Heyyy! Happy Saturday!

I am still on a high from attending the Behavioral Health Tech Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this week.

For the record, I’m not a techie and I have a lot of catching up to do with AI, chatbots, and all the technological advancements.🫶🏽

I wanted to be in the room with stakeholders who have an invested interest in Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) having consistent regulations across state lines and testing standards for the quality of care of their clients.

I had sooo many aha moments and a few key takeaways and the next steps are:

1. The federal government doesn't like to intervene in states’ business if they don't have to. The great news is, that it's not impossible to create federal regulations. It does require influential stakeholders with power to agree. The key is figuring out who is convening, when are they convening, and getting a seat at the convening table. Since the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) received federal funding for the Social Work Licensure Compact, they are already convening. The next step is to identify who the contact person is at ASWB for the compact and to see how we can have a seat at the table for our voices to be heard. They are already pushing the agenda for a compact, it would only make sense to also advocate for consistency across state lines while being in the multi-state compact.

2. I was shocked that even some companies and clinicians in Illinois weren't aware of Public Act 103-433. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, the great thing is they are now aware and conversations are being had so there is the potential of effecting change. The next step is to continue engagement with connections made at #BHT2024 and to see how we can create mutually beneficial partnerships.

3. Including in our key talking points how to address workforce shortages while still maintaining testing standards. The next step is to create an infographic or white paper that highlights ways to decrease workforce shortages by leveraging the current Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSW) instead of giving every MSW that failed the exam the LCSW clinical authority to diagnose as long as they receive an additional 3000 supervision hours.

Thank you for being you and for signing the Social Work Licensure Federal Overhaul petition!

I am excited about us continuing to build momentum and connect with other stakeholders so if you have ideas to further our cause or people that you think would be a great connection, please send me a message on LinkedIn.

Have an ahhhmazing day!

Lequita

P.S. I've attached the one-pager I created for the Behavioral Health Tech Conference.