Category: Social Work, General Social Work Category: Social Work, General Social Work (show less) Other: Maryland Other: Maryland (show less)

NASW-MD Virtual Social Work Month Conference 2026
Theme: Social Work: Uplift. Defend. Transform
March 19th - 20th, 2026
Earn up to 15 Category 1 CEUs!

This event will be held outside of the CE Institute on the Zoom events platform. 
You will receive additional event information and instructions to join from NASW-MD.

Thursday March 19th, 2026

8:00 am – 8:30 am - Opening Platform: Networking & Questions
 
8:30 am - 8:45 am - Announcements
 
8:45 am - 9:45 am - Keynote Address
Turning the Tide: Social Work, Survival, & the Courage to Continue
Keynote Speaker: Sandra Crespo, LICSW
About the Speaker: Sandra N. Crespo, LICSW, professionally recognized as The NeuroSpicy Social Worker, is a clinical leader, speaker, author, and advocate redefining leadership and organizational wellness. A proud Latina and visionary change-maker, Sandra blends lived experience with professional expertise to challenge outdated systems and position cognitive diversity as a catalyst for
innovation, authenticity, and equity. She is the Founder and CEO of Unalome Consulting Group (UCG), a boutique consulting and wellness practice advancing inclusive, neuroaffirming leadership. Through psychotherapy, executive coaching, and organizational development, she partners with leaders and institutions to cultivate cultures of compassion, accountability, and sustainable success.
Sandra serves as Chair of the Board for Siembra Today, a women-run, BIPOC-led nonprofit
empowering the Latinx community. In her first four months as Chair, she secured $35,000 in
new funding to expand organizational capacity. She also serves on the CHADD Greater
Baltimore Board, where she is leading a comprehensive redesign of the chapter’s outreach and
membership strategy to strengthen community engagement and advocacy. Her influence extends internationally through collaborations with Neurodiversity in Business (UK) and Humankind (Denmark), advancing global conversations on neuro-inclusion and mental health leadership. Sandra is slated to speak at the Global Social Work Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2026. She continues to take the national stage to champion workforce well-being and neuro-inclusive practice. She has been featured across multiple media platforms and appeared on the Hip Hop Social Worker podcast, where she explored sustaining a social work identity across industries. With more than eighteen years of experience across clinical practice and executive leadership, Sandra is a trusted voice in this space. Currently pursuing her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) at Simmons University, her research focuses on neuro-affirming leadership and self-development practices. She is the creator of the S.P.I.C.Y. Framework, a pioneering model reimagining leadership through authenticity, inclusivity, and adaptive resilience. Dynamic and unapologetically authentic, Sandra invites audiences to lead with courage,
compassion, and curiosity, demonstrating that when we make space for every kind of mind, we
ignite innovation, inclusion, and lasting impact
Description: Social workers are often described as change agents, professionals tasked with “turning the tide” on injustice, inequity, trauma, and systemic harm. Yet in the current social, political, and economic climate, many social workers are exhausted, stretched thin, and carrying the weight of both personal and professional survival. The keynote speaker invites participants to slow down and examine what “turning the tide” means, at an individual, professional, and collective level. Drawing from lived experience & long-term leadership practice, Sandra N. Crespo, LCSW-C, explores the unseen labor of endurance, the isolation that can accompany strength, and the reality that sometimes leadership is not always about forward motion, but about staying afloat. Through reflection, shared language, and grounded insight, this session will challenge social workers to redefine progress, honor survival as a form of leadership, and consider what conditions must exist, personally and systemically, for true change to occur.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this keynote, participants will be able to:
1. Reflect on and define what “turning the tide” means to them personally, professionally, and within their families or communities.
2. Identify how chronic exposure to systemic harm and unrelenting responsibility impacts social workers’ sense of leadership, connection, and sustainability.
3. Recognize endurance and boundary-holding as valid and necessary forms of leadership & preservation within the social work profession.
CEU: 1 Cat 1
 
10:00-1:15pm – Morning Workshops (Choose one)
 
