In This Issue | December 2025 |
| Upcoming events
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To the Members of the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work,
During this holiday season, I want to extend wishes for a Happy Hanukkah, A Merry Christmas, A Happy Kwanzaa, and A Happy Bodhi Day. As we begin to look towards the New Year, I reflect on the year that was. Members gathered to meet and mingle at the Membership Cocktail Party on September 10. This was one of what I hope will be many events where we come together in person in 2024 to renew the bond of human kindness. The 2023 Legislation & Advocacy Brunch was held on September 9 at Maggiano’s Little Italy where attendees received an in-depth training on the Social Work Compact and answered the call to advocate for its passage by contacting their state legislators and Boards of Social Work. On October 7, the Social Justice and Education Branch presented speaker Candace Oglesby on Healing Racial Trauma. A Communications Workgroup was established to examine membership concerns related to transparency, and improved communication. The new year brings even more training and workshop opportunities for members, including the biennial ethics workshop featuring Frederic G. Reamer, PhD. The Society continues to move forward on the continuum of Anti-racism and Social Justice. I encourage everyone to take part in the events of next year, including two Town Hall meetings, and numerous training opportunities.
In what is one of the most joyous times of the year, it is no secret to any of us that the world is in a moment of global turmoil, we are all experiencing in some form. During moments like these, we seek to find remedies in any and all ways that we know how. I again encourage everyone to practice some self-care and take time to do things and be with those that make us happy and whole. I ask that we remember our mission as Social Workers, and the benefits we provide to our clients and others with our knowledge and humanity. Remember that ours is a community of diverse backgrounds sharing in the professional endeavor of Social Work. Let us continue to foster a feeling of connection and the sense that ours is a Society for everyone.
Thank you for your support of me and the Society!
Karla Abney, GWSCSW President
member updates
Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, LCSW, CGP was elected President of the New Jersey Society for Clinical Social Work as part of a Board in the process of revitalization. He hopes to make significant improvements in the coming year! Jonathan is grateful for the opportunity to continue membership in GWSCSW, maintaining a connection with his DMV colleagues.
Jerusha Hull is excited to share that her new book, There’s a Fourth Trimester?!, is officially available on Amazon. This step-by-step guide is designed to help expectant and new parents understand what the postpartum period really looks like, identify early signs of postpartum mood challenges, and build a support system that truly helps them thrive—not just survive. Drawing from evidence-based practices and over 13 years of clinical experience in perinatal mental health, this workbook offers practical tools, communication strategies, and real-world guidance to make the fourth trimester feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Legislation & Advocacy | DC
Adele Natter, Chair, DC Legislation and Advocacy Committee
Social Work Compact in DC: With the efforts of our lobbyist, the Compact legislation was introduced in October by Council Member Robert White. It was co-sponsored by Trayon White, Anita Bonds and Brooke Pinto. While this is a great achievement and milestone for us, it is just the first of several steps in the DC legislative process. We will need members’ help to get to the goal of the Compact becoming law in DC!
License Renewals: As you probably know by now, the Director changed the renewal system to align with each licensee’s month of birth. As such, all applicable licenses, certificates, or registrations issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the birth month of the licensee.
An Updated Rule-making by the Dept of Health allows qualified individuals to apply for licensure as a graduate social worker (LGSW, a person who has earned an MSW) without examination. But to renew their licenses, graduate social workers who are initially licensed without examination will be required to pass the national exam and obtain 1,500 hours under the supervision of a licensed social worker.
Open Board Seats: Because some members will be rotating off, the DC Board of Social Work is seeking social workers to join the Board. This is an unpaid position and a chance to influence social work licensing and policy in DC.
Adele Natter, LICSW, Co-Chairs the GWSCSW Legislation & Advocacy Committee for DC.. Adele has been an active participant on the Committee for the past four years; she represented GWSCSW on a Board of Social Work sub-committee, which included NASW and CSWA representatives. Adele maintains a private practice focused on helping individuals with anger and emotional regulation issues. She is also a Clinical Instructor in the Psychiatry Residency Program of the George Washington University Medical School. She holds a BA in Psychology from UCLA and received her MSW from the University of Maryland.
