Six Great Continuing Education Opportunities for Social Workers

Social workers change people’s futures. To do this requires the utmost in dedication, including continuous professional development.

If you are a social worker, you already know that almost everyone who chooses to work in the field of social work enter it with considerable compassion and then add to it considerable expertise in a wide range of areas in order to serve the whole client.

On top of that, social workers continue to add to that expertise throughout their career in order to continue to offer the best services possible. Such continuing education is also a requisite for maintaining licenses, as those already in the social work profession know. Each year social workers can choose from a wide variety of learning opportunities to broaden their perspectives and enhance their skills.

Continuing Education Courses for Social Work

At times, it makes sense to choose to deepen your expertise in a particular area, and at other times you might want to take a look at a new issue to provide a fresh outlook. Here are just a few of the topics that you might want to consider as you plan your own continuing education agenda for the coming year. Check with your licensing board to make sure that any given program fulfills their requirements before registering.

1. Crisis intervention. For strategies and tools for working in crisis situations.

2. Stress management. Understanding the causes of stress and coping mechanisms.

3. Hypnotherapy. Using hypnosis to work with therapy clients.

4. Hospice and palliative care. Providing care for terminal illnesses.

5. Grief counseling. Understanding grief and providing support to adults and children.

6. Meditation. Learning the value of meditation and techniques for self and client.

The Convenience of Distance Learning

Given the demanding nature of the social worker’s day, on line courses have become a mainstay for providing some of the necessary continuing education credits that licensed social workers need in order to maintain their status.

The National Social Workers Association even offers some free web-based courses to its members. There is a caveat, naturally—not all state licensing boards will accept the CEU credits from non-moderated distance learning programs. Many other institutions do offer moderated options that will fulfill the requirement—check with your own board.

One of the things I hear most from social workers who continue to update their expertise is that they gain both personally as well as professionally from the learning experience. Those who learn to navigate through crises with clients, teach stress coping and meditative techniques, etc., find themselves benefitting from such practices as well.