Workshop A 
Ethically Maximizing the Benefits of Self-Disclosure
Presenter: Tonya M. Logan, LICSW, LCSW-C
LifeStance Health, supervisory social worker
Description: Self-disclosure is a thoughtful guide to consider when deciding what and how much to share in different social contexts. It encourages us not only to be intentional about whom we are open to but also serves as an insight into the importance of privacy and why difficulties arise during interpersonal interactions. Considering various perspectives is important as individuals may process information differently from others. This session will be interactive with surprises! Whether we are faced with sharing information from our past or present personally or professionally, we are often unsure of how that information will be perceived. Learn how you might use less than positive information to help build relationships and show your children and clients that we can use our challenges to move us forward rather than hamper our growth.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session attendees will be ablet to:
1.  Define self-disclosure and how it impacts relationships clinically.
  2.  Consider whether sharing information from their past or present, personally or professionally, is clinically appropriate.
  3.  Utilize information to help strengthen clinical relationships and show clients how we may use our challenges to move forward rather than hamper growth.
  4.  Discuss the process of self-disclosure, including how we make decisions about what, where, when, and how to disclose.
BSWE Ethics Codes Focus: COMAR 10.42.03.03; health Occupations –
19-311 (14, 18, 20, 21); NASW Code of Ethics (2021) 1.02, 1.03, 1.07, 1.08, 2.02, 
and 3.04. 
CEU: 3 Cat 1 in Ethics
Please Note: This workshop qualifies for the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ 3-hour Ethics requirement for license renewal.
Workshop B 
Ethics & AI: Navigating the Future of Mental Health Practice
Presenter:  Kristin Whiting-Davis, LCSW-C
Owner, KWD Wellness
 
Description:  Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming mental health practice, raising critical ethical questions about confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, and clinical integrity. This interactive 3-hour workshop explores how social workers can navigate the ethical complexities of emerging AI technologies while maintaining transparency and client trust. Participants will examine real-world scenarios involving AI-assisted documentation, chatbots, predictive analytics, and digital tools through the lens of the NASW Code of Ethics and Maryland regulatory requirements. The training provides practical strategies for balancing innovation with ethical practice, including frameworks for evaluating AI tools, maintaining appropriate boundaries in digital environments, and ensuring informed consent when technology is integrated into care. This course equips social workers with the knowledge and confidence to use AI ethically and responsibly in their practice.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session attendees will be able to:
1. Identify at least three ethical considerations related to AI use in social work practice, including confidentiality, informed consent, and professional boundaries.
  2. Apply the NASW Code of Ethics to evaluate AI tools and emerging technologies used in clinical settings.
  3. Develop strategies for maintaining transparency and client trust when integrating AI into therapeutic relationships and documentation practices.
  4. Recognize potential risks and benefits of AI-assisted tools in mental health care and make informed decisions about their use.
  5. Implement practical frameworks for navigating ethical dilemmas involving digital identity, data privacy, and technology boundaries in practice.
COMAR Ethics Codes Focus: 10.42.03 A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I; 19-311 14, 18, 20, 21
NASW COE Focus: 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.07, 1.15, 3.04, 4.04, 5.01
CEU: 3 Cat 1 in Ethics
Please Note: This workshop qualifies for the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ 3-hour Ethics requirement for license renewal.
 
Workshop C 
Preparing Family Caregivers
Speaker:  Julie A. Guistwite, PhD, LSW, FT, CSWM
Owner, Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC
Description:  Preparing family caregivers of terminally ill persons for death and bereavement can diminish uncertainty and enhances their psychosocial well-being. This interactive, case-based workshop examines the Stress-Coping Model in connection with three dimensions of caregiver preparation for the dying/post-death experience of someone loved. The skill advancing session outlines caregiver-centered best practice integration strategies for each dimension. Participants will apply the Model, strategies, and dimensions in analyzing the case study of a terminally ill person.
Learning Objectives: at the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Discuss the Stress-Coping Model in relation to family caregivers of terminally ill
persons psychosocial well-being.
2. Analyze three dimensions of preparation for the death and bereavement experience.
3. Illustrate best practice methods in connection with the Model and dimensions using a
case study. 
CEU: 3 Cat 1 
2:00-5:15pm – Afternoon Workshops (Choose one)
 
