The Therapist Development Center

I just passed the clinical MFT vignette exam today!!! Thanks to TDC. The exam was harder than I thought BUT with the use of the frames and all of Amanda’s guidance I passed!!! It feels amazing! Thank you Amanda! This program is amazing! I tried Gerry grossman for the first exam and it was nothing like the test. I switched to TDC and everything changed. I felt calm and confident!

I passed my Standard Written LCSW Exam yesterday – Black Friday 11÷27÷15 and I am SO GRATEFUL! I followed every single study/​prep suggestion provided in the lectures and I totally believe this has a lot to do why I passed on the first try! I began studying in late July 2015 here and there, but didn’t get serious or consistent until Early October 2015; I listened to the lectures, took notes, re-​listened to the lectures and did all the practice exams. I didn’t use any of the test banks from other prep companies and I am glad I didn’t waste my money as TDC is definitely the way to go. In my opinion, the TDC practice exams were harder than the actual exam! I felt so good to think, during the exam, «I am totally going to pass this…» In the end, TDC didn’t just help me pass the exam, it polished and refined my clinical practice skills immensely.

I just passed my LCSW CV exam! I felt the program really helped me prepare for the exam and did it in a way that did not overwhelm you with unnecessary information. Half of the real examination questions were actually more difficult than the practice exams in this program, which is why I left out one star. However, TDC does a good job of helping test takers learn HOW to take the test so you can do well and even tackle those tough questions on the exam. Thank you!

I tried AATBS and can say without hesitation that The Therapist Development Center is better. The learning material is far more focused with better explanations. Their mock tests are superior.
I passed on the first test for the LCSW clinical. My only criticism would be their mock test probably had too big a percentage of easy questions. The real test set of questions are consistently more challenging with only a few gimme questions. But other than that, the TDC materials are great. It’s worth the investment.

I PASSED THE LCSW EXAM ON MY FIRST TRY !!!: God is so good. I must say that the Therapist
is the reason. This program provided structure for me. I had so much stuff to study from I had to find order. This program helped me to think ethically and be confident when it comes to reasoning and decision making skills. The information was clear and consise. It was straight to the point… no fluff! I will recommend this program all day long. I only used it for 5wks. It is worth every $.
Not only is it great for the studying for the exam but it also strengthen your over all skills as a professional.
I also purchased the ASWB practice exam before I purchased TDC exam and it helped me put the TDC info to work. I also reviewed the rationales. It also helped me to get use to sitting for 4 hrs again.
I emailed Bethany at 8:30am the day of the exam and she called me in like 30 mins if that and calmed my nerves with a awesome peptalk and was very supportive any time I reached out to her!!!:). Thanks TDC. I am so happy and relieved!
Remember this is not about tricks, its about factual knowledge-​based reasoning and ethical decision making.
Blessings

I did it! I am SO happy I used TDC! I just passed the Licensed Clinical Social Worker Written Clinical Vignette Exam!!! I’m an LCSW!!! I am so grateful that I chose Amanda Rowan and her team to be my guides along the way. I used TDC for both exams and I felt fully prepared for both and passed both exams on the first try. As I sat there this morning taking the vignette exam, I realized half-​way through that I actually felt like it was pretty easy (aside from about 5 questions)! I was confident in my «X’s», stayed consistent in referring to my frames and scoring and didn’t change my marked answers unless I had an «aha!“moment. I continuously imagined how Amanda would rationalize each answer and visualized the client in my head to keep myself present. It worked! I studied consistently for the past 3 weeks-​1 month and sporadically prior to that. I looked at colleague’s study materials using other companies and none of them even came close to TDC. Huge thank you to Amanda and her team for giving me the tools and confidence to pass! I would highly recommend TDC to any future LCSW who wants to pass. :)

This program had me ready to take the standard written LCSW in about 6 weeks. I passed the first time. The exam was very difficult but Amanda trains you in a way to be fully prepared with specific test taking strategies). I am studying for the clinical vignette and confident I will pass. Just follow the program. I didnt go with any other programs. Amanda is brilliant. Than you

Amanda Rowan and her coaches are excellent! You don’t need any supplements from other prep companies. They will confuse you. All you need is TDC!

