Theories of Ethics & the Implications for Social Work 
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026; 9:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Please note: This workshop will be available to watch live at  Allegany College of MD/12401 Willowbrook Road/ Cumberland, MD 20502. Contact  casnyder@allegany.edu to reserve your seat! 
Presenter: Ashley McSwain, LMSW, MSOD
Synopsis: Ethics is a branch of philosophy that examines moral principles—rules or standards governing the conduct of an individual or a group. It is a systematic way of determining what is right and wrong, and what people ought to do. Unlike simply adhering to custom or law (morality), ethics involves the critical analysis and reasoning behind moral choices. Ethics provides frameworks for decision-making when actions affect others, particularly in situations involving conflicting values.

Register here.

Washington County Social Work Alliance - VLunch & Learn - John Hopkins Memory Care Family Checklist
Date: Monday, Oct 5th 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Presenter: Mark Tesoro, MA, 
Cognitive and Behavioral Health Specialist, Maryland Department of Aging
Speaker Bio: Mark Tesoro is a Cognitive and Behavioral Health Specialist at the Maryland Department of Aging. He has a background in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology from Loyola University Maryland. For a decade Mark was the Program Coordinator for the Division of Cognitive Neurology at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he conducted research and worked with patients with memory and language disorders. Mark’s role at the Department of Aging is part of statewide effort to address the challenges that impact healthy aging and longevity. His current focus is on expanding services to build the dementia capabilities of Maryland’s aging services network. Mark works to improve dementia navigation services delivered by the Maryland Access Point network by collaborating with local Area Agencies on Aging, state partners, and diverse stakeholders throughout Maryland. 
Synopsis: Families caring for people with dementia often feel overwhelmed and unprepared. Each family has their own unique needs, but all of them need guidance on what to do, what to expect, and how to prepare for the future. Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with the Maryland Information Network and Maryland Department of Aging, has developed a tool that can help.  The Johns Hopkins Memory Care Family Checklist is an innovative resource that helps families impacted by dementia identify their needs, access reliable information, and connect to supports to help them develop a larger care plan.

Register here.

Title: Understanding Structural Racism: Implications for Social Work Practice
Date: Monday, October 5, 2026; 9:00 am - 12:15 pm 
Presenter: Presenter: Kawana Webb, LCSW-C 
Synopsis: Structural racism and implicit bias continue to influence access to opportunities, resources, and outcomes for many individuals and communities. This interactive training explores how historical and contemporary systems contribute to racial inequities across housing, education, healthcare, employment, and other social institutions. Participants will examine the impact of implicit bias on professional decision-making and explore strategies for advancing anti-oppressive social work practice. Through case studies, self-reflection activities, discussions, and practical application exercises, participants will strengthen their ability to recognize and address systemic barriers affecting clients and communities. Participants will conclude the training by developing a personalized Equity Action Plan to promote equity, accountability, and meaningful change within their professional roles.
Our experiences are shaped not only by our individual choices, but also by the systems and opportunities available to us. This interactive training explores how policies, practices, and systems in areas such as housing, education, healthcare, employment, and criminal justice can create advantages for some groups while creating barriers for others. Participants will learn how unconscious assumptions and biases can influence professional interactions, assessments, and decision-making. Through engaging activities, case studies, self-reflection, and discussion, participants will gain practical tools to recognize systemic barriers and promote more equitable outcomes for the individuals, families, and communities they serve. Participants will leave with a personalized Equity Action Plan that identifies meaningful steps they can take to support fairness, inclusion, and anti-oppressive practice in their professional roles.

Register here.

This course is approved for 3 MSDE Continuing Professional Development/CPD credits as course #22-66-04R and fulfills the requirements of the Maryland State Department of Education for certification of school-based social workers. Because social workers provide related services that are part of the educational programming of students with special needs, they must understand the legal mandates, federal and state policies and standards, as well as the specific instructional methods and technologies used in the classrooms that serve those students, from the least restrictive settings of inclusion to the more clinical settings, including residential.

Dates: October 6th, 13th, & 20th, 2026; 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Eastern each day

Presenter: Dwayne Buckingam, Ph.D., LCSW-C, BCD, CCTP

Synopsis: The Certified Trauma-Informed Professional (CTIP)™ training course is a 15-hour continuing education certification designed to help social workers and other healthcare professionals integrate trauma-informed, empowerment-based, and anti-oppressive frameworks into professional practice.
The curriculum aligns with the ICF Core Competency Model (2021) and the ICF Code of Ethics, equipping practitioners with advanced coaching facilitation, ethical awareness, and regulation skills to support trauma-affected clients while maintaining professional integrity and self-care.

Register here.

Working With Non-Binary and Queer Parents and Caretakers: Creating Anti-Oppressive Inclusion for Family Care
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026; 10:00 am - 1:15 pm
Presenter: Shanea Thomas, LICSW, CSE
Synopsis: The models, frameworks, and lessons taught in family studies and social work programs are built to focus on a family structure that does not always include queer-oriented families and miss the mark when considering nonbinary parenting structures. This session takes inclusion for families a step further by exploring nonbinary identities, queer-oriented family building, and the legal and policy obstacles within the therapeutic and medical systems that prevent equitable care. Though this session will be grounded in queer-oriented families, this will be beneficial for any service provider working with families, as we never know when people choose to come out, or when non-traditional means of family building need to be utilized.

Register here.

