NASW-MD Chapter's 7th Annual Ocean City Conference 2026

Theme: Transforming the Tides

NASW-MD Chapter's 7th Annual Ocean City Conference 2026

Pre-Conference Reception: May 5, 2026, 5:00-6:00 pm Business Card Swap Reception: Gathering of conference goers to swap business cards and get connected for like-minded chatting  

Conference Dates: May 6-8th, 2026

Location: 2800 Baltimore Ave, Ocean City, MD 21842

Hotel Block Information - Call Phone: (410) 289-1100

Breakfast and lunch included: Wednesday and Thursday

Breakfast only: Friday

Workshop title: The Effects of Childhood Trauma on Adults: Building Resiliency to Thrive 

Date: Wednesday May 6th  2026 

Time: 8:45-12:00 pm   

Presenter: Toscha J Wilkins 

Description: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) leave lasting imprints that shape how adults think, feel, and respond to the world around them. Decades of research make one thing clear: early adversity does not stay in childhood. It reappears in adulthood through emotional regulation challenges, relationship patterns, stress responses, health concerns, and behavioral coping strategies that clients often struggle to understand or articulate. For social workers, the ability to recognize how ACEs “show up” later in life is essential—not just for effective treatment planning, but for fostering the connection, purpose, and empowerment that guide clients toward long-term healing. This engaging and interactive presentation will explore the complex relationship between early adversity and adult functioning, translating the science of ACEs and chronic stress into clear, practical insights that practitioners can immediately apply. Participants will examine how childhood trauma influences the adult brain and body, impacts emotional and relational development, and contributes to patterns that often bring clients into services. Through guided reflection, real-world examples, and scenario-based application exercises, attendees will learn to identify the physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators of ACE-related stress in both clients and themselves. The session will offer evidence-based, strengths-focused strategies to help clients build resilience, develop healthier coping skills, and move from reactive, survival states into more empowered, regulated ways of living. Participants will walk away with actionable tools they can bring directly into their practice, as well as strategies that deepen engagement, strengthen assessment, and enhance trauma-responsive interventions across diverse settings. This session is ideal for social workers seeking to expand their trauma knowledge, elevate their clinical effectiveness, and better support clients on their journey toward thriving. 

Learning objectives: 

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: 

• Identify the long-term physical, mental, and emotional effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and recognize how these effects may present in both clients and practitioners. 

• Explain how unresolved childhood trauma shapes adult behaviors, emotional regulation, and relational patterns through the lens of trauma-informed care. 

• Apply evidence-based and strengths-focused strategies that foster resilience and promote healing in adults impacted by early adversity. 

CEUs: 3 CAT 1  

Workshop title: Use of Narrative Therapy: The Importance of Storytelling and Living Your Purpose 

Date: Wednesday May 6th 2026 

Time: 1:15- 4:30 pm   

Presenter: Basiliso Moreno, LMSW 

Description: We are all 1 mistake away or 1 devasting event from seeking services.  With narrative therapy, we can share our own personal stories to heal.  As we heal, we can be better clinicians for our clients. 

Learning objectives: 

1.    What is Narrative therapy? 
2.    How to use Narrative therapy in sessions? 
3.    How grieve impacts how we feel both mentally and physically? 
4.    The importance of healing and giving ourselves grace. 

CEUs: 3 CAT 1 CEUs 

Workshop title: Understanding Feminism as a Tool 

Date: Wednesday May 6th 2026 

Time: 5:00-6:00 pm  

Presenter: Karessa Proctor, BSW, MSW 

Description: This interactive one-hour workshop explores feminism as a practical and strengths-based tool for anti-oppressive social work practice. Participants will examine how feminist frameworks amplify client resilience, challenge systemic inequities, and support empowerment at the individual, community, and policy levels. Grounded in intersectionality, the workshop highlights how feminism recognizes the lived expertise of marginalized communities and values collaboration, self-determination, and shared power. 

Through discussion and applied examples, participants will reflect on how feminist principles align with core social work values and can be ethically integrated into practice across settings. The workshop centers on anti-oppressive practice by critically examining power, privilege, and oppression while emphasizing strengths, resistance, and collective healing.  

Learning objectives: 

• Identify key feminist principles and explain how they align with strengths-based and anti-oppressive social work practice. 

• Describe how intersectional feminism addresses systems of power, privilege, and oppression impacting clients and communities. 

• Apply feminist concepts to social work practice in ways that promote empowerment, self-determination, and client-defined strengths. 

• Reflect on their own social location and professional power to enhance culturally responsive and anti-oppressive engagement. 

