| Virtual School SW Conference 2025 |
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VIRTUAL SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK CONFERENCE 2025 Friday, October 24, 2025 @ 8:00-3:00pm EST | 5.5 CEUs Available Keynote speaker: Dr. Tami Gouveia, DrPH, MPH, MSW
The NASW-MA Chapter and its School Social Work Committee invites you to register for our upcoming virtual School Social Work Conference, a premier event designed to bring together school social workers, adjustment counselors, and other youth-focused professionals dedicated to supporting students at all educational levels and beyond. Our Keynote speaker will address how national changes in policy will affect schools and school social workers. Attendees will then have the opportunity to choose from a variety of engaging workshops and expert-led discussions in two separate sessions. Join us in this collaborative effort to enhance the lives of our children and young people, as we strengthen our educational communities. Together, we can drive positive change and ensure that every student receives the support they need to thrive. Online registrations are closing on October 22!
CEUs have been approved by MaMHCA for LMHCs attendees. Details will be included in the certificates.
REGISTRATION RATES:
To register via mail/fax:
Paying with a Purchase Order (PO): Please contact Adam Linn at alinn.naswma@socialworkers.org for PO process.
Online registrations are closing on October 22! This conference will be hosted in a Zoom Meeting room. Attendees will receive an email with details to join one day prior to the event. To receive CE credit, attendees must attend the full duration of the conference; partial credit is not available. Please read our virtual programs and conferences participant expectations here.
Social Work Continuing Education Credit: CE credit is provided by the NASW-MA Chapter. If you are not licensed in Massachusetts, please check with your state social work licensing board if they accept NASW-MA Chapter approved CEUs.
Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be made no later than Wednesday, October 22! For changes to your registration, please contact Crisbelly at cmedinaadames.naswma@socialworkers.org. CONFERENCE AGENDA: 8:00 - 8:10am: Conference begins
8:10 - 9:45am: Keynote Address Bearing Witness, Taking Action: Navigating Moral Distress and Ethical Practice in School Social Work, with Dr. Tami Gouveia, DrPH, MPH, MSW (1.5 CEUs) In this session, we will explore the complex and often unseen challenges school social workers face, and the emotional and ethical weight that comes with this work. We’ll talk honestly about how policies, limited resources, and systemic barriers create moral distress and even moral injury that impacts students and also our own well-being and ability to practice with integrity. I’ll share stories and invite your reflections, so together we can name what it feels like to be both advocates and witnesses caught between student needs and institutional constraints. And as the federal and local landscapes shift, we’ll consider what these changes mean for our practice, our schools, and our communities. We will close with a commitment to embracing our own agency and taking action at the individual, local, or national level to move from moral distress toward advocacy, resilience, and lasting impact.
9:45 - 10:00am: Morning break
10:00 - 12:00pm: Morning workshops (select one) (2 CEUs) Workshop 1: Understanding the New Massachusetts IEP: A Guide for School Social Workers, Counselors, and School Adjustment Counselors, with Allan Blume (this workshop is also being offered in the afternoon session): Join Allan Blume, founder of The Blume Method, as he presents an overview of the most recent version of the Massachusetts IEP at this year’s Conference of Social Workers. Tailored specifically for school-based mental health professionals, this session will highlight the critical aspects of the updated IEP process and the roles of Counselors, School Adjustment Counselors, and Social Workers. Allan will walk participants through the most relevant elements of the new IEP framework, emphasizing areas where their expertise is vital, including social-emotional strengths and needs of students. The session will provide suggestions and strategies for key document sections and clarify how social workers can meaningfully contribute to Present Levels of Performance, Student Strengths, Areas of Need, and Goals and Objectives. Workshop 2: Being Culturally Responsive, with Christina Douyon: In this training, participants will gain practical internal and external strategies to enhance their cultural responsiveness, with a focus on issues of race, culture, and difference. The session will clarify the distinctions between race and culture while exploring how cultural understanding can serve as a bridge for connection rather than a source of disconnection. Designed with the school context in mind, the training will help social workers reflect on their own cultural lenses and how these impact interactions with students, families, and colleagues. Participants will engage in reflective exercises to deepen their self-awareness (intrapersonal level) and develop actionable skills for more inclusive, empathetic interactions with others (interpersonal level). Through interactive discussions and real-world examples, attendees will leave with tools to navigate cultural differences in school settings and promote equity, humility, and understanding in their daily practice. Workshop 3: Addressing Intergenerational Trauma in Students and School Communities, with Amy Ebbeson: Students carry more than backpacks into the classroom, they carry legacies. This workshop explores how intergenerational trauma shows up in school settings, often misread as defiance, withdrawal, or disengagement. Participants will gain insight into the roots of these behaviors and explore school-based strategies to support healing, strengthen relationships, and interrupt the cycle of trauma.