COMMUNICATIONS BRANCH REPORT
Newsletter – because of low readership, we are shifting the Newsletter to a twice-yearly format. The newsletter will come out in June and Decembers and will cover upcoming events, important accomplishments of the Society as well as important information about and from individual members.
Website – as always, we welcome your feedback about what will make the website responsive to your needs and wants.
Social Media – For budgetary reasons, we are not renewing our contract with our Social Media Consultant. We post on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and are seeking three volunteers, one to post on Facebook, one to post on Instagram and one to post on LinkedIn. The volunteer duties are to check the website once per week and post upcoming classes, networking events and social events. Please reach out to Steve Szopa to find out more: steveszopa@gmail.com
Listserv – our listserv remains on full moderation. That means all postings are reviewed by our Executive Administrator and the Moderation Panel. This process started during a time in which postings about the war between Israel and Palestine became contentious. Members from both opposing viewpoints reached out to GWSCSW leadership to say they felt unsafe and attacked. Members representing both sides of the matter asked us to condemn the other viewpoint and prevent hurtful language. It is not the purpose or duty of the Society to approve of one viewpoint over another when it comes to international conflicts. Our only option was to return the listserv to its original purpose: the sharing of professional resources. We deeply appreciate members stepping back from this type of conversation and have not had to return any posting to member for revision. Initiating full moderation has prevented the negative discourse that has destroyed other nonprofit groups.
GWSCSW Blog – we now have a blog, Social Work Speaks, thanks to initiative of our Education Branch Director, Ed Geraty. Please take a look at the blog at: https://www.gwscsw.org/Blog-Social-Work-Speaks
EDUCATION BRANCH REPORT
Ed Geraty, Education Committee Chair
Stay connected and keep your professional development on track by visiting the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work Events Calendar, where you’ll find a full lineup of upcoming workshops, trainings, and conferences offering high-quality continuing education and timely clinical topics. From short skill-building sessions to full-day conferences, GWSCSW programs are designed to support ethical, trauma-informed, and socially responsive practice while fostering connection with colleagues across the region. Visit the website regularly to explore what’s coming up and register for events that align with your interests and licensure needs.
Legislation & Advocacy BRANCH REPORT
Judy Gallant, Chair, MD Legislation and Advocacy Committee
Greetings, Colleagues! You may remember that I will be retiring from my L&A volunteer duties with GWSCSW in May of 2026. Now would be an excellent time to step up and volunteer to help guide our Legislation and Advocacy work for 2026 and beyond. I am mentoring those who volunteer to learn what’s involved for the upcoming legislative sessions, but will not continue to do so after May of this coming year. If we don’t have volunteers, we won’t have a Legislation and Advocacy Branch- I would hate for that to happen….
Please see Adele Natter’s article for the DC update. A complication to our work in DC around passing the SW Compact is created by NASW’s national structural reorganization, where some States are losing their executive director (ED) and being combined with one or 2 other states under (potentially) a new ED. In our area, Debra Riggs had been a long-time Director of both NASW-VA and NASW-DC. In DC, she has been eplaced by Karessa Proctor, who has been the Executive Director of NASW-MD for the past year. Karessa is taking on ED responsibilities for DC, MD and DE. She is just now learning about the arrangement NASW-DC has with GWSCSW, sharing financial resources to hire our DC lobbyist solely to usher the Compact through the DC Council and to share in planning/informational meetings. Each organization will need to decide how much they can afford to spend on the goal of getting the Compact passed in DC, both monetarily and in member motivation and energy.
In Maryland, we were able to pass the Interstate Compact in 2025. This was a wonderful victory, as we had been unsuccessful in achieving the goal the previous year. According to Laura Groshong of CSWA, the Compact should be ready during the last quarter of 2026 for licensed social workers who live in states that passed the Compact to register on an individual basis so as to be able to work with clients across state lines. Laura is a member of the SW Compact Commission that sets the rules and regulations governing the Compact, decides on the software that will be used to keep records of all the social workers that register for the compact, set fees, etc. There is a lot that goes into making the Compact operational, which is why it is taking so long after many states have passed it to actually become functional.
