California Society for Clinical Social Work

Professional Development | Advocacy | Connection

Upcoming events

  • ADOLESCENT GROUP THERAPY (SFV District)

    • Sunday, August 12, 2018
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • The Sherman Oaks Galleria | 15301 Ventura Blvd. (Sherman Oaks (intersection of 405 and 101 freeways)
    • 27
    Register

    Presenters: Elaine Leader, Ph.D., CGP, LFAGPA and Miguel Ramiez, LCSW, BCD

    SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION: This presentation will focus on all aspects of adolescent group psychotherapy including: forming and starting a group, maintaining a group, co-therapy relationship issues, and adjunctive therapy and contacts. A video will be shown to demonstrate group process and a former adolescent group member will speak about how the group impacted her.

    LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

    1. List 3 important ground rules for adolescent group members.
    1. Identify 3 most common behaviors used by adolescents.
    1. Apply 2 strategies to ensure a productive co-therapy relationship.
    ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
    • The Sherman Oaks Galleria Community room (at Sepulveda and Ventura Blvds.) --  The Sherman Oaks Galleria Community Room is located at 15301 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
    • (The Community Room is located on the 1st level near the Cheesecake Factory and beyond the Paul Mitchell and ATM).
    • VALIDATION FOR ALL DAY FREE PARKING will be given to the first 60 people at the meeting.

    Dr. Leader received her MSW from UCLA and her Ph.D. from The Sanville Insttute where she was a founding year member. She was Coordinator of Adolescent Group Psychotherapy Training in the Department of Psychiatry at CedarsSinai from 1972-1998 and where she and Miguel Ramirez were co-therapists of an adolescent group for over 14 years. She has been in private practice since 1970 where she led an adolescent group from 1975-2017. She is currently Founder at the Center for the Study of Young People/TEEN LINE and was its Executive Director from 1981-2015. TEEN LINE, affiliated with Cedars-Sinai, is a teen-to-teen hotline with an extensive community outreach program that includes educational videos, brochures and the widely-acclaimed Youth Yellow Pages. A website, www.teenlineonline.org offers a teen-to-teen Message Board and a wide range of educational offerings. Dr. Leader is currently Chairperson of the Legacy Advisory Board of the Group Psychotherapy Association of Los Angeles. She is also a consultant to law enforcement, adolescent-serving agencies and the media.

    Drleader3@gmail.com Phone: 310-277-6279

    Miguel Ramirez, LCSW received his MSW from UCLA in 1972. He played a major role from 1973-1975 running both adolescent and multi-family groups for the Girls’ Family Treatment Program, Los Angeles County Probation Department. In 1974, he did clinical training through NIMH for the Nicaraguan government post-earthquake disaster. From 1978-1992, he co-led an Adolescent group with Dr. Elaine Leader in the Department of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Miguel was a Co-founder of the Center for the Study of Young People/TEEN LINE for which he continues to provide clinical back-up for the hotline service. From 1975-2012 Miguel had extensive group experience in the Adult Outpatient Department of the Thalians Mental Health Clinic at Cedars-Sinai, working with young adults, the chronically ill and for the Partial Hospitalization program. Miguel has also participated as a mitigation expert for California death penalty cases since 1991 to the present. He has done private practice and provided supervision and consultation while at the Thalians Community Mental Health Center.

    Mhramirezlcsw@sbcglobal.net Phone: 818-223-7650

      LOCATION AND PARKING INFORMATION:  

      COORDINATORS:

      Tanya Moradians Ph.D, LCSW 818 783-1881 or tmoradia@ucla.edu

      Gloria Gesas, LCSW 818 990-1053 or gegesaslcsw@gmail.com

      ATTENDANCE AND CEU INFORMATION: All are welcome and may attend at minimal charge. Members and students are encouraged to attend for free. Members earn 2.0 CE credits at no cost. Non-members are charged $10 attendance fee. Credits for non-members is $20 for 2.0 CE credits.

      All disciplines are welcome. Members and students are encouraged to attend for free. Members earn 2.0 CE credits at no cost. Beginning March 1st, non-members will be charged a $10 fee for admission and $20 a unit for 2 CEUs. BBS has approved CEUs for LCSW, LMFT,LPCC.

      Light refreshments are provided. Bring your flyers, brochures and business cards for networking and socializing. ASWs and Interns with the approval of your supervisors, can use these educational credits toward your hours.

      To register and to sign up for membership or for more information contact info@clinicalsocialworksociety.org or Call 650 460-9210.

