An amazing post from Shara on the SWTP Facebook Group:
You are now looking at
Shara Ruffin, LCSW, ACSW, C-SWHC, BC-TMH
After 5 grueling hours !
Yes I have alphabet soup and I don't give a damn!!
Thought of the Day:
Shara Ruffin, LCSW
After 5 grueling hours of testing!
MY Testimony
10 years since I received my Masters in Social Work (MSW) at Howard University School of Social Work .
7 years since passing my master level social work license. (LSW)
It usually takes 2 years to get the LCSW, however life happened between my masters degree and present day. 2010 -2020.
2011 -failed by 3 points LSW exam.
2013- passed by 15 points LSW.
2014- Marriage
Gave Birth to a still born daughter
Gave birth to a medically compromised son
2015-Managing single motherhood post-partum depression, anxiety, trauma, while working a full time job as a mental health professional and working toward clinical hours.
2016 -Military Divorce
November 2019 -failed LCSW exam by 2 pts
December 2019 - after I failed my exam. I put my failure aside and I coached a social work colleague and college friend through their LCSW and she passed.
March 2020 -Lost ability to work after the pandemic started due to needing to homeschool son at home. I had to apply for foodstamps due to loss in income.
April 2020 -Invested stimulus money and taxes into increasing my clinical skills, while studying for the LCSW exam.
July 2020
I applied for state insurance because I did not have health insurance . Reach out to a mental health facility because my mental health was declining for help, due to my GAD and ADHD symptoms increasing. I got on medication for my anxiety and adhd through a psychiatrist and received Individual counseling for my anxiety.
August 2020
Got testing accommodations through ASWB, separate testing room for read aloud, 1 extra hour of testing after getting an updated neuropsychiatric evaluation which my insurance did not pay for which was an extra $500.00.
November 6th, 2020 I passed the LCSW exam.
BOTTOM LINE
"You have a dream go get it no matter what life throws at you".
Advocate for yourself.
Get help when you needed it
November 6th, 2020 I passed the LCSW exam.
BOTTOM LINE
"You have a dream go get it no matter what life throws at you".
Thank you for all the help to those that have known and witnessed the journey!
She followed up today with this, alongside a picture of her license.
So I just cried for 30 minutes I opened my mail today and it became real
Congratulations, Shara! Proud to have played a small part in helping you get to this moment. Go get 'em!
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