Explore a new practice area or method in social work. Get the latest in applied practice information. Network with fellow alumni and Saint Louis University faculty.
SLU's social work continuing education workshops are affordable and informed by current research and best practices in the field. Our instructors are leading practitioners and faculty members at SLU's School of Social Work who bring a wealth of professional and instructional experience to the workshops.
2024 Continuing Education Brochure (PDF)
Sessions and Workshops
SLU's sessions and workshops support ongoing professional growth and development, and enable practitioners to meet licensure renewal requirements. Workshops are open to licensed social workers of all levels, practicing in both clinical and macro roles. SLU alumni and current practicum instructors are eligible for a special discount.
Register for Continuing Education Courses
2024 Sessions and Workshops
Time: 9-noon
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Charles Franke, LCSW
*Meets Ethics Requirement
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the risks and concerns unique to social work that can affect our proficient access to the use of self.
- Differentiate between moral injury, compassion fatigue, burnout and secondary trauma along with the ways these concerns create direct concerns related to ethical treatment.
- Apply the concept of the self of the social worker with multiple strategies for valuing and connecting to their sense of self.
Course Description: The self of the social worker is one of the primary tools that allows for effective
treatment and services of the populations we work with. Our ability to understand
our own experience of our work, process that experience, and apply that experience
in helpful and ethical ways is paramount to our work. This incredible sensitivity
and utilization of self also exposes us to compassion fatigue, moral injury, burnout
and secondary trauma. Social workers are expected to hold space for the most difficult
situations, and often, we are experiencing this exposure alone. As a result of this
difficulty, we must ensure we are self-aware, utilizing support and supervision, and
ensuring our compliance with the code of ethics is intact. In this training, we will
look deeply at the self of the social work along with all of its applications. This
training will discuss the uses of self and strategies for building safety to preserve
and value that sense of self as professionals.
Bio: Charles “Chaz” Franke, LCSW, is an adjunct professor in the School of Social Work
and is a therapist and clinical supervisor for Light Source, a small group practice
in Belleville, Illinois,
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from McKendree University and a Master of Social Work degree from SLU. Franke has been practicing therapy full time since 2007. Since beginning his career as a therapist, he has worked with trauma and its long-reaching effects. This work has included extensive work with all ages and all walks of life. He specializes in self-compassion and integrating Eastern thought and philosophy into the therapeutic process. Chaz provides both clinical and reflective supervision to clinicians across many settings to help further their ability to find their voice in the field and maintain engagement in their work.
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Monica Matthieu, Ph.D., LCSW
Learning Objectives:
- Assess the types of lethal means and best practice approaches to mitigating risk.
- Describe the elements of a patient-centered approach to promoting safety behaviors.
- Practice talking to clients about the safe storage of lethal means such as firearms and poisons.
Course Description: Lethal means are objects that may be used by individuals experiencing a suicidal
crisis. They include things like guns, medications, alcohol, opioids, other substances,
ropes, cords or sharp objects. If an individual is in crisis or is having suicidal
thoughts, these items can become deadly if easily accessible. Increasing the time
and distance between a person in suicidal crisis and their access to lethal means
can reduce suicide risk and save lives. This session will provide an overview of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Keep It Secure program, which promotes awareness
about the simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. Attendees
will also learn and practice skills for lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) a patient-centered
approach to promoting safety behaviors by aligning evidence-based recommendations
with patients’ preferences and values.
Bio: Monica M. Matthieu Ph.D., LCSW is an associate professor in the School of Social
Work at Saint Louis University and is a research social worker for the Central Arkansas
Veterans Health Care System, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Matthieu is engaged in research and program evaluation related to VA’s national suicide
prevention program, implementation of trauma treatment in the VA, and improving assessment,
intervention, and referral to treatment for individuals at risk for suicide in social
service and health care settings in the St. Louis metro area.
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Kenya Brumfield-Young, M.L.S., M.S.C.J. and Heather Lewis, M.S.W., Ed.S., BCBA
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the concepts of multi-partiality as it pertains to group dynamics.
- Understand the multi-levels of topical analysis as it pertains to group dynamics.
- Understand and articulate the importance of intention versus impact as it pertains to group dynamics.
- Applying LARA during difficult conversations to help people better understand one another’s position on issues.
Course Description: One often encounters challenging conversations in classrooms and other workspaces, particularly following high-profile events that spark emotion and intense public reaction. This course focuses on approaching and facilitating conversations with students and other groups related to these events, providing approaches for effectively facilitating them.