      Online RSVPs are preferred

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    1. The Missed Disorder Hiding in Your Therapy Room— Might it be Asperger’s?

      • Thursday, September 06, 2018
      • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
      • Jewish Family Service 8788 Balboa lAve. San Diego, CA 92123
      Register

      Presenter: Kathleen Rapp, LCSW

      Description: 

      This presentation will challenge your assumptions regarding Asperger’s or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) that in its more mild manifestations can be extremely difficult to diagnose. Regardless of the clientele you serve, a certain percentage of your clients are likely to either have undiagnosed ASD or are dealing with a family member on the spectrum.

      ASD is often incorrectly diagnosed as ADHD, OCD or narcissistic PD, but the etiology and treatment are very different. Even though there are often overlapping symptoms, correct diagnosis is critical.

      This presentation will provide an introduction and overview of the issues surrounding the sometimes “invisible disorder” of high-functioning autism.

      Learning Objectives:
      • Understand what high-functioning autism is and is not.
      • Know what to look for with clients and understand why it is so often misdiagnosed.
      • Gain awareness of modifications in therapeutic techniques which are essential to more effectively helping these clients.
      • Understand and appreciate the significant impact of high-functioning autism on family members.

      About the Presenter: 

      Kathleen Rapp, LCSW, received her MSW from West Virginia University. In private practice in Solana Beach since 1994, she has had a long-standing interest in autism. It has become the major portion of her practice in the last five years, and she currently mentors other therapists new to working with high-functioning autism.

      In addition to working with individuals and couples, she facilitates support groups for spouses and partners of people on the autism spectrum.

      PLEASE NOTE NEW TIME - 6:00-8:00 PM

      CEUs: 1.5 CEU hours for LCSW’.s, MFT’, and LPC’s. Note: Registered Associate Clinical Social Workers -- as long as your supervisor approves participation, you can now use CEs toward LCSW hours

      The San Diego Chapter of CSCSW holds its meetings on the first Thursday of the month from September through June  from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Jewish Family Service building, 8788 Balboa Avenue in Kearny Mesa. Meetings begin with a half hour of mingling, networking, and community building, followed by our program. CEU programs meet the requirements for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs as specified by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; CEUs are FREE to our members.

      District Main Point of Contact: Ros Goldstein | Email: goldsiegel@gmail.com

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    2. Better Safe Than Sorry: The Law and Ethics of Clinical Documentation (LA District)

      • Saturday, September 08, 2018
      • 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
      • 1110 S. Shenandoah St., Rec. Room Los Angeles, CA 90035 (RESIDENTIAL LOCATION)
      Register

      Presenter: Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

      Description: 

      This presentation will provide an overview of some of the serious (and preventable) liability issues therapists face and may not even know it, regardless of whether you are in private practice or work in an agency. Do you know what Best Practice is, in relation to progress notes and treatment plans? So often, we therapists get so caught up returning phone calls and responding to client emergencies that our clinical documentation takes a backseat.

      Better Safe Than Sorry: The Laws & Ethics of Clinical Documentation is a comprehensive presentation that is geared at increasing your understanding of the liability factors that come into play with your clinical documentation, as well as improving your documentation practices in order to keep you, your clients, and your practice safe. This presentation also offers clinicians insight about how integrating Medical Necessity into documentation practices can both improve the quality of care you provide and improve the authorizations granted by third‐party payers like managed care companies.

      Learning Objectives:

      This course is designed for psychotherapists (both in private practice and agency environments) who provide care to individuals who have behavioral health disorders. This presentation will cover the following topics:

      • Some common ways in which therapists unknowingly put themselves at risk in relation to documentation practices
      • Best Practice with regards to clinical documentation and how it influences client engagement and treatment outcomes
      • Strategies for clinicians about how to conceptualize Medical Necessity and Best Practice and integrate them into different clinical documentation components

      Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

      1. List three or more legal and ethical implications of inadequate clinical documentation practices
      2. Identify three or more key components of quality clinical documentation
      3. List two or more definitions for the term 'Medical Necessity'
      About the Presenter: 

      Elizabeth Irias is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with specializations in Utilization Review and Quality Assurance, and also the founder of Clearly Clinical , an online behavioral health Continuing Education program. As a consultant and trainer, Beth works closely with clinical teams across the country to improve their quality of care, documentation practices, and utilization review outcomes. She also operates a private practice in Westlake Village, CA, where she provides therapy to adolescent/young adult clients, members of the LGBT population, and those with addictive disorders. A previous graduate professor at Pepperdine University, Beth is a skilled professional public speaker and presenter. She is an approved Continuing Education provider with CAMFT, CCAPP, and CPA, which allows her to offer relevant and engaging Continuing Education opportunities to California therapists, social workers, addiction counselors, and psychologists.

