CASSW ANNUAL CONFERENCE

There are three levels of pricing for the event. Student Member, Member, and Non-Member pricing. If you are not a member but would like to be so that you can buy your ticket at a reduced price click here.

This event is going to be special and full of vital information that will directly impact you as a professional and the site and district you work at. Here is a quick run-down of the day:

8:30 - 9:00: Registration & Breakfast Wednte Hall

9:15 - 10:00: Welcome & Keynote Speaker Chapel

10:30 - 12:00: Morning Sessions TBA

12:00 - 1:00: Lunch Wednte Hall

1:15 - 2:45: Afternoon Sessions 1 TBA

3:00 - 4:30: Afternoon Sessions 2 TBA

4:45 - 7:00: Evening Reception Wednte Hall

Here are the descriptions of the conference presentations that we will be hosting:

Ethical Record Keeping in the Internet Age 

Presented by Tory Cox and Jim Raines

This workshop will cover seven issues regarding ethical record-keeping with a focus on internet-related challenges. Issues addressed will include privacy, accuracy, confidentiality, access, communication, documentation, and destruction of records. The workshop will incorporate the recent changes to the NASW Code of Ethics (2018) regarding electronic communication. Participants will learn through lecture, discussion, and practitioner stories that illustrate many of the new code standards. (TC)

Expressive Arts Therapy

Presented by Daniella Saporta

Expressive Arts Therapy is inclusive of all modalities of art in a therapeutic context for deepening connection, healing, self-awareness, and growth. Modalities of art include visual art (drawing, painting, collage, clay and sculpture, etc.), music and sound, dance/movement, drama, poetry, and many more. The arts offer a new lens with which to view one’s life, relationships, challenges and triumphs and can bring forth insight and meaning that may not come as easily from traditional talk therapy. Expressive Arts Therapy can provide helpful tools to aid in increased understanding, adaptive communication, as well as enhance coping and self-care. The arts are a vehicle for client and therapist to explore and express what cannot otherwise be said.This course is designed for clinicians who wish to gain an understanding of arts-based practices and begin to implement them in order to support deeper and more meaningful clinical work in the school setting. No prior experience necessary.

Course Objectives

·         Learn what Expressive Arts Therapy is and why the arts are powerful tools to aid in healing and promoting wellbeing

·         How, when, and why to apply Expressive Arts tools and interventions into your work with clients

·         Practical ways to implement the arts in therapy and as de-escalation tools

·         Learn and practice interventions in each of the core Expressive Arts modalities 

Falling through the Cracks: Central American Migrant Youth in Schools

Presented by Laurie Millan

Schools in California continue to receive an influx of Central American adolescent enrollment. The following workshop will discuss a variety of challenges that many Central American newcomer adolescents typically face in school settings. We will discuss patterns of migration, trauma induced stressors among this population, family reunification, academic trajectories of English learners and best practices. This workshop is meant to support school social workers to help meet the needs of newcomer students.

Self Harm Disorders

Presented by Jim Raines

In the DSM-5, both suicidal behavior disorder and nonsuicidal self-injury are newly proposed diagnoses. This workshop introduces the first SSWAA Practice Tool for using structured professional judgment to make and document crucial decisions about the care of students at risk for serious self-injury or suicide.

Threat Assessment and Management in Schools

Holly Priebe-Sotelo, MSW, PPSC                                             Ailleth Tom Torrico, LCSW

Clinical Associate Professor, Field Education                            Coordinator, Crisis Counseling & Intervention Services

Department of Social Change and Innovation                           School Mental Health, Student Health & Human Services, LAUSD

When a student makes a threat to harm or kill others, including themselves, it is often difficult to know where to begin, who to involve, and what the appropriate steps are. In this workshop, participants will learn what factors to consider when assessing for risk, including the importance of gathering relevant information to make an informed team decision. Participants will understand the difference between a risk assessment and a threat assessment meeting and will be equipped with what a safety plan and an action plan should include for all involved parties. Materials and resources will be provided to help participants implement a threat assessment and management process in their school.

Elementary School Wellness Centers: A Tier 1 Trauma Informed Intervention

Jennifer Caldwell and Gabby Theobald-Anderson

San Francisco Unified School District began educating staff on Trauma-Informed Practices and Restorative Practices in 2008 as a response to the growing achievement gap and an identified need for a better way to address the social-emotional needs of all students and in particular those impacted by stress and trauma. This work was done through the district’s Restorative Practices Department and a grant-funded partnership with UCSF’s HEARTS (Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma In Schools) program. This presentation focuses on how two schools utilized the principles of Trauma-Informed Practices and Restorative Practices to create a new Tier 1 intervention: an elementary-level Wellness Center.

The Wellness Center is one component of a larger system of trauma-informed and restorative supports. Its purpose is to build self-regulation and problem-solving skills, reinforce strategies taught in social-emotional curricula, divert traffic from the office, minimize time out of class, and help students feel safe and ready to learn. The presenters will describe the components of a Wellness Center and best practices for implementation. They will highlight how this intervention aligns with trauma-informed and restorative practices and how it fits into a larger multi-tiered system of supports. They will also discuss how to assess school readiness, challenges that were encountered, and how this intervention impacted students and staff at their school sites.

Emotion Coaching: A Trauma-Responsive Social and Emotional Development Strategy Meg Walkey

Emotions! We all have them, but sometimes we need help recognizing them and knowing what to do with them. The brain architecture for social and emotional development is built within the first few years of life. It is, for better or worse, shaped by our early experiences and relationships. Emotion coaching, developed by Dr. John Gottman, is a process that can help create the safety necessary for all children to learn about and regulate emotions. It can be especially useful when working with children whose social and emotional development has been derailed by toxic stress or other trauma. This workshop will use visual aids, small and large group discussion and an activity to explore emotions, meta-emotions and Emotion Coaching. 

Supporting Newcomer Youth

Lauren Markham

Immigration--particularly Central American migration to the U.S.--is one of the most tumultuous issues of our time, in which young people are caught in the crossfire of political debate and xenophobic rhetoric. Meanwhile, educators and social workers are on the frontlines of immigration. This workshop will provide insight into the experiences and backgrounds of newcomer youth from Central America, forcing us to look beneath the headlines, analyze media portrayals of immigrant youth, question our own assumptions and biases related to immigrant youth, and understand our roles as service providers in supporting newcomer youth and families as they transition, if tenuously, into life in their new U.S. homes and schools. 

The role of MSW students in advocating for students and the role of School Social Workers in California 

Ana Reyes and Jesica Uriostegui Pavon 

This workshop will consist of reflective writing and discussion activities to encourage conversation among MSW student attendees to 1) articulate their personal career goals to their peer, 2) create a sense of community among PPS/MSW students, 3) brainstorm concrete ways for PPS/MSW students to advocate for themselves, school social workers, and California K-12 students, 4) learn how to access the resources CASSW has to offer in order sustain an engaged and active group of PPS/MSW students.