March of 2021 is Social Work Month and, since we can’t be together to celebrate our profession and the work we do in our communities, we are offering a series of FREE, ZOOM, CE approved workshops that we think are relevant, varied, valuable, and quite interesting. Sign up for 1 or ALL!!
These workshops are FREE to Members including a CE certificate. Non Members may certainly attend, also for FREE, but there is a $25 fee for a CE certificate.
REGISTER for each timely, novel, and FREE Training SEPARATELY!
***********************************************
We will kick off our series of varied workshops with an “overview” discussion on some of the consequences of the pandemic, in particular health equity issues and connecting people to resources.
Friday, March 5, 9:30 to 11:00
Impact of Covid-19 on Social Determinants of
Health, Health Equity, and Resource Access
Presented by Billy Bromage, MSW, Director of Community Organizing at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, this discussion will address some of the ways COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated health equity issues that people were already facing before the crisis and will address what social workers have done, and can do, to connect people to resources. The focus will be on community partnerships, providing examples of how resources were identified, prioritized, and communicated among staff and those accessing services in a mental health clinic in New Haven. The process will be described in depth to both generate discussion and encourage the sharing of knowledge so participants might develop similar resource banks at their organizations. The session will be contextualized within the larger frameworks of health equity and social justice. 1.5 CECs.
Friday, March 12, Lunchtime Discussion, 12:00 to 1:30
What Clinicians Need to Know About Commonly Used Synthetic Drugs
This timely workshop, presented by Srinivas Muvvala, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit at CMHC will identify a number of the commonly used synthetic drugs in Connecticut and the United States. The discussion will include a review of the signs and symptoms of misusing various drugs and their mental health impact. Fentanyl’s role in the increase of overdose deaths will be reviewed as will treatment of addiction and complications associated with the use of synthetic substances. 1.5 CECs.
Saturday, March 13, 11:00 to 12:30
Diversity and Cultural Competency:
An Interactive Approach
This workshop is presented by the NASW/CT Ethics Committee and will be facilitated by
Yvette Tyndale, LCSW, ACSW a clinical social worker with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in New Haven and Chair of the Ethics Committee. Aiming to explore diversity and cultural competency in clinical practice, discussion will focus on clinical experiences while also encouraging participants to share ideas relating to culturally sensitive services provided during COVID. Using the NASW Code of Ethics, this webinar emphasizes the importance of retaining core social work values to guide ethical principles with a focus on promoting culture and diversity in practice.
1.5 Cultural Competency CECs.
Thursday, March 18, 9:30 to 11:30
The Challenges and Benefits of Using Telehealth with Mental Health Clients
Telehealth has allowed the delivery of services to our clients in the middle of a pandemic but it has posed both opportunities and problems for social workers. Join Jack Gesino, DSW, LCSW, Associate Professor of Social Work at Southern Connecticut State University and private practitioner at The Center for Elder Care and Families for this opportunity to review both the challenges and benefits of Telehealth. Emphasis will be given to the neurobiology of virtual stress with practical tips for managing telehealth stress and enhancing the positives of this platform. 2 CECs.
Thursday, March 25, Lunchtime Workshop, 12:00 to 1:30
Consent is Sexy:
Ethical Dimensions in Sexuality and Aging
Many older adults have not received adequate sexuality education about communicating their wants, desires, and boundaries. Jane Fleishman, PhD, Med, MS, CSE, Consultant, Author, and Owner of Speaking Of, LLC in Northampton, MA will lead this conversation about clear communication, cognitive acuity, and consent. In this interactive workshop, participants will examine up-to-date research on older adults’ sexuality and the ethical dilemmas related to sexual consent and older adults in senior living communities. Resources for organizational change and tools to teach how to navigate consent and handle ethical question of an intimate nature will be included. 1.5 CECs.
Celebrate with us this March as we offer training forums where you can earn Continuing Education Credits, network with your colleagues via Zoom, and be a part of a profession that has made and continues to make invaluable contributions to society.