      CEUs: 2.0 CEU hours for LCSW’.s, MFT’, and LPC’s. Note: Registered Associate Clinical Social Workers -- as long as your supervisor approves participation, you can now use CEs toward LCSW hours

      NOTE: This workshop is NOT the 6-hour Law and Ethics training required by the BBS for Licensed Social Workers. As of 2018, there have been updates to the NASW Code of Ethics. To meet the 6-hour Law and Ethics training requirement and learn more about the updates to the NASW Code of Ethics, register for the law and ethics training provided by CSCSW on Oct. 20th, 2018. Click here to register for Law & Ethics training. 

      Parking: In addition to street parking, two kosher markets, Glatt Mart and Elat, have given permission to use their parking spaces, behind their stores on Saturdays. They are both located on Pico Blvd, between Wooster and Shenandoah Streets. If you park in their lots, (on the South side of Pico) cross to the North side of Pico, and walk one long block north on Shenandoah St. to 1110 S. Shenandoah.

      District Coordinators:

      Nadia Aquino | nadiaaquino89@gmail.com (Greater LA District Coordinator)
      Lizabeth Thompson | lizabeth.thompson.msw@gmail.com (Greater LA District Coordinator)

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    3. Benefit Fundraiser for Jannette Alexander Foundation

      • Saturday, September 22, 2018
      • 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
      • 350 Amber Drive, San Francisco, CA
      Register

      The California Society for Clinical Social Work Invites You to a

      Fundraiser Benefitting the Jannette Alexander Foundation

      Silent Auction, Entertainment, Food, Wine, and Fun

      SCHOLARSHIP CAN CHANGE A LIFE!

      We hope you share this fundraiser event
      with colleagues and friends - Click here for the flyer

      The Jannette Alexander Foundation is a subsidiary non-profit education foundation of the California Society for Clinical Social Work. Each year the JAF Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to graduating MSW students from any California accredited graduate program for excellence in clinical work. We need to replenish the scholarship fund in order to continue to give scholarships to deserving applicants.

      Many items to bid on include: Personal services, stays in vacation homes, art work, theater performances, Restaurants, jewelry, gift certificates, and more

      Please register online.  Walk-ins welcome. Invite your friends. Cash or checks only at the door, please.

      If you are unable to attend the fundraising event but would like to send in a donation, click here for an online donation form.

      Click here to learn more about our 2018 JAF Recipients
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    4. Law and Ethics: Navigating the Waters in Current Clinical Practice

      • Saturday, October 06, 2018
      • 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
      • Jewish Family Service 8788 Balboa lAve. San Diego, CA 92123
      Register

      Presenter: Marci W. Siegel, MSW, LCSW

      Course Description:

      This interactive and challenging course will identify, explore, and analyze professional issues related to standard of care, liability, risk management, and scope of practice in clinical practice. The course will focus on the most recent laws, regulations and ethical standards affecting the practice of psychotherapy in California and will address changes in mandated reporting requirements, confidentiality, privileged communication, informed consent, assessing and managing high-risk issues, telehealth, minors in treatment, and other practice issues. Additional topics will include understanding the new NASW Code of Ethics, professional boundary issues related to ethical practice, competence, and ethical decision-making.

      Learning Objectives:

      Participants will:

      1. Examine developments and legal updates in California law, statutes, and regulations, and analyze how these laws direct clinical practice.
      2. Identify professional issues impacting practice with clients, e.g. confidentiality and privileged communication legal concepts, duty to protect, mandated reporting laws, high-risk issues, and minors in treatment and consent.
      3. Identify scope of practice and competence, standard of care, professional accountability, therapeutic boundaries, and liability practices to increase consistent quality practice.
      4. Explore culturally sensitive ethical approaches in assessment and treatment when working with diverse populations.
      5. Explore ethical standards and decision-making in critical thinking application and evaluation, including addressing today’s technologies, telehealth, and social media.

      Instructional Methods:

      Workshop will include lecture, case law and case vignettes, audience discussion and interaction, professional relationship questionnaires, video clips illustrating laws and ethical situations.