12:00 - 1:00pm: Lunch break
1:00 - 3:00pm: Afternoon workshops (select one) (2 CEUs) Workshop 4: Understanding the New Massachusetts IEP: A Guide for School Social Workers, Counselors, and School Adjustment Counselors, with Allan Blume (this workshop is also being offered in the morning session): Join Allan Blume, founder of The Blume Method, as he presents an overview of the most recent version of the Massachusetts IEP at this year’s Conference of Social Workers. Tailored specifically for school-based mental health professionals, this session will highlight the critical aspects of the updated IEP process and the roles of Counselors, School Adjustment Counselors, and Social Workers. Allan will walk participants through the most relevant elements of the new IEP framework, emphasizing areas where their expertise is vital, including social-emotional strengths and needs of students. The session will provide suggestions and strategies for key document sections and clarify how social workers can meaningfully contribute to Present Levels of Performance, Student Strengths, Areas of Need, and Goals and Objectives. Workshop 5: Inside the Border: Addressing the Worsening Immigration Crisis and Its Impact on Youth & Families, with Michelle Morales & Karen Bobadilla: The escalation of the U.S. immigration crisis is leaving thousands of children vulnerable to trauma, forced family separation, and systemic neglect. This workshop session will explore the complex intersection of immigration policy, mental health, and advocacy, with a focus on best practices for social workers to best support families and themselves. This session will provide social workers with trauma-informed strategies, advocacy tools, and culturally informed approaches that are beneficial to support immigrant children and families. It will also offer policy strategies and recommendations and how social workers can support in creating future systemic change. Workshop 6: Compassionate Communities: Forming a Grief-Supportive Culture in Your School, with Claire Blackford & Christine Lambright: One in 13 children in Massachusetts will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they turn 18, making grief a critical issue for schools. This number does not include the many students who will have a death-related loss in their friend group or extended family. School social workers play an instrumental part in supporting these students, as school can be a place of compassion, belonging, flexibility, consistency, and normalcy. This session will explore the unique social, emotional, and academic challenges faced by students who are grieving. Through data, videos, interactive activities, collective brainstorms, and real-world examples, you will gain skills and tools to challenge misconceptions, be supportive of students experiencing grief and loss, and foster both academic achievement and resilience.
3:05pm: Conference ends BECOME A CONFERENCE SPONSOR:
Our Chapter invites you to become a sponsor for our upcoming School Social Work Conference, an essential gathering that unites school social workers, adjustment counselors, and other youth-focused professionals dedicated to nurturing the well-being and development of students at all educational levels and beyond. Receive free registrations, logo exposure in our website and email campaigns, and more! Take a look at our levels: Social Work Champion ($550)
Social Work Advocates ($300)
Sponsor registrations are closing on October 20. For questions, please contact Crisbelly at cmedinaadames.naswma@socialworkers.org Special Thank You to our School Social Work Committee members for their support and dedication in planning this year’s conference. Friday, October 24, 2025 @ 8:00-3:00pm EST | 5.5 CEUs Available
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