This year’s focus will be passing a bill that limits the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in psychotherapy in MD. If it passes as it is written so far, companies that use AI will not be able to use bots or other software directly with a patient to access, diagnose, develop a treatment plan, treat, use for case management, or for therapeutic communication. In the proposed bill, AI use will be permitted for administrative tasks, as long as the company and program that is used will sign a Business Associate Agreement with the therapist that guarantees that rules guiding HIPAA will be observed and that Protected Health Information will be kept private. Additionally, the company must agree that information accessed through the use of the AI system will not be used for training the system or any other AI system. This is another project that we have been working on with NASW, and it has been a productive collaboration. We are hopeful that we will be able to encourage psychologists, counselors, MFTs, nurses and psychiatrists in joining us to pass this legislation. If you know of clinicians in those professions who are in leadership and in a position to work with us on this issue, please let me know (judy.gallant@verizon.com).
We are examining AI issues in Virginia as well, although are not as far along as in MD, so this may be more of an issue for legislation in 2027.GWSCSW (Northern VA Counties surrounding DC) and the Virginia Society for Clinical Social Work (covering Counties in the Rest of VA) together hired our wonderful lobbyist Mark Smith, who keeps his awareness on the pulse and temperature of legislators in the state. With Mark’s help, we were able to get the SW Compact passed in VA in 2024, one of the original 7 states to do so!
Mark has encouraged both Societies to submit texts to the VA legislature celebrating the service our organizations have provided to Virginians and to our profession over the past 50 years. (2025 is GWSCSW’s 50th year in existence; 2026 is the 50th year for the VSCSW.) He is busy obtaining sponsors for each of these joint resolutions, and with his skillful encouragement, Virginia’s General Assembly will see fit to acknowledge our hard work over the last 50 years, ushering in a licensing law, reimbursement by insurance companies, defining our scope of practice, addressing mental health and substance use treatment equity, as well as other issues that impact our profession and providing mental health care to our clients. If this comes to fruition, there will be a public reading of the resolutions in a legislative session and a copy of the resolutions will be presented to the Societies. Stay tuned!
And don’t forget that if you join our national umbrella organization, the Clinical Social Work Association (which I highly recommend!), you receive all of Laura Groshong’s practice and legislative alerts, recommendations, and position papers the instant they are published! If you’re not an individual member, Steve Szopa diligently forwards the information to our membership so you don’t miss out. You can also go to their website to join or in case you missed something(https://www.clinicalsocialworkassociation.org/).
Of great concern to many members has been threatened Medicare requirements that we would be unable to see patients through teletherapy unless we saw them annually in-person. The bill that re-opened the Federal government included another extension that delays the in-person requirements for Medicare patients that went into effect on October 1. The new deadline for this extension is January 31, 2026.
Another recent concern (which will come out in an alert imminently) are new rules the Department of Education has proposed, which will no longer categorize Social Work as a “professional degree,” but will be considered as a “graduate degree.” This will decrease the amount that students can borrow from federal loans and will make it much harder to attend graduate school. Please look for that alert for more details and to contact your congressperson as recommended.
Social Justice Branch Report
Given the current political climate and the countless injustices that marginalized peoples are facing, the Social Justice Branch of the GWSCSW is committed to providing opportunities for education and growth to better serve our communities.
Mark your calendars for a timely and substantive event by Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy, President of the Eikenberg Academy for Social Justice and Clinical and Organizational Consultant for the Eikenberg Institute for Relationships in NYC, on "Regulating Racial Reactivity and Defensiveness in Work with Youth and Families" on March 21, 10am-1pm, at Maggiano's Little Italy on 5333 Wisconsin Ave NW.
In Spring 2026, the GWSCSW will be hosting an all-day social justice conference and details will be forthcoming. In addition, GWSCSW will hold a Town Hall to address and hold space for concerns regarding the myriad challenges facing the field of social work and the many populations we serve.