      Through various didactic exercises, and challenging interactions, participants will evaluate their own professional practice, boundaries, and ethical issues.

      Note: Course is designed to meet license renewal requirement for continuing education in law and ethics for California BBS licensees.

      CEUs: 6.0 hours

      About the Presenter:

      Marci W. Siegel, LCSW, ACSW has more than 44 years of social work experience, in both clinical and administrative practice and has served in the position as full-time faculty for the San Diego State University (SDSU) School of Social Work since 1993. She has taught twenty-two various courses in advanced clinical practice, human behavior, assessment and DSM, administration-community development and was the Director of Field Education at SDSU for seventeen years.

      Her prior clinical and administrative experiences include psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults in behavioral health services and health settings; providing clinical supervision and training for hundreds of interns and fellows in varying professional disciplines. She maintained a private practice for over 24 years, providing individual, group and family therapy and organizational analysis consultation. Also Ms. Siegel has worked with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) since 1981, serving as a Subject Matter Expert, Oral Commissioner, and School of Social Work Liaison.

      Location Information: Jewish Family Service, 8788 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92123

      Parking: Unlimited parking lots in front of both 8788 & 8804 Balboa

      Contact: Ros Goldstein, LCSW, goldsiegel@gmail.com

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    5. Legal and Ethical Considerations in Clinical Practice

      • Saturday, October 20, 2018
      • 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
      • Homeless Health Care Los Angeles | 2330 Beverly Blvd., 2nd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90057
      • 33
      Register

      Greater LA District

      Presenter: Pamela H. Harmell, Ph.D

      Description: This workshop addresses therapist responsibility to ensuring patient welfare in all aspects of practice. Participants will learn to deal with ethical dilemmas such as (1) Domestic Violence, assessment and detection, legal issues related to child abuse and custody issues.(2) when therapist values conflict with patient values (highlighting two precedent setting legal cases), (3) suicide assessment (now required by BOP) including the opioid crisis and suicide, (4) current ethical standard of care in the world of technology, Skype, FaceTime, texting, social media and HIPAA compliance, (5 Subpoenas and court orders.. Literature updates, along with relevant Codes of Ethics and current expert opinion will be included in all areas of discussion. This program reviews current research findings and knowledge that inform the practice of ethical and legal practice.

      About the Presenter: Dr. Pamela Harmell is a national lecturer specializing in legal and ethical issues in clinical practice. She is a Professor at the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology and has written extensively in professional publications on ethical practice and has formally studied law. She is the Past President of the Board of Psychology. Dr. Harmell is former Chair of the California State Ethics Committee, is the current Chair of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association Ethics Committee. She served on the Board of Directors of the California Psychological Association and is Past President of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.

      Learning objectives:

        Participants will:

        1. Be able to understand the difference between personal and professional values and how to maintain “value neutrality” with regard to cultural competence.
        2. Learn updates the SAD PERSONS method of assessing suicidal behavior.
        3. Identify and increase awareness of legal and ethical issues related to teletherapy, technology and social media in clinical practice including SKYPE, FaceTime and the like.
        4. Gain awareness the connection between suicide and the opioid crisis including social media influences.
        5. Learn ethical and appropriate use of cyber therapy and social media.
        6. Learn updates under SB 543 about treating minors without parental consent.

        PARKING: There is ample street parking. There is limited parking inside the lot of the building. If you prefer to park in the lot, arrive early to have staff open the gate. Contact Lizabeth Thompson at (818) 357-4989.

        ACCESSIBILITY: The building does not have an elevator and you must take the stairs to get to the meeting room. If you require accommodations, please reach out to the district coordinators to discuss if accommodations can be met. You can call Nadia Aquino at (323) 362-4864 or Lizabeth Thompson at (818) 357-4989. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience.

        CEUs: 6.0 hours

        CONTACT:

        Nadia Aquino | nadiaaquino89@gmail.com (Greater LA District Coordinator)
        Lizabeth Thompson | lizabeth.thompson.msw@gmail.com (Greater LA District Coordinator)

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      1. Law & Ethics | SAVE THE DATE (Mid-Peninsula)

        • Saturday, December 01, 2018
        • 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
        • Homeless Health Care Los Angeles | 2330 Beverly Blvd., 2nd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90057
        • 40

        Save the Date more information will be posted as it becomes available

        Presenter: Thomas G. Plante

        CEUs: 6

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      CSCSW | P.O. Box 60937, Palo Alto, CA 94306

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