Social Work Month Learning Series
The Social Work Month Learning series was a collaborative endeavor led by the Social Work programs at the University of North Dakota and Bemidji State University to commemorate Social Work Month 2024, which had the theme – Empowering Social Workers.
About the Social Work Month Learning Series
The Social Work Month Learning Series was a multi-session virtual program focused on topics pertinent to social work and human services practice across the micro, mezzo, and macro spheres. The series was designed to provide competency-building and value-adding learning opportunities for social work and human service professionals and students.
Drawing on practice experience and research, the series promoted increased awareness and appreciation of topics including trauma/traumatic stress – the impact on clients as well as practitioners, gaps in social work education and training, etc., and organizational activities that empower social workers for effective and scalable practice.
The speakers' exploration of the topics reflected our region's unique context and addressed the remarkable variability of the social work profession and human services across different environments.
Recordings
Recordings for previous sessions are available under the event descriptions.
Jessica Hublit, Sanford Behavioral Health
March 1, 2024
Passcode: RPc8&Y@m
This session is intended to empower social workers to be able to buffer, recognize and respond to symptoms of secondary traumatic stress for themselves, coworkers, and advocate for trauma informed agency response. Between 40% and 85% of “helping professionals” develop vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and/or high rates of traumatic symptoms, according to compassion fatigue expert Francoise Mathieu (2012). The goal of this presentation to provide tools and start conversations which can be used as individual prevention as well as share ways to empower organizations to create supportive work environments that offer interventions, prevention, and sustainability processes to ensure wellness of organization as a whole and allow ability to provide effective services to communities.
Jessica Hublit has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work and Psychology from Loras College in Dubuque, IA and a Master of Science Degree in Counseling and Student Personnel from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is licensed in the state of Minnesota as an bachelor's level social worker and a board approved supervisor for other bachelor's social workers. She has worked since 2013 in direct service and as a team leader in the Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) program and is a manager over Community Based Mental Health Programs and Internships within Sanford Behavioral Health in Bemidji. As a part of her experience at Sanford, Jessica has provided assessments and interventions within the mobile crisis team in the community and emergency room setting.
Dr. Jennifer Schlinger, University of North Dakota
March 11, 2024
Passcode: .h9cJES+
This session on trauma-informed care, tailored for those dedicated to empowering individuals, will provide a framework for understanding and addressing trauma within social work practice. The session will offer foundational knowledge and awareness as well as a deeper understanding of trauma as we explore its diverse and various forms. Uncovering how the brain responds to trauma is essential for identifying effective interventions and supports so we may make a difference in the lives of those impacted by trauma. This presentation will also explore factors known to promote resilience and well-being by examining practical techniques to prioritize self-care.
Dr. Jennifer Schlinger has over 20 years of social work practice and teaching experience and has worked in a variety of settings including higher education, medical, military, state government, private, and non-profit. Jennifer graduated from the University of North Dakota with both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work. She completed her EdD in Educational Practice and Leadership and her dissertation addressed trauma education in social work curricula. Dr. Schlinger started in the Social Work Department at UND in 2016 as an Adjunct Professor and has been an Assistant Professor since 2020. In addition to teaching, she also serves as a Field Coordinator, Liaison and Supervisor for students in and entering their field placements.
Dr. Sue Rickers, Bemidji State University
March 18, 2024
Passcode: w9RPp@vT
This training examines empowerment from the perspective of what human service employers do to foster resilience among employees. The interactive talk shifts the conversation from an emphasis on individual responsibility for developing resilience to the role of employers in creating a resilient culture alongside their employees. This presentation highlights findings from a qualitative study on what organizations currently do to foster resilience among employees in human service settings. Organizations empower social workers through focus on the importance of functional tasks, relationship-building, and intentionally valuing employee contributions. This talk also provides feedback from supervisors on how to further empower a resilient human service workspace. Opportunity will be provided for participants to share current and possible strategies on the co-creation of resilience.
Dr. Sue Rickers is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in Social Work. She enjoys teaching a variety of courses at BSU and interacting with future social workers. Sue has a range of work experiences working with diverse populations and in a variety of settings. Sue is interested in the experiences of social work practitioners, social work education, and holistic approaches to well-being.
Dr. Joan Blakely, University of Minnesota
March 29, 2024
Passcode: 5JZx^+*?
Too often, diversity, equity, and inclusion are reduced to outward differences such as race or ensuring we have representatives from different groups. However, we often want those representatives to think similarly. True diversity, equity, and inclusion are making space for differences of thought, which is the hallmark of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We all have different life experiences and ways of seeing the world that are informed by various things. The best solutions to problems are those in which we make space for differences of thought so we can embrace new ways of seeing and more inclusive ways of solving the problem. This talk is about how we, as social workers, empower change by embracing and celebrating our differences.
Dr. Joan Blakey holds a BS and MSW from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in social work from the University of Chicago. Her areas of expertise include child advocacy, protection, and welfare; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); justice and corrections; substance use and substance use treatment; and trauma and trauma-informed care. She also focuses on anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice within the social work profession.