All Webinars

ABSW invites you to the official book launch of the Africentric Social Work text. Join for an engaging discussion about the text and the authors. The Association of Black Social Workers (Nova Scotia) (“ABSW”) connects Black Social Workers from across Nova Scotia and provides outreach services that contribute to the healthy development and well-being of people of African descent and provides professional development resources.

This presentation will discuss the changing landscape of Chronic Kidney Disease, who our patients are, and how kidney disease affects their lives. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about the Canadian Association of Nephrology Social Workers (CANSW), and how we work together to advocate for our patients at micro and macro levels, in our kidney disease clinics and dialysis units, in our hospitals, and with our provincial and federal governments. Corinne will talk about the evolution of CANSW and Chronic Kidney Disease patients, Michelle will talk about the burdens of Chronic Kidney Disease and the treatment modalities available, Amanda will talk about the challenges our patients’ face, particularly our Indigenous patients, and Shirley will talk about bringing CANSW to the next level with our policymakers.

Webinar Objectives 
· Attendees will learn about the evolution of the Canadian Association of Nephrology Social Workers (CANSW) and patients with Chronic Kidney Disease
· Attendees will learn about the burden of Chronic Kidney Disease and the current available treatments for End-Stage Renal Disease
· Attendees will learn about the bio-psycho-social challenges faced by patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, with a focus on the Indigenous patient
· Attendees will learn about the collective experience of CANSW, coming together as a community to support advocacy efforts for patients nationwide

In honour of the 215 Indigenous children whose remains were discovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, in honour of the children still missing, and in honour of the thousands of others who were forcibly placed in residential schools, the Indigenous Helpers Society and the Manitoba College of Social Workers invite you to join in a moment of mindfulness and reflection on Indigenous Peoples Day.   We come together to acknowledge the pain of colonization and discrimination in contemplative practice to catalyze strength, determination, and action to co-create a more just and equitable world.

Social Workers help vulnerable people who are now experiencing even more risk because of Covid-19.  It’s been over a year since these unprecedented dynamics began. Many Social Workers have experienced an increase in demands/risks with a reduction or complication of available supports. This has increased the chance of developing psychosocial injuries such as chronic stress, moral injury, and grief.  Learn how to identify different injuries and strategies to protect yourself. 
 
Webinar Objectives 

•   The difference between chronic stress, moral injury and grief
•   How to recognize your warning signs
•   A framework to understand and address your current experience
•   Personal and professional strategies to protect yourself from these injuries

Care work, including social work, has a long history of approaching drug use from an abstinence-based perspective; however, as the overdose crisis continues to grow, it is critical for us to collectively work to reduce shame, stigma, and judgment about drug use. This webinar will provide an overview of harm reduction, and some practical strategies to integrate into day-to-day practice, including a gendered perspective.  It will also provide an overview of WHAI's Women and Harm Reduction in Ontario: A Capacity Building Toolkit.    

Webinar Objectives
1) To provide an overview of harm reduction: what it is and is not, and why shifting our collective approach to a harm reduction-based approach is beneficial 
2) To build awareness about why people use drugs, from a trauma-informed and evidence-based perspective 
3) To provide practical tips on how to integrate a harm reduction approach into day-to-day practice, drawing on WHAI's Women & Harm Reduction Toolkit

For more information, go to: whai.ca

The seminar is an opportunity for social workers to gain knowledge of Dr. Blackstock’s social work practice, the lessons she has learned, and how we can make a difference in Saskatchewan.

The seminar will consist of a short introduction, a presentation by Dr. Blackstock, followed by a question and answer period.

Webinar Objectives 
 

• To hear Dr.Blackstock’s presention on the Social Work profession and Indigenous peoples. 
• To engage in discussion with Dr. Blackstock about the representation of the social work profession regarding Indigenous children.
• To examine social work practices needed to strengthen connections with Indigenous communities.  

This presentation will provide an overview of the research related to compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma, and how it impacts social workers. Participants will learn to identify the ethical implications of a lack of attention to this pervasive issue, and will learn about several techniques and strategies to address this problem.

