REMINDER -- SEPT 15th DEADLINE FOR JORDAN INSTITUTE FELLOWSHIP FOR SOCIAL WORK LEADERS APPLICATIONS
2025-09-15
Apply now! Deadline for the 2025-2026 Jordan Institute Fellowship for Social Work Leaders is September 15, 2025.

The Hive Webinar Series: Building Power for Collective Well-being
2025-05-27 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Online
Featuring Michelle Cassandra Johnson, MSW, and Amy Burtaine, MA, authors of the forthcoming The Wisdom of the Hive: What Honeybees Can Teach Us About Collective Well-being
Audre Lorde wrote that “without community there is no liberation.” Join us for an engaging conversation on how we forge and nurture those connections towards healing and our to build a future where all can thrive.
With examples of collective care and community building from:
Dr. Joanne Hessmiller, PhD, LCSW, Retired Associate Professor, North Carolina A & T and Social Welfare Action Alliance on mutual aid practice
Olatunji Oboi Reed and Nayla Reed (invited), Equiticity, on community mobility rituals

LUNCH-MEET #2: Reimagining Rest
2025-05-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Online

LUNCH-MEET #1 : Finding Your Agency in Challenging Times: Focusing on What You Can Control
2025-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
This is an interactive, informal time to take a step back from your busy day and fill your well with a new program from the Jordan Institute for Families’ Leadership Development Initiative facilitated by Sarah Verbiest and Allison De Marco with the Jordan Institute for Families. Learn an approach for leading during difficult times, have a moment to apply it to your practice, and connect with peers through discussion and listening.
REGISTER NOW

Wicked Problems of Child Welfare 2023 Convening
2023-09-28 - 2023-09-29 | The Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Conference Center, 800 East Morehead St, Charlotte, NC, 28202, United States
Prevention in Action: Building Equitable Pathways to Child and Family Well-Being
On Thursday & Friday September 28 & 29, 2023 the Children’s Home Society of America will partner with the Jordan Institute for Families and the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina to host the 11th Annual Wicked Problems of Child Welfare Convening. The event will be held in-person at The Duke Endowment: The Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Conference Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Participants who attend this unique event will
1) Be active participants through engaged learning and small and full group discussions.
2) Apply an early childhood population / prevention lens to participate in scenario discussions that will create an opportunity to discuss and map the constellation of factors that impact families and the way they experience the child welfare system, including family financial stability, value of concrete supports, trauma, inequities – particularly racial inequities, substance use disorders, mental health issues, and domestic violence.
3) Share ideas and strategies for shifting child welfare work toward prevention and family support. Form new learning action committees to advance the work beyond the convening.
Please email Marlo Nash (marlocnash@gmail.com) or Amy Ramirez (amy.chsa@gmail.com) with questions.

Institute on Implementation Science - 2020 Fall Virtual Series - December
2020-12-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
December 4th, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (EST)
Webinar: The Critical Role of Relationships in Implementation Practice and Evidence Use and New International Practice Guide to Supporting Implementation
A recording of this event is now available in two parts:

Part 1: Introducing the Practice Guide for Implementation Support
Part 2: The Role of Relationships in Implementation Practice

Resources from the virtual event:

Guiding Principles and Core Competencies for Implementation Practice – Practice Guide and Practitioner Profile (These resources can also be found HERE and HERE.)
“Implementation Support Practitioners: A Proposal For Consolidating a Diverse Evidence Base”
“Implementation Support Skills: Findings From a Systematic Integrative Review”
“Are relationships as important as strategies for the successful implementation of evidence-informed programs and practices?”

Additional Resources:

NIRN Implementation Practice Blog Series
Jordan Institute for Families
European Implementation Event 2021
Centre for Effective Services Guide to Implementation

Speakers:

Bianca Albers, Chair of the European Implementation Collaborative
Annette Boaz, Professor of Health Care Research, Kingston University and St. George’s University of London
Katie Burke, Senior Manager, Centre for Effective Services
Allison Metz, Director of the National Implementation Research Network and Implementation Division Lead at FPG Child Development Institute
Jennifer Boss, Director of the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning, Zero to Three
Robert Franks, President and CEO, Judge Baker Children’s Center
Kary James, Executive Director, Child Welfare Information Gateway
Suzanne Kerns, Research Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Effective Interventions, University of Denver

Speakers will:

Discuss new research findings on the role of trusting relationships in supporting evidence use and identify areas for future research in implementation practice
Introduce a new international practice guide for supporting implementation developed through a collaboration with the European Implementation Collaborative, Centre for Effective Services and National Implementation Research Network

Click HERE to see more information about the UNC Institute on Implementation Science – 2020 Fall Virtual Series.