Workshop D
Building Bridges of Trust: Psychological Safety for Social Workers in the Workplace   
Speaker: Tonya Phillips, Ph.D., LCSW-C, LCADC
Director, Employee Assistance Program, University of MD College Park 
Description:  Social workers operate in high stakes, emotionally charged environments where psychological safety is crucial for collaboration, innovation, and well-being. This workshop will provide social work supervisors with practical tools to foster trust, create open communication, and address workplace dynamics that may hinder psychological safety. Through a mix of discussion, group activities, and case studies, participants will explore the role of psychological safety in supervision and its role towards team effectiveness and client outcomes. This workshop is designed to empower social worker supervisors to use the social work code of ethics as a framework for developing psychological safe spaces, foster collaborative work environments, while enhancing both professional
  and client outcomes.
Learning Objectives: at the end of this session, attendees will be able to
1.  Define psychological safety and explain its critical role in ethical social work supervision and workplace well-being.
 2. Demonstrate strategies for fostering trust and open communication within social work teams. 3. Identify the 4 stages of psychological safety
 4. Develop a tailored plan to implement psychological safety strategies in social work settings 
 5. Evaluate workplace dynamics to identify barriers and opportunities for psychological safety.
CEU: 3 Cat 1 
 
Workshop E 
Developing a Shame Competent Perspective to Healing Complex Trauma
Speaker: Alycha Boehm, DSW, LCSW
Assistant Professor, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology
Description:  The purpose of this workshop is to understand the impact of shame post-trauma specifically on vulnerable populations such as survivors of human trafficking. This includes exploring the negative impact to identity formation, interpersonal relationships, perception of self and overall ability to heal. Trauma related shame can be treated through the framework of compassion focused interventions and fostering shame resilience. The concept of shame resilience states it can be developed when others are given connection, empathy, and the opportunity to deconstruct distorted evaluations of self. Building shame competency through including this as a lens in which trauma informed care principles are practiced is essential to mitigating shame in trauma survivors and allowing them capacity to heal.
Learning Objectives: 
1.Define trauma-related shame and its intersection with on complex-PTSD 
 2. Address the impact on relationships and identity formation
  3. Identify compassion-focused interventions to address trauma-related shame.
  4. Apply shame competency to trauma-informed care practices.
CEU: 3 Cat 1 
 
Workshop F 
Addressing Implicit Bias: The Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities
Speaker: Gisele Ferretto, MSW, LCSW-C
 Clinical Instructor, UMSSW
Description:  This workshop is focused on the development of strategies to address the common, yet complex ethical issues concerning implicit bias that social workers face in their practice. Content will cover the following: definitions related to implicit bias, identification of implicit bias in behavioral health practice, strategies for addressing microaggressions, establishing and maintaining a practice of self-awareness, use of self, and the examination of implicit bias for effective outcomes.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation attendees will be able to:
1. Explore the meaning of implicit bias, its impact on the delivery of services, and practice responses. 
2. Examine the role of professional ethics to identify and control for implicit bias when delivering services to diverse clients and working with diverse co-workers. 
3. Review the Use of Professional Self for addressing and controlling for implicit bias in social work practice.
CEU: 3 Cat 1 in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice.
Please Note: This workshop meets the BSWE Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice content requirement and qualifies for 3 Category I continuing education units in Implicit Bias
 
5:30-6:30 PM - Optional evening workshop
MD State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled
Presenter: Ashley M. Biggs
Marketing & Outreach Librarian; Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled
Description:  The Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled provides accessible reading options for those unable to access traditional print due to a visual, physical, or organic disability. Social workers are at the forefront of care management and have built relationships with clients who may qualify for these free services. Learn about the service, who qualifies, and how to sign up those who qualify.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session attendees will 
1. Learn about the client opportunities that the Library for the Blind offers.
2. Understand the qualification criteria.
3.   Learn how to certify an application through the website
CE: 1 Cat I
Friday March 20th, 2026

