Training and Supervision Academy Supports Social Workers Throughout Their Careers

The Grace Abbott School of Social Work (GASSW) has offered professional development opportunities for decades. In 2018, after completing a community needs assessment, GASSW recognized a growing need for workforce development and ways to bridge the gap for graduating social work students as they work toward community practice. After four years of operation and extraordinary growth in their training offerings and with the realization that the community and professional workforce needed more than just trainings and continuing education unit (CEU) opportunities, new services were added, and the program given its new name.

Staff members are Michelle Nelsen, continuing education and outreach specialist; Ellen Rice, GASSW assistant director; Susan Reay, faculty community engagement liaison; and Katie Robbins Case, clinical supervision and training specialist.

GATSA is built on a lifespan career development model that includes not only training for recent graduates and career professionals, but also, clinical hour supervision and preparation for board examinations.

Training

The National Association of Social Workers views continuing education as an essential activity for ensuring quality social work services for clients. Social workers are required to assume responsibility for their own professional development. State issued licenses for mental health and social work practice require continuing education for renewal and reinstatement. To meet these requirements, social workers must have professional development opportunities available to them.

GATSA provides these opportunities. Initially in-person trainings mostly in Omaha and Kearney were offered. Then prompted by COVID restrictions and to better serve social workers and mental health professionals working in rural communities of Nebraska trainings shifted to an online format offering both live webinars and recorded webinars. Response from the community to this shift was tremendous and enrollment climbed dramatically. It is now common for 100-300 participants to attend a two-hour live training. The highest enrollment reached was 720. Currently, 15 recorded webinars are available on the GATSA YouTube Channel and the number continues to grow. During 2017-2021, over 3,200 individuals throughout North America enrolled in GATSA trainings and over 19,000 CEUs were issued.

The scope of training content is vast, including sexual health; military social work; working with immigrants and refugees; serving older adults with mental health needs; serving undocumented youth in public schools; suicide education and risk assessment; and working with children from hard places. GATSA uses learner feedback and current events to adjust the curriculum, build new offerings, and quickly respond to the community’s learning needs.

Through collaboration and partnerships, GATSA has engaged academic content experts from small non-profits, large businesses, county offices, and state-level stakeholders within Nebraska, to universities across the United States and Canada such as the University of Toronto, University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Washington, University of Memphis, University of Denver, University of Pittsburg, and University of Iowa to lead the webinars.

GATSA meets the criteria of an approved continuing education program for social and mental health practice in Nebraska because the GASSW is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, as authorized by Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2104.

Supervision

Licensure is required for Nebraska professionals who treat mental health conditions. To become licensed, an applicant must complete two to three years of supervised clinical hours. Sometimes it is difficult for a social worker in Nebraska, in both urban and rural areas, to find a supervisor to meet the licensing requirement. That’s where GATSA comes in. Applicants can contract with GTSA for supervision. The applicant and GTSA staff member Robbins Case then meet each week during the period the applicant is completing the clinical hours required for the license. During these sessions the applicant and supervisor will review cases; talk about ethics; discuss theoretical approaches; review diagnosis and documentation; and address questions and concerns.

Supervising clinical hours is rewarding, but it can also feel isolating. The supervisees have challenging cases, are still unsure about how to implement theory, and sometimes need quite a bit of guidance. It is also a balance of educating and empowering so when the applicant has completed supervision, they are competent and confident to continue clinical work. GATSA staff members Robbins Case and Reay offer individual and monthly drop-in group consultation opportunities to other supervisors. During these sessions the GTSA staff member may review challenging cases or offer guidance and a second opinion.

Exam Preparation

Any social worker who wants to offer clinical services as a fully licensed mental health professional is required to pass an Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) examination. The ASWB exam can be quite daunting and is designed to test a social worker’s competence to practice safely and ethically. GATSA offers weekly drop-in sessions to support those preparing to the take the exam. Topics typically include exam configuration, content outlines, tips for reducing test anxiety, and developing an effective study plan.

Community Engagement and Workforce Development

Community outreach, conducting community needs assessments, creating partnerships with stakeholders to develop a strategic plan that addresses workforce development needs, and building partnerships with community professionals and GASSW alumni are all essential components of GATSA.

GATSA has built partnerships and collaborations with local and national organizations and agencies, including the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Women’s Fund of Omaha, Omaha Area Health Education Center, Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, The Gottman Institute, West Omaha Rotary, The Beck Institute, Heartland Juvenile Services Associations, and Nebraska Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.

Just as the name change was not the beginning of the story for GATSA, graduation is not the end of the story of GASSW's relationship with its students. With the services GATSA offers, students recognize that GASSW will continue to support them throughout their careers. As GATSA continues to grow and by developing additional partnerships across the NU system, locally, nationally, and globally, it expands our mission to improve service delivery and help people live better lives.