Webinar Objectives 
Attendees will learn how to identify compassion fatigue and burnout. Attendees will learn about different assessment tools to assess burnout. Attendees will also learn a social work, strengths-based approach to address the experience of burnout. Attendees will be able to explain the ethical implications and risks of burnout and compassion fatigue on social workers.

Spirituality is a key component of the human experience and human identity. In this webinar, the panel of four members of the Canadian Society for Social Work and Spirituality will present an overview of relevancy of spiritualty to social work practice. Heather will present about children’s spirituality. Fiona will talk about the impact of religiosity and spirituality in addressing the mental health experiences of youth from an Afro- Caribbean background. Cassandra will speak about trans-species spirituality as both a faith in the interconnectedness of all things and people with the more than human world and as a radical activist praxis. Indrani’s presentation will concern meditation and trauma-informed practice and research.

Webinar Objectives 
• Review connections of spirituality and social work
• Introduce some areas of focus concerning spirituality and social work
• Define spirituality and religion
• Consider implications for social work practice

CBT Made Simple: Incorporate CBT into your practice. Part II: How to work with behaviours that maintain anxiety and depression

The workshop is aimed at developing clinical skills that participants can incorporate into their daily work.  The workshop is divided into two parts,   however, each part can be taken as a stand-alone workshop. Both workshops are based on cognitive behavioural theory but also incorporate aspects of mindfulness, compassion therapy, and ACT.  This second part will focus on how to modify client’s behaviours that maintain depression and anxiety. 

Part 2: How to Work With Behaviours That Maintain Anxiety and Depression

The  workshop will focus on understanding the role of avoidance in maintaining depression and anxiety and how to address avoidance through behavioural interventions. The workshop will cover behavioural activation, graded task assignments, the role of problem-solving and the development of coping thoughts. Strategies for motivating your client to modify their behaviour based on mindfulness, compassion therapy,  and values clarification will be explored.  

Webinar Objectives 

1.    Understand how avoidance maintains depression and anxiety

2.     Address avoidance through behavioural activation

3.     Use graded task assignments to increase motivation

4.     Understand the role of problem-solving in addressing avoidance

5.     Become  familiar with different strategies for encouraging increased activity level

6.    Understand how to use mindfulness, compassion therapy, and values clarification to encourage your client to modify their behaviour. 
 

CBT Made Simple: Incorporate CBT into your practice. Part I: How to work with thoughts that maintain anxiety and depression

The workshop is aimed at developing clinical skills that participants can incorporate into their daily work.  The workshop is divided into two parts; however, each part can be taken as a stand-alone workshop. Both workshops are based on cognitive behavioural theory but also incorporate aspects of mindfulness, compassion therapy, and ACT. The first part of the workshop will focus on learning skills related to case conceptualization and helping clients change their negative thinking patterns. The second part will focus on learning skills related to helping clients change dysfunctional behavioural patterns. Both workshops will cover current research but the focus is on developing clinical skills.  There will be time for self-reflection and experiential exercises where participants will have an opportunity to practice new skills.

Part 1: Case Conceptualization and how to work with thoughts that maintain anxiety and depression

The workshop will explore how to use  cognitive behaviour theory to create a collaborative case conceptualization. You will learn how to help your client understand their problems in terms of how thoughts can influence their feelings and behaviours and the power of understanding symptom maintenance cycles. You will have an opportunity to apply this model to understanding your own clients. How different thought patterns maintain depression and anxiety will be described. Specific cognitive interventions will be coved including how to help your client identify their deep underlying thoughts; identifying dysfunctional thought patterns; using your clients’ strengths to complete an evidence log; helping your client decenter or distance from their dysfunctional thoughts and developing balanced thoughts that can be used in everyday life to support resilience and strength. 

Webinar Objectives 

1.     Learn the steps involved in developing a CBT case conceptualization 

2.     Learn to identify clients’ trigger situations, thoughts, feelings, physical reactions and behaviors and how these four factors interact to maintain your    client’s problems.

3.    Learn how to help clients examine the evidence for their dysfunctional thoughts from a strengths perspective

4.    Learn how to help clients decenter or step back from their dysfunctional thoughts

5.    Learn how to help clients develop balanced thoughts that they can use in everyday life to develop resilience and strength