Many Children Denied Competent Mental Health in Rural Areas.

Currently in America in rural areas especially in states with high levels of poverty, there are not enough mental health providers to see children who need services. Masters level social workers who have experience could fill this gap but the rules to become licensed as clinicians have made this difficult to impossible. To become eligible one must have 2,000 hours of supervision and then pass a exam demonstrating clinical knowledge. This sounds reasonable at a glance. But the extenuating factors make this not only unreasonable but have the unintended purpose of making many people ineligible to ever attain the status of clinical social worker in any areas that are not urban. Fact #1 Many licensed clinical social workers in small towns refuse to offer supervision because they believe it creates competition for them. Fact#2 while it seems reasonable and professional to want to have your clinical social workers to have as much education and experience that counselors and psychologists have this is not necessarily true. In order to be a clinical social work supervisor you do not have to have even one course in any kind of mental health, nor are you required to ever have worked in the field of mental health. All you need is to have been supervised by a clinician who has attained their 2,000 hours, and thus has been perpetuated for decades. Furthermore many people who are willing to supervise require what can be costly payments from the practitioner who can earn only a fraction of their supervisor who commands more money by way of their license title, making it just one more way social workers can profit from their license. In some areas a non certified clinical social worker might not even be able to earn a 40 hour wage instead being offered part time or PRN positions without benefits. The end result is fewer and fewer practicing mental health providers to provide help to children and adolescents who since the pandemic have higher and higher rates of anxiety and successful suicide attempts. It’s a simple solution. Require each clinician to attempt licensing to show experience in the field of mental health and/ or an ability to pass what is a difficult test ( think doctor or lawyer). Passing of the test with a predetermined score can prove that an individual knows enough mental health knowledge to be able to assist and not hinder a client in crisis.