Thursday, March 25, 2021
Opening & Welcome
Overview
Welcome to the NASW Mississippi Chapter Virtual Annual Conference!
Speaker(s)
Phylandria Hudson, MSW, LCSW, President, NASW-MS Chapter
Keynote Speaker Session 101: UBUNTU: BUILDING BELOVED COMMUNITIES
Overview
It is time for social workers to develop and administer an action plan to address the following:
1. To understand the role of social workers in addressing and dismantling racism within the current context.
2. To explore new pathways that will address and empower social workers to discuss within our communities, the pros and cons of the COVID vaccine. 3. To continue to educate social workers and those we serve, how economic, environmental, and racial injustices were exacerbated by the pandemic.
Credit:1 CE
Speaker(s)
Mildred “Mit” Joyner, DPS, MSW, BSW, LCSW, President, National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, DPS, MSW, BSW, LCSW is President of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) that has 55 chapters throughout the United States and its territories. Joyner also serves as President of the North America Region of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), which includes Canada and the United States and is a member of IFSW’s Executive Committee. She serves on the boards of the NASW Foundation and the NASW Assurance Services, Inc. Her other board service included a community bank, DNBFIRST, where she was the first female and only African American to serve in this capacity and the Chester County Food Bank.
Professor Joyner received a BSW from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and her MSW in planning, policy and administration from Howard University, School of Social Work, in Washington, DC. Joyner’s professional career as a social worker began at Chester County Children, Youth, and Families as a protective service worker. After graduate school, she became the first department head and legal liaison of the child abuse unit at Chester County Children, Youth, and Families.
Joyner joined the faculty at West Chester University (WCU) in 1979 as assistant professor and served as the director and chairperson of the undergraduate social work, a position she held for several decades. While at WCU, Professor Joyner presided over the campus Frederick Douglass Society, chaired the Committee of 16, developed the civility award, developed the Frederick Douglass Junior Ambassadors, led university town hall meetings on Embracing a Just Community, organized and obtained funding for the annual delivery of a MLK Day for the university and surrounding community, and was the chief architect of the university's campus climate committee. Professor Joyner also developed an interdisciplinary Race Relations course, which received an award from students for effective delivery of critical content on race.
Professor Joyner also secured funding for the DeBaptiste Undergraduate Social Work Scholarship for students, developed innovative pathways for social work students to attend professional conferences, and enhanced the social work curriculum, activities, and programs. She conceptualized and secured funds for BEST (Bringing Elders and Students Together) so that undergraduate social work students had positive exposure to the older adult population. She was the catalyst for the development of the first accredited MSW program in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Professor Joyner also served as fundraising chair for the Frederick Douglass statue, which achieved a university goal that also reflected Professor Joyner’s lifetime commitment to social justice.
In 2011, Professor Joyner, a full professor of social work, received the emeritus rank with full rights and privileges from the West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Later in 2011, she retired from the university and created MCJ Consultants which specializes in organizational change and achieving equity.
Professor Joyner is a former president of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Concurrently, she served on the board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and represented the United States. She also served as president of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD). She holds membership in BPD, CSWE, and NASW.
Professor Joyner co-authored three books Critical Multiculturalism and Intersectionality in a Complex World (2018); Critical Multicultural Social Work (2008); and Caregivers for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya: An Ecological Perspective (2011). She has delivered hundreds of presentations at various universities, agencies, businesses, and professional conferences.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including: 2005 AGE-SW and BPD Gerontology L Leadership Award for stellar national leadership in the field of gerontology; the BPD Lifetime Achievement Award; Living Beyond Breast Cancer Founders Award for leadership and stewardship; the first Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay Award from Howard University School of Social Work; the Central State University Hall of Fame Award as a Distinguished Alumni; the First William Culp lecturer by Abilene Christian University School of Social Work; and the CSWE Lifetime Service and Leadership Award. In September 2019, Mit Joyner received the prestigious NASW of Pennsylvania Phyllis Black Lifetime Achievement Award for her leadership and commitment to social justice and the quest for obtaining equity for all.