I used only TDC’s materials and program to pass the CA LCSW exams. I passed both Standard + Clinical Vignette on the first try. I studied for about 3 – 4 full weekends for the Standard (I didn’t have the energy to study after work on workdays) before taking the Standard exam. And I studied for about 2 full weekends for the Clinical Vignette before taking the CV Exam.
In both cases, I found the actual BBS exams to be MUCH harder than the mock exams! I feel like although the content was similar, the wording was much more difficult, strange, and vague in the actual exams. I had to spend extra time trying to understanding the convoluted BBS language. I would have to say that about half the time during the Clinical Vignette, I had to throw out some of the things I learned from TDC because some of the guidelines were inapplicable to all of the answers in the problem.

As of 09÷19÷15 I am an LCSW. Thanks to Amanda I passed both exams on the first try. Her program reduced a lot of my stress through focusing on information that is needed to pass the exam. I reviewed one of the other exam programs and felt overwhelmed by the amount of information you are suppose to learn. Her program teaches you how to approach the exam. Highly recommended.

Update … I took the lcsw clinical vignette exam on ⁹⁄₂₁ and passed! Amanda really prepared me for this exam too… Without her, i don’t think i would have been able to pass. Listen to the audio lectures, take good notes, do the quizzes & homework assignments and review the audio rationales for all her mocks and you will pass too! Don’t waste your $ on the other test taking companies… Amanda is the best!!!

Thank you for stream lining the preparation. Everything in the CV study materials was essential to passing. No extras to confuse and complicate the study and test taking process. Listen to every bit of advice Amanda gives you. Let her get into your head and her voice will be with you on test day. I only used TDC and am glad I did. The test felt easy, and not because it is, rather because I was prepared and confident. Also, there is a youtube video of Amanda explaining how to prepare a scorecard (she only gives the vital info of how to use it if you purchase at TDC website). I’m a visual person and it helped me to see her prepare one. Amanda is amazing.

TDC is a great study prep investment as I spent this summer studying for CA LCSW exam and passed both on the first try! I recommend using only this program for licensure prep. The information was relevant and I didn’t feel overwhelmed with having to memorize BOOKS of theories, diagnosis, laws, ethics, etc for the SWE. The study strategies will also help you with figuring out the answer to the tough questions on the CV exam. Although some mock exam questions were similar to the actual exam, I felt the majority of the questions on the actual exam were harder because of the wording and what you’re trying to reason through/​solve. But nonetheless, if you got the study strategies down, you will be fine. I honestly felt like I was failing on the exams which this program normalizes and to my surprise I passed! Good luck to you! You will pass too!

I just recently passed both of the California MFT licensing exams using TDC. This program was excellent and prepared me well. This test prep course is very efficient and thorough. I did not feel like I was wasting time studying mounds of material that I didn’t need to know and felt prepared to tackle the exam. Amanda’s approach is very straightforward, conversational and accessible. I also appreciated the encouragement offered throughout the course.
The strategies laid out in the TDC material for the Clinical Vignette Exams are excellent. It helped me to feel in control and confident during the test taking process. Utilization of these tools during test taking are invaluable and really make the process much more enjoyable.
I plan to use TDC to also study for the National MFT licensing exams this Fall.
If you are preparing for any of the exams I highly recommend the TDC prep materials!

Great resources and very precise, which I like. Good materials– but need more vignette practice exams.
I passed the written test first time… And expect to pass the vignette on a few weeks!
Update; passed the Clinical vignette exam on the first try!

I used this program just over a year ago. I really enjoyed the audio portions and found the practice tests very similar to the actual exam. I passed both tests my first round! Thanks TDC!