The Use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Treating Non-Traditional Diagnoses
Date: Friday, October 9, 2026; 9:00 am - 12:15 pm
Presenter: Suzanne Cox,  MSW, MS, MBA, LCSW-C
Synopsis: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was originally developed as an approach to treating individuals at high risk of suicide, most of whom met criteria for the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. In DBT, consumers learn skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. As DBT has evolved, the potential for its application with other populations has been recognized and expanded. This workshop will focus on the use of DBT for treatment of Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI)/psychosis and examine how DBT can work to enhance the effectiveness of traditional treatments. Limitations of DBT as an intervention for treating individuals with SPMI/psychosis will be explored.

Register here.

This course is approved for 3 MSDE Continuing Professional Development/CPD credits as course #22-66-04R and fulfills the requirements of the Maryland State Department of Education for certification of school-based social workers. Because social workers provide related services that are part of the educational programming of students with special needs, they must understand the legal mandates, federal and state policies and standards, as well as the specific instructional methods and technologies used in the classrooms that serve those students, from the least restrictive settings of inclusion to the more clinical settings, including residential.

Dates: October 6th, 13th, & 20th, 2026; 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Eastern each day

Presenter: Dwayne Buckingam, Ph.D., LCSW-C, BCD, CCTP

Synopsis: The Certified Trauma-Informed Professional (CTIP)™ training course is a 15-hour continuing education certification designed to help social workers and other healthcare professionals integrate trauma-informed, empowerment-based, and anti-oppressive frameworks into professional practice.
The curriculum aligns with the ICF Core Competency Model (2021) and the ICF Code of Ethics, equipping practitioners with advanced coaching facilitation, ethical awareness, and regulation skills to support trauma-affected clients while maintaining professional integrity and self-care.

Register here.

Dates: Thursday, October 15, 2026 and Thursday, October 22, 2026; 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Eastern both days. You must attend both days of this 12-hour course

Presenter:  Gisele Ferretto, LCSW-C

Synopsis: Overwhelmingly, the research shows that Supervisors have an essential role in effective client outcomes and workforce development.  The purpose of this workshop is to identify and explore the components of effective clinical supervision.  Content will include the basic functions, role, responsibilities, and standards of supervision with emphasis on the legal and regulatory language that describe these concepts. Other topics covered include: developing professional identify and critical thinking in supervisees, setting expectations, and effective communication. This workshop includes practice activities to apply the content covered and examples of strategies for enhanced supervision.

Register here.

Prolonged Grief Disorder
Date: Monday, October 19, 1:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Presenter: Julie A. Guistwite, PhD, LSW, FT, CSWM
Synopsis: The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.) (DSM-5-TR) includes the inaugural diagnosis of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). PGD is a relevant diagnosis for consideration in assessing/treating persons navigating traumatic death experiences, including suicide, heart attack, and accidental death. This interactive, case-based course describes the diagnosis’ progressive evolution from pathological grief and discusses core categories/criteria relevant to assessment/treatment. Discussions of underlying risk factors and the sudden/violent death experience’s impact on the biopsychosocial-spiritual well-being of persons will interweave across the diagnostic analysis. Drawing on the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement, attendees will engage with case studies and colleagues in examining well-being-enhancing strategies and best practice tools across therapeutic processes.

Register here!

This course is approved for 3 MSDE Continuing Professional Development/CPD credits as course #22-66-04R and fulfills the requirements of the Maryland State Department of Education for certification of school-based social workers. Because social workers provide related services that are part of the educational programming of students with special needs, they must understand the legal mandates, federal and state policies and standards, as well as the specific instructional methods and technologies used in the classrooms that serve those students, from the least restrictive settings of inclusion to the more clinical settings, including residential.

Title: What’s Always Been at Stake: Examining the Impact of the Socio-Political Climate on the Social Work Profession
Date: Monday, October 19, 2026; 5:00 PM - 8:15 PM
Presenter: Lee Westgate, MBA, MSW, LCSW-C, (he/him/his)  
Synopsis: The exponential rise in harmful and overtly discriminatory bills in state legislatures across the country coupled with efforts to erode the fundamental rights and freedoms of historically marginalized people continues to harm population-wide health and wellbeing. There remain relentless efforts to compromise individual legal and human rights as evidenced in the systematic targeting of structurally vulnerable populations to include people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, and children. Social workers practice at what has become a complex intersection evidence-based, bio-ethical practice and politically motivated interference in and the delivery of care. Parallel to this, the social work profession must continue to work toward embracing an anti-oppressive approach to practice through reckoning with its own problematic professional roots. This session will examine the phenomenon of criminalization of social care and underscore the critical need for political action by the social work profession.

Register here.

Dates: Thursday, October 15, 2026 and Thursday, October 22, 2026; 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Eastern both days. You must attend both days of this 12-hour course

Presenter:  Gisele Ferretto, LCSW-C

Synopsis: Overwhelmingly, the research shows that Supervisors have an essential role in effective client outcomes and workforce development.  The purpose of this workshop is to identify and explore the components of effective clinical supervision.  Content will include the basic functions, role, responsibilities, and standards of supervision with emphasis on the legal and regulatory language that describe these concepts. Other topics covered include: developing professional identify and critical thinking in supervisees, setting expectations, and effective communication. This workshop includes practice activities to apply the content covered and examples of strategies for enhanced supervision.

Register here.

This course is approved for 3 MSDE Continuing Professional Development/CPD credits as course #22-66-04R and fulfills the requirements of the Maryland State Department of Education for certification of school-based social workers. Because social workers provide related services that are part of the educational programming of students with special needs, they must understand the legal mandates, federal and state policies and standards, as well as the specific instructional methods and technologies used in the classrooms that serve those students, from the least restrictive settings of inclusion to the more clinical settings, including residential.