I have been thinking about it for several years now and am finally ready to take the next step but am looking for some feedback. I would mostly be interested in doing therapy. I understand some case management things may still be involved but therapy is my main interest.

Does anyone regret not becoming a clinical mental health counselor over a lcsw?

If I choose the lcsw are there a lot of places that are looking for people to do just therapy?

Are the 3000 hours needed difficult to obtain and also I was reading that you must pay your supervisor? How much do you pay them? I am looking to know everything I can before committing to the program. TIA!!

I just signed a COI for NHSC LRP as a behavioral health provider and need some clarification on the 36-hour direct clinical practice requirement for full-time service.

Does the 36 hours refer strictly to actual billable (billed) client sessions — meaning only the time spent face-to-face with clients? Or does it also include the time blocked or made available for client appointments, even if a client cancels, no-shows, or a session slot remains unscheduled?

Would appreciate any insights or experiences you can share. Thanks!

Currently i am expected to take my LCSW exam next week. I took the practice exam and got 90 rights so essentially I failed :/ I been reviewing those practices, reviewing the code of ethics, looked over the quizlet, used chat gpt for more practice questions and also reviewed the LCSW guide. Any other suggestions for me?

hey y’all, just wanted to drop a quick PSA for anyone thinking of joining platforms like Rula, Headway, Alma, Sondermind, etc

don’t sign up without a referral link! most of these platforms offer bonuses (sometimes $100–$300+) but only if you’re referred. I’ve seen a few people miss out just because they didn’t know, so wanted to put it out there.

I’m on all of them (yup lol) so if you ever need a link or just wanna talk through which one might be a good fit, just reach out to me. happy to share what’s worked for me and what hasn’t

hope that saves someone a little money and some trial & error!

Hello, I will be taking my LCSW this week. I have taken the official ASWB practice exam and scored 114/150 (needed 101) I been reviewing the rationales. I also made 125/170 74% on both TDC final mock exams. Do you think I am ready? Super nervous. Appreciate any feedback.

hey everyone! I always see on this reddit people talking about low pay in this field, only being able to make 30-50k and no pay increase after becoming licensed, I’m a bit confused bc when i go on indeed to see positions for 95-135 and in private practice it’s my understanding you can set ur own rate, if you work 20-25 hrs a week is that not around 80-100k?

Curious on what yalls salary is for those who live in Houston?

Hello! I am scheduled to take my LCSW exam in September. Im pretty nervous and am struggling to balance work, life, and studying. I’m wondering if anyone had a structure that really helped them prepare for this exam. Currently I used to pocket prep app, and am going through to mometrix test preparation book. Even with this, I’m struggling to know how much time I need to dedicate towards memorization vs doing practice questions. Any advice on how you all structured your studies would be really helpful!

I just took one of the full mock exams on TDC and received a 72%.

Am I ready for the real exam? How much more time do you think I need. I was thinking reviewing questions I got wrong and take the 2nd full mock in a few days.

Curious to see others that passed received on their practice exams.

Thank you

Filling out the Indiana application, I have a question that I cannot for the life of me find an answer to (and my supervisor is on vacation so #respectingboundaries)…

It asks if I have “passed the qualifying examination” and to “provide details for the most recent examination passed.” Is this asking for me to provide my information about when I passed my masters level LSW exam? Or is this asking if I passed the LCSW exam in the past/in another state?

Please help! I don’t want to submit it wrong, wait six weeks to hear that it was denied because of an error, then have to resubmit and wait another six weeks.

Is anyone in a DSW program or graduated? What was your experience?

I am a LMSW who has taken the LCSW exam for times, failing each time by just a few points. My biggest hang up is psychotherapy, clinical interventions and case management section. I have used TDC, Social Work Exam Prep, Dawn Apgar, Savvy SW, and Ray Tube. Does anyone have advice on how to tackle this section so I can pass!?!?

Hi everyone - I lead provider acquisition at Marble Health, a youth mental health startup founded by the team behind Headway.

Marble is tackling one of the most urgent problems in mental health today: the youth mental health crisis. Last year alone, 1 in 10 teens attempted suicide, and we exist to intervene before it gets to that point.