This event is co-hosted by the Jordan Institute for Families | UNC School of Social Work, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and National Implementation Research Network (NIRN). Generous support for this event has been provided by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Institute on Implementation Science - 2020 Fall Virtual Series - November
2020-11-17 10:30 - 12:00 | Online
November 17th, 10:30 AM – 12 PM (EST)
Webinar: The Role of Context in Implementation of Evidence-Informed Programs and Practices
A recording of this event is available HERE!
Speakers:

Marita Brack, Head of Programme, NHS Education for Scotland
Laura Louison, Associate Director of the National Implementation Research Network
Judy Thomson, Director of Psychology, NHS Education for Scotland

Facilitators/Moderators:

Kristine Andrews, Program Area Director, Youth Development, Child Trends
Allison Metz, Director, National Implementation Research Network and Research Professor, UNC-CH School of Social Work
Sarah Verbiest, Director, Jordan Institute for Families and Clinical Associate Professor, UNC-CH School of Social Work

Speakers will:

Provide a live demonstration of Scotland’s digital resource, Early Intervention Framework for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Mental Wellbeing, designed to support service providers in making fully informed decisions about interventions that are implementable and sustainable for their specific context

Discuss integration of racial equity considerations into the Hexagon Tool and Discussion Guide, an assessment of contextual fit and feasibility developed by the National Implementation Research Network

Resources from the virtual event:

Hexagon Discussion and Analysis Tool
Early Intervention Framework for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing
Stakeholder Engagement Guide

Additional resources:

Implementation Support Practitioner Profile
“Implementation Support Practitioners: A Proposal For Consolidating a Diverse Evidence Base”
NIRN Implementation Practice Blog Series
Jordan Institute for Families
European Implementation Event 2021
Centre for Effective Services Guide to Implementation

Click HERE to see more information about the UNC Institute on Implementation Science – 2020 Fall Virtual Series.

This event is co-hosted by the Jordan Institute for Families | UNC School of Social Work, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and National Implementation Research Network (NIRN). Generous support for this event has been provided by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Recognizing and Disrupting Systemic Racism in Social Work Practice
2020-09-03 17:30 - 19:00 | Online
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics stipulates that one of the ethical principles that must guide social workers is to challenge social injustice. During this event, social workers across elds will share where and how they notice and perpetuate systemic racism and how they work to disrupt it.While this event is highlighting social work, EVERYONE IS WELCOME to attend and participate. We all have a role in dismantling racism.

Register here: http://go.unc.edu/disrupt

PANELISTS:
Derrik Anderson, MSW – Executive Director, Race Matters for Juvenile Justice
Alan Dettla , MSW, PhD – Dean, University of Houston Graduate College of School of Social Work, lead, UpEND movement
Jackie Jencks, MSW – Executive Director, Interfaith Council (IFC)
Bonita Joyce, MSW – School Social Worker
Lia Kaz, MSW – Restorative Practices Associate, Dispute Settlement Center
Rebecca Swoord, MSW – Prevention Coordinator, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV)

Moving Forward in Uncertain Times
2020-07-31 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Join us for a conversation about the challenges families who have children with special health care needs or disabilities face while navigating the decision of when and how to safely transition family members from staying at home to re-entering our community. Discuss how to live with the uncertainty when there are no clear answers. What to consider as you weigh the risks for your family. How to confidently share your decisions with others.
Facilitated by Nancy Micca, Executive Director of FSNCC
GUEST PANELISTS:
Dr. Savithri Nageswaran, MD, MPH, is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Enhanced Care Program at Brenner Children’s Hospital. Her team cares for children with life
limiting, medically complex conditions. She is affectionately known as ‘Dr. Savi’ and has 29 years in the medical field.
Anne Erickson, Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPC
Shelley Mason, Mom of child with Special Health Care Needs and Public Health Nurse
Alexis Bond, Mom of children with Special Health Care Needs

Re-Imagining Community Safety: How We Can Move Beyond Policing
2020-06-30 13:30 - 15:00
With the continued incidents of police brutality and murder of Black people in this country, there have been increased calls to defund the police and turn to community options. Join us for an important webinar on Tuesday June 30th at 1:30 to learn more about the history of policing in the United States and local organizing efforts towards reforming, defunding, or abolishing police forces. Panelists will include Seth Kotch, Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies and author of Lethal State, Maya Hart, a recent graduate from the UNC School of Social Work and organizer with Black Youth Project 100, James Williams of the Orange County Bias Free Policing Coalition and Chair of the Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Criminal Justice System, and Danielle Purifoy of the Durham Beyond Policing Coalition.
This event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Jordan Institute for Families at the UNC School of Social Work.
The webinar will be held on Zoom. Register here to receive the link to join.