8:45 am - 9:45 am -  Keynote Address
Beyond Care: Social Workers as Architects of Power, Culture, and Change
Speaker: Ja’Bree J. Harris, MSW
Public Policy & Advocacy Manager, NASW
Description: At a time when Black history is under attack, public institutions are being hollowed out, and state violence is increasingly normalized, social work cannot afford to remain neutral, quiet, or confined to the margins of policy conversations. Drawing from national organizing campaigns, legislative strategy, cultural defense work, and movement-building across states and sectors, this keynote challenges social workers to see themselves not only as helpers, but as power-builders, culture carriers, and defenders of democracy. This keynote explores how social workers are uniquely positioned to uplift communities through organizing and care, defend truth against disinformation and political erasure, and transform systems by moving from individual practice to collective power. Participants will leave with a grounded understanding of why social work is inherently political and what it means to act with courage, clarity, and strategy in this moment.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this keynote, participants will be able to:
1. Reframe social work as a power-building profession Understand how social workers’ skills in care, assessment, storytelling, and systems thinking translates directly into political strategy, organizing, and institutional transformation.
2. Identify the role of social workers in defending culture and truth. Examine how attacks on history, education, and public institutions harm communities—and how social workers can intervene through narrative change, cultural defense, and ethical leadership.
3. Connect micro, /email, and macro practice to democracy and policy outcomes. Recognize how individual client work, community engagement, national policy, and advocacy are interconnected—and why siloed approaches limit impact.
4. Apply a framework uplift uplift, defend, and transform. Learn a practical lens for evaluating social work interventions:
Uplift: Who is centered and resourced?
Defend: What harm is being prevented or confronted?
Transform: What power is being built or redistributed?
5. Commit to a personal and professional call to action. Articulate at least one concrete way to expand their role as a social worker, whether through organizing, advocacy, institutional change, or cultural work—aligned with NASW values and the urgency of this political moment
CEU: 1 Cat 1

10:00 am - 1:15 pm – Morning Workshops (Choose one)
 
Workshop G 
What's Age Got to Do With It? Understanding the Impact of Ageism and Implicit Bias
Speaker: Bracha Poliakoff, LCSW-C
Continuing Education Director, Bright Ideas 
Description: The most recent election cycle brought age and aging to the forefront of public discourse, sparking conversations about ageism and its pervasive influence on society. As helping professionals (who are also all aging ourselves!) it is crucial to understand how age bias impacts our society, and in particular, the health and well-being of our older adults. In this thought-provoking workshop, we will explore the definition and impact of ageism, the role of implicit and explicit bias in perpetuating ageism, and learn strategies for challenging ageist attitudes and behaviors. Participants will leave with valuable insights and skills needed to create a more just and equitable world for older adults.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will be able to define ageism.
 2. Participants will be able to explain the difference between explicit and implicit biases.
 3. Participants will be able to describe 3 strategies for decreasing ageism in our society.
CEU: 3 Cat 1 in Anti Oppressive Social Work Practice Content
Please Note: This workshop meets the BSWE Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice content requirement and qualifies for 3 Category I continuing education units in Implicit Bias
 
Workshop H 
Unpacking Colorism: Healing the Hidden Wounds in the Black Community
Speaker:  Dwayne Buckingham, Ph.D., LCSW-C, BCD, CCTP
CEO & President, Buckingham Consulting Group, LLC
Description: Colorism—the preferential treatment of lighter skin tones and the stigmatization of darker skin tones—remains a persistent and often unaddressed driver of psychological distress, interpersonal harm, and identity-based trauma within the Black community. Rooted in enslavement, racial hierarchy, and internalized oppression, colorism continues to shape mental health outcomes, family dynamics, dating and relationship patterns, workplace experiences, and service engagement. This workshop offers an ethically grounded, culturally responsive learning experience designed to strengthen clinical awareness, deepen cultural humility, and enhance intervention competence related to colorism as a psychosocial and mental health issue. Participants will examine colorism through historical, systemic, and behavioral health frameworks while strengthening their ability to recognize indicators of colorism-related trauma and provide culturally relevant support.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Define and clinically conceptualize colorism and its historical roots
2. Identify psychological, emotional, and relational impacts of colorism across the lifespan
3. Engage in structured dialogue and storytelling 
4. Describe culturally relevant healing practices 
5. Explore collective and community-based actions to dismantle colorist thinking
CEU: 3 Cat 1 in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice
Please Note: This workshop meets the BSWE Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice content requirement and qualifies for 3 Category I continuing education units in Anti-Racist Practices.
 
