In This Issue | DECEMBER 2022 |
President's Message
Karla J. Abney
As many of you know, I am currently serving as the Interim President since October 20 and am serving in my second term as the Vice President of GWSCSW. Serving as the Vice President has allowed me to become familiar with the many complex tasks involved in being a leader in our wonderful Society.
I would like to share with you a bit of my background. I was born and raised in Washington DC. Yes, I am a true Native Washingtonian! I am a graduate of the University of Virginia, where I earned a BA in American history, all with the intent of attending law school. I attended the University of the District of Columbia, graduating in 1992 with a BS in Nursing (BSN). I earned my MS in Nursing (MSN) from Catholic University’s Conway School of Nursing. After working in the profession of nursing for over 30 years, I decided to reinvent myself in 2017 and pursue an MS in social work (MSW) from Catholic University’s National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS). Graduating in this May, I am an LMSW, working at Sheppard Pratt Outpatient Mental Health Center – Gaithersburg. Ever the eternal student, I am back at NCSSS pursuing my PhD in social work
After joining the Society as a graduate student, I met several members who made me feel welcome, and encouraged me to volunteer. Taking the plunge, I decided to run for Vice President. With a deep interest in social justice, I joined the Anti-Racism Taskforce and began to bring the message of anti-racism and social justice issues to the forefront of the Society. I am happy to announce the Social Justice Branch is now an official part of the Board. The Social Justice Branch will continue to address issues of antiracism and institutional racism as are currently being addressed with the recent ASWB report, and other social justice concerns including issues of importance to the LBGTQ+ community, women, and other marginalized communities.
Priority for my tenure will be to continue and increase the number of Society networking events and opportunities to connect socially, as well as offering our mentorship program, low-cost therapy for MSW students, and continue plans to establish a low-cost supervision program. There are plans to hold a GWSCSW Town Hall in the new year and establish regularly scheduled listening sessions between the Board of Directors and the membership.
I would like to take this opportunity to encourage and welcome your feedback. What would make the Society more inviting and appealing to you? Of course, not every suggestion can be enacted, but I believe some very helpful information will emerge from your feedback. What would be helpful? What would be enjoyable: I would like to foster a feeling of connection and the sense that this is a Society for everyone.
The GWSCSW event to honor its members took place this year on September 11, 2022, at Strathmore Mansion in Rockville, MD. This is the first time what had been the annual dinner has been held since the onset of the Covid pandemic. The last one was in 2019. The 79 people who attended were happy to finally be released from Zoom gatherings and see each other in person. Members greeted each other happily, with many hugs occurring. One hundred members registered, but unfortunately 21 did not show. The rainy weather may have kept away some people, or others who did not want to meet indoors. In addition, there was a tie up on the beltway coming from Virginia; undoubtedly this was part of the reason.
Because the pandemic is still occurring, though most of us are vaccinated, masks were worn indoors except when eating. Many members sat outside on the sheltered patio overlooking the beautiful grounds of Strathmore Mansion.
Steve Szopa awarded a prize to Kate Rossier for her years of service to the organization with the Nancy Harrington Above and Beyond Award. Judy Gallant, who has led the organization’s Legislation & Advocacy committee for many years, received the Frances Thomas Award for Legislative Excellence, presented by Marilyn Stickle. Then-president Lisa Kays welcomed people and led a moment of silence for 9/11.
People mingled, some playing the Bingo game the Cocktail Party Committee provided, some just gathering and talking, drinking, and eating the wonderful finger foods provided by the caterer. There seemed to be a good mix of older and newer members.
New members could be recognized by their white boutonnieres. Board members wore orange boutonnieres.
We had many volunteers who helped with the registration process, which seemed to go smoothly, despite eager greetings among people who hadn’t met in person for a long while. Another volunteer, Ashley Wilson, assisted by Adele Natter, took photos of participants.
Assisting with registration and greeting of guests were: Sheila Cohen, Kate Rossier, Beth Pascoe, Kathleen Landers, and Lynn Grodzki. Judith Asner provided the table centerpieces. Katie Smeltz helped with directing people from the parking lot to the building.
