You’re Invited! Earn Up to 70.5 CEs at the Virtual 2021 NASW Virginia Annual Conference March 25-27

Meet your District of Columbia social work license requirements—including all ethics and LGBTQ CEs—by registering now for the virtual 2021 NASW Virginia Chapter Annual Conference March 25-27!

Under the theme “Social Workers Are Essential,” the three-day conference features a wide range of relevant and timely breakout sessions, workshops, keynotes, small-group virtual networking opportunities, and fun events such as a pet parade, virtual ecotherapy hike, sunrise yoga, and Hygge night.

You can earn 18.5 CEs live and an additional 52 CEs on-demand for 60 days afterward or, if you prefer, you can access all conference content completely on demand.

Among the practice-based and social justice topics on the schedule are LGBTQ issues, ethics, telehealth, pandemic lessons, aging, trauma, grief, ecotherapy, dance/movement therapy, racial justice and equity, addiction, working with first responders, and more.

You’ll also hear and engage with four nationally known keynoters:  Jim Donovan, Platinum-award-winning drummer of Rusted Roots and a music professor, Frank Warren, creator of the phenomenally popular website, PostSecret.com, and a suicide prevention advocate, Adios America, a spoken-word performing duo who use their slam poetry to comment on social issues such as racism, sexism, and Afro-Latina life in America, and Betty Mae Fikes, lifelong civil rights icon and songster/storyteller.

Register Me!

NASW, NASW Metro DC Chapter Appalled and Angry at Rioting on Capitol Hill

"The National Association of Social Workers strongly condemns the unlawful storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-[President] Trump rioters," announced NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW, in a statement January 6. "Their violent, riotous behavior is seditious and forced the evacuation of Congress and halted the declaration of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

He urged people to "trust that the guardrails of democracy will hold, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in on January 20" and called "on all elected officials to condemn this unlawful attack on our democracy."

NASW Metro DC Chapter Executive Director Debra Riggs, CAE, echoed McClain's outrage.

"What the country witnessed yesterday in Washington, DC, was not peaceful protesting as enabled by our Constitution. It was nothing less than an insurrection by domestic terrorists determined to overthrow the democratic electoral processes that have sustained our great country for 244 years," said Executive Director Debra Riggs, CAE, of the NASW Metro DC Chapter. "We urge all citizens, especially social workers, to vocally oppose these dangerous displays that threaten lives and our democracy."

Noting the chapter's deep concern for local DC social workers during the riots, Riggs encourages members and other social work professionals to contact her (driggs.naswmetrodc@socialworkers.org) if they want to share their emotions or ideas of how the chapter can help return communities to a culture of civility, respect, and tolerance.

NASW Seeks Comments on “Clinical Social Workers in Private Practice” Manual by Jan. 4, 2021

NASW’s Task Force for Private Practice Guidelines is seeking public and member comments for the document, Clinical Social Workers in Private Practice: A Reference Manual. The manual provides a useful set of guidelines for clinical social workers starting a private practice and for seasoned clinical social workers seeking specific information related to the practice and business side of a private practice. The public comment period began Friday, Dec. 4, and ends January 4, 2021. Please review the manual here. Questions about the manual can be sent to mcoleman.nasw@socialworkers.org.

NASW Metro DC Chapter Congratulates President-Elect Biden, Vice President-Elect Harris on Historic Wins

The NASW Metro DC Chapter applauds NASW-endorsed President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for winning their historic congressional and national elections.

“The election of a woman, especially a woman of color, to the top ticket of the United States is long overdue and is a huge moment of pride for all who embrace equality,” says NASW Metro DC Executive Director Debra Riggs, CAE. “I want to thank all of DC’s social workers who voted, volunteered, and encouraged their clients to vote. Voting truly is social work! Now, as the state and nation try to heal from this brutal campaign season, we look forward to finding ways to reunite and refocus on the social justice and practice-related issues that NASW Metro DC has prioritized for the next few years.”

Read NASW's news release congratulating Joe Biden

NASW Metro DC Supports Texas Social Workers Fighting Code of Ethics Changes That Enable Potential Discrimination

The NASW Metro DC Chapter stands in solidarity with Texas social workers who are fighting their Governor’s removal of protections against discrimination for disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression from the Social Work Code of Conduct! The Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (TSBSWE) accepted the language from the Governor, whose rationalization is that agency rules cannot be more expansive than those in state law. However, the board has the explicit statutory authority to propose and adopt rules regarding “the scope of practice of and standards of care and ethical practice for social work.” This includes defining anti-discrimination protections under the Code of Conduct, which “should receive protected status,” says the chapter. “Social workers already have the ability to decline to provide services to a client based on their competencies and training, but they cannot discriminate based on selective personal values … [the new language] could send the erroneous message that [discrimination] is allowed. This might deter a client from coming in for services or cause a social worker to withhold a service they are ethically obligated to provide.” Sign the petition to show Texas social workers you oppose any changes to their Code of Conduct!

Metro DC Chapter Applauds NASW Coalition Calling for CDC to Slow High Rate of COVID-19 in Jails, Prisons

NASW has co-signed a letter with a coalition of 100-plus medical experts, human rights organizations, and faith-based organizations that calls on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its current COVID-19 guidance for adult and juvenile correctional facilities to restrict the use of punitive and prolonged solitary confinement as a form of pandemic response at the federal, state, and local levels. Learn more here.

