Social Work听Seminars
Boston College Continuing Education, in collaboration with the School of Social Work, offers a series of intensive seminars on critical and leading-edge topics with current experts in the field of social work.
听Target Audience:听Intended for new and experienced social workers looking for comprehensive and up-to-date trainings on key issues in the field of social work.
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Fall 2025
Social Work听Seminars - Online
September 9 - December 4, 2025
(See dates and times below)
- Online participants are required to have a computer with video and audio capability.
- Participants must create a Zoom account in advance according to Boston College security requirements.
- All programs offered online via Zoom will be delivered live and will not be recorded unless stated otherwise.
- These programs have a maximum capacity to allow for participant engagement. Register early to avoid disappointment!
Registration deadline: Seminar registration will close at midnight two business days prior to each seminar.
Seminar A:听Beyond The Spiral: Diagnosis and Treatment of OCD and Anxiety Disorders
Online via Zoom 鈥� 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch break)听(4 hours; 4 CEUs - Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Racism)
Instructor: Jayme M. Valdez, LMHC
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and undertreated, leaving clinicians frustrated and clients stuck in cycles of worry, fear, and compulsive avoidance. This interactive seminar will equip clinicians to confidently differentiate OCD from anxiety disorders (GAD, panic, phobias) and navigate complex diagnostic overlaps, including autism and delusional disorders.
Participants will gain an overview of evidence-based interventions with practical applications, emphasizing Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The seminar will also cover adjunctive treatments such as medication management, OTC supplements, and emerging interventions like psychedelics, dTMS, and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Attendees will leave with solution-focused, brief interventions ready to apply immediately in diverse clinical settings.
Learning Objectives:
1.听Participants will differentiate between OCD, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum presentations, psychotic/delusional disorders, and other psychiatric conditions to improve diagnostic accuracy.
2.听Participants will describe the core principles of Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders.
3.听Participants will identify solution-focused, brief interventions that clinicians can apply immediately to support client progress in both short-term and ongoing treatment settings.
4 Hours
Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 4
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Seminar B:听Family in Flux: Help Clients Navigate Divorce and Restructure with Intention
Online via Zoom 鈥� 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.听(3 hours; 3 CEUs)
Instructor: Ben Stich, Mediator, LICSW, MEd
Divorce can feel like the end of a family鈥攂ut for social workers, it鈥檚 a chance to help clients reshape what family looks like moving forward. This interactive seminar offers tools to support clients through the emotional upheaval of divorce and the stress of decision-making and negotiation. We鈥檒l review divorce basics and common process options so clinicians can help clients make informed choices without giving legal advice. Participants will learn how to support clients through the grief and opportunities that accompany divorce, guide parents in reducing harm to their children, and offer practical strategies to improve co-parenting. With a focus on both loss and possibility, this session equips social workers to support families in flux with clarity, compassion, and confidence.
Learning Objectives:
1.听Participants will learn the most important protective factors for children whose parents are separating or divorcing.
2.听Participants will learn at least three practical strategies they can teach parents to support collaborative co-parenting.
3.听Participants will be able to identify key questions to ask clients going through divorce to support informed and intentional decision-making.
3 Hours
Course Fee: $75
CEUs: 3
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Seminar C:听Post-Traumatic Growth: Deepening Skills to Help Clients Heal
Online via Zoom 鈥� 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch break)听(4 hours; 4 CEUs)
Instructor: Victoria Grinman
Post-traumatic growth (PTG) represents positive psychological change occurring in some who suffered trauma. You can be the expert companion on a journey with your clients to find new meaning of their traumatic experience as well as purpose in life.
In this seminar, you will gain an understanding of the brain-mind dyad, the role of mindfulness, the latest research pertaining to PTG, and clinical interventions you can begin incorporating into your work now to promote your clients鈥� journey towards healing and growth. You will learn how to listen for growth in your client鈥檚 language that you might otherwise miss and you will know how to share the possibility of growth at just the right times in the therapeutic journey.
Learning Objectives:
1.听Participants will understand the definition of PTG and how it pertains to clients in clinical and non-clinical settings.