UNC Institute on Implementation Science - Virtual Summer Session
2020-06-18 10:00 - 12:00
2020 UNC Institute on Implementation Science – Virtual Summer Session
Implementation Practice Skills and Competencies and Supporting Implementation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
June 18, 2020 – 10:00 AM-12:00 PM (EST)
*A recording of the event is available HERE.
**Details related to the UNC Institute on Implementation Science in December 2020 can be found here.
Agenda

Welcome and Introduction to New Practice Resources

Implementation Practice: Skills and Competencies

Leading with Principles: Reflections on Supporting Implementation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

How is our practice changing during the pandemic?
What principles are we relying on?
What skills and competencies seem most important now?
What are we learning and observing from the communities and systems we work in?
What will we carry with us in a post-pandemic world?

Closing and Preview of December Implementation Institute

Speakers
Bianca Albers, Chair of the European Implementation Collaborative – https://implementation.eu
Katie Burke, Senior Manager, Centre for Effective Services https://effectiveservices.org
Sarah Verbiest, Director of Jordan Institute for Families, UNC SSW https://jordaninstituteforfamilies.org
Allison Metz, Director of National Implementation Research Network and Implementation Division Lead, FPG Child Development Institute https://nirn.fpg.unc.edu
Implementation Practice During a Time of Crisis
How do we provide implementation support to public systems and communities during a pandemic?
A unifying element of the institute is the promotion and cultivation of Skills and Competencies for Implementation Support Practitioners, namely: Co-Creation, in the form of co-learning, brokering, addressing power differentials, co-design, and tailored support; Continuous Improvement, in the form of assessing need and context, applying and integrating implementation science approaches, and conducting improvement cycles; and Sustaining Change, in the form of growing and sustaining relationships, building capacity, cultivating leadership, and facilitation.
In addition to the skills and competencies noted above, there are also five principles – empathy, curiosity, commitment, methodical, transdisciplinary – which guide the work of an Implementation Support Practitioner. These guiding principles may be more critical in this time of crisis than ever before. We consider the role of these guiding principles, skills and competencies in a recent blog series, Leading with Principles: Reflections on Supporting Implementation during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In this series, we also explore some key questions:

How is our practice changing during the pandemic?
What principles are we relying on?
What skills and competencies seem most important now?
What are we learning and observing from the communities and service systems we support?
What will we carry with us in a post-pandemic world?

Click HERE to access the blog posts and brief audio-recorded discussions related to these topics. We hope to continue reflecting on these questions with our partners and will post additional resources as they become available.
Additional Resources

Implementation Support Practitioner Profile
Implementation support practitioners: A proposal for consolidating a diverse evidence base
NIRN Blog Series: Leading with Principles: Reflections on Supporting Implementation during the COVID-19 Pandemic
European Implementation Event 2021
UNC Institute on Implementation Science
Centre for Effective Services Guide to Implementation
Five Recommendations for How Implementation Science Can Better Advance Equity
Equity at the Center of Implementation
Knowledge Translation Program – Intersectionality and Knowledge Translation Tools
The Center for Implementation – Online Learning Opportunities

This event is co-hosted by the Jordan Institute for Families | UNC School of Social Work, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and National Implementation Research Network (NIRN). Generous support for this event has been provided by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Medical and Mental Health Interpreter Training
2020-04-08 15:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Together the UNC Refugee and Mental Health and Wellness Initiative and the Jordan Institute for Families will be hosting an upcoming continuing education training opportunity for local interpreters on medical and mental health interpretation. The training will have a special focus on applying the interpreter code of ethics in everyday situations.

This event is being rescheduled due to COVID-19. Stay tuned for a new date! It will take place at the UNC School of Social Work Tate-Turner-Kuralt building and food will be provided.
Click here to register!

Innovation in Action: A Panel on Innovation in Social Work Practice
2018-10-09 12:00 - 14:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Speakers for this event are:

Amy D’Aprix, PhD, MSW: Innovation with aging adults and corporate social responsibility
Veronica Creech, MSW: Equitable Economic Development & Innovation for the City of Raleigh
Sophia Smith, PhD, MSW: Developer of The Cancer Distress Coach app for cancer patients with PTSD
Matt Anderson, MSW: Innovative policy for foster youth with Children’s Home Society of NC

RSVP to Christina Hill – coillot@email.unc.edu
Lunch provided
Free to attend | $35 for 2 CEUs

Silence Sam Film Screening and Panel
2018-08-27 17:00 - 19:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
The Social Justice Action Series (SJAS) presents a screening and panel discussion of the Silence Sam Film on August 27th at 5 pm at the School of Social Work Auditorium. This participatory hybrid documentary was made by students at the UNC School of Media and Journalism. It follows the student-led movement to remove the statue and the resulting silencing of student protest by university administrators. The student activists and producers Mistyre Bonds, Michelle Brown, Maya Little, Kristen Marion, and Courtney Symone Staton will participate in a panel discussion on activism after the film.

