National Conference on DSW Education and Social Work
April 17, 2026
Anchored in the Now: Leading Through the Present
Workshop Overview
Welcome to the fifth national conference dedicated to DSW education and social work! This year’s conference will take place virtually on April 17, 2026, via Zoom hosted by The University of Alabama. The conference is designed for prospective, current, and graduated DSW students as well as doctoral faculty and program directors. There will be discussions on the current landscape of DSW education, the career trajectories of DSW graduates, and networking opportunities for DSW students.
| Available Dates | April 17, 2026 |
| Time | 9:30 a.m.- 5:15 p.m. CST |
| Location | This workshop will be entirely virtual. The Zoom link will be sent out one week before the workshop’s start. |
| Workshop Fee | Students – $25 Professionals – $35. |
Request for Award Nominees
The following is a link to a survey that describes each award in detail. You can then nominate those who are most deserving. The deadline for Award Nomination is April 3, 2026.
2026 Schedule Coming Soon!
Please note that all times are in the Central time zone.
DSW 2025
| Time | Session | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks | |
| 9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Keynote Address: Dr. Carmen Reese Foster | |
| 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. | Break | |
| 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions | (Choose One) |
| Oral Presentation 1 Equity in Health Care | Do you have that in Black? Considering Patient-Provider Racial Concordance in Social Work, a call to action | |
| Taking on the Grand Challenge of Health Gap Closure: DSWs Working to Prevent Preventable Deaths | ||
| Empowering Social Workers to Close the Health Gap: Advancing Perinatal Mental Health Education in Social Work Programs | ||
| Oral Presentation 2 Professional Development and Challenges | Breaking Barriers in Social Work Licensure: Challenges, Equity, and Reform. A Look at Alabama Licensure Processes and ASWB Examination | |
| Leading Social Workers to Navigate the Uncharted Ethical Waters of Quiet Quitting | ||
| Bridging the Gap: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for BIPOC Men in Social Work | ||
| Oral Presentation 3 SW Education and Student Support | Empowering Generation Z in Social Work Education: Strengths-Based Strategies to Enhance Motivation, Attention, and Self-Belief | |
| Integrating Social Justice into the BSW Curriculum: Challenges and Opportunities | ||
| Gatekeeping in Social Work Education: How Students with Mental Health Needs are Impacted | ||
| Community, Curiosity, and Fun: Educator and students share their unique journey of discovery from a master’s level course on the DSM 5 TR | ||
| 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Break | |
| 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions | (Choose One) |
| Oral Presentation 4 DSW Education and Leadership | A Scoping Review of Capstone Requirements for DSW Programs | |
| “Navigating the Publication Journey: A Guide for Early-Career Social Work Academics.” | ||
| Preparing DSW students to become scholar-practitioner leaders of the future social work profession | ||
| Charting a Course for Connection: Strategies to Humanize Online DSW Education | ||
| Oral Presentation 5 SW Education and Anti-Racism | Transforming Competencies in Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: A Relational-Cultural Theory Approach in Social Work Education and Continuing Education | |
| Cultivating Liberatory Classrooms: Strategies for Relational, Anti-racist Teaching in Social Work Education | ||
| Preparing Social Workers to Address Racial Injury | ||
| School social work and anti-racist practices | ||
| Oral Presentation 6 Trauma-Informed Approaches | Healing Wounds in Cross-Cultural Therapy: An Integrative Approach for Adolescent Relational Trauma | |
| End Of Sentence (EOS)-Trauma Doesn’t Have to be Life Without Parole: Can incorporating trauma-informed care for incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals create pathways for healing and success? | ||
| Social Workers’ Perspectives of the Effectiveness of EMDR in Telehealth for PTSD Patients | ||
| Trauma Exposure: Are Social Workers Prepared? | ||
| 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Poster Sessions: | How Do Child Protective Service (CPS) Policies Keep Employees Safe: A Caseworker’s Perspective |
| Addressing Mental and Behavioral Health Issues Among the Youth | ||
| Bariatric Education and Wellness (B.E. Well): An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Postoperative Bariatric Psycho-Behavioral Intervention | ||
| Changing the Narrative: Evaluating the Impact of an Age-Positive Training Program in Healthcare | ||
| Engaging Undocumented Parents in Their Children’s Educational Career Through Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts | ||
| Social Workers’ Utilization of Wellness Plans to Reduce Readmissions | ||
| Child Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders | ||
| Empowering Social Work Students for Leadership: Building Bridges Between Education and Practice | ||
| Wellness Base Approach to Treatment: Just Practice Framework | ||
| Charting Progress: Measurement-Based Care for Leadership, Accountability, and Improved Outcomes | ||
| Sexual Healing in Social Work Education | ||
| Combatting Social Isolation in Uniform: Creating Connection with Design Thinking | ||
