1st Annual Social Services Workforce Symposium

Dr. Steve Peterson

Arizona State University

Title

Pulling Calm out of Chaos – Mindfully Managing Stress

Abstract

Social services are the lighthouses guiding clients and patients safely in from a turbulent sea. The structure is tall, strong, and impervious to storm. Yet without a bright, piercing light it is nothing more than a stick in the ground. The social service professional is the bulb in the lighthouse. That bulb requires simple and effective maintenance strategies to prevent it from burning out.

Outside stressors and influences impact not only intrinsic motivation and cognitive performance

capabilities, but also negate physiological processes that sabotage the brain and mind. Everyday performance anxiety manifests equally in the body as it does the mind, so awareness and maintenance of both is of paramount importance. Simple and methodical integration of awareness and chaos- controlling management strategies should be introduced into all professional social services environments.

Bringing awareness to the unconscious influences that impact cognitive and physiological wellbeing and integrating strategies to bring the two into harmony will ultimately result in better practitioner self-care and better provider care to patients and clients.

This session will empower participants with four foundational self-care concepts:

1) People are our greatest source of stress

2) Anxiety quickly destroys our immune system

3) Using exercise as a stress management tool can be dangerous

4) Food causes invisible damage to our body

Jose Eli Fresquez III

CYFD Office of Children’s Rights

TITLE

The Civil Rights of Children in New Mexico’s Foster Care System – An Overview

ABSTRACT

This presentation will provide an overview of children’s rights in foster care through the lens of

federal and state civil rights laws. 

The following topics will be covered:

1. New Mexico Foster Child and Youth Bill of Rights

2. Grievance process relating to the Youth Bill of Rights

3. Kevin S. Settlement

4. Immigration rights for foster children and families

5. Education rights including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

6. Disability rights, including ADA, Federal 504, and Individuals with Disabilities in Education

Act (IDEA)

Keith A Wilson, DMIN, MSSW, MRT-PE, LCSW, Licensed in NM, CA, TX, TN

Stanford Medicine: Healthcare, Emergency Department overnight social worker

TITLE

The 2AM Social Worker: Performance Principles in the Emergency Department

ABSTRACT

This workshop will focus on unique challenges that faces an overnight social worker working in the Emergency Department of a Level 1 Trauma Center in California. Some challenges presented are unique to 2 AM in the ED and others are applicable to all social workers, particularly social workers in the medical field. This workshop will be interactive and at least two resilience skills will be taught which are useful for all social workers to use for themselves as well as potentially with their patients.

The Emergency Department overnight presents most of the challenges that are inherit in medical social work in a hospital. All the challenges of medical social work are present during the overnight shift in ED. These would include but are not limited to: 1) Trauma, 2) Life and Death issues, 3) LGBTQ+, 4) CPS, 5) APS, 6) Homelessness, 7) Addiction and 8) Healthcare access.

Two sections will be presented as the Lens for understanding the challenges of the 2AM social worker:

1) Hidden Diversity. The obvious issues of diversity and inclusion are present in the ED. However, issues of hidden diversity will be focused upon. Examples will include the hidden diversity of the presenter as well as issues which the social worker is uniquely equipped to notice and respond to in the ED.

2) Resilience is critical in all aspects in social work. A level 1 trauma center continually challenges the social worker to be authentically present with some of the worst events in a patient/family life. Practical skills for social workers will be taught in context to enable a social worker to keep in balance and be fresh and ready for the next day of challenges. Skills that will be taught include 5-4-3-2-1 and 1-9. These skills are effective as part of total strategy of resilience.

Callico S. Vargas, DSW, LSW

LCSW Candidate

Colorado State University-Pueblo Colorado

Chair of Pueblo Human Relations Commission

CASA of Pueblo Volunteer

Mental Health America Pueblo Board Member

TITLE

Resilience-Building Self-Care and Coping Skills Interactive Workshop

ABSTRACT

Dr. Callico Vargas is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Colorado State University, Licensed Social

Worker, and School Social Worker, and has studied trauma and resilience for the last ten years.

She has worked in Prisons, Schools, and in Counseling Centers. Her doctoral research involved

finding out how Bachelor level social work students were learning to build resilience skills and

how to improve their capacity. It is her honor to share this research during the session. Through

experiential learning, you will implement easy ways to incorporate self-care, coping, and resilience-building skills into your daily activities. This session will share and practice research-informed methods to increase your capacity for resilience, reduce and prevent 

burnout, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Come and learn to cultivate a more

positive relationship with yourself and others and maintain your physical, emotional, and

psychological well-being while providing services to others. You will leave the experiential

session with knowledge and practice skills that you will feel comfortable implementing daily!

Shelley Repp, CEO New Mexico Dream Center

TITLE

Serving Sex and Labor Trafficking Victims in New Mexico

ABSTRACT

Human trafficking is hidden in plain sight and is happening across the state of New Mexico in urban, rural and sovereign lands. Gaining an understanding of how victims are recruited into both sex and labor trafficking, how exits can happen, how to identify and serve this population, and what resources are available is an important piece of the puzzle to address this crime.