Thanks go to the committee that organized this wonderful Cocktail Party: Beverly Magida, Nancy Harris, Irene Walton, Cathering Lowry, and Phil Callahan.
Legislation & Advocacy | National
Laura Groshong, LICSW, CSWA Director of Policy and Practice
Judy Gallant, Fran Schopick, Jaylee Cox, and I met with Ben Donovan, Legislative Aide to Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), who had reached out to CSWA, to talk about mental health needs in the military.
Rep. Kilmer has a district which has a heavy military presence. He realized that the last organized effort to look at the way that mental health is handled in the military was in 2005. He would like to revive the Commission created then look at this issue. He would like to include clinical social workers in this group. They would like to have more dedicated clinicians on carriers and on bases at rates that are more commensurate with the numbers of personnel; currently each clinician is expected to serve 1000-8000 military personnel. There is more support from officers for mental health than in the past. Some officers are starting to see access to mental health treatment as the most important need in the military currently.
There were a number of suicides on a carrier in Virginia (USS George Washington) recently when it was being maintained there. Rep. Kilmer would like to avoid this in the future. He and others are trying to create a baseline for how many people mental health clinicians, included in telemental health, need to see. He would also like to stop the mental health stigma that still exists in some parts of the military.
We talked about the problems we have had with Tricare, both with reimbursement rates and inclusion of enough clinicians. We all agreed that funding for mental health is a huge problem and more is needed to make mental health an integrated part of the military. We will look into whether MH parity covers the military and could therefore address this problem.
We will continue this discussion.
Legislation & Advocacy | DC
Adele Natter, Chair, DC Legislation and Advocacy Committee
The DC Board of Social Work (BOSW) makes and enforces policies that affect our work, such as licensing guidelines. These policies are announced at BOSW meetings and are also placed on the Board’s website. The Board solicits our input and feedback.
What is our part? There is only one LICSW on the DC Board, so their understanding of clinical social work tends to be constrained. Unlike the other jurisdictions, we have no lobbyist. While being very respectful, we need to educate the Board about issues that we are dealing with and suggest policies we think are needed, and inform the Board about the real-world effects that the Board’s policies have on our practices.
The L&A Committee responds to issues that members care about. Recently, we advocated to allow clinical supervision in a group format to count towards required hours of supervision for licensure. The BOSW is also keenly aware of problems with the ASWB exam, particularly disparate pass rates. The Board Chair, Velva Spriggs, stated that the BOSW is continuing to discuss and evaluate the issue, and has not taken a position.
The BOSW approved a hybrid meeting schedule for 2023, meaning that in the early months of the year, meetings will be fully virtual, and in later months some will be in-person. The BOSW meets on the 4th Monday of the month, at 10:00. The Webex meeting link can be found on the Board website: https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/social-work-licensing, under “Social Work Agendas”.
The Board members do listen to our statements, and our presence – think strength in numbers here – increases our impact. I am appealing to our DC-licensed members to consider joining the DC L&A Committee. If you can come to Board meeting(s), you’ll get an impression of how the Board works. If not, there are other roles and tasks you can do! Please contact me at telladele@verizon.net.
Adele Natter, LICSW, Co-Chairs the GWSCSW Legislation & Advocacy Committee for DC.. Adele has been an active participant on the Committee for the past four years; she represented GWSCSW on a Board of Social Work sub-committee, which included NASW and CSWA representatives. Adele maintains a private practice focused on helping individuals with anger and emotional regulation issues. She is also a Clinical Instructor in the Psychiatry Residency Program of the George Washington University Medical School. She holds a BA in Psychology from UCLA and received her MSW from the University of Maryland.