This event is free and open to all. Dinner will be provided from 5:00-5:30 outside of the auditorium.

RSVP to uncsocialjusticeseries@gmail.com or on the facebook event https://www.fac
ebook.com/events/853827351484517/?active_tab=about

Summer Institute on Implementation Science
2018-06-13 08:00 - 2018-06-14 16:45 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
This event is co-hosted by the Jordan Institute for Families | UNC School of Social Work, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and National Implementation Research Network (NIRN). Generous support for this event has been provided by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL.
*Lodging and parking details are provided further below.
Background/Need
Social workers and public health professionals interested in facilitating and understanding change processes note that implementation strategies have unparalleled importance in improving population outcomes, as they constitute the ‘how to’ component (Proctor, Powell, & McMillen, 2013) of changing practices and optimizing the use of evidence to benefit people and communities (Kainz & Metz, 2017). As the field of implementation science has grown significantly over the last decade with the proliferation of frameworks, models, and theories, there is mounting interest in building the capacity of professionals in social services and public health to make use of this emerging science to support sustainable practice and systems improvements.
This interest has led to an intensifying conversation regarding the need to train researchers and practitioners in implementation science (Padek et al., 2015). Specifically, the shortage of individuals trained in the practice of implementation has been cited as a reason for our failure to optimize the use of evidence to improve population outcomes (Straus et al., 2011.) In response to this gap, more is being studied and written about the specific competencies needed to facilitate change in complex systems (Bornbaum, Kornas, Peirson, & Rosella, 2015; Berta, et al., 2015). Moreover, the Grand Challenges Initiative developed by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (Sherradon et al., 2015) explicates a set of pressing social issues, around which social work researchers and practitioners can unite. The highlighted challenges are complex, and will require the cultivation of implementation competencies among the researchers and practitioners who are positioned to address them.
Purpose
This new two-day Summer Institute seeks to provide foundational knowledge of implementation science and to build professional and graduate students’ knowledge, skills, and strategies for supporting change using implementation best practices. Through interdisciplinary professional development and seminar series, this Summer Institute will orient participants to the skills and competencies of implementation practice and will foster the development of foundational skills needed to support the use of evidence in practice.
Objectives
The Summer Institute aims to seed the growth of implementation science practitioners who will be able to:

Identify and characterize problems that can be addressed through more effective implementation.
Support authentic engagement of communities and stakeholders in all stages of the implementation process resulting in programs and practices that are contextualized and tailored to settings to improve outcomes.
Integrate use of quantitative and qualitative feedback at each stage of implementation to optimize performance of programs and practices in local contexts and at scale.
Support the sustainability of interventions and approaches by developing a shared vision, building capacity, and supporting collaboration.

A unififying element of the institute will be the promotion and cultivation of Skills and Competencies for Implementation Practitioners, namely: Co-Creation, in the form of co-learning, brokering, addressing power differentials, co-design, and tailored support; Continuous Improvement, in the form of assessing need and context, applying and integrating implementation science approaches, and conducting improvement cycles; and Sustaining Change, in the form of growing and sustaining relationships, building capacity, cultivating leadership, and facilitation.
*For additional media related to implementation, tune in to the National Implementation Research Network podcast!
Summer Institute Planning Committee
Co-Chair: Sarah Verbiest – Director of the Jordan Institute for Families, John A. Tate Early Career Scholars for Children in Need Professor at the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Executive Director of the Center for Maternal and Infant Health
Co-Chair: Allison Metz – Director of the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), Senior Research Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute; Research Professor at the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Members: Amanda Farley – Project Manager, National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute; Todd Jensen – Research Associate, Jordan Institute for Families; Research Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Why the UNC-CH School of Social Work’s Jordan Institute for Families and NIRN came together:
The UNC-CH School of Social Work’s Jordan Institute for Families and the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) are partnering to offer the inaugural Summer 2018 Institute on Implementation Science. The new Summer Institute provides an exciting opportunity to join the Jordan Institute’s mission to extend social work training beyond the academy walls into communities with NIRN’s goal to support the development and use of evidence to improve outcomes for children and families. Social workers and public health professionals attending the Summer Institute will develop foundational skills to use emerging science to support sustainable practice and system improvements in their communities.

