| Virtual School Social Work Conference 2022 |
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Online registrations are OPEN! NASW-MA’s School Social Work Conference 2022, on October 21 (8:00am - 3:00pm EST) With Keynote speaker Fran Kuehn | Earn 5.5 CEUs
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Join social workers and adjustment counselors from across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at our Annual School Social Work Conference. Every year, the NASW-MA’s School Social Work Conference Committee brings together school social workers, adjustment counselors, and other youth-focused professionals from across the state, who work with youth in all levels of schools and beyond. This year, the NASW-MA Chapter will be hosting a Virtual School Social Work Conference with a theme of Exploring the Multiple Roles of the School Social Worker, to be addressed in the keynote speaker and several workshops. Participants will have the opportunity to choose among two sessions of workshops that cover a wide range of topics related to working with children and adolescents in school settings.
Click here to download the conference's flyer and mail-in registration form.
LMHCs can apply for CEUs, please contact us at chapter.naswma@socialworkers.org to request the necessary forms.
REGISTRATION FEES: Full conference | 5.5 CEUs available!
Instructions to register online:
Instructions to register via mail/fax:
Please note:
For questions, please email our Program Manager at cmedinaadames.naswma@socialworkers.org.
CONFERENCE AGENDA: 8:00 - 8:05am: Conference begins 8:05 - 8:10am: Welcome remarks 8:10 - 9:45am: Keynote session: Exploring the Multiple Roles of the School Social Worker with speaker Fran Kuehn, LICSW. 9:45 - 10:00am: Morning break 10:00 - 12:00pm: Morning workshops (select one) Workshop 1: Responding to Sudden, Unexpected Loss: Strategies for Supporting Schools after Suicide, with speaker Larry Berkowitz Workshop 2: Creating Equitable Schools for ALL Children: The Power and Promise of Public Education, with speaker Anthony Hill Workshop 3: Children’s Behavioral Health Boarding: How Schools Can Partner to Address an Existing Crisis Worsened by the Pandemic, with speakers Courtney Chelo, Amara Anosike, and Miranda Gonzalez. 12:00 - 1:00pm: Lunch break 1:00 - 3:00pm: Afternoon workshops (select one) Workshop 5: Supporting the Mental Health & Wellbeing of Immigrant and Refugee Students in School Settings with speakers Vanja Pejic and Amy Piepiora Workshop 6: Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout: Understanding the Impact on Professionals in School Settings with speaker Zlatina Kostova 3:00 - 3:05pm: Conference ends
Scroll below to see workshops and speakers information Click here to download the conference's flyer.
MEET OUR CONFERENCE SPONSORS:
BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY: Social Work Champion ($550)
Social Work Advocate ($350)
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A SPONSOR
Online registrations for sponsorships are closing on Monday, October 10. Submit your items to our Program Manager by Monday, October 12 at cmedinaadames.naswma@socialworkers.org.
WORKSHOPS AND SPEAKERS INFORMATION:
Keynote Session Exploring the Multiple Roles of the School Social Worker: How School Social Workers Can Leverage Evidence-Based Practices & Social Work Values to Transform the Environment of their School, with keynote speaker Fran Kuehn, LICSW: School Social Workers play a unique role in the system of a school, often intervening at multiple points of entry in a complex web of macro, mezzo and micro practice interventions grounded in social work values and ethics. Though daunting, School Social Workers have unique opportunities to leverage Social Work practice skills across these systems to effect positive change in schools. This talk will highlight the various entry points School Social Workers have available to them, as well as particular ways in which School Social Work practice demands a high level of expertise and involvement as we transition from the COVID crisis to a "new normal" in our schools.
Learning objectives:
Speaker: Fran Kuehn is an Associate Professor at Simmons University and is the Coordinator of the School Social Work Certificate Program. Fran has 19 years experience as a School Social Worker at Brookline High School in Brookline, MA, where he worked in a variety of roles including Advisor, Coach, Program Coordinator, Crisis Interventionist, Student and Family Advocate and Teacher/Trainer. Fran’s practice interests include School Mental Health, reforming student discipline approaches, implementing evidence-based clinical interventions in schools, Social-Emotional Learning and how Social Workers can influence the culture and climate of schools. Fran is a professional member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, the International OCD Foundation and the National Association of Social Workers. Fran maintains a private practice delivering Cognitive Therapy in Newton, MA.
Morning Workshops (select one) Workshop 1: Responding to Sudden, Unexpected Loss: Strategies for Supporting Schools After Suicide, with speaker Larry Berkowitz, LICSW: This presentation will provide an overview of principles and strategies for effective suicide postvention for schools and campuses following the suicide death of a student. We will discuss principles and specific tasks to respond to the loss as well as tactics to manage dilemmas and problems related to successful postvention.