Participants will gain insights into fundamental facilitation strategies such as identifying
group dynamics, employing multi-partiality, and utilizing LARA to help navigate these
conversations. This knowledge will help participants gain confidence in navigating
tough conversations and situations.
Bio: Kenya Brumfield-Young, M.L.S., M.S.C.J. is an assistant professor and the internship
coordinator for the criminology/criminal justice program within the School of Social
Work at Saint Louis University.
Bio: Heather Lewis, M.S.W., Ed.S., BCBA serves a dual role as the assistant director of
field education for students pursuing their M.S.W. or M.S. A.B.A. degrees as well
as clinical faculty in the applied behavior analysis program at Saint Louis University.
She is a social worker and licensed behavior analyst, consulting in school, home,
and clinic-based settings for over 20 years.
Heather develops and supervises behaviorally based programs, with a particular interest
in supervision and training of future practitioners. She presents in local and national
workshops and conferences covering issues common in the fields of behavior analysis
and social work, including supervision and mentorship.
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Maria Morrison, Ph.D., LCSW
Learning Objectives:
- Articulate the role of trauma in the lives of justice-involved individuals.
- Describe what a trauma-informed approach involves and how it improves health and safety outcomes.
- List and assess specific trauma-informed strategies for working with individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
Course Description: The criminal justice system touches the lives of millions of Americans, particularly
those we work with as social workers. This workshop will present current research
findings on the alarmingly high rates of chronic traumatic exposures experienced across
the life course by those involved in the criminal justice system and explore why these
matter to intervention with this population. It will then discuss the value of a trauma-informed
approach and offer specific strategies to use with this population in a range of settings.
Bio: Maria Morrison, Ph.D., LCSW, recently joined the faculty of SLU’s School of Social
Work as an assistant professor after 20 years of social work practice.
Morrison is also a senior social worker at the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit
human rights organization providing legal services to individuals who have been unjustly
sentenced and challenging racial and economic injustice. The focus of both her practice
and research is on the trauma of individuals who experience incarceration.
Time: 9 a.m.-noon
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Craig Miner, LPC
Learning Objectives:
- Identify and interpret an individual’s level of readiness for change.
- Articulate best practice interventions based on an individual’s stage of change and level of readiness for change.
- Design stage-based intervention-driven treatment plans.
Course Description: This learning opportunity will provide a foundation of knowledge on which the clinician
can align treatment intervention with an individual’s level of readiness for change.
Participants will be moved from simply defining the stage of change to clinically
utilizing this common model to develop treatment plans with stage-based, best-practice
interventions. While didactic in nature, time will be spent integrating discussion
around application throughout with targeted experiential activities for skill-building.
Bio: Craig S. Miner is a licensed professional counselor, a Certified Reciprocal Advanced
Alcohol Drug Counselor, a Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional - Diplomate
and a Medication Awareness Recovery Specialist in Missouri.
He has 30-plus years’ experience in the behavioral health field working with substance
use and co-occurring disorder populations. Craig currently serves as the adult outpatient
program manager at Places for People. In addition, he works as an adjunct professor
at Saint Louis University, teaching courses in substance use disorder interventions
and motivational interviewing. His true passion is to move Science to Service while
assisting colleagues to become more comfortable and confident utilizing best- and
evidence-based practices to help those we serve to achieve recovery and their meaningful
“happy” life goals.
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Modality: Zoom
Presenter: Cassie E. Brown, LCSW
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the underlying theory and principles of motivational interviewing.
- Learn and integrate the basic skill set needed to practice MI with good fidelity.
- Analyze clinical scenarios to discern the appropriate application of MI theory, techniques, and skills.
Course Description: Motivational interviewing is an intervention that has efficacy in a broad range of
settings, including integrated behavioral health, substance use disorders treatment,
and many stages of psychotherapy. This continuing education opportunity moves participants
from no knowledge of motivational interviewing to an insightful grasp of the underlying
theory of this evidence-based intervention. Participants will learn basic skills,
apply them in scenarios, and even apply open-source tools to identify key markers
of fidelity of this intervention.
Bio: Cassie E. Brown, LCSW, is the executive director of NASW-MO.
Cassie’s career in mental health includes in-home therapy with children and families,
working at a public psychiatric hospital with adults with mental illness and substance
use, and outpatient therapy at a substance use disorders clinic. Her social work has
included adjunct teaching, program development, and evaluation. She has provided continuing
education for over a decade on topics including self-care, compassion fatigue, supervision,
LGBTQ+ clients, substance use disorders, and the stigma of mental illness. Her work
with NASW-MO finds her advocating passionately for social work and those the calling
serves.