Regulating Racial Reactivity and Defensiveness in Work with Youth and Families - Kenneth V. Hardy
Given the current political climate and the countless injustices that marginalized peoples are facing, the Social Justice Branch of the GWSCSW is committed to providing opportunities for education and growth to better serve our communities.Mark your calendars for a timely and substantive event by Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy, President of the Eikenberg Academy for Social Justice and Clinical and Organizational Consultant for the Eikenberg Institute for Relationships in NYC, on "Regulating Racial Reactivity and Defensiveness in Work with Youth and Families" on March 21, 10am-1pm, at Maggiano's Little Italy on 5333 Wisconsin Ave NW.
Social (in)Justice Virtual Full Day ConferenceSunday, January 25, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM | Online via Zoom - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
We are excited to host a Social (in)Justice Virtual Full Day Conference, an immersive and dynamic educational event designed to deepen clinicians’ understanding of social justice as a core dimension of ethical and effective clinical practice.
This full-day Zoom conference brings together licensed social workers, counselors, and mental health professionals from DC, Maryland, and Virginia to explore how social determinants of health, trauma-informed frameworks, collective healing, advocacy, and emerging practice issues intersect with clinical work.
Participants will earn 8.5 Category 1 CEUs, recognized for licensure renewal in all three jurisdictions, with NBCC (National Board for Certified Counselors) approval for credit hours.
This conference is structured around inclusive and experiential learning that honors the complexity of clinical practice in a socially just context. Through a series of expert-led sessions, clinicians will expand their capacity to:
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Understand how collective and experiential healing practices enhance psychotherapy and community care.
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Identify and interpret the influence of social determinants of mental health on trauma, access to care, and client outcomes.
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Apply trauma-informed principles to actively address systemic oppression in practice.
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Explore ethical opportunities for advocacy beyond the therapy hour.
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Integrate emerging topics — including ethical AI use and financial wellbeing — through a social justice lens.
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Build actionable strategies for embedding social justice into everyday clinical work, maintaining integrity while preserving boundaries and self-care.
The day begins with a welcoming address from Karla Abney, LMSW, President of GWSCSW, and flows through a carefully curated set of sessions featuring leading clinicians and educators. Attendees will engage in both reflective and practical learning, including facilitated discussions and a working lunch designed to deepen peer connection and shared insights.
Treasurer's Report
Next July I will conclude my fourth term as the Society’s treasurer and it’s time for someone new to assume this position. Please consider taking on this important role. I assure you that you don’t need to be a “numbers person.” It’s a great way to help shape the Society’s activities. I will mentor you so you and help with your first budget. Feel free to reach out to me at: aowood@gmail.com
Mentor Program
What is a mentor? How can a mentor help me in the early stages of my career?
How do I get one? Who is eligible?
The Mentor Program is available for GWSCSW members still in school, newly graduated, approaching their clinical licensure and wondering about the next steps. Mentors can assist with questions about career direction, licensing, continuing education, relationships with supervisors, decisions about what to do after clinical licensure. Mentorship is a powerful tool to enhance new social workers’ development.
If you are a member of GWSCSW and interested in signing up, please fill out the Mentor program form or contact Nancy Harris, LCSW-C, coordinator of the mentor program, for questions. Her phone is (301) 385-3375, email is nlharris1214@gmail.com.
ATTENTION: Please consider volunteering to be a mentor. It takes a small amount of time – 1-2 hours/month - and does so much. It is a wonderful thing to be helping new social workers and keeping in touch with basic elements of our profession. The application form to be a mentor is found at the same place on the GWSCSW website.
Early Career Committee
Chiara Albanse and Zack Goldman
The Early Career Committee is excited to be back in action! We had our first event this past August which provided us the opportunity to get to know each other and discuss what early career community members would like to see from the committee. We're looking forward to more events for early career professionals to connect! Stay tuned for more.