Speaker: Larry Berkowitz is Co-Founder and Director of Riverside Trauma Center. He has provided direct therapeutic services for over 30 years and managed mental health services for over 25 years. Clinical areas of expertise include work with children, adolescents, adults, and families who are acute trauma survivors and/or suicide survivors. He coordinates and provides disaster response services and post-suicide intervention for individuals, schools, workplaces, and communities, and conducts trainings on suicide prevention. Larry holds a doctoral degree in Counseling and Consulting Psychology from Harvard University and is a licensed Psychologist in Massachusetts. He is on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, serves as the Co-Chair of the Northeast Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, holds an appointment as a Teaching Associate in Psychology, Part Time, at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and is an Adjunct Instructor at William James College. Workshop 2: Creating Equitable Schools for ALL Children: The Power and Promise of Public Education, with speaker Anthony Hill, EdD, MSW: Implicit bias toward students of color, punitive discipline policies and the school to prison pipeline has a detrimental impact on students attaining a quality education. This workshop will examine strategies for social workers in creating healthy school environments that provides both hope and healing for children impacted by poverty, trauma, and the lack of motivation for education. Speaker: Dr. Anthony (Tony) C. Hill, Ed.D., MSW is a tenured, associate professor and chair of the social work department at Springfield College School of Social Work and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Hill earned his B.S. degree in Human Services and Administration from Springfield College, his MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and an Ed.D from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Hill has extensive experience in both the fields of social work and education and has been employed as a clinician, adjunct faculty member, school social worker, assistant principal, principal, and college administrator. Dr. Hill's experiences provide him with a unique perspective to teach students and work with organizations in addressing ways to improve staff morale, multicultural, diversity, and political, economic, and social justice issues Workshop 3: Children’s Behavioral Health Boarding: How Schools Can Partner to Address an Existing Crisis Worsened by the Pandemic, with speakers Courtney Chelo, Amara Anosike, JD, and Miranda Gonzalez, LICSW: Accessing pediatric behavioral health care can be a challenging process whether children are in the home, school, or community. Unfortunately, barriers to access have only worsened, since the COVID-19 pandemic. In this workshop, we will discuss the underlying system barriers to accessing behavioral health care as well as the more practical process of awaiting psychiatric placement for youth in Massachusetts. We will explore how clinical teams determine level of care, what to expect while waiting for placement, and how schools can support students before, during, and after their boarding period. We will also discuss systemic solutions, including policy and advocacy solutions, that will enable increased access to behavioral health care for youth moving forward.
Afternoon Workshops (select one) Workshop 4: Supporting Grieving Students, with speaker Colleen Shannon, LICSW: CANCELLED Workshop 5: Supporting the Mental Health & Wellbeing of Immigrant and Refugee Students in School Settings, with speakers Vanja Pejic, PhD, and Amy Piepiora, LMHC: Immigrants and refugees are the fastest growing portion of the US child population. In Massachusetts more than one-sixth of residents are foreign-born and over 90, 204 students identify as English Language Learners. The magnitude and the complexity of the challenges that refugee and immigrant children and their families experience prior, during, and after resettlement in their host country undoubtedly has a significant impact on their subsequent development and adjustment process. Upon resettlement, schools are one of the most influential institutions for immigrant and refugee students. School social workers are uniquely positioned to support the socialization and acculturation among immigrant and refugee students. Utilizing the Trauma Systems Therapy for Refugees (TST-R) framework, this session will highlight key considerations when working with immigrant and refugee students in school. This includes understanding the context of immigration and post resettlement core stressors as well as examining the intersection of trauma and culture. Participants will learn about culturally and linguistically attuned strategies for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of immigrant and refugee students in schools.
Speaker: Amy Piepiora is the program coordinator in the Refugee Trauma and Resilience core. Amy has spent her career working in community- and school-based mental health systems as a clinician, supervisor, consultant, and organizational manager in Boston and beyond. She comes with experience training and consulting with professionals about trauma-informed clinical practices, supporting trauma-exposed youth in schools, and the intersection between mental health and learning disabilities. Amy approaches her work grounded in cultural humility and a commitment to anti-racist practices. She comes to the TCRC with a passion for supporting systems and programs to develop culturally and linguistically appropriate services that are meaningful and easily accessible to immigrant and refugee youth and families. Speaker: Dr. Vanja Pejic is an attending psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. Deeply informed by her own refugee journey, Dr. Pejic's clinical work, research, and advocacy has primarily focused on examining and reducing health inequities within immigrant and refugee populations. Trained as a school psychologist, she has an extensive background and interest in development, delivery, and evaluation of culturally attuned and trauma-informed school-based behavioral health interventions with immigrant and refugee youth and their families. Dr. Pejic splits her time between two programs at BCH, Trauma and Community Resilience Center in which she serves as a consultant and researcher and she provides clinical care and supervision at Boston International Newcomers Academy, a high school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee youth. Dr. Pejic is also an adjunct faculty at Boston College and Harvard University. Workshop 6: Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout: Understanding the Impact on Professionals in School Settings, with speaker Zlatina Kostova, PhD: During an era of a global pandemic, the topic of stress and burnout became fundamental. Many children are struggling with the anxiety to go back to school, the loss of academic focus and mental health challenges. All these consequences are intensifying the already difficult role of school professionals, who are required to manage intense emotional and behavioral dysregulation in the classroom. The goal of this presentation is to provide information on Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)/burnout and address practical strategies on how to improve the well-being of school professionals, involved in the social and emotional learning of children. Dr. Zlatina Kostova will provide a general overview of STS and related terms, its impact at an organizational and individual level and strategies to identify and manage it. The first part of the presentation will focus on the definition of STS/burnout as well as on recognizing signs and symptoms. In the second part of the presentation, Dr. Kostova will focus on specific strategies to mitigate STS/burnout and reinforce self-care and well-being among school professionals.
Online registration is open! NASW-MA’s School Social Work Conference 2022: Exploring the Multiple Roles of the School Social Worker Friday, October 21 (8:00am - 3:00pm EST) | 5.5 CEUs available! With Keynote speaker Fran Kuehn Special Thank You to our School Social Work Committee members for their support in planning this year’s conference.
Click here to download the conference's flyer and mail-in registration form.
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