Annual Gulf Coast Social Work Conference

Keynote Presentation:

The Importance of Failure (1 clinical hr)

Adam Russo, LCSW

Culturally, we have become invested in ensuring that kids are successful. Learning about how failure can assist kids develop positive coping strategies, perseverance, and resilience, can assist them in creating a foundation of positive mental health as they grow into adults.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about how assisting kids to experience failure, rather than preventing them from it, can develop intangible traits that have been correlated to ‘success’ as an adult.
• Learn about how the value of negative emotions and experiences can further enhance leadership and preventative skills that assist young people as they feel anxiety or depression both as young people and as they grow.

Substance Abuse and Disruptive Behaviors in Youth: The Interaction Between the Two (2 clinical hrs)

Joe Wegmann, R.Ph, LCSW

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the effects of substance abuse on disruptive behavior disorders in youth
• Examine the key criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, and what fuels these disorders in young people
• Discuss specific medication and psychosocial strategies for substance use disorders and disruptive behavior disorders in children and adolescents

The Ethics of Self-Determination in Medical Settings (1.5 ethics hrs)

Diane Bigler, LMSW, LCSW, LSCSW

Mental health professionals who work in medical settings often encounter ethical situations in which patients and families wishes may conflict with medical advice, direction, or goals. Clinicians from all disciplines should consider the intersection of their professional ethics with patient wishes and self-determination. This workshop will highlight professional ethics of self-determination in the fields of social work and counseling. Detailed case vignettes will provide perspective on the complexity of these situations and how clinicians can best exercise sound judgment and practice in the consideration of both their professional ethics and patient self-determination.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key ethical concepts and considerations in medical self-determination.
• Analyze a minimum of three self-determination ethical dilemmas in case studies.
• Review and summarize social work code of ethics values, principles and standards.

“Social Work Mini Golf: Avoiding Traps and Obstacles” (1 ethics hr)

Dennis Malloy, LCSW

The workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the development of ethics in the social work profession. Participants will identify ethical obstacles/challenges and strategies to deal with them.

Learning Objectives:

• Review 5 developmental periods in the history of the social work profession as they relate to ethics (morality, values, ethical dilemmas & decision making, ethical risk management, and digital challenges).
• Identify the major categories of ethics violations (with clients, with colleagues, and within practice).
• Review data and statistics from a 2022 report from the LA Board of Social Work Examiners (LABSWE)
• Participate in live and online exercises in identifying ethical obstacles and risk management ideas (through mini-golf!).

Addiction, Bias, and Stigma: Are You Prejudging Your Clients? (1.0 clinical hr)

Sidney Smith, LMSW

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) conversations and education is needed due to a 28.5% increase in overdose death rates reported by CDC on 11/17/2021 (CDC 2021).  Previous years, CDC reported overdose death rates in the seventy thousand range. This year’s report is over one hundred thousand for the same time periods. It is time to talk about promoting healing and long term sobriety. We as humans – even with Social Work ethics, training and licenses – are still prone to biases and stigma, especially with persons who struggle with substance use/abuse issues. This presentation will help participants acknowledge personal biases and strategies to combat counterproductive attitudes that cause harm to the same people our code of ethics is designed to protect. It is time to talk about how reducing stigma and personal biases by re-embracing our commitments to service, dignity and worth of person, and value of human relationships. We as Social Workers have a call and platform to decrease these numbers, empower others to live by providing non-biased treatment options for those affected by Substance Use Disorder.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to acknowledge personal biases when dealing with a person with substance use/abuse issues.
• Participants will become aware of strategies to combat unhelpful/counterproductive attitudes towards persons with substance abuse issues.
• Participants will be enabled to engage in healing conversations that motivate and encourage growth and continued sobriety.