Implicit Bias Workshop for Social Workers: From Awareness to Action

Date: June 4, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM ET
Format: Live Virtual Training
CEs: 3 Category I CEs in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice/Implicit Bias

Implicit bias can influence decision-making in ways that impact client outcomes, professional relationships, and ethical practice. As social workers, understanding and addressing these unconscious patterns is essential to providing equitable, effective, and person-centered services.

Join us for this engaging and practical workshop designed specifically for social workers seeking to strengthen their practice and align with the highest standards of the NASW Code of Ethics. Participants will move beyond awareness and explore actionable strategies for recognizing, analyzing, and interrupting bias in real-world professional settings.

Through discussion, reflection, and applied learning, attendees will examine how implicit bias affects assessment, diagnosis, resource allocation, supervision, and client engagement while developing concrete tools to support ethical and anti-oppressive practice.

What You'll Learn:

• Distinguish between explicit and implicit bias and understand how unconscious associations are formed
• Examine the impact of implicit bias on social work practice and service delivery
• Connect implicit bias to the ethical mandate of Use of Self in professional practice
• Explore the relationship between bias, equity, and professional decision-making
• Develop practical strategies to recognize and interrupt biased thinking in real-time client interactions

Presenter: Ashley McSwain, LGSW, MSOD

Ashley McSwain is the Executive Director of Community Family Life Services, an organization serving women returning home after incarceration, individuals experiencing homelessness, and low-income families. She is also a part-time faculty member at Catholic University's Graduate School of Social Work. Ashley holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University, a Master of Organizational Development from American University, and has more than 25 years of experience in human services. Her career has focused on advocacy, systems change, and elevating the voices of individuals and communities often overlooked or underserved.

Important Notes:

• This workshop meets the Maryland BSWE requirement for Implicit Bias for first-time license renewal.
• This training satisfies the BSWE Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice content requirement (COMAR 10.42.06.03 A.(1)(d)).
• Attendees may also participate in a live viewing hosted by Allegany College of Maryland in Cumberland.

Registration Fees:

• Members: $50
• Non-Members: $75
• Retired Members: $30
• Student Members: $20

Register today!