CEUs: 1 CAT 1 in Anti Oppressive Social Work 

Workshop title: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction 

Date: Thursday May 7th 2026 

Time: 8:45-12:00 pm 

Presenter: Ali Turfe 

Abstract MBSR:  Empowering social workers with increased presence, awareness, and connectivity resulting in workplace stress reduction.  Learn mindfulness meditation practices in this experiential self-care presentation, where social workers will (a) review MBSR literature, (b) experience 6 formal mindfulness practices and inquiry, (c) learn two mindfulness practices to reduce stress during communication.   
 
Proposal: Increased self-care practice is the response to the difficulties of our times.  Cultivating a mindfulness practice supports self-care practices for social workers which is an effective response to stress and preventing burnout experienced by caregivers.  This experiential workshop will offer participants an opportunity to cultivate a mindfulness practice to support their personal and professional self-care needs.  MBSR is the gold standard in the world for mindfulness training. MBSR is a proven self-care practice. It is time-tested, evidence-based, and supported by more than 40 years of empirical research. Thousands of studies now point to the benefits of these practices in improving symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety, cardiopulmonary issues, and many more health and wellness issues affected by chronic stress.  These self-care strategies offer practitioners potential benefits, ranging from increased resilience in adults and children in the educational setting, improvement in stress regulation and increased social connectedness, to strengthening of the prefrontal cortex.   
 

Learning objectives: 
 
1.  This session will help participants learn six formal MBSR practices that cultivate present moment awareness to reduce stress and foster well-being in the workplace.  
2.  This session will help participants learn two brief MBSR practices to refocus attention and interrupt negative thoughts during stressful communication.  
3.  This session will help participants identify how MBSR fits into a comprehensive self-care practice. 

CEUs: 3 CAT 1 CEUs 

Workshop title: The Ethical Developments for Informed Consent in Response to Telehealth Practice 

Date: Thursday May 7th 2026 

Time: 1:15- 4:00 pm   

Presenter: Gisele Ferretto, MSW, LCSW-C 

Description: Description:  The beginning stage of social work intervention sets the foundation for the therapeutic relationship, establishes clear roles, and covers ethical issues and establishes professional boundaries of practice. This essential component of social work practice is further complicated when services are delivered through telehealth. The workshop will explore the following ethical topics: Informed Consent, Rights of Minors, Establishment of a Social Media Policy, Confidentiality of Mental Health information, and Reporting Harm and Maltreatment Requirements. The workshop will also include review of NASW guidance for telehealth and for navigating these complicated issues. NASW Code of Ethics sections covered: 1.02,1.03,1.04,1.07 and the NASW Standards for Technology in Social Work Practice. 

Learning objectives: 

• Explore the elements of the Beginning Stage of Social Work Practice identified by Cournoyer, B and its ethical construct.  

• Identify the challenges of telehealth on social work practice and the use of strategies to protect both clients and practitioners. 

• Review the relevant ethical issues and strategies for Confidentiality, Informed Consent, Rights of Minors, Use of Social Media Policy, and Reporting Requirements. 

CEUs: 3 CAT 1 CEUS in Ethics  

Workshop title: TBD 

Date:  Thursday May 7th 2026 

Time: 5:00-6:00 pm 

Presenter: Gisele Ferretto, MSW, LCSW-C 

Description: 

Learning objectives: 

CEUs: 1 CAT 1 in Anti Oppressive Social Work 

Workshop title: Let’s Talk About Suicide: Let’s Talk About All the Scary Things, & All the Uncomfortable Things 

Date:  Friday May 8th 2026 

Time: 8:45-12:00 pm  

Presenter: Dr. Liz Ressler, LCSWC 

Description: The goal of this training on suicidality and prevention techniques emphasized the importance of understanding both clinical strategies and personal awareness when working with individuals at risk. Participants learned evidence-based interventions such as safety planning, risk assessment, and collaborative approaches that prioritize client autonomy and connection. A key focus of the training will exploring our own biases, beliefs, and emotional responses toward suicide, as these can significantly influence therapeutic engagement and decision-making. By fostering self-reflection and open discussion, the training encourages us to confront stigma, challenge assumptions, and cultivate empathy, you will learn how to enhance our ability to provide compassionate, nonjudgmental, and effective support to clients experiencing suicidal thoughts. 

Learning objectives:  

• Identify our biases related to suicide  

• Discuss how the topic of suicide can be uncomfortable to bring up with clients  

• Define client risk factors  

• Discover screening and de-escalation tools  

• Recognize the therapist's risk factors of suicide  

• Explain tools for increasing self-awareness as a therapist for improved self-care 

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CEUs: 3 CAT 1 CEUs 

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