Legislation & Advocacy | Maryland
Judy Gallant, Chair, MD Legislation and Advocacy Committee
Although the Maryland General Assembly doesn’t start it’s legislative session until January 11, 2023, we have collaborated with the MD Behavioral Health Coalition to support and prioritize Equal Treatment Maryland, as well as the 2023 Behavioral Health Crisis Prevention Platform. Currently, two-thirds of Maryland’s counties qualify as federally designated mental health professional shortage areas. Commercial health insurance companies in Maryland reimburse behavioral health providers nearly 20% less than other doctors for similar procedures, Maryland ranked 7th worst in the nation last year for opioid death rates, and MD has seen a 46% increase in children accessing hospital ERs for suicide attempts.
The 2023 Behavioral Health Crisis Prevention Platform emphasizes the great increase in the need for community mental health and substance use care and asks that the MD Department of Health be required to develop and advance a plan to expand the state’s network of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in order to help keep people out of crisis. In addition, a sufficient provider workforce must exist to accomplish accessibility to services. Through supporting Equal Treatment Maryland and the Behavioral Health Coalition, we are also requesting that a Behavioral Health Workforce Investment Fund be established. A behavioral health workforce assessment is required to figure out the best usage for such a fund. Sixteen counties are designated mental health professional shortage areas, and less than 20% of individuals in these areas get their mental health needs met. Additionally, staff vacancies exist in over 80% of Maryland’s child-serving community behavioral health programs.
During our last legislative session, we supported passage of the Behavioral Health System Modernization Act which would have expanded comprehensive treatment by expanding Maryland’s network of Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Care for children and youth would have improved by increasing the availability of home- and community-based wraparound services. It also sought to reduce reliance on law enforcement and ERs by ensuring stable reimbursement for Maryland’s network of crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams and crisis stabilization facilities. It is not uncommon for vitally important changes to our behavioral health system such as these take years to become law. Our support this year of Equal Treatment Maryland continues what was begun in previous years.
Within the past couple of weeks, we joined with other organizations to advocate that the Hogan administration take action on two specific issues. As part of the MD Behavioral Health Coalition, we asked that Governor Hogan direct his health department to apply for a federal planning grant to sustain and expand Maryland’s network of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. We explained: “Passage of the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has made available $40 million for planning grants and technical assistance to states interested in implementing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs). The legislation also includes four years of enhanced Medicaid match for CCBHC services. These planning grants were released late last month, and applications are due in December.” We received the response that Maryland Medicaid decided not to apply in this cycle for the $1 million CCBHC planning grant. Given this, a legislative proposal is being developed to expand Maryland’s network of CCBHCs.
Another letter was sent to the current Secretary of the Department of Health, Dennis Shrader, requesting that a Request for Proposals for the behavioral health Administrative Service Organization contract be issued before the end of 2022. The current contract ends in 2024, and in order to avoid the horrible mismanagement of the current contractor, Optum, in processing Medicaid claims in Maryland, “the next vendor must have adequate time to ensure that all systems are operational.” We joined forces with MedChi, the Mid-Atlantic Association for Community Health Centers, the MD Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and NASW-MD.
Late-breaking news: the Interstate Social Work Compact is scheduled to be released to states by the Council of State Governments at the beginning of January, 2023! This makes it possible that legislatures will be able to pass the Compact into becoming law in their State during the 2023 Legislative Session. Remember that seven states must pass the Compact into law before an administrative body can be formed to create a functioning compact between those states. In the near future, we will share ways you could become involved through contacting your state representatives and asking for their support on this exciting possibility.
Judy Gallant, LCSW-C, is the director of the Society’s Legislation & Advocacy program, as well as chair of the Maryland Clinical Social Work Coalition, our GWSCSW legislative committee in Maryland. She maintains a private practice in Silver Spring.
