Abstract: As helping professionals, social workers are vulnerable to being overwhelmed with the challenges and pain our client populations share with us. In our commitment to helping others, we sometimes ignore the toll it takes in our own lives.  The consequences of becoming overwhelmed in our work may include exhaustion, depression and forgetting our own quality of life. Cultivating a practice of self-care is a spiritual one which can provide a sense of renewal, nourishment and peace. Journaling is an elegant tool for self-care to reconnect with the Divine and our faith journeys. Evidenced-based, peer-reviewed research shows that journal writing is good for our health and well-being. 

Learning Objectives: As a result of this presentation participants will be able to:

• Articulate 2-3 health benefits that result from journal writing, as shown by research;

• Describe 2-3 reasons why self-care can be viewed as a spiritual practice;

• Identify at least two journal techniques to promote self-care, including incorporating the social worker’s spirituality and faith in expressive writing.

Topics/Outline: The presentation will provide a brief review of the research and allow attendees to experiment with several journal writing techniques. Topics covered will include: journal writing research results regarding its health benefits; use of the journal to address compassion fatigue; and cultivating self-care as a spiritual act.

9:00-10:30      Introduction, welcome, opening journal prompt and sharing;
                       Oral presentation about journaling and research

10:30-10:45    Break

10:45-12:00    Continued oral presentation about research; 7 minute journal prompt and sharing

12:00-1:00      Lunch

1:00-2:00        2 Journal prompts and sharing

2:00-2:15        Break

2:15-3:30        2-3 journal prompts and sharing

3:30-4:00        Take-aways & Q&A

Primary Audience: Social workers, students, clergy, and others in related “helping” professions. 

Content Level: All are welcome

Number of Continuing Education Contact Hours: 6.0

Bio Information: Jean is the Program Manager for the Atlanta Affiliate of the Young Survival Coalition, a national organization focused on the unique needs of young women facing breast cancer. She facilitates groups for young women with breast cancer and expressive, therapeutic writing support groups in the community. Jean leads continuing education programs for mental health and nursing professionals. Prior presentations/workshops include: the Annual National Conference of Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer, the North American Association of Christians in Social Work, the Salvation Army, the Winship Cancer Institute and the Association of Oncology Social Workers.

Previously, Jean served as an Oncology Social Worker at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (2005-2011); and a Paralegal at Moore & Van Allen, PLLC (1988-2003). Jean is the 2011 recipient of the National Brain Tumor Society Social Worker of the Year. Jean is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, an Oncology-Certified Social Worker and a Certified Instructor for Journal to the Self®.  She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Association of Oncology Social Workers, the Georgia Society of Clinical Social Workers, the Georgia Social Work Oncology Group and the International Association of Journal Writers. 

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Abstract: How do people of faith see the role of social justice in social movements? This workshop explores how faith inspires social justice in social movements and includes several recent examples. Participants will consider theoretical and theological insights that inform this arena of social work practice as well as biblical insights on social justice and social change.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this presentation participants will be able to:

• Describe how social movements express Christian views of social justice using biblical and theological frameworks;

• Identify 2-3 examples of social movements and the role faith plays in them;

• Articulate their own theoretical and theological frameworks for participating in social movements;

• Utilize professional skills of networking and organizing for use in social movements.

Topics/Outline:

9:00-9:30       Introduction to the Topic and the Day: What Movements Move You?

9:30-10:15     Raves, Fads, and Collective Behavior of the Masses:  Historical perspectives on Movements

10:15-10:30   Break

10:30-11:15   Resource Mobilization:  Modern, rational approaches to Movements

11:15-12:00   Social Construction of Meaning: Postmodern movements and What They Look Like

12:00-1:00     Lunch Break

1:00-2:00       Civil Rights, Human Trafficking, and Hunger: 
                      Applying theory to Movements in Society and in the Church

2:00-2:15       Break

2:15-3:45       Where the Spirit Blows: Developing Your Theology of Social Movement

3:45-4:00       Wrap-Up

Primary Audience: Social workers and related professionals; social work students; clergy  

Content Level: MSW/intermediate; advanced level

Number of Continuing Education Contact Hours: 6.0

Bio Information: Jon Singletary, PhD, MDiv, MSW, is the Associate Dean for Baccalaureate Studies in the Baylor School of Social Work. He holds the Diana R. Garland Endowed Chair in Child and Family Studies.  

