Workshops & Programs

Social Work Re-licensing Deadline: Continuing Education Requirements must be completed by September 30, 2014

• LCSW = 20 Hours
• LICSW = 30 Hours

2013 June Workshop Brochure (PDF)

Registration & Information

Workshop A: Trauma Informed Care

Wednesday, June 5, 2013
9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$45.00
4.00 CEUs
Instructor: Greg Plante, Psy.D., Eliot Community Human Services

Upwards of 90% of adults who receive mental health care in public programs have experienced significant trauma in their lives. Many have bona fide symptoms of PTSD. This training will raise awareness of PTSD and also try to help clinicians develop more compassion around the behaviors associated with trauma that are so often pathologized. Since clinicians also are involved more and more in crisis issues, a more nuanced understanding of triggers and how to suggest/implement coping skills will be discussed.

Workshop B: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing

Wednesday, June 5, 2013
1:30–5:00 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$45.00
4.00 CEUs
Instructor: Greg Plante, Psy.D., Eliot Community Human Services

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an empirically validated approach to working with individuals who have a wide range of problems that often involve the need for behavior change. This workshop is intended to give clinicians a "taste" for this approach. We will discuss the basic concepts and methods of MI. We also will look at the concept of "treatment resistance" through an MI lens. The trainer is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

Workshop C: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Current Approaches

PLEASE NOTE: This workshop will be offered in two segments (June 6 & 13). You must register for both segments.

Thursday, June 6, 2013 and Thursday, June 13, 2013
1:30–5:00 p.m. each day
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$90.00
8.00 CEUs
Instructor: Kerry Mitchell, LICSW, Ph.D., Faculty—Boston College Graduate School of Social Work

The first segment will focus on the meditational model underlying CBT and the processes that produce maladaptation, including cognitive distortions and intermediate beliefs. Case examples and a video will be presented. The second segment will focus on cognitive schemas, their origins and maintenance. Also, some discussion of CBT within family systems and psychodynamic therapy will be presented. Vignettes and a full schema-focused session will be presented.

Workshop D: The Overscheduled Life as a Therapeutic Issue

Friday, June 7, 2013
9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$45.00
4.00 CEUs
Instructor: Abby Seixas, M.Ed., LMHC, Founder—Deep River Seminars

We live in a "time-starved" society. How can we create conditions for ourselves and our clients that invite renewal, calm, and balance in daily life? This workshop will present tools that can help us get closer to deeper feelings, creative possibilities, and spiritual sustenance in daily life. We will also address the disconnection from self that can negatively influence relationships with partners, children, coworkers, and others. We will focus on information from the instructor's book, Finding the Deep River Within: A Woman's Guide to Recovering Balance and Meaning in Everyday Life (Jossey-Bass, 2007). We will learn six new core practices for recovering balance and meaning in daily life as well as strategies to heal the healer.

Workshop E: An Introduction to DSM 5

Friday, June 7, 2013
1:15–5:00 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$50.00
4.25 CEUs
Instructor: Greg Plante, Psy.D., Eliot Community Human Services

In May 2013 the 5th Edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistic Manual will be released. This diagnostic nomenclature is significantly different from DSM IV. It embodies the first substantial change to psychiatric diagnosis in over thirty years. This workshop focuses on the structural changes of the manual. We will address what diagnoses were deleted (and why). We will present details on new additions to the manual and will discuss significant modifications to existing diagnoses. This information is critical for all clinical social workers to possess in order to practice effectively now and in the years to come.

Workshop F: Introduction to Social Work with the Military

Thursday, June 13, 2013
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$40.00
3.25 CEUs
Instructor: Joan Beder, DSW, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, New York, NY

This workshop will introduce participants to various aspects of social work with the military. We will start with an introduction to the military culture and how that impacts the service member and family members. We then will discuss various psychosocial issues involved in deployment of the service member and then address issues related to reintegration after service. Case examples and intervention strategies for social workers will be provided.

