(October 2008)

As  a 20-something year old aspiring clinician attending Hunter College School of Social Work during the Reagan years, I resented being compelled to enroll in the required course in social policy which, I grumbled, detracted from my ability to take more clinically focused courses. However, just a couple of years later, while working in my first job in preventive services, I began to understand the significance that policy initiatives – or the lack thereof – have on my clients’ lives. Now in private practice,  I continue to see how many clients seek the services of clinicians like myself to help them to cope with problems that would be better addressed on a broad community level: structural racism and homophobia, child welfare and domestic violence, access to health care, addictions, and poverty, to name a few. So, like many of my colleagues, I’ve come to understand the importance of policy and politics to my profession. Noelle Tutunjian’s workshop “Finding Your Voice: Political Advocacy in Social Work” promises to instruct those of us from all sectors of the social work profession who would like to make a difference in the broader systems that so affect our lives and the lives of our clients. An adjunct professor at Hunter College School of Social Work, Dr. Tutunjian’s classes on Electoral Activism and Political Advocacy “are enthusiastically received by the students.” Dr. Tutunjian’s teaching is informed by her experience working for prominent state legislators and the instrumental role she has played in implementing significant changes.

Dr. Anthony Sainz’s courses on spirituality have also been lauded by the master’s degree students at Hunter College School of Social Work. Knowing that this topic would be of interest to many of our members, the Continuing Education Planning Committee is pleased that Dr. Sainz accepted our invitation  to conduct the workshop “Integrating Healing Principles and Methods Into Social Work Practice.” 

The Continuing Education Planning Committee has attempted to include some workshops which we believe will have broad appeal, as well as others that will be of great interest to a more select group of social workers whose needs and interests often go unmet. In an effort to address the needs of this latter group, we’re offering workshops for social work administrators (“No One Told Me This Would Be So Difficult: Human Resource Management and Development” and “Leadership Development for Agency and Program Management”), and a workshop for social workers who aspire to see their writing in print (“Publish and Enjoy: Everything You Wanted to Know About Journal and Book Publishing but Were Afraid to Ask”).  “Publish and Enjoy” is being taught by Dr. Lala Ashenberg Straussner, herself a prolific writer and editor of books and journals, and a professor at NYU School of Social Work.

Many of us have done some, if not much of our work with groups. As those of us trained in group work know, groups often provide clients with a healing and transformative experience they often cannot obtain from individual or family work. Additionally, group work has become increasingly important in a wide variety of social work settings. As many agencies struggle to do more with less and to adapt to the demands of managed care, the group modality has become an even more important component of practice. As the chairperson of the NASW-NYC Private Practitioners committee and a practice building consultant, I often encourage private practitioners to develop groups in their private practices. Groups can be a good value to financially strapped clients who appreciate the more moderate group fees, and savvy clinicians find that even a small group with a moderate fee can earn the private practice clinician a higher hourly rate than individual sessions can, while continuing to provide valuable clinical services. The Continuing Education Planning Committee’s commitment to encouraging group work has led us to offer workshops on group work as a part of almost every series we’ve held. Judith White’s workshop “The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Social Work Practice with Groups” addresses the needs of the experienced group leader to develop greater skill and comfort with managing the conflicts that inevitably arise in groups and addressing the challenging and fascinating issue of the group therapist’s use of self.

Several of this fall’s continuing education offerings provide instruction on topics that conscientious clinicians are eager to learn more about. “Neuroscience for Social Work Practice: Why Does the Brain Prefer Cocaine to Broccoli, And Why Should I Care?” taught by social worker Dr. Harriette C. Johnson, promises to add to our understanding of normal and pathological behavior by shedding light on the underlying biological processes in a way that is accessible and pertinent to clinical practice.

Many depressed and anxious clients come to counseling already taking psychotropic medications; others who may benefit from medication are reluctant or uninformed, and need information and informed encouragement to help them to take that step. “Psychopharmacology for Social Workers:  Anxiety and Mood Disorder Treatments” will provide a primer for some and an updated refresher for others seeking to learn more about the medications currently used to treat anxiety and depression and about working collaboratively with psychiatrists in treating shared clients.

Regardless of one’s theoretical orientation and treatment modality, cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) methods can be incorporated into virtually any type of treatment to enhance treatment outcomes.  In cognitive therapy, clients are taught to identify and change inaccurate and maladaptive thoughts and underlying assumptions and beliefs that are contributing to feeling upset and engaging in counterproductive behaviors. Behavioral therapy focuses on instructing clients in specific types of behavioral changes that can help them to achieve their goals. The workshop “Incorporating Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment into Clinical Social Work Practice” will provide an overview of the CBT philosophy and common CBT treatment practices.

While issues of race and racism inevitably arise in the treatment process, many of us feel at a loss about how to constructively and comfortably address these issues with our clients. In “The Elephant in the Room:  Addressing Racism as a Part of the Treatment Process,” Rene T. Chapman will use case examples to illustrate how internalized racial oppression and racial superiority are expressed in conscious and unconscious material that arises in treatment.

All of our clients have a sex life – a fact that, in our work with them, we often overlook! In “Sexual Healing: Helping Individuals and Couples with Sexual Concerns,” Dr. Helen Crohn will help clinicians develop greater skill and comfort with assessing and treating our clients’ sexual concerns. Dr. Crohn, an assistant clinical professor at Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, has  taught the course “Social Work and Human Sexuality” at Fordham, and for many years she taught “Helping Adults and Couples with Sexual Concerns” at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services’ post-masters degree training program.

We are very fortunate to have two widely acclaimed presenters who have generously agreed to again conduct workshops for this fall’s Continuing Education program. Dr. Jeffrey Seinfeld, professor at NYU Silver School of Social Work and author of several definitive texts, is again offering the perennially popular workshop “Object Relations: Theory and Clinical Applications.” Dr. Seinfeld has been an engaging speaker who skillfully provides a broad and deep overview of the complex, important and far-reaching topic of object relations theory and it’s clinical applications.

Dr. Kenneth Hardy is an internationally renowned speaker, formerly the director of the Center for Children, Families and Trauma at the Ackerman Institute, Dr. Hardy is a regular contributor to the Psychotherapy Networker journal and a frequent presenter at their conferences. Dr. Hardy’s talks are always stimulating, compelling and enlightening. This year, Dr. Hardy will be teaching the workshop “Children and Families: Socio-Cultural Issues in Treating Trauma.”

At the completion of every Continuing Education workshop, evaluation forms are distributed. We ask that you take the time to complete these evaluation forms and to honestly share your feedback with us. The Continuing Education Planning Committee carefully reviews the results of these evaluation forms; your feedback is the most important factor we consider in planning for future workshops and speakers.

I myself plan to attend many of this fall’s continuing education workshops – perhaps I’ll see you there! On behalf of my colleagues on the Continuing Education Planning Committee, we wish you a fruitful fall.