Legislation & Advocacy | Virginia
Wayne Martin, Chair, VA Legislation and Advocacy Committee
First, let me pay tribute to and acknowledge the years of work provided by retiring Virginia L and A Co-chair, Judy Ratliff, LCSW. For many years Judy served as the Chair of the Virginia L and A Committee. She was dedicated, assertive, and inspirational. She made sure that the concerns of the Northern Virginia members of the GWSCSW were acknowledged and listened to by the leadership of the VSCSW. This has always been a unique partnership. The VSCSW and the GWSCSW share equally in the expenses of the lobbyist (Sue Rowland); however, given the history (that goes back more than 25 years) of this relationship, the VSCSW has always taken the lead with legislative activities in the Commonwealth. Judy insisted that she (and now, we) be included in all conversations and decisions. She was instrumental in getting our lobbyist, Sue, to come out of semi-retirement for one more year to serve us in her capacity as legislative consultant. (Sue had retired; and after months of interviewing other firms with no results, Judy’s urging, or guilting, helped Sue agree to come back for one more year.) The GWSCSW owes Judy Ratliff a debt of gratitude. It has been an honor to serve as her Co-Chair.
The joint groups (VSCSW Legislative Committee and the VA L&A Committee of the GWSCSW) currently have monthly zoom meetings with Sue Rowland. This is to communicate concerns and issues that may arise during the January Virginia Legislative session, to monitor legislation that may impact Virginia LCSW’s, and to consider our own legislation. Preparation is essential as one never knows what “surprises” we may face. The role of our lobbyist is to review and monitor bills that could impact us and to report back to the committees. At this moment, there is no “critical legislation” for the upcoming legislative session. I add the word, “yet”.
During our meetings, we rely on Joe Lynch, the VSCSW Legislative V.P. Joe has done extensive research on many of the current hot topics. Some of his work is featured in the boxed information below. Judy and I have supported his efforts and have let Joe take the lead. He attends the Virginia Board of Social Work meetings- has been an advocate for LCSW’s and often provides public comments that can assist the Board in their decision-making process. Joe has a working relationship with Virginia NASW's long time Executive Director, Debra Riggs.
The committee continues to hear complaints from our members about insurance companies lack of timely payments and increasing barriers to reimbursement. Before we can consider legislation, we need facts and specifics. In order to gather this information, Joe has written a membership survey, “Survey to Measure the Current Status of LCSW/ Carrier Relationship: Practices That Are Barriers to getting claims Paid and Are Disincentives for Accepting Clients with Insurance.” The survey, once finalized, will be posted on the GWSCSW Webpage. PLEASE COMPLETE this very important survey and email it back to Joe Lynch.
The committee continues to monitor the response and reaction to the ASWB Clinical Exam; the effort for an Interstate Compact; and other regulatory matters; the Committee pays close to attention to any regulatory proposals or changes. We encourage ALL our members to be knowledgeable and we encourage reading the minutes of the Va. Board of Social Work and look at the “Town Hall” section for proposals. All of this is public information. Check out the website of the Virginia Board of Social Work, https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/social/
Finally, the best way each member can assist the committee, is to know their respective Virginia state Delegate and Senator. Make sure they know you vote and are concerned about mental health issues.
Virginia will have a Special Election on January 10, 2023, for one House of Delegates seat (35th District, Fairfax County) and one Senate of Virginia seat (7th District, Norfolk City, Virginia Beach City). Sue Rowland says that the turnout will likely be very low and the “whoever shows up” rule will be very important in this one.
There is an election next November (2023) and all 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly are up for re-election. Politicians listen to their constituents.