Workshop G: Inside the World of Those Who Self-injure

Friday, June 14, 2013
1:30–4:15 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$40.00
3.00 CEUs
Instructor: Lynn Huber, MSW, MA, LICSW, North Shore Counseling Center

You discover one of your clients is self-injuring...what you do next involves many decision making processes. Is the person safe, what motivated the action, liability issues, etc. are among the things the clinician ponders. This workshop offers a look at the world of those who self-injure and provides techniques to offer your clients to use in modifying their behavior while maintaining therapeutic rapport. This perspective is offered by a presenter who was intimately involved in the 1990s when the first public glimpses of those who self-injure became visible. The presenter has a practice that welcomes the chance to assist those whose emotional pain results in physical pain as well. Case illustrations will be presented.

Workshop H: Hearing Voices That Are Distressing

Wednesday, June 19, 2013
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$25.00
2.25 CEUs
Instructor: Sheri Breen, BA, RYT, Eliot Community Human Services

The curriculum for this workshop is based on Pat Deegan's "Hearing Voices" work and gives participants the opportunity to experience how hearing voices can impact someone in their daily life. It is an experiential training. We will discuss the concept of "hearing voices" then listen to voices using an MP3 player while engaging in a variety of activities. We will then debrief, identify common themes, and discuss how we can better help clients in our practice who hear voices in their daily lives.

Workshop I: Unplug, Recharge and Reconnect: Using Yoga and Meditation to Combat Compassion Fatigue

Wednesday, June 19, 2013
1:30–4:15 p.m.
McGuinn Hall Room 334
$40.00
3.00 CEUs
Instructor: Sheri Breen, BA, RYT, Eliot Community Human Services

Many of us who are caretakers struggle with issues of compassion fatigue due to the excessive demands of this work. Yoga and meditation have been shown to combat stress, anxiety, depression, and other related experiences that are related to compassion fatigue. This experiential workshop invites participants to identify their personal burnout patterns so we can identifiy the specific yoga and meditation practices that may be beneficial to the rejuvenation process and also proactively ward off compassion fatigue. We invite attendees to dress in comfortable clothing for this session.

Workshop J: Advancing the Skills of Motivational Interviewing

This workshop is available one of two dates:
Friday, June 21, 2013 or Wednesday, June 26, 2013
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$90.00
8.00 CEUs
Instructor: Greg Plante, Psy.D., CPRP—Eliot Community Human Services

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-orientated method of communication that pays particular attention to the language of change. Its aim is to strengthen personal motivation and commitment to a change goal by eliciting and exploring an individual's own arguments (pro and con) for change. The workshop is designed to assist participants in advancing basic MI skills that have been learned from prior training or experience. We will address "OARS" skill-building (Open-ended questions, Affirm, Reflective listening, Summarize), "rolling with the resistance" and recognizing/evoking/utilizing change talk towards committing to an action through exercises, role-plays, discussion, and demonstration. This workshop is for practitioners who have had some prior experience with MI and is NOT intended to be an introductory session. The trainer is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

Enrollment will be limited to 20 participants each session. Register early!

Workshop K: Special Education Advocacy in Schools

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
1:30–4:15 p.m.
McGuinn Hall Room 029
$40.00
3.0 CEUs
Instructor: Sivon Irvings, MBA, LCSW, Boston Education Consultants

This workshop will provide an introduction to family rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Massachusetts Special Education Law and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) initiative. This information can help social workers be more effective partners with parents who are pursuing their child's eligibility for special education. Education advocates trained by the Federation for Children with Special Needs will present recent case studies and lead small group discussions. Participants will receive the most recent information on Special Education Advocacy in schools as well as information on a network of relevant organizations.

Workshop L: An Overview of Psychopharmacology

Friday, June 28, 2013
1:30–4:15 p.m.
Cushing Hall Auditorium
$40.00
3.00 CEUs
Instructor: Rich Carey, RN, FNP-BC, Eliot Community Human Services

Clinicians who work in an interdisciplinary fashion need to have an understanding of the nature and function of psychotropic medications. This workshop will provide an overview of the various types of medications available, when they are indicated and when they are not. A discussion of how prescribers try to minimize adverse side effects will also be provided. The trainer will discuss cases that illustrate the issues above and participants are invited to share relevant clinical examples from their practice.

Upcoming workshops and programs are posted every spring and fall. Please check back for updated information.

Additional workshops and conferences on special topics, including our renowned Annual National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS, are held throughout the year.