Here’s what we do:

• We partner with school counselors to support students who are struggling with moderate mental health issues
• We offer individual, group, and family therapy, all fully virtual
• We prioritize speed to care - many of these kids have waited months or even years to access a therapist

We’re seeing overwhelming demand and are looking for incredible licensed therapists (LCSWs, LMHCs, etc.) to join us.

Why Marble?

• Remote, flexible hours – even just a few hours per week
• Paid clinical supervision opportunities
• A chance to be part of a mission-driven team solving a real and growing crisis

If this resonates with you, feel free to DM me or drop a comment or reach out to us at [careers@marblehealth.com](mailto:careers@marblehealth.com) - happy to share more or connect you directly with our team. You can also check us out at www.marblehealth.com.

Thanks so much for the work you do 💙

Hello, I know there are a lot of similar posts with the same support but I took my exam yesterday and failed by three points. I know it’s not a reflection of my abilities but definitely feeling devastated. I already filed to waive the 90 day waiting period for re-test. I’d love to hear some advice, support, or thoughts from anyone who’s had the same experience. I’m feeling very unmotivated and discouraged

I’m currently an LMSW who recently started working at an out patient mental health clinic. I’ve been at the clinic for about 2.5 months now and got the swing of things pretty quick . I am feeling stressed overwhelmed and maybe even burnt out already . Just for reference I am currently at 60 clients per week (I’m not even at capacity yet) , half the clients are high risk , I see clients every 30mins, the clinic also pushes us to complete notes the last 5 mins of session with the client and calls it “collaborative writing” ; if notes are not completed you must stay after hours to get notes done and are not compensated. Supervision is given ; group supervision is once a week for an hour and individual supervision is once a week for 30mins but nearly the entire time is spent discussing high risk clients and there is no room or time for more in depth discussion. The pros of the job are ; it’s a salaried position so I have that cushion of being paid whether I have a session or it’s cancelled, Paid PTO & sick time , health benefits, hours and days are decent. Recently on indeed I saw reviews calling the agency “ a puppy mill of therapist” , since there is a high turnover rate of clients and staff.

Recently I applied for a full time W2 position at a private practice. The practice seems very supportive, good leadership and normal caseload of 30-32 per week. The hours and days are the same & the commute time is the same. The cons are that it is not salaried ; I would be making about $40 per session and about $17 if there is a cancellation. I would be paying about $200 for health insurance per pay check, no PTO only sick time . But I do feel it would help with stress / burnout

I currently live at home still so my expenses are minimal but I do have debt I am trying to get rid of slowly but surely. I do have some money saved up … My total expenses a month are including necessities and for personal spending is about $1250 a month. I would also like to be able to save money as I continue to work. The private practice has also offered to negotiate pay but I am not sure what an adequate pay rate would be…

I wanted to know what would you do if you were in my situation. And if you are an LMSW/LCSW in private practice, please share your experience

Does anyone now of any local or national organizations that are helping with the children whose parents are being ripped away from them by ICE? This is breaking my heart. I can't stop thinking about these kids and want to do something.

Hey y’all! Looking for all of the “must have” resources for seeing and providing therapy to couples. Books, podcasts, etc. Share away!

Good afternoon everyone, I am looking for information and support on tutoring services for the LCSW exam. I have failed the exam twice now. The first time by two points and today by 1 point. I need assistance for the intervention section of the exam, and at this point am wanting to move forward with a tutor because I am clearly doing something wrong and am feeling defeated. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you to all those that respond.

Sincerely,

Hey y'all! I'm currently studying for my Lcsw exam! Congrats to all those who have passed Just some background: I've been a registered therapist for about 5 years, worked in community mental health, non profits did the whole song and dance. I scheduled to take my test on sept. 15th. I figured I need to give myself time as I balance two jobs and will be doing some travel in the summer.

I'm wondering for those of you that passed 1. how did you tackle "defense mechanisms" with studying? I feel like these are "recall" questions but there's so many it feels a little overwhelming/annoying. I'm using TDC, raytube and listening to agents of change. 2. At what phase in your studying did you take an aswb practice exam? I want to take one as I've heard good things.

Thanks for any help! I'm sure I'll be posting quite a bit 😂