If anyone is interested in being a part of this GWS Virginia L&A Committee, please contact either our Branch Chair, Judy Gallant, judy.gallant@verizon.net or myself, Wayne A. Martin, LCSW, wamnoles@aol.com
Virginia Board of Social Work Board Members
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Eboni C. Bugg, MSW, LCSW |
Sherwood Randolph, Jr., MSW, LCSW |
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Canek Aguirre, Citizen Member |
Angelia Allen, Citizen Member |
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Jamie Clancey, MSW, LCSW |
Denise Purgold, MSW, LCSW |
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Elke Cox, MSW, LCSW |
Gloria Manns, MSW, LCSW |
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Teresa Reynolds, MSW, LCSW |
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Governor Youngkin has appointed 3 new members to the Virginia Board of Social Work. They are: Sherwood Randolph, Jr., MSW, LCSW, Denise Purgold, MSW, LCSW, and Elke Cox, MSW, LCSW. For the first time in the Board’s history a Citizen Member of the Board, Canek Aguirre, was elected to be the Chairperson. Governor Youngkin has issued Executive Order 19 that requires Health Regulatory Boards to reduce their regulations by 25%. On October 26, 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that “…the Virginia Board of Social Work, a health regulatory board under the Department of Health Professions, has enacted regulations that will speed up the process by which a social worker from another state can receive a license in Virginia…”. The Va. Board of Social Work is one of the first of the boards to comply with the Executive Order issued by Governor Youngkin. This reduction should make the process of getting a Virginia clinical license through “endorsement” more efficient. Changes to the regulations allow for out-of-state practitioners to apply for a Virginia license without the verification of 24 months of post-licensure active practice or providing evidence that their education and supervised experience are substantially equivalent to Virginia’s requirements. Out-of-State Social Work licensees that hold a comparable LCSW, LMSW or LBSW in good standing can quickly and efficiently apply for licensure in Virginia by applying online (which includes a fee), and providing verification of passing an examination at the level for which they are seeking licensure. The Board of Social Work regulations will allow out-of-state applicants who took a state social work exam or whose examination was waived by the initial licensing state to gain licensure without taking the national examination. This regulation directly affects seasoned out-of-state licensees who may not have been required initially to pass the national social work examination. Those who are licensed in MD and DC and want a VA license, should consult with the VA. Board of Social Work on the new endorsement process. |
Membership committee REPORT
GWSCSW continues to welcome new members to the Society. We encourage you to take a moment and look through the website (GWSCSW.org) and familiarize yourselves with all that GWSCSW has to offer. Join a committee! Get involved! If you’re a brand-new social worker, please check out the Early Career Committee or the Mentor Program.
Benefits of Society Membership
- Exchange views and obtain information through our interactive listserv
- Promote your practice through our Therapist Finder, an online listing of fully-licensed members, searchable by the public
- Receive our lively and informative quarterly newsletter, (News & Views) and even become a published author by contributing an article
- Be informed about the current legislative issues affecting the mental health field through our Legislative Program
- Access the members-only sections of the website, including the member directory and professional resources
- Participate in the Mentoring Program
- Join a committee that fulfills your interests (a great way to meet fellow professionals and to quickly feel connected)
- Attend Continuing Education events at discounted member rates, present continuing education workshops; and track your CEU attendance through the website
Best of all, you will network with a region-wide community of social workers who demonstrate professionalism and expertise in a wide range of practice areas.
legislation & advocacy branch report
Judith Gallant, L&A Branch Director
At the beginning of November, the Legislation and Advocacy Branch hosted our 8th yearly L&A event, where we hear about the current political climate in the nation and each jurisdiction, issues that we see as potentially important for the coming year, and how membership can be helpful in our efforts, from our lobbyists, committee chairs and Laura Groshong of the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA). This year’s “virtual luncheon” was well attended, and participants learned about: efforts in MD to expand availability of Community Mental Health Centers, as well as efforts to enact legislation to ensure permanent payment parity for telehealth and in-person treatment; our Virginia L&A team’s meeting with representatives from VA’s Board of insurance, as well as Virginia’s Governor Youngkin’s requirement that professional Boards reduce regulations by 25% and how the Board of Social Work’s response will make it easier for out-of-state licensee’s to become licensed in Virginia; how DC’s committee has advocated for permitting clinical supervision for licensure to be allowed in a group format. Laura Groshong discussed that there are currently 10 bills in Congress that address CMS coverage of telehealth once the national State of Emergency ends. In general, audio only is not seen as important as video telehealth, and may or may not be part of any bills passed. She addressed some issues raised by the statistics released in August by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) that showed great discrepancy in pass rates between white and black test-takers. Currently, all mental health disciplines have a national test required for licensing. CSWA is in talks with the new Executive Director of ASWB and has offered support in changing the current test.