NASW Releases Statement Opposing Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping

NASW has released a statement voicing 'deep disappointment' in President Trump's Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping. 'The order distorts our nation’s history and broadly understood concepts such as 'systemic racism' and 'White privilege.' And it is a thinly veiled attempt by Trump to stoke racial division in an already-fractured country for his own political purpose.' Read the full statement: https://bit.ly/3j4njGn

NASW Metro DC Mourns Death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

NASW Virginia is deeply saddened at the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an icon of the movement to protect and secure human rights for immigrants, women, and LGBTQ citizens. An unflagging champion for gender equality and a trailblazer for equal justice under the law, Justice Ginsburg was only the second woman to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and she served until her final living day. She lies in repose at the Supreme Court on Sept. 22 and 23, and will be buried next to her husband Sept. 29 at Arlington National Cemetery. We will miss you, Notorious RGB, and we will continue to honor your legacy through our advocacy work and our individual votes! In her own words: "If you want to be a true professional, do something outside yourself."

National Suicide Hotline Designation Act Heads for Presidential Signature into Law

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the bipartisan S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, September 22, marking a legislative victory for NASW and its members nationwide who advocated strongly for it.

The bill is an important step to making operational a nationwide three-digit dialing code for mental health crises and suicide prevention: 988. The legislation passed the Senate earlier in 2020 and will now go for signing by President Trump to become law.

National Suicide Prevention Month Resources for September

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, which comes at a critical time this year during the pandemic and national racial reckoning. Thanks to the lobbying of NASW and its mental health allies, preparations continue for the federal government's transition to an easy-to-remember three-digit (988) national suicide hotline, which goes into effect in 2022. Meanwhile, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline remains 800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately.

Get more resources at NAMI.org

NASW Metro DC Celebrates Women's Equality Day

Women’s Equality Day, celebrated every August 26, commemorates the passage of women’s suffrage in the U.S. and reminds us of the hurdles overcome by the heroic women who faced violence and gender discrimination to propel the women’s movement forward. When we reflect on the long battle to get the 19th Amendment ratified, we cannot ignore the fact that the movement largely excluded Black women. For example, the National American Woman Suffrage Association prevented Black women from attending their conventions. Black women often had to march separately from white women in suffrage parades. To this day, Black voters still face aggressive attacks on hard-fought voting rights. Some jurisdictions are using intimidation or threats to accessibility in order to discourage Black people from voting. 

Women aren’t done fighting for equal rights. Today, the wage gap between men and women, especially women of color, still impacts women’s economic power, and gender-based discrimination still plagues workplaces and business transactions. Celebrate Women’s Equality Day by registering to vote, helping others register to vote, and advocating for access to absentee ballots and early voting for every election. For ways #socialwokers can play a role in voter turnout visit https://votingissocialwork.org/

Social Workers Must Help Dismantle Systems of Oppression and Fight Racism Within Social Work Profession

What can social workers do to fight systemic racism? NASW has released a more detailed call to action in a news release, Social Workers Must Help Dismantle Systems of Oppression and Fight Racism Within Social Work Profession. 

NASW Practice Alert on Home Health: Telehealth During COVID-19 and New Payment System

The Medicare home health benefit, which includes medical social services, has long been essential to beneficiaries living with acute, chronic, and advanced health conditions. Access to home health services is of utmost importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new NASW Practice Alert provides an overview of the Medicare home health benefit, describes NASW’s advocacy on behalf of both home health social workers and beneficiaries served during the COVID-19 pandemic, and clarifies the status of home health social work under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model.

NASW Metro DC Mourns the Death of Civil Rights Leader Rep. John Lewis

NASW Metro DC Chapter members are grieving the death of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), whose leadership and sacrifice led the nation through the early days of the civil rights movement right up until the recent protests against the murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd.

Lewis always said he hoped his legacy would focus around voter rights and voter access, and he spoke often about the need to ensure all Americans—especially people of color—could easily vote. NASW is already involved in voter registration campaigns, coalitions, and advocacy, and social workers in Metro DC will be supporting those efforts. We will miss you and your “good trouble” leadership, Rep. Lewis!

Emergency Telehealth Regs Extended to October 25

Health and Human Services is extending the public health emergency (PHE) period by 90 days—the second announced extension, according to a June 29 HSS tweet by spokesman Michael Caputo. Currently scheduled to expire July 25, the new expiration date is October 25, 2020. Telehealth flexibilities under Medicare are attached to this federal PHE. NASW is reaching out to commercial and self-funded plans to advocate for telehealth permanence. Some plans stopped paying for out-of-network telehealth already.

NASW Social Work Talks Podcast Focuses on Successful Telehealth Transitioning, Racism

Recent NASW Social Work Talks podcasts take on both telehealth and racism. Listen to Tips for Successfully Implementing Teletherapy for guidance from Pat Spencer, LCSW, who moved her practice to teletherapy during New Jersey's stay-at-home order.

Facing Racism, Moving Forward explores the racism pandemic and how the social work profession can advance progress. The recording features Dion Lassiter, MSW, executive director at the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and president of the Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, Inc. at University of Pennsylvania. 

Find a Wide Variety of Training Through the Social Work Online CE Institute

Looking for training on a specific topic? Need to find a class fast? Want to train from the comfort of your own home or office? The Online CE Institute is a great option, because it offers hundreds of options, many free to members, that can be accessed quickly and easily. To find training, visit the Social Work Online CE Institute.

One More Supervision Course Offered in 2020

As you know, a training to become an approved supervisor for your license is not required in the District. However, consider registering to help you better support your supervisee. NASW Metro DC is offering one more (virtual) training that will earn you up to 14 CEUs toward relicensing this year.

Full course descriptions of each program are available here. An access code and manual PDF will be sent the day prior to training:

November 13-14: Foundations of Supervision. 14 CEUs. Instructor: Delores Dungee-Anderson, PhD, LCSW CTST, Prof. $275 members, $350 nonmembers. Registration deadline: November 11.