Professor Joyner is married to the Honorable J. Curtis Joyner, a Senior Federal Judge of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Together they have three daughters Dr. Jennifer Joyner-Hall a clinical psychologist in Washington, DC; Nicole M. Joyner, a human resource director in Atlanta, GA; and Jacqlyn A. Joyner an attorney in Washington, DC. Her greatest role is being “Gg” to her two grandsons David Anthony Hall IV and Jacob James Joyner Hall who are the reasons that she remains committed to the arduous task of working to achieve racial, social, economic, environmental and political justice for all.
Session 102a: Ethics for the 21st Century Social Worker
Overview
The NASW Code of Ethics offers a framework for responsible, fair and ethical practice by social workers , and covers all aspects of that practice. This workshop will provide an overview of the current code of ethics, utilizing related examples from current social work roles and settings, including the use of virtual means to provide services to clients. Participants will have the opportunity to test themselves and their decision making using multiple case examples, utilizing the guidance of the Code.
Credit:1 Ethics
Speaker(s)
Brenda Sumrall Smith, PhD, LCSW, LMFT, ACSW, BCD, Contractual Worker/Retired Director of Social Work, UMMC
Brenda Sumrall Smith has 46 years of practice in social work in health care, in clinical and administrative roles, including working in perinatal healthcare throughout those years in either full-time or part-time positions. Even when employed full-time in an administrative role at UMMC, she worked part-time with another hospital in perinatal care, because that type of clinical work has always been important to her.
Smith was a charter member of the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers, one of the authors of that organization’s Code of Ethics and Standards for Social Work in NICUs, and filled many leadership roles in the organization, including that of President.
She was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the multi-disciplinary National Perinatal Association and have been active in MS NASW, most recently serving as Vice-President of the chapter. She was part of a 7-member national task force which developed competencies for social work in healthcare for NASW. She also taught classes for USM Graduate School of Social Work, and served as field instructor for many students, as well as teaching nurses and medical students throughout the years. She has been published in various related publications.
Session 102b: Compassion Fatigue and Satisfaction Among Mental Health Professionals: Applying Self-Care Techniques
Overview
Nationally and in Mississippi, legislators continue to reduce mental health budget reductions while shifting services from inpatient care to community-based organizations. These budget reductions have led to increased caseloads for workers who are already burdened with unrealistic deadlines and overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy regarding their abilities to deliver services. Recommendations include the development of job wellness programs, use of self-care and changes to organization and federal policies to reduce occupational burnout and stress.
Credit:1 CE
Speaker(s)
Ahfiya Howard, DrPH, LMSW, Director of Bachelor of Social Work
Dr. Ahfiya Howard is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Social Work and Doctor of Public Health from Jackson State University. Currently, she serves as Chair and Assistant Professor for the Bachelor of Social Program. Prior to her recent appointment, she served as Interim Chair and Visiting Assistant Professor. Dr. Howard has been employed at the university for 6 years. Prior to her position at Jackson State University, she worked as a mental health therapist at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and adjunct instructor at Hinds Community College. She has completed several certifications which includes the Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening and Support, Project Forecast Child Advocacy Studies, United States Department of Justice Child Sex Trafficking and Council on Social Work Education Policy Practice. As a member of Word of Life Church and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Dr. Howard spends her spare time volunteering to help the homeless, veterans, children and other vulnerable populations. Most of her research studies have focused on improving access to healthy foods for low-income families and compassion fatigue among mental health professionals.
Trenia Allen, Ed. D, LCSW, Assistant Professor, JSU School of Social Work
Trenia Allen, Ed.D., LCSW is an Assistant Professor in the Bachelor of Social Work Program at Jackson State University. Dr. Allen has over 25 years as a clinical social worker, specializing in servicing mental health needs in young children. Her research interests include the social and emotional literacy of young children, mental 7 health consultancy in early childhood settings, juvenile sentence reform within the criminal justice system, immigration reform, and trauma-informed care. Dr. Allen earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Tougaloo College, Master of Social Work degree from New York University, and Doctor of Education from Jackson State University. Dr. Allen has participated in volunteerism that includes voter registration drives, linking single parents to community resources, community emergency preparedness, and delivering meals to needy families.