Dr. Singletary served as Director of the Baylor Center for Family and Community Ministries until 2010, where he helped lead the Faith and Service Technical Education Network, a research project of the School of Social Work funded by Pew Charitable Trust focusing on the promising practices of human service programs offered by faith-based organizations. His scholarship continues to focus on congregations and organizations that serve children and their families living in situations of poverty. Dr. Singletary is co-founder of the Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) and the Baylor Interdisciplinary Poverty Initiative, two Baylor efforts to address issues facing our communities. THI currently partners with Share Our Strength, ConAgra, DairyMax, and USDA on more than $1 million worth of food security development projects. 

Before coming to Baylor, Dr. Singletary served as pastor at a local Mennonite congregation, an outreach worker for a medical clinic serving people who are homeless, and community organizer for a Methodist gleaning program—all in Richmond, VA.  He has served as a consultant encouraging churches to be involved in social service and promoting social justice.

Dr. Singletary received a BA in Organizational Communication at Baylor University in Waco, TX, an MDiv at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and his MSW. and PhD at Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Dr. Terry Wolfer and Dr. Mackenzi Huyser

Abstract: This workshop will introduce the case method of teaching using didactic and experiential methods.  Essentially, the case method involves in-depth class discussions of open-ended accounts of actual practice situations that are themselves ambiguous and complex. These accounts require participants to first formulate the problem and then decide on a course of action. The case discussions help participants to acquire and refine important critical thinking and decision-making skills. The workshop will provide a rationale and guidance for using case method in Christian higher education, in part through a live case discussion and debriefing. It will also provide tips for using cases from NACSW’s Grappling with Faith, additional resources for learning to use the case method, and suggestions for evaluating student learning outcomes.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this presentation participants will be able to:

• Define ‘decision case’ and of the case method of teaching, and distinguish these from traditional cases and discussion methods, respectively.

• Articulate a pedagogical rationale for the case method of teaching, especially for use in Christian social work education.

• Explain what case method requires of participants (e.g., advance preparation, active involvement) and how best to participate in case discussions (e.g., analyzing concrete situations, applying theory to practice, generating and evaluating solutions)

Topics/Outline:

• Introductions (5 minutes)

• PPT: Introducing case method of teaching (55 minutes)

• Live case discussion (75 minutes)

• Break (15 minutes)

• Debriefing and Q & A (45 minutes)

• Information of using Grappling with Faith and the accompanying teaching notes (20 minutes)

• Additional resources for learning to use the case method (5 minutes)

• Evaluating learning outcomes of decision case learning (15 minutes)

• Conclusion (5 minutes)

Primary Audience: Instructors only

Content Level: Instructors only

Number of Continuing Education Contact Hours: 4.0

Bio Information: Terry A. Wolfer, MSW (1984, Ohio State), PhD (1995, Chicago), is a Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina. For the past decade, he has taught a case-based capstone course for graduate social work students. Dr. Wolfer has co-authored or co-edited six collections of decision cases, including Grappling with Faith (NACSW, 2010). He has also conducted research and published articles on case method teaching. With Michael Welsh, he was awarded the “C. R. Christensen Award for the Outstanding Teaching Case” in 2004 by the North American Case Research Association. For his work on case method teaching and case writing, he was awarded the “CSWE Distinguished Recent Contributions in Social Work Education Award” in 2009 by the Council on Social Work Education.

Mackenzi Huyser, Ph.D., MSW, is Professor of Social Work and Dean for Faculty Development and Academic Programs at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL.

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