It has become commonplace for people to claim that each election is the most important one of our lifetimes. But there is a case to be made that that really is the case in 2026. We’ll review where things are and offer tips on what to pay attention to on and after Election Day. Control of the US House and Senate is up for grabs, along with control of many state legislature and a host of state and local offices, many of which have profound influence on the lives of our clients and communities. We’ll review these elections, and help you think about what social workers might do to find meaningful engagement.

This training will provide participants with an in-depth examination of compelling and complex ethical and risk-management challenges in social work supervision. Frederic Reamer, Ph.D. will discuss key ethical and legal standards, including the concepts of respondeat superior, vicarious liability, and standards of care. He will highlight practical steps social work supervisors can take to protect supervisees, employers, and themselves, including the use of supervision agreements, sound documentation protocols, consultation, and compliance with relevant ethical standards. Dr. Reamer will discuss challenges in social work supervision related to conflicts of interest, boundary issues, and dual relationships.

This is a 6-hour virtual workshop designed to help professionals sustain and strengthen their use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) when supporting individuals with mental health, substance use, and/or medical challenges. MI is an evidence-based, collaborative, person-centered approach that helps individuals explore and strengthen their own motivation for change. Participants will learn and practice more complex OARS skills, apply additional MI strategies and tools, and develop skills for effectively responding to sustain talk and discord. The workshop will also introduce basic concepts related to MI fidelity and provide guidance on next steps for continued MI skill development.

As helping professionals, we carry many individuals and families through life's traumas. Through this provision of care and support, we simultaneously collect the stories of countless people and communities we serve. This component of trauma-responsive practice creates a unique burden resulting from deep empathy – magnified by our collective professional and ethical orientation to social justice. Leaders and providers alike remain in the unique position of having to simultaneously lead, mentor, and effectively navigate and make sense of the sometimes-traumatic nature of social work practice. This educational session seeks to illustrate the impact of trauma on supervisors and supervisees; highlight the role of self-reflection in implementing supporting practice; and provide insights and reflections on self-stewardship and trauma-responsive practice within the context of clinical and organizational leadership.

We carry all of our identities with us into supervision, as supervisees and supervisors alike. If we want to create and foster supervision spaces that are safe and affirming—spaces where both parties can show up authentically—we must bring awareness and intentionality to the process.