We have just received word from Laura Groshong that the Social Work Interstate Compact will be released and be ready for state legislators and Boards of Social Work to review at the beginning of January 2023. We are hopeful that some states will be able to pass it through their legislature this year. At least seven states must pass the Compact into law before an administrative body can be formed to create a functioning compact between those states. We will share ways with you in the near future that you may become involved through contacting your state representatives and asking for their support on this exciting possibility.
Parts of meetings of the Board of Social Work in each jurisdiction are open to the public. We encourage members to attend meetings as you are able. Generally, the Boards appreciate feedback from members. Links to information about each jurisdiction’s meetings can be found below.
https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/social/social_calendar.htm In Virginia, meetings are held quarterly in Henrico, VA. The next meetings are scheduled at 10 am on December 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023. Please check on-line or call to confirm that a meeting will take place, as the schedule can change.
https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/social-work-licensing In DC, meetings are held on the fourth Monday of the month at 10 am. Meetings are currently held virtually. Consult the Board’s website or call to confirm scheduling information and for the on-line meeting link.
https://health.maryland.gov/bswe/Pages/default.aspx In Maryland, meetings are held on the second Friday of each month at 10:30 am. While based in Baltimore, they are currently held virtually. Consult the Board’s website or call to confirm scheduling information and for the on-line meeting link.
As always, please contact us with any questions, comments or to join one of the committees. Chair of DC L&A Committee: Adele Natter, telladelelicsw@gmail.com. Chair of VA L&A Committee: Wayne Martin, wamnoles@aol.com. Chair of MD L&A Committee and Branch Director, Judy Gallant, judy.gallant@verizon.net. We look forward to hearing from you!
MENTOR PROGRAM report
Nancy Harris, Mentor Liaison
The Mentor Program is available for GWSCSW members who are still in school, newly-graduated, approaching their clinical licensure, and those wondering about the next steps. Mentors can assist with questions about career direction, licensing, continuing education, relationships with supervisors, and decisions about what to do after clinical licensure. Mentorship is a powerful tool to enhance new social workers’ development.
If you are a member of GWSCSW and interested in signing up, please fill out the Mentor Program form or contact Nancy Harris, LCSW-C, coordinator of the Mentor Program, for questions. Her phone is (301) 385-3375, email is nlharris1214@gmail.
You can also reach her at www.gwscsw.com/mentoring
Experienced social workers are always welcome to be mentors themselves. The application form to be a mentor is found at the same place on the GWSCSW website.
Communications Branch report
Steve Szopa, Communications Branch Director
The Communications Branch continues to keep you informed about Society events and provide you with ways to give us feedback about the many benefits of being a Society member. Right now, we are in need of a Social Media Chairperson. This position may sound demanding but you will work with our paid Social Media Consultant who does a preset amount of posting for us each month. Your role would be to approve her postings, add your own suggestions for posts and collect important information from our other four Branches so that members who follow us on social media can be up to date on Society classes, networking gatherings and other important events. If you are interested, feel free to write to Steve Szopa: steveszopa@gmail.com.
The GWSCSW listserv continues to thrive and remains a favorite benefit of Society membership. Members should reach out to the administrator to request to be added to the listserv.
Our website is an ongoing project. If you have suggestions, please write to Steve Szopa at the email address above.
The quarterly Newsletter is informative and valuable. Please email our Editor, Nancy Pines with any additions you would like to see in the next Newsletter, due out in March 2023.
I would like to thank our Executive Administrator, Donna Dietz, who is deeply involved in all aspects of Communication Branch activities. In addition, we all appreciate Nancy Pines for the time and TLC that she puts into the Newsletter every quarter. I hope you will consider joining this wonderful, friendly team by helping our social media committee.
Feel free to visit and interact with us. GWSCSW's social media sites are a useful tool for you to know what is going on with the Society.
PLEASE LIKE US AND FOLLOW GWSCSW ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS!
EDUCATION BRANCH
GWSCSW is committed to providing quality programs for members and nonmembers to meet their professional development requirements. This fall has been packed with excellent clinical educational opportunities and attendees have benefitted from the experience of many experts. Some of the topics we hosted were:
- Spirituality in Psychotherapy: Ethical Issues | Presenter: Jacqueline Wallen, PhD, MSW, LCSW-C " Interesting and thought-provoking presentation."