 
Workshop I 
Beyond Compliance: Ethical & Anti-Oppressive Care in Schools
Speaker:  Ebony Vaughan, LCSW-C, CCTP
 Nexus Wellness Group
Description: Social Work & Ethics is a 3-credit course was developed for social work professionals.  It has been approved by AWSB ACE and may meet your state board’s 3 credit ethics requirement for Licensure renewal.  This course seeks to provide practicing social work professionals a deepened understanding of their ethical responsibility to those that they serve and challenge the values and beliefs that often interfere with their ability to be objective in their practice.  
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this course:  
1. Participants will be able to apply theory to practice and evaluate their practice using social work practice standards.     
2.  Participants will be able to apply knowledge of specific components of NASW Code of Ethics to professional practice    
3. Participants will be able to apply critical thinking skills to analyze and address ethical dilemmas.   
4. Participants will be able to apply an awareness of the complexities and implications in serving people from various backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures to engage in culturally competent social work practice.      
5. Participants will be able to analyze personal values, moral codes and cultural backgrounds and determine threats to effective social work practice.
Dilemmas: Confidentiality vs. Administrative Pressure, Mandated Reporting & Cultural Context, and Dual Roles in Small School Systems.
Specific Ethics content covered:  COMAR: 10.42.03.03; health Occupations – 19-311 (14, 18, 20, 21); NASW Code of Ethics: 1.02, 1.03, 1.07, 1.08, 2.02, and 3.04. 
CEU: 3 Cat 1 in Ethics
Please Note: This workshop qualifies for the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ 3-hour Ethics requirement for license renewal.
 
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Afternoon Workshops (Choose one)
 
Workshop J
Let's Talk: Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Equitable Care for Transitioning Foster Youth
Speaker:  Arielle Skinner
Description: This presentation focuses on equitable care by emphasizing tailored interventions, resources, and support for youth aging out of foster care. Drawing from personal experience as a former foster youth and her professional expertise as a licensed clinical social worker, the presenter highlights challenges such as inadequate support systems, unresolved trauma, and barriers to favorable outcomes. The session explores how social workers can mitigate these issues through strategies that address the unique needs of transitioning youth. The presentation offers a nuanced approach to fostering resilience and independence, while delivering actionable insights into equitable care practices for meaningful support beyond systemic care.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session attendees will:
1. Recognize the unique challenges faced by transitioning foster youth
2. Be equipped with tools to implement the five key strategies to foster resilience, promote equity and improve outcomes for transitioning foster youth.
3. Understand how to use lived experience, research, and evidence-based practices to advocate for policies and practices that promote equity, access to resources, and positive outcomes for transitioning foster youth.
CEU: 2 Cat 1 
 
Workshop K 
Teaching Clients About Neuroplasticity and Mental Health
Speaker:  Ed Geraty, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW
 Psychoherapist
Description:  Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life, plays a crucial role in mental health. It allows the brain to adapt to experiences, learn new things, and recover from injury or illness, including mental health conditions. By understanding and harnessing neuroplasticity, interventions can be developed to promote positive changes in brain structure and function, leading to improved mental well-being
Learning Objectives:  At the end of this session, participants will:
 1. Learn about the concept of neuroplasticity, positive and negative 
2. Understand the ten principles of neuroplasticity
3. Learn about the mechanisms of neuroplasticity
4. Understand how neuroplasticity affects healing
5. Review activities that help to rewire the brain
5. Learn about 7 practices that build cognitive reliance and reserve
CEU: 2 Cat 1  
 
Workshop L 
Title: Back to the Basics: Relearning Topics about Gender, Sexual Identity, and Health in the New World
Presenter: Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW, CSE
Developmental Editor, Writer and Visual Formatting
Description: Need to discover new tools for integrating competency for LGBTQIA+ mental healthcare in our ever-changing world? Thought you knew all the terms and words to accommodate the growing list of genders, but don’t feel as if you can keep up? Join Dr. Thomas in developing a new understanding of sex, gender, and sexual health to not only accommodate the difficulties in our political climate but also our therapeutic and healthcare systems as well. This space is built for clinicians and educators to learn information that will evolve into modern-day practice for continuous improvement. Participants will also examine the experiences of possible unintentional harm we may inflict on our clients due to a lack of knowledge or the ever-changing pace of language. This is geared toward direct service practitioners but open to those in administrative roles to learn how to integrate concepts within their organizations for workplace continuity.
Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Re-examine and discuss previously learned language, terminology, and history around gender, sexual identity, sexual health, and lived experiences using the framework of intersectionality through statistics, graphs, and visual materials.
2. Evaluate the effects of oppression, discrimination, and microaggressions on all gender affirming care through review of research, policy, and case study examples.
CE: 2 Cat I in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice Content 
Please Note: This workshop meets the BSWE Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice content requirement and qualifies for 3 Category I continuing education units in Cultural Competency