I would absolutely recommend this study system to those prepping for LCSW licensure in California. I passed both the CA Standard Written and CA Clinical Vignette exam on my first try using Therapist Development Center’s amazing study program.
I studied at my own pace for about 9 – 10 weeks for the written exam and for less than a month for the vignette exam. The strategies you learn help you reason through any of the tougher questions on the actual test day. I have heard from many people that the clinical vignette exam was tougher than the first, but using Amanda’s strategies and question framing, I felt the exam was easy and KNEW I passed the moment I finished the exam. Thank you again Amanda and Therapist Development Center!
And to those reading this review, I noticed another reviewer who gave only 1 star stated all the «5– star» reviews must have affiliation with the company. I am NOT in any way affiliated with TDC, and am assuming neither are the other reviewers. I can only guess that the person who gave the 1 star rating did not apply techniques and strategies taught by TDC on exam day, and perhaps needed to go through the program more than a couple of times. I am posting this review simply to help other clinicians choose the right study system, and not waste money on other programs. Choose wisely folks!

I used TDC to help me study and prepare for the MFT licensure exams. I felt that overall, it is a solid preparation course. Amanda Rowan, the creator is generally concise and direct in her approach. She is good at helping you boost your confidence and giving you good tips to tackle the exams. It is a better price than other prep courses, and based on other people’s reviews, this program does not over-​prepare or use scare tactics.
There are a few things, however, that could be better about TDC. One, they advertise free 20-​minute coaching sessions, which I think they decided to take away, but you can still find advertised on the website (though they may have removed it by now). Two, Amanda seemed to contradict herself in a couple of things, but fortunately, this did not become a deterrent on the tests. Three, the actual exams are more difficult than the sample exams, but she does prepare you to tackle the questions.
Overall, I think this is a good program that will help you pass.
Tip: Really listen to Amanda’s tips and comments on how to navigate the exams.

What a great test prep program!!! I cannot speak highly enough about this program or the material in it. i bought the combo pack for the standard written and clinical vignette LCSW exams and passed both on the first try. I spaced out the lectures, and did the practice tests, and found both tests to be very manegable and similar to the material in the program. The great thing is that this program not only focuses on material, but on studying and test taking strategies as well. During both tests I had Amanda’s voice stuck in my head when reasoning through the questions.
On a side note, for the Clinical Vignette Exam I also bought one test bank test (for $ 65!) from Gerry Grossman, failed it, and did not find it to be similiar to the actual test at all. They didn’t even have the same format on some of the questions. The weird thing is, the rationales on this test directly conflicted with what was taught in TDC, so I was confident that I’d do okay on the actual test… which I passed 2 days later.
Thanks so much Amanda Rowen and team!!! I am so happy to be qualified to be an LCSW! :)

I passed both exams on the first try. I didn’t use TDC for my first MFT Standard Written exam so I can only speak for the Clinical Vignette prep. I used Grossman for my first exam and like what others said, it was information overload, but somehow I still passed. I averaged 65%-70% on the Grossman test bank for the first exam, and was shocked to find that the real test was much more simple and straight forward than Grossman mock exams.
So, for the Vignette exam, I decided to use TDC method and Grossman test bank (because I didn’t trust that 2 mock exams are sufficient). TDC was much more easy to comprehend and much more structured and did not overwhelm you with unnecessary information. I used TDC method with Grossman test banks to practice.
I caution against using 2 different test prep companies, as they have conflicting information (mainly law/​ethics). Grossman’s explanations are also seemingly arbitrary, and despite 8 mock exams, I still didn’t «get it». I took 8 mock exams from Grossman test banks and averaged 57% (70% is passing). Because of that, I abandoned Grossman and focused mainly on TDC for the last 2 days. For TDC mock exam, I got a 73% and 68% on the first, and 73% on the 2^nd mock exam. Not bad, but not good enough scores to enter the test confidently.
I don’t agree that the real test was harder than TDC mock exam like some have mentioned, I think it’s worded a tiny bit differently, but essentially the same content.
What I found really helpful was reviewing the law/​ethic and theory audios. I also listened to the final prep talk twice before day of test, and once right before the test. I took the final mock exam the day before the test and studied the morning of. I know it’s ill-​advised, but I know that this is what I needed to manage my test anxiety.
TLDR; Use TDC if you want a sane test prep experience, use Grossman if you want anxiety. Also, don’t let your anxiety stop you from taking the exam. You can do it!

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