Session 103: MS Board of Examiners: Update on Rules and Regulation Changes
Overview
This presentation will provide an overview of the MBOE Rule and Regulation changes effective as of 2/9/2020. In addition, this presentation will also provide a brief update of MBOE rule changes due to the Governor’s State of Emergency Proclamation and current status.
Credit:1 Ethics
Speaker(s)
Elizabeth (Beth) Shanks McNamee, LCSW, MBOE Board Member & Chair of Social Work Discipline Committee
Beth graduated with a B.A. from Mississippi State and received her MSW from University of Southern Mississippi. She is a Mississippi Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW) with 39 years of diverse experience with primary focus in child welfare and behavioral health. She served as the Director of Organizational Development and Training and the Community Services Division Director for Canopy Children’s Solutions. Beth retired from Canopy this year having worked with that organization for over 18 years. Beth practiced as a national child welfare consultant for many years with expertise in strategic planning and training while serving as the Associate Director for the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement. Beth also served as the Deputy Director for the Division of Child and Family Services (MDHS) and a Social Work Consultant and Program Director for the Mississippi Department of Health. She received her clinical supervision in New Orleans while working at DePaul Psychiatric Hospital for Children and Adolescents and Covenant House (Runaway and Homeless Shelter for Children & Youth). Beth received the Social Worker of the Year award from the MS Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in 2013. Beth was appointed to serve on the MS Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapist in 2019 and as of February 2021 will be Chair of the Social Work Discipline Specific Committee.
Session 104a: Effects of Excessive Social Media Use on Personal Well-being and Interpersonal Relationships Among Social Workers and Social Work Students
Overview
The association between social media use and psychological well-being has been linked among a variety of populations. Some research has shown that excessive use of social media has caused both negative and positive outcomes among individuals when it comes their overall psychological well-being which can impact interpersonal functioning within social venues or family relationships. This presentation relates to proposed research based on previous studies regarding excessive social media use. The content focuses on social work professionals and social work students specifically as we are now engaged in virtual practice and alternative contact with the populations we serve. This information is intended to enhance the knowledge of participants in the social work profession such that they are better prepared for global challenges in practice while sustaining their own well-being.
Credit:1.5 CE (Includes .5 CD)
Speaker(s)
Valerie R. Carson, MSW, LMSW, Doctoral Candidate, JSU, Social Work
Valerie Carson is a 1990 graduate of Alcorn State University with a Bachelor’s of Science (B.S.) degree in biological science/pre-health and a 1997 graduate of Jackson State University with a Master of Social Work degree. Currently, she is preparing for dissertation defense towards a doctoral degree in social work at Jackson State University.
She has approximately 25 years of experience in social work practice at University of Mississippi Medical Center, MS Department of Corrections, MS Capital Defense Counsel and most recently at John’s Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Carson has approximately ten plus years’ teaching experience in both the BSW and the MSW programs at Jackson State University. In addition, she has extensive experience related to social work interventions and mediation that has proven successful with crisis intervention, conflict resolution, and empowerment to persons of all ages.
Session 104b: Perception is Not Always Reality: The Trouble with Propaganda in Social Work and Other Helping Professions
Overview
The avoidance of harm, including the informed consent process, is one of the clearest expressions of social workers’ respect for clients’ rights. Avoidable harm is a key result of propaganda in the helping professions, with consequences that include forcing people to accept “help” they do not want; offering and accepting help that isn’t needed; failing to gain help that is available and desired; and using services that diminish rather than enhance the quality of life (iatrogenic effects.) Propaganda, usually based in fact, “is the systematic propagation of information or ideas by an interested party, especially in a tendentious way in order to encourage or instill a particular attitude or response.” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.) “Both professionals and clients are often bamboozled by false claims in professional journals and textbooks, as well as in the media, about what is helpful and what is not.” Such claims hide certain aspects of reality and/or assert realities that do not exists, including inflated claims about what works, what causes certain behaviors, what can keep us healthy, what a risk is, and how we can identify risks. Social workers enhance their skills of discernment by understanding what propaganda is, how it works, its potential for harm, and how to work toward countering it.