- Pandemic Anxiety and Depression. A New Perspective. And Profound Pandemic Lessons | Presenter: Jeffrey I. Bryan, LCSW, BCD "Excellent, thoughtful presenter"
- Depressed, Borderline, or Bipolar? | Presenter: Brian Quinn, Ph.D., LCSW "The level of the speaker's knowledge on this topic is impressive!"
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Simple Exercises That Reduce Anxiety and Enhance Connection | Presenter: Robert S. Seiler, Jr., LCSW-C
"Excellent Presentation by Robin Seiler! Learning more about Polyvegal Theory and the neurological aspects was very interesting and I appreciated learning the exercises to reduce anxiety and improve connection for personal and professional use! Thank you!"
- Statistically free of race and gender bias" Gaslighting as methodology in social work licensing exams | Presenter: Matthew DeCarlo, PhD, MSW " "I appreciate GWSCSW making this important topic available to us all!Wonderful and pertinent information that I had not heard elsewhere."
- Complex Ethical Challenges in Clinical Social Work: How to Protect Clients and Ourselves | Presenter: Frederic G. Reamer, Ph.D. " Dr. Reamer is a superb presenter and a master at managing the seminar process! Thank you for arranging his appearance for us."
- What's Age Got to Do With It? Shortages of Medicare Mental Health Providers | Presenter: Franca S. Posner MSW, LCSW-C "This was an excellent, informative, energizing presentation!"
- Living with Dying: Creating Death Awareness | Presenter: Ed Geraty LCSW-C "The way the presenter included the participants in the discussion was invaluable. He provided us with great insight and allowed reflection on such an important topic. Thank you for a truly thought-provoking presentation."
Our continuing education programming is a mainstay of the clinical society and we hope to make it as relevant to our members as possible. We are already gearing up with some great workshops planned coming up after the holidays. We hope to see you at these current and informative offerings.
Upcoming events
| We’re always looking for workshop presenters. Are you a clinical social worker? Do you have expertise in a subject area you would like to share with fellow members? Please consider submitting a proposal via our online form, which can be here. Prior to submitting a proposal, please review our proposal guidelines. Finally, if you’re interested in supporting the efforts of the GWSCSW Education Branch, please consider joining the Education Branch committee. It’s a great way to network, identify and outreach compelling presenters, and shape the educational offerings of the Society. We are dedicated to supporting efforts to further anti-racism in clinical social work and invite those who are committed to that work to join us. Please click HERE above for more information about how to volunteer. |
GWSCSW Job BoardGWSCSW is proud to feature a job resource to connect career opportunities with our members. Visit the GWSCSW job board to look for jobs or to post a job today. Manage Your Career:
Recruit for Open Positions:
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Classified Advertising
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News & Views
Nancy Pines, Editor
News & Views is published four times a year: March, June, September and December.
Articles expressing the personal views of members on issues affecting the social work profession are welcome and will be reviewed and published at the discretion of the editor. Signed articles reflect the views of the authors; society endorsement is not intended. Articles are subject to editing for space and clarity.
News & Views Submission Guidelines
If you have a submission, please send it to me: npines12@aol.com. I edit the articles and reports and send them on to the proofers who check up on me. BTW, we have two dedicated proofers, Shoba Nayar and Adele Natter, but could use another one. Please let me know if you are interested. Email address is above.
Articles: Focus on your area of expertise and practice, ethical dilemmas, responses to events in the media or other topics relevant to clinical social work. Articles should be 500–700 words.
Reports: For each newsletter, I hope to hear from all branch and committee people to inform us of their activities.
Out & About: Share news about you: an article you’ve written, if you’ve been in the news, taught a class, earned a new certification or are a singer, artist or writer. Submissions should be 50 words or less. Send all submissions to npines12@aol.com.
Advertising: admin@gwscsw.org
Next submission deadline: February 15, 2023
Need to reach a Board member? Click here for the listing of the GWSCSW Board of Directors