Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work upcoming events

Early Career Social Work Meet-up (Saturday, April 25, 2026)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

You're Invited!
Early Career Clinician Meetup

Join us for a casual social gathering designed to help newer clinicians in the area connect, share experiences, and build community. Whether you're still in school or in your first few years of practice, this is a great opportunity to meet peers, ask questions, and feel supported.

There’s no cost to attend, but you're welcome to grab a tea or bite to eat once you arrive. We'll have a sign so you know where to find us.

We’d love to see you there!

Social (in)Justice Virtual Full Day Conference (Sunday, April 26, 2026)

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT

This event does meet the 3 hour social justice requirement for the Maryland board

DC, VA, MD Social Work -- Category 1 | 8.5 CEUs

Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in is DC, Maryland, and Virginia to sponsor social work continuing education learning activities and maintains full responsibility for this program.

NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider -- 8.5 Credit Hours

Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7880. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

This full-day program brings together clinical social workers and mental health professionals to explore social justice as an essential and integrated component of ethical, effective practice. Through experiential learning, trauma-informed frameworks, and systems-based perspectives, participants will examine how collective healing, social determinants of mental health, and advocacy efforts intersect with clinical work—both inside and beyond the therapy hour. The program also addresses emerging considerations, including the ethical use of artificial intelligence and financial wellbeing, through a social justice lens. Participants will engage in reflection, discussion, and practical strategies designed to strengthen their capacity to promote equity, healing, and systemic change in their professional roles and communities.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Describe how experiential and collective healing practices can serve as primary components of psychotherapy and community-based mental health care.
Identify key social determinants of mental health and explain their impact on trauma, access to care, and clinical outcomes from a social justice perspective.
Apply trauma-informed principles to clinical practice in ways that actively address inequities and systemic oppression.
Evaluate concrete actions mental health professionals can take outside the therapy hour to advance social justice, advocacy, and community wellbeing.
Integrate ethical considerations related to social justice, artificial intelligence, and financial wellbeing into clinical decision-making and professional practice.
Develop practical strategies for incorporating social justice values into everyday clinical work while maintaining professional boundaries, ethical standards, and self-care.

DRAFT Agenda:

8 to 8:15 a.m. | Welcome -- Karla Abney LMSW President, GWSCSW

8:15 to 10:15 | Embodied Equity: Somatic-Informed Approaches to Collective and Accessible Mental Health Care

10:15 to 12:15 | The Intersection of Trauma-Informed Care and Social Determinants of Mental Health: A Social Justice Perspective -- Candace Oglesby, LCPC

12:15 to 12:45 | Working lunch/discussion -- How do I focus on social justice in clinical practice?

12:45 to 2:45 p.m. | What a mental health professional can do outside the therapy hour to address social justice -- Gopi Dhokai, LMHC

2:45 to 4:15 | The intersection of social justice, AI, and financial wellbeing through a trauma-informed and systems-based lens -- Alicia Tetteh LCSW

4:15 to 4:30 | Closing, wrap up

Ethically Treating a Client with Political Beliefs that Conflict with Yours (Sunday, May 03, 2026)

Sun, 03 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Presenter Ed Geraty, LCSW-C (MD), LICSW (WV), LCSW (VA), LICSW (DC)

CEUs: Category 1 | 3.0 ETHICS CREDIT

Political polarization increasingly enters therapy rooms. Clients may express beliefs that evoke strong therapist reactions mishandling value conflict increases ethical and legal risk. This Workshop integrates ethics codes, clinical skills, and case analysis.

Workshop Objectives:

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify ethical risks related to political value conflict.
Manage countertransference ethically.
Apply APA, NASW, and ACA standards.
Set boundaries and document appropriately.

Agenda:

Recommended Reading:

Injustice by Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis
Why Fascists Fear Teachers by Randi Weingarten
The Sirens’ Call by Chris Hayes
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

DC, VA, MD Social Work -- Category 1 | 3.0 CEUs

NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider -- 3.0 Credit Hours

The Art of the First Session (2026) (Friday, May 15, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Presenter: Robert Taibbi (VA), LCSW

DC, VA, MD Social Work -- Category 1 | 2.0 CEUs

NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider -- 2.0 Credit Hours

While the average length of clinical treatment is 5-8 sessions, most clients seeking therapy come to a particular therapist only once. Having the right diagnosis and effective treatment approach can mean next to nothing if you fail to connect with the client. The pressure is on in that first session. Clients need to leave believing that this is the Right Place and the Right Person. And you’ve got to do it all in 60 minutes or less.

In this webinar we will discuss the essential art of the first session. Drawing on the lessons of sales and with an awareness of clients’ ever-more discerning expectations, we’ll walk through the first session goals and process. We look at ways of changing the emotional climate so that clients feel differently when they walk out than when they walked in. We’ll define the critical skill sets you need to stay focused. We’ll walk through the three parts of the session – the opening, your assessment, the presentation of your treatment plan and next steps. You’ll learn how to handle objections, how to use treatment maps to hit the ground running, how to achieve balance with couples and families, how to recognize and use transference cues with individuals.

You’ll learn what to do, but probably more importantly what not to do in order to make that first session the best it can be.

Audience -- therapists of all disciplines

Workshop Objectives:

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Define 4 ways of changing the emotional climate.
Describe the process for countering objections.
Discuss the 7 goals of the first session.
Define the 4 sources of resistance.
Describe 5 ways of building rapport.

About the Presenter:

Robert Taibbi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 50 years of experience primarily in community mental health working with children, couples and families as a clinician, supervisor and clinical director.

He is the author of 13 books in the areas of anxiety, family and couple therapy, brief therapy, clinical supervision, as well as over 300 magazine and journal articles. He writes an online column for Psychology Today entitled Fixing Families that has received over 21 million views, as well as regular contributions to several online mental health websites and advice columns.

In addition, Robert provides trainings both nationally and internationally in couple therapy, family therapy, brief therapy, and clinical supervision. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and the University of South Carolina, and has served as adjunct professor at several universities. He is currently in private practice in Charlottesville, VA.