Listserv Guidelines (Revised February 17, 2025)

1. Purpose of Listserv: The Greater Washington Society of Clinical Social Work’s (GWSCSW) listserv was created to provide GWSCSW members a platform to share professional resources (e.g. training and CE opportunities, office space for rent, publications and awards). The listserv is also a place to discuss local and national matters that pertain to the profession and/or practice of Social Work (e.g., policies, licensure, insurance, and practice trends). It is not a substitute for formal or informal supervision or consultation, though requests for names and contact information for Clinical Supervisors is permitted.  The listserv is not intended as a forum to discuss matters not related to the profession and/or practice of Social Work.

Discussions of global politics should stay focused on the effect of  the situation on our clients, and the profession and practice of social work,  rather than on your personal opinion of right or wrong. The tone and wording of a posting will be considered in the process of listserv moderation, and will be taken at face value without reading between the lines.

2. Subject Heading: To increase efficiency and readability, please summarize the type of request or announcement you are making in the subject line of your email. For example, “seeking referrals in the Fairfax County area for adolescent male with depression” or, “Announcing advanced training in EMDR.”

3. Signature: Please sign all postings with your full name.

4. Reply vs Reply-all: Please take a moment to consider whether your reply should be an individual reply or a reply-all. Sharing of referrals and resources can be helpful to everyone so reply-all may be appropriate. If replying  with personal information, consider a reply to the original poster only. “Thank you” or “got it” should be a reply to the individual only. This will decrease the creation of new emails that overload the listserv and its readers.

5. Quantity of posts: Due to the quantity of daily listserv postings, it is asked that posting be limited to no more than two per day.   Postings for non-GWSCSW sponsored workshops and training opportunities  should be limited to no more than twice per month. If you are offering multiple classes or other events, please consider combining postings for multiple classes or social work related events into one email instead of listing them individually. Events may also be advertised in the Society newsletter by forwarding your ad to: admin@gwscsw.org

6. Privacy:

Please respect your clients' rights to confidentiality, avoiding the posting of any information that might identify a client.

Disclaimer:

GWSCSW disclaims all guarantees with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by GWSCSW or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall GWSCSW be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.

Do not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials. Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting copyrighted material, the posting party guarantees and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants GWSCSW and users of this listserv the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.

Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.

By using the GWSCSW listserv, subscribers agree to indemnify defend and hold harmless the GWSCSW, its committees and sections, its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers and agents from and against all losses, claims, demands, causes of action, liabilities, expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees and costs arising from any claims arising out of or resulting from any breach of these guidelines by the user or any omission or act taken by the user.

GWSCSW monitors its listserv for postings that may be deemed inappropriate and/or not pertaining to the profession and/or practice of social work. In the event that a complaint is received about a listserv post, GWSCSW reserves the right to take any and all actions it deems appropriate. GWSCSW reserves the right to temporarily or permanently terminate listserv access for violations of listserv guidelines.