Credit:1.5 CE
Speaker(s)
Terri Coalter, MSW, LCSW, Adjunct Instructor
Coalter’s professional experience includes child welfare, school social work, private practice with young adults, psychiatric gerontology, and social work education. Throughout her career, she has advocated for social workers to become more skilled in preventing avoidable harms to clients, and more cognizant in differentiating between industry-promoted medication and treatments, evidence-based data, and market-driven propaganda - both professional and popular.
Now semi-retired, she continues as an adjunct social work instructor and consultant for mental health concerns. She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration from the University of Mississippi and a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Session 105a: Policy Activism and Community Building for the Biden Era and Beyond
Overview
The U.S. has entered an unprecedented period of multiple and intersecting crises – health, economic, political, racial, and environmental. While the 2020 presidential election provided grounds for genuine relief, a Biden administration in and of itself offers little hope of reprieve from what might be accurately called the “long emergency” enveloping U.S. (and, to a great extent, global) society. Sustained professional social work engagement with every dimension of this extended emergency is absolutely vital.
This presentation will address two modes of possible social work engagement: 1. Social welfare policy activism, and 2. Localized community building. Policy activism is characterized as a step beyond traditional “advocacy,” with its emphasis on courting influence with elected and/or appointed officials to achieve incremental change, extending to more assertive forms of social movement oriented activism and citizen empowerment aimed at structural reforms. The community building mode features localized asset cultivation, political socialization of community members, and the formation of self-sustaining local networks of mutual aid and support.
Practical examples of each mode, with relevance and potential application to the Mississippi context, will be provided.
Credit:1.5 CE
Speaker(s)
Michael Forster, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Health, USM
Michael Forster, PhD, LCSW is professor of social work and dean emeritus of the College of Health at the University of Southern Mississippi. Before joining the USM faculty in 1994, Dr. Forster served for fourteen years as a direct service social worker, supervisor and administrator in Chicago child welfare organizations. He currently holds positions on several non-profit boards or leadership councils, including the Mississippi Public Health Institute, Mississippi United Campus Workers, and USA Dance, Inc. The author or co-author of more than 50 academic publications and a regular blogger, Dr. Forster is an advocate for the physical, psychological, cognitive, and community health benefits of both civic activism and social dancing.
Session 105b: Building an Anti-Racist Program: Strategizing toward racial inclusion, diversity, and equity (S.T.R.I.D.E.) at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
Overview
In May of 2020, shocked by the brutal killings of George Floyd, Botham Jean, Breonna Taylor and many others, the faculty of the USM School of Social Work set out to form a team (STRIDE) dedicated to examining how our program was addressing issues of racial inclusion, diversity and equity. A number of BSW, MSW and graduate assistant students also joined this team. Some things achieved by STRIDE, or in-progress, include the following: 1) listening sessions where invited BIPOC faculty, former students and faculty, community liaisons, field instructors and others within the USM community helped us to understand what our work should involve 2) a syllabus statement affirming our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity 3) design and implementation of a questionnaire for faculty, students, and field instructors 4) an LCSW led session for female BIPOC students, to discuss their feelings and concerns in a supported setting 5) focused curriculum and assignments 6) Student-led trainings, including video clips created by our students and faculty. This workshop will focus on lessons learned, challenges along the way and advice for others who are taking on the righteous and challenging task of attempting to make their workplaces, programs and schools more anti-racist.