Article Review
“When the Truth Is Out There: Counseling People Who Report Anomalous Experiences” published in Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 693707. Accessed online at https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.693707/full
Reviewed by Marilyn Stickle
Author Thomas T. Rabeyron (2022) provides a concise history of the scientific and clinical treatment of anomalous experiences that have been examined since Freud, Jung, and Ferenczi addressed telepathy and occultism at the end of the 19th century. Anomalies are subjective experiences that deviate from ordinary consciousness or generally accepted Newtonian scientific explanations of reality. In acknowledging that these phenomena are unusual, but not necessarily psychopathological nor evidence of mental illness per se, treatment focuses on the goal of psychological integration. It is based on neuroscientific research rather than what caused the anomalous experience. The article reflects treatment perspectives in new paradigm quantum science while bypassing theoretical debate in order to treat the unique experiences of these patients.
Out and About
The American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work (AAPCSW) held its semi-annual conference November 6-9 in Austin, Texas titled “Dreaming the Future”. Members of the GWSCSW have been active since its founding and have served as officers of the Association including currently as President, Janice Berry Edwards and Board Member, Golnar Simpson who were also among the conference presenters. Society Members Marilyn Stickle and Susan Folwell along with their Intuition Study Group member, Virginia Newton presented “Modeling the Future: Integrating Intuition in Clinical Practice.”
In Memoriam
In memory of Judith Wentworth, long time member of the GWSCSW, who passed away on November 21, 2025, due to complications from cancer. Among her contributions to the Society she served as Treasurer, was a long-term member of the “Over Fifty” group, and also actively supported fund raising for the Clinical Social Work Institute.
GWSCSW Job Board
GWSCSW is proud to feature a job resource to connect career opportunities with our members.
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Navigating through an intensely competitive job market is intimidating, and you need to set yourself apart from thousands of other job seekers. The Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work Career Center is an online career destination that offers a suite of essential career resources to help you stand out from the competition. |
Visit the GWSCSW job board to look for jobs or to post a job today.
Manage Your Career:
- Search and apply to positions that value your credentials!
- Upload your anonymous resume so employers can contact you, but you maintain control of your information and choose to whom you release your information.
- Receive an alert every time a job becomes available that matches your personal profile, skills, interests, and preferred location(s).
- Access career resources and job-searching tips and tools.
Recruit for Open Positions:
- Post your jobs, or your institution's jobs, where the most qualified professionals will find and apply to them.
- Email your jobs directly to job seekers via the exclusive Job Flash email.
- Search the resume database and contact qualified candidates proactively.
News & Views
Nancy Pines, Editor
News & Views Submission Guidelines
If you have a submission, please send it to: npines12@aol.com.
Articles: Focus on your area of expertise and practice, ethical dilemmas, responses to events in the media or other topics relevant to clinical social work. Articles should be 500–700 words.
Articles expressing the personal views of members on issues affecting the social work profession are welcome and will be reviewed and published at the discretion of the editor. Signed articles reflect the views of the authors; Society endorsement is not intended. Articles are subject to editing for space and clarity.
Committee Reports: For each newsletter, I hope to hear from all branch and committee people to inform us of their activities.
Out & About: Share news about you: an article you’ve written, if you’ve been in the news, taught a class, earned a new certification or are a singer, artist or writer. Submissions should be 50 words or less. Send all submissions to npines12@aol.com.
Advertising: admin@gwscsw.org
Need to reach a Board member? Click here for the listing of the GWSCSW Board of Directors
Has a Narcissistic partner blocked your couples work? Do you feel stymied by the grandiose approach of some clients in couples work? "We're fine, I don't see anything wrong, I'm happy" can shut down couples therapy. Meanwhile, the undermined partner goes along, looking sad and defeated. Bonny Slim's presentation in January will give you the tools to unlock the Grandiose/Narcissistic client in couples work. Terry Real developed these techniques, and Bonny Slim is an expert at delivering them to therapists. Check out our MAIT presentation below with 6 CEUs over two separate Fridays in January.
Lynn Turner, PhD, LCSW | MAIT Education Committee