| Framework Analysis: Integrating Illness Management and Recovery to Improve Employment Outcomes in Outpatient Mental Health Care | ||
| Families Grow: Decreasing Barriers for Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluations In Children Under Three Years To Expedite Early Interventions | ||
| Charting a Course Through the Fog: Defining Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion and Empathy Fatigue, Vicarious Trauma, and Burnout in Trauma-Exposed Work for Mental Health Professionals | ||
| Healing Together: Navigating Shared Trauma, Self-Care, and Supervision for QTPOC Clinicians | ||
| 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions | (Choose One) |
| Oral Presentations 7 LGBTQ+ and Gender Studies | Mental Health Outcomes for GBTQ Men: A Determinants Approach | |
| LGBTQIA+ Spaces: Moving Past Performative Allyship and Into Affirming Social Work Practices | ||
| Building Inclusive Seminars: Centering the Needs of LGBTQIA+ Social Work Students | ||
| Masculine Change Theory (MCT): A Framework for Transforming Masculinity in Social Work Education and Practice | ||
| Oral Presentations 8 Innovation in Practice | Piloting Equine- and Nature-Assisted Learning in Social Work Education: Advancing Non-Verbal, Experiential and Somatic Competencies | |
| 9B. Earth-Centered Theory: Challenge to Conceptualization of Environment and the Earth in Social Work | ||
| 9C. Can Libraries Be Liberatory Spaces? Compassionate Crisis Intervention and Re-Imagining Security in the Public Library | ||
| 9D. Enhancing Social Interaction, Inclusion, and Equity: The Role of Assistance Dogs and Addressing the Impact of Loss | ||
| Oral Presentations 9 SW Education | Approaches to Teaching Social Justice | “Social Justice and the Role of Social Work Educators: Inspiring the Next Generation” | |
| 10B. Integrating Afrocentric Theatre and Storytelling into Social Work Education for Empowerment and Social Justice | ||
| 10C. Professor-in-Environment: Ethics, Advocacy, and Anti-Racist Practices in Social Work Education | ||
| 10D. Integrating Social Justice into the BSW Curriculum: Challenges and Opportunities | ||
| 3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions | (Choose One) |
| Oral Presentations 10 Expanding Access to MH Care | Unpacking the Layers: The Adultification of Black Girls and Its Impact on Access to Education and Mental Health Services | |
| 11B. Supporting Staff and the Community Following Mass Tragedy | ||
| 11C. Conceptualizing Substance Abuse Treatment for Those with Mild and Borderline Intellectual Disabilities | ||
| Oral Presentations 11 SW Education- Wellness and Self-Care Approaches | Establishing A Foundation of Holistic Wellness: A Feasibility Study of Self-Care Practices & Self-Compassion Among BSW Practicum Students | |
| 12B. Prioritizing Innovative Self-Care in Social Work Education | ||
| 12C. Gatekeeping in Social Work Education: How Students with Mental Health Needs are Impacted | ||
| 12D. Upholding JEDI Practices by Applying Trauma-Informed Supervision in Social Work Practicum Education | ||
| Oral Presentations 12 Cultural Competency and Service | This Ain’t Cupcake Island: Navigating False Hopes and Social Work’s Role with Undocumented Latinx Immigrants | |
| 13B. “Breaking Barriers: Tackling Cultural and Systemic Challenges in Latinx Mental Health Access” | ||
| 13C. Colorless Care: The Role of Cultural Competence in Social Work | ||
| 13D. The Role of Social Workers in Addressing Social Work Grand Challenges through Culturally Adaptive Parenting for Black Families | ||
Registration
The student registration fee is $25 and the professional registration fee is $35.
Special Accommodation Requests
The University of Alabama is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requests for accommodation of physical and/or dietary needs should be made at least 30 calendar days in advance of the program date. Please email your request to professionaldevelopment@ua.edu.
Need our STAARS Vendor Number? Please use VC000118827 for UA Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
A portion of the invoice amount for this program will go to the Capstone Lifelong Learning Foundation to support activities of The University of Alabama and the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
Cancellation Policy
A cancellation charge of 100% of the registration fee will be assessed on cancellations occurring within seven (7) days of the start of this session. Refunds will not be granted after the program has begun. The University of Alabama reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or combine class sections, to limit registration, or to change instructors. Contact the Registration Services department at 205-348-3000 or registration_services@ua.edu to cancel your registration. View the OTIDE Cancellation Policy.
Sponsorship Opportunities
As a sponsor or exhibitor of the CTF Grantee Training, your business will reach a targeted and engaged audience interested in learning and developing their toolbox. Select the option that best fits your needs.
Individual Sponsorship Options
- Participant contact list: $100
- Logo on conference materials: $150
- Virtual conference booth: $250
Sponsorship Packages
Silver Sponsorship: $200 ($50 savings)
- Participant contact list
- Logo on conference materials
Gold Sponsorship: $300 ($200 savings)
- Participant contact list
- Logo on conference materials
- Virtual conference booth
2026 Conference Sponsors Coming Soon!
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Questions about the event?
Contact Doreena Mink for more information.