Melissa Candelaria, JD

Kim Zamarin, M.P.H.

Leslie G. Kelly, M.A.

TITLE

Culturally Responsive Social Services for New Mexico Students 

ABSTRACT

Melissa Candelaria is the Education Director and Attorney at the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and serves as Co-counsel on the landmarkYazzie-Martinez case representing the Yazzie Plaintiff families and school districts. 

New Mexico Public Education Department funded a statewide assessment of available social services for students in response to legislative requests and the Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico consolidated lawsuit.  The lawsuit determined that the State had violated the constitutional rights to a sufficient education for students from economically disadvantaged homes, English Language Learners, Native Americans, and those experiencing a disability. 

 This session includes background on the court ruling, legislation responsive to the ruling, the work of the HB287 Task Force, findings from the statewide assessment of culturally-responsive social services, and the state’s plans and programs to reverse conditions for at-risk students. 

 Our goal is to contribute to improving health and transforming public education for New Mexico students. Join us!

 Learning objectives:

• Describe the students who have been denied equitable access to a sufficient public education in the state

• Name 3 recommendations for improving NM educational system for at-risk students

• Describe existing resources and gaps in social services for students across NM

• Describe the harms caused by inadequate educational systems

Abstract info coming soon

Michel Salas Holien, LCSW

Director of Dissemination, Fostering Healthy Futures, University of Colorado

TITLE

Building our Workforce from Within

ABSTRACT

Many social service organizations continue to struggle with recruitment and retention of staff,

especially in the wake of COVID-19, which exacerbated an already growing shortage of behavioral health professionals. One strategy to address this problem is to develop the future workforce by offering high quality student internships within our agencies. Internships can serve as an excellent path for potential recruitment and students’ professional growth.

Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) is an evidence-based preventive intervention that provides mentoring and skills training for children and youth with child welfare involvement. FHF was specifically designed as a training site for social work interns and, from its inception, has drawn

on factors known to promote successful internships. FHF was designed not only to promote resilience among children in foster care but also to provide intensive training for future professionals who are likely to work with youth and families experiencing adversity.

Abstract coming soon.

MelindaJoy Pattison, MA LMHC

TITLE

Relaxation Through Guided Meditation

ABSTRACT

During this session; participants will be introduced to the process of relaxing the body, through guided meditation. This exercise offers the entire body, from the hair tips to the bottom of the feet and from the epidermis all the way into the bone marrow, the opportunity to deeply rest in relaxation. The process offers great benefit to those areas of the body where tension, discomfort or pain are being experienced, as well as offering the individual, a feeling of general wellbeing throughout.

Prior to the relaxation process; participants will be introduced to the idea of selfcare, generally and how they can incorporate it into their daily lives. After the process; participants will be invited to share about their experience of relaxation during the meditation and how it may influence their selfcare practice going forward

Pamela K. Smith, MA., LPCC 

Deputy Warden, Western New Mexico Correctional Facility, Grants, New Mexico

TITLE

“A Day in the Life of Behavioral Health in Corrections.”

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this presentation is to be enlightening and informative about all the behavioral health services available to individuals remanded into the custody of New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD). NMCD behavioral health clinical services identifies and refers all inmates who meet the criteria for clinically based behavioral health treatment protocols into an integrated treatment and program setting. The Behavioral Health Department provides guidelines for assessments, treatment, counseling, court ordered diagnostic evaluations and programming needs.  They also establish protocols for various types of behavioral health treatment/counseling/programs and guidelines for ensuring continuity and integration of care. The general public is often not aware of the services and opportunities available, not only to the individual sentenced into the care of NMCD, but also available in terms of employment for a clinician, social worker, substance abuse counselor or psych tech.  NMCD would like to make clinical professionals aware of all the opportunities for experience, growth and career advancement available to those interested in correctional behavioral health services.  These opportunities are available to those who have just graduated from college to those with years of experience in specialized skills, like Dialectical Behavior Therapy or substance abuse residential treatment, for the varied male and female population in our agency. We hope to present the challenging, yet rewarding scope of services available in our facilities throughout the State of New Mexico per NMCD Policy and Procedure and offer a panel discussion “A day in the life of Behavioral Health in Corrections” with some of the clinical professionals in our agency.

Arnold C. Farley, Ph.D. (CAPT, USPHS, Retired)

Licensed Psychologist and Massage Therapist, Reiki Master

Healing Touch Practitioner, Level II

TITLE

Enhance your Personal Power: Develop Emotional Intelligence (EI)

ABSTRACT

This workshop will focus on identifying what emotional intelligence is and describe the components according to the Bar-On and Goleman models. There will be exercises and sharing in developing these characteristics and a brief assessment to identify one’s current level of EI. Participants will leave with more skills to improve the quality of personal and work life and overall personal and professional productivity.