2.听Participants will understand the findings of research about PTG.
3.听Participants will utilize 3 strategies for helping to facilitate PTG in clinical work and interactions with clients.
4 Hours
Course Fee: $100
CEUs: 4
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Seminar D:听Make Your Private Practice More Sustainable
Online via Zoom 鈥� 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch break)听(4 hours; 4 CEUs)
Instructor: Katie Silversmith, MSW, LCSW
With the ongoing mental health crisis in our country, the demand for therapy has never been higher. At the same time, burnout rates among clinicians are soaring, and social workers are leaving the field at alarming rates. Most clinicians in private practice have had little to no guidance or education on how to structure or run their business, particularly in a way that aims to reduce feelings of burnout. In this seminar we will cover the basic principles and practical strategies for making your private practice more sustainable so you can continue your life-changing work for years to come. This seminar is ideal for therapists who currently own their private practice or those who are contemplating opening one in the future.
Learning Objectives:
1.听Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the converging crises of soaring demand for mental health services, clinician burnout, and lack of clinician training on running a sustainable business.
2.听Participants will gain an understanding of how to filter their private practice business decisions through a lens of sustainability.
3.听Participants will learn practical branding, marketing, financial, operations, and growth strategies they can use to make their private practice more sustainable.
4 Hours
Course Fee: $100
CEUs: 4
Seminar E:听Pursuing Racial Justice
Online via Zoom 鈥� 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.听(3 hours; 3 CEUs - Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Racism)
Instructor: Qur-an Webb, LMSW
This seminar will explore implicit bias and the distinctions between equality and equity, with a focus on identifying and implementing equitable practices. Participants will develop skills to engage in constructive discussions about race within their workplace, among colleagues, and with the communities they serve. Additionally, attendees will gain practical strategies and actionable next steps for advancing racial equity in their professional and organizational environments.
Learning Objectives:
1.听Participants will identify and implement equitable practices within their professional environments.
2.听Participants will develop skills to engage in constructive discussions about race in the workplace and with colleagues, organizations, and constituents.
3.听Participants will identify actionable next steps to advance racial equity in their professional roles.
3 Hours
Course Fee: $75
CEUs: 3
Social Work Workshop Instructors
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General
Admission
2-hour program: $50
3-hour program: $75
4-hour program: $100
6-hour program: $150
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Discounted
Admission
2-hour program: $25
3-hour program: $40
4-hour program: $50
6-hour program: $75
Current 天美传媒appSSW students and recent
天美传媒appSSW graduates (2021-2025)
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Free
Admission
天美传媒appSSW faculty and staff who need to maintain a license.
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General Information:
You must be at least 18 years old to participate in the Social Work Seminars. All sales are final; we are not able to offer refunds. Registrations may not be transferred to another person or to another seminar, course, workshop, or program.听听
Online registration is required to participate in a seminar. General or Discounted Admission tuition for each seminar is to be paid by debit or credit card. Registrations will be processed upon receipt of payment. Payment is due in full in order to enroll.
These seminars are approved for CEUs for Social Workers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. They meet the requirements for Continuing Education Hours established by the State Board of Social Worker Licensure in Maine. If your state is not listed, please check with your local state licensing board to ensure the seminar meets state requirements prior to registering.
The has adopted a policy that requires licensees to complete continuing education (鈥淐E鈥�) in anti-racism and anti-discrimination to meet CE obligations.
听听听听听听听听Licensees must complete the following CE each licensing cycle:
听听听听听听听听1. Two (2) CE hours in anti-racism with a focus on oppression, and
听听听听听听听听2. One (1) CE hour in anti-discrimination, addressing oppression because of ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or 听听听听听听听听expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and/or mental or physical ability.
Boston College Continuing Education is required to ensure attendance to award CEUs. Participants must attend the complete program(s) they register for to receive CEUs; we are not able to award partial CEUs. Those who arrive late, leave early, or do not attend the entire program will be unable to receive CEUs.
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Getting to Campus
Parking is available at the nearby Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue Garages. Discounted parking passes are available upon registration.
Boston College is also accessible via public transportation (MBTA B Line - Boston College).