continually raised, but because of staff to children ratios, private day cares and preschools cannot afford much more then minimum wage. Only the elite, private early childhood schools can afford to charge a high enough tuition to cover all costs. For a parent, that means the difference btw choosing a school that has 3 babies per staff worker (or 5 per two staff workers) in a nationally accredited facility versus 6 babies per every paid staff worker, in a minimum credential facility that juggles babies between classrooms to keep ratios in line. That means, despite what some facilities tell parents, your non-verbal baby can be shifted at any time to workers who do not know your child. The unethical centers also over enroll to cover for absent children/absent tuition payments, and I quit one employer when I caught her fudging the paperwork on her employees ... So to avoid being ethically involved in all that, I chose to only work at nationally accredited early learning centers. To do that as a military spouse, would be most difficult and costly!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree that this goes to so many different fields. I have a current school social worker certification for Florida that I can't use here either. I'd have to reapply for that and see if they accept my Fl experience and testing. I understand that states having autonomy in their decisions is important, but by not having the option of national licensing or certification standards, we are limiting otherwise well qualified people from working.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely concur!!! Wishing you success!!!

      Delete
  3. Frustrating to say the least ! As a school counselor, I experience this frustration for military students as well- in the world of ESE, most current IEPs are honored, but EPs- Education Plans for students who have qualified for the gifted program in different states might not be honored - states have varying rules/laws for qualifying. This can become extremely frustrating for parents, students... counselors- staffing specialists, and school psychologists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, Moya! The military ESE kids are most important! Even the early intervention qualifications for therapies differ from state to state, yet a break in those services can cause lifelong effects from delayed development. Everyone in a military family sacrifices for our country's freedom.

      Delete
    2. I hear you Moya. Through the Interstate Compact for Military Children, it allows students who have an active EP for Gifted Exceptionality to continue to be in gifted classes, but then they "can" be retested (in my experience they typically are) to see if they meet the incoming state's requirements. So what is better, to be placed immediately into the gifted program to just be taken out if the new state's standards are not met OR to have a lapse of months of not getting the additional education/support they need while waiting to see if eligibility is met. I know you are fully aware of the frustrating nature of this. It feels like one step forward but two steps back. And yes, very very frustrating for all involved.

      The other issue I see is when a military student comes into the school receiving certain home services (BCBA ect.), but there are no providers in the area to continue supporting the needs of the student. Sometimes the family does not have the resources to take the student to outpatient 3 x week for services, so the child and family end up losing out on an integral part of their treatment plan.

      Delete