The NASW Code of Ethics leaves it to the best judgment of the social worker to determine whether to accept a gift from a client.  This can leave social workers uncertain about where their line is.  What goes into that determination? Is just setting a hard and fast "no gifts" policy the best course of action? After a brief presentation, participants will go into breakout rooms with ethical dilemma case scenarios to work through the ethical decision making process.

This workshop explores the nuances of clinical supervision and the importance of understand the roles of a supervisor and supervisee, and how it directly impacts the future of social works and mental health clinicians. Together, we will explore common and less common ethical and legal risks that you may face as a supervisor and explore ways to manage these risks while protecting yourself, the client and teaching the supervisee at the same time. We will also explore how we can have difficult conversations with supervisees and how to support growth while giving both positive and constructive feedback.

Sexual concerns are common among the clients social workers and behavioral health clinicians serve, yet many practitioners receive little to no formal training in female sexual function and dysfunction, leaving them uncertain how to assess, discuss, or treat these issues. This 3-hour workshop provides clinicians with a foundational, biopsychosocial understanding of female sexual response, common sexual dysfunctions (desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain-related), and evidence-based frameworks for assessment and intervention. Drawing on current diagnostic criteria and guidelines from the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH), participants will learn practical tools for taking a sexual history, screening for common conditions like Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder, and knowing when and how to refer to medical specialists. The workshop emphasizes a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and destigmatizing approach that clinicians can integrate directly into existing practice.

As a counselor working with teens and young adults, when you attempt to propose group counseling to your clients, are you met with “Tell all my problems to strangers? IRL (in real life)? Ew! No! Cringe!” If so, attend this session to hear research on generational differences of Gen Z clients, who may express visceral opposition to the idea of group counseling. Learn strategies for overcoming these objections from a presenter who runs well-attended, effective IRL groups at a university.

This workshop is designed to help supervisors support students and early-career social workers in developing both confidence in their emerging knowledge and comfort with situations in which the answer is not yet clear. Supervisors will consider how to teach that tolerating uncertainty, seeking consultation, and reconsidering assumptions are important professional skills rather than signs of incompetence. The workshop will examine how cultural and professional humility can be modeled and reinforced through openness to feedback, awareness of power, recognition of professional limits, and a commitment to continued learning.