Behavioral Health and MSW Applicants

The quandary: Disclosing a mental illness in applications to helping professional academic programs.

“…On a somewhat positive note, this negative impact does not seem to be predominant response among all respondents in the various studies. Findings from one study (Curran et al, 2020) suggest that admission's committee members consider a number of factors when assessing candidates who disclose. Moreover, according to the findings from another study (Davis et al, 2018), there are many other things that one could write about, or errors that could be made on personal statements, that are viewed even more unfavorably than disclosure of personal mental health issues in personal statements.…”

“…More recent surveys indicate that disclosure of mental health issues is routinely considered in the admissions process, with 76.1% in one study (Holley et al, 2020) and 75.4% in another study (Curran et al, 2020), indicating that this is the case. Various factors were considered when reviewing these applicants, such as severity of the condition (28.8% of respondents), engagement in treatment/rehabilitation (62.7%), and consideration of how the illness would impact programmatic success (40.7%; Curran et al, 2020). Approximately 20%–25% of respondents indicated having concerns about the applicant’s ability to succeed in the classroom or in fieldwork that would lead them to recommend against admittance or admittance only with specific conditions (Holley et al, 2020).…”

“…Survey results indicate that emotional/mental stability was a criterion for 43% of Bachelors in Social Work (BSW) programs that had formal admissions criteria and that mental health issues were cited by 36% as a reason for rejection by a field instructor for placement (Gibbs, 1994). More recent surveys indicate that disclosure of mental health issues is routinely considered in the admissions process, with 76.1% in one study (Holley et al, 2020) and 75.4% in another study (Curran et al, 2020), indicating that this is the case. Various factors were considered when reviewing these applicants, such as severity of the condition (28.8% of respondents), engagement in treatment/rehabilitation (62.7%), and consideration of how the illness would impact programmatic success (40.7%; Curran et al, 2020).…”

“…Third, the quandary is further exacerbated by gatekeeping functions that may be in conflict with the values of the discipline to address oppression and promote capabilities. For example, it has been noted that disciplines such as social work value “redressing inequality in educational access” (Curran et al, 2020, p. 261) and hold that every individual has potential for growth and change (Todd et al, 2019).…”

“…Some individuals with mental health issues have also been identified as having difficulties in fieldwork (Bogo et al, 2006) and residency (Aggarwal et al, 2020). Some admissions committee members might feel it is a duty to screen out applicants with mental health conditions, gatekeeping their profession (Curran et al, 2020), possibly due to the false belief that providers with mental health conditions might be incompetent in their provision of professional services in their respective fields. However, how a disclosed mental illness is responded to in the admissions process is rife with potential problems.…”