I am happy to report that we have had an infusion of new and younger members in the last year, and that we are welcoming six new board members who bring new skills, experience, energy and dedication to the board. We are offering new events, expanding member benefits, collaborating with other organizations and growing our Society.

This is an exciting time for us, as we will be increasing opportunities for leadership at both the state and local levels of the organization. The new board had its first meeting on September 16, and new action committees were formed. We hope all our members, new and old, will assume leadership positions. It’s an opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues, enhance your leadership skills, and actively participate in supporting our society’s mission, “To advance and promote the profession and practice of clinical social work.” Our members have a treasure trove of skills, experience and wisdom to share with each other and to pass on to new clinicians.

We have six districts (Fresno, Greater LA, Mid-Peninsula, Sacramento/Davis, San Diego, San Fernando Valley) that all provided interesting presentations last season and look forward to full agendas for the coming season. This past year our membership increased to 540 members, a quarter of whom were students and ASW’s, achieving our goal to bring in new social workers. An event that attracted many students was “The BBS Speaks,” a presentation on the licensing process given by Kim Madsen, Executive Officer of the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). This was offered in both San Diego and Los Angeles, where we had a successful collaboration with USC. An Emerging Professionals Symposium has been held the last three years in Sacramento, and this year will also be held in Los Angeles. The symposium is an opportunity for new graduates to present on a topic they have delved into and are passionate about, as they join the professional community and build their resumes.

As a result of our outreach to social work schools we had a record number of applicants for the Jannette Alexander Foundation (JAF) scholarship. A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to 3 candidates a year for clinical excellence. This year, so many outstanding candidates made it difficult for the committee to choose winners. (See page 26 and read about our winners in this newsletter.) The silent auction that was planned for September, has been postponed until the spring. We are starting to line up the items for the auction, if you have an item you would like to donate please contact Donna Dietz, CSCSW Administrator at info@clinicalsocialworkassociation.org. All donations to JAF are tax deductible.

The Greater Los Angeles District launched a Social Justice Book Club. They read The Bully Society: School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America’s Schools by Jessie Klein. The L.A. District presented a well-attended workshop on “How to Find a Job or Internship as a Clinical Social Worker” given by Dr. Chaz Austin, an expert in career training. The San Fernando Valley District collaborated with the San Fernando Valley Chapter of CAMFT to host “Uncovering Implicit Bias: Cultural Competency 2018."

For licensed members, CSCSW has scheduled four Law and Ethics Workshops this year: The conference in San Diego was held on October 7, 2018 and then another was held in Greater Los Angeles on October 20, 2018. Two upcoming conferences will be coming to Mid-Peninsula on December 1, 2018 and the last one will be in Sacramento in March.

CSCSW now has pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, and will shortly have an Instagram page. A closed Facebook Group for members only was also created and is a great way to connect with members across the state, hear about upcoming events, and get access to free interviews and webinars (coming soon).

To join the Facebook Group, visit: https://www.clinicalsocialworksociety.org/Facebook-Group

Goals

Our goals for this year include increasing communication with our members in order to know your priorities and interests. You will receive a link to a Member Survey shortly. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey so we can better meet your professional needs.

We plan to expand our digital offerings, including livestreaming District Meetings. In order to offer CEU’s for filmed presentations a post-test must be completed. Anyone interested in serving on a CEU Committee to create post-tests should contact me at monica@monicablauner.com

Increasing diversity within our membership is an ongoing goal. In order to better meet the needs of all our members we have updated our Member Profile information to include certain demographics. This information will be used in the Therapist Finder, located on the CSCSW website, which is a member directory that can be used by professionals and the public to find referrals. The updated Member Profile will also help to make appropriate matches in the Mentorship Program for those seeking professional guidance.

Please take a few minutes to update your member profile. All requested information is optional. Follow the steps below:

To Update Your Profile

1. Log on to the website (www.clinicalsocialworksociety.org) using your username and password
   
2. Click on your name in the upper right
   
3. Once your name is clicked your profile will open
   
4. Click EDIT PROFILE
   
5. Complete the questions in the profile
   
6. Hit SAVE on the bottom of the page
   

To Choose Privacy Settings - What is shown to others

Members can determine which information is available to viewers by editing their privacy settings to Anybody, Members (only), or No access.

1. To change your privacy settings - from your profile click the PRIVACY link
   
2. Make your selections
   
3. Hit SAVE on the bottom of the page.
   

If you have any questions, please email Donna Dietz, CSCSW Administrator (info@clinicalsocialworksociety.org) and she will call you to walk you through the steps. In your email please provide at least three time slots that you will be available and your contact phone number.

The Board

In order to be more inclusive and encourage the involvement of the new generation of clinical social workers, the board voted to change the Bylaws to allow students and ASW’s to serve on the board. Having younger board members will provide their important perspective in our outreach to new clinicians.

We had an outpouring of interest in serving on the board. There were many qualified candidates and it was difficult to choose among them. Consideration was given to skills, interests and diversity, as well as geographic location so all the districts would be represented. We want to thank all who applied, and encourage you to take advantage of other leadership positions.

I’m very happy to welcome six new members to the board: Malena Ally (San Fernando Valley), Roland Hsu (Mid-Peninsula), Jennifer Kulka (San Diego), Amanda Lee (San Diego), Robbie Limary-Kenobi (Sacramento), and Trish Yeh (Greater Los Angeles).

Thank you to the departing board members, Geri Goldmann, Eleanor Speakes, Chet Villalba, Natasha Singer, Karen Moorehead-Jenkins and Leilani Buddenhagen for your dedication and service to the society. I’d also like to acknowledge Donna Dietz, our administrator, without whom the Society would not function. She does a great job of managing the website and database, responding to members’ questions, sending out announcements and much more. On a personal note, I’d like to give special thanks to Leah Reider, our Past President, who is the longest serving board member. She successfully navigated CSCSW through difficult times to our current revitalization and has provided me with invaluable support.