Credit:1.5 CD
Speaker(s)
Karen Aderer, LMSW, USM, Social Work
Karen Aderer has taught at the USM School of Social Work since 2009. She has worked and served in many areas, including as a foster parent, grant writer, Director of Program Services for a children’s shelter, Board President and volunteer for Hancock County CASA, cultural competence and ethics trainer for numerous non-profits, Behavioral Health Therapist for the Bay-Waveland Schools, and co-founder of the Finding Harmony Nursing Home Project. She is a Common Cause Board Member and volunteered as a Legal Protest Observer for the Black Lives Matter Movement, for the Mississippi Center for Justice and the ACLU. She teaches many subjects, but has a special passion for the areas of Human Rights, Cultural Competence, and Ethics.
Jerome Kolbo, PhD, MSW, Director USM, Social Work
Dr. Kolbo is a Professor, Graduate Coordinator, and the Director of the School of Social Work at The University of Southern Miss. He was most recently the PI of the Women’s Health Care and Contraceptive Practices study.
Dr. Kolbo is the PI of numerous weighted, representative childhood obesity studies in Mississippi since 2003, including the biennial Child and Youth Prevalence of Obesity Study (CAYPOS) among public school students, prevalence of obesity among Head Start students, shifts in extreme weight distribution (underweight and severe obesity) among public school students, and perinatal factors associated with the prevalence of obesity among Pre-K (Pre-KOS) children in licensed child care facilities. Related studies include the economic impact of obesity in the south, public opinions on childhood obesity as a driving force for policy and intervention development, and evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of state legislation requiring schools to implement a number of local wellness policies and coordinated school health programs that are part of the Mississippi Healthy Student Act.
Dr. Kolbo was the PI of two evaluations of Sex-Related Education Policy and Practices in Mississippi. The purpose was to assess implementation of sex-related education policy, compare the findings of the two studies, and examine how sex-related education policies and practices affect adolescent sexual health.
Together with a multidisciplinary university team, Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, and local community stakeholders, Dr. Kolbo also received NIMHD funding through the Gulf States Health Policy Center in order to employ Community Based Participatory Research to examine policies and practices affecting adolescent sexual health.
Reginald Virgil, BSW - Student Presenter, Current MSW & Graduate Assistant, University of Southern Mississippi
Maddi Owen, BSW - Student Presenter, Current MSW & Graduate Assistant, University of Southern Mississippi
Darian Krasner, BSW - Student Presenter, Current MSW & Graduate Assistant, University of Southern Mississippi
Brian Beck, BSW - Student Presenter, Current MSW & Graduate Assistant, University of Southern Mississippi
Session 106: Mood and Self Care in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: Implications for Practice
Overview
This presentation discusses interventions provided by social workers that resulted in statistically significant improvements in both mental health and treatment plan adherence in adults with diabetes. Presenters will discuss details of the intervention, how mood impacts health behavior and important components of collaborative care.
Credit: 1.5 CE
Speaker(s)
Michelle Brazeal, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor, USM
Michelle Brazeal, PhD, LCSW joined the faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011. Prior to that time she served as the Program Director for an outpatient substance abuse education and treatment program, provided clinical services to at risk children in a residential setting and worked as both a research and grants manager. From 2013 - 2018 she worked as the Program Director for a grant funded integrated health program through the university. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor and the PI for a social work integration project in a medical clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Dr. Bret Blackmon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Social Work, USM
Dr. Bret Blackmon received his Ph.D. from the School of Social Work at Louisiana State University. He joined the faculty at The University of Southern Mississippi as an assistant professor in 2014. Blackmon has taught courses in human development, research methods, supervision and leadership, community development, and program evaluation. He has engaged in numerous research projects that have involved the juvenile justice system, disaster and mental health, and person-centered practices. Blackmon’s work experience in the field includes program development and evaluation for at-risk youth, multi systemic therapy for youth involved in the justice system, and case management for individuals with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.
Lauren Zakaras, DBH, LCSW, Field Coordinator, USM
Dr. Zakaras is the Field Education Coordinator/Instructor for the USM School of Social Work. She served as the Integrated Health Project Director where she collaborated with Forrest General’s Family Medicine Residency Program to implement social workers in primary care. Dr. Zakaras worked with the MS Integrated Health and Disaster Program in positions of Team Leader, Coordinator of Clinical Programs and Training, and Clinical Director.