We are excited to welcome our outstanding Plenary Speakers:
Allison Blake, PhD, LSW has more than 30 years of experience serving children and families. She was recently appointed a Senior Fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation where her primary focus is assisting public and private child welfare agencies implement the Family First Prevention Services Act. Previously, she served as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families for more than seven and a half years. Under her leadership, the department successfully implemented an integrated and strategic approach to delivering child welfare services. This approach promoted evidence informed, community- based services to support women, children, and families. Dr. Blake also led New Jersey’s efforts to significantly expand community partnerships to prevent child abuse and strengthen families. She previously served as Director of the Institute for Families at Rutgers University School of Social Work and Vice President of Accreditation Operations at the Council on Accreditation. Dr. Blake earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers University and a Doctorate from Fordham University. Through her extensive work and vast experience, Dr. Blake has acquired comprehensive knowledge and insight on developing programs and improving child welfare systems in order to improve the lives of children and families. She is a member of the National Board of Directors of the Child Welfare League of America and a member of the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters.

Paul Elam, PhD, president of PPA, is a skilled team builder, project manager, and researcher with policy expertise in youth violence and prevention, crime and justice, and child maltreatment. He conducts his work using a culturally responsive and racial equity lens and brings a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Dr. Elam has a wealth of knowledge and experience measuring racial and ethnic disproportionality and believes that sound public policy analysis should include an examination of whether all people are being treated fairly and equitably. For the last decade, Dr. Elam has worked with the Governor’s Committee on Juvenile Justice, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and local jurisdictions to ensure that justice-involved youth are treated fairly and equitably. He is responsible for data collection, reporting, technical assistance and strategic support to develop and implement solutions that reduce disproportionate minority contact in Michigan’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Dr. Elam is assisting the Annie E. Casey Foundation as an advisor and mentor with the Expanding the Bench Initiative. This initiative aims to improve evaluation science and social innovation by increasing diversity in the field of research and evaluation. Dr. Elam’s work will focus on evaluators from historically underrepresented groups with evaluation expertise in the areas of child welfare and juvenile justice. Dr. Elam is also partnering with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to document the experiences and perspectives of students of color in Michigan’s public school system. The goal is to help Michigan schools narrow the achievement gap between African-American students and others by listening to these students about their experiences. Findings will be used to help develop culturally responsive pedagogy and teaching approaches that increase the academic success and retention of students of color in underperforming schools. Dr. Elam has been a lead consultant on numerous statewide projects, including the Michigan Coalition for Race Equity in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice and the Michigan Child Welfare Improvement Task Force. He also played a key role in the development and implementation of the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative and continues to work on reentry training across the U.S.

A special thanks to UNC-CH Administration, UNC-CH School of Social Work, and FPG Child Development Institute Leadership for their suppport:
Bob Blouin, PharmD is the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (“provost”) of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The provost serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the university and works in unison with the chancellor to lead critically important pan-university initiatives. The provost also has oversight responsibilities for budget and planning.
Alongside Chancellor Carol Folt, Blouin plays a central leadership role in implementing Carolina’s first-ever strategic framework, an initiative that will guide university growth over the next decade. He believes a key mission of the provost is to ensure Carolina attracts, develops and retains leading faculty members focused on preparing students for success in a rapidly changing global economy.
An acclaimed educator, award-winning researcher and internationally recognized innovator, Blouin was Dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy from 2003 to 2017. When announcing Blouin as Carolina’s 15th Provost, Chancellor Folt cited his exceptional professionalism as dean and his change-leadership success that has helped accelerate the school’s unprecedented expansion and international recognition in its research, education and global engagement programs. He will continue to serve as the school’s Bryson Distinguished Professor.

Gary Bowen, PhD is Dean and Kenan Distinguished Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bowen currently co-directs the School Success Profile (SSP) project. The two student-level assessments that have emerged from this work — the School Success Profile and the Elementary School Success Profile — have been administered to nearly 100,000 students in nearly 2,000 schools and youth-serving agencies. The SSP or parts of the SSP have been translated into five languages: Spanish, Hebrew, Lithuanian, Romanian, and Portuguese. Dr. Bowen developed the School Success Profile Learning Organization (SSP-LO) instrument to assess schools’ organizational readiness for innovation. Dr. Bowen also has extensive experience working with all branches of the military services, and during the past 30 years, he has visited installations worldwide in the context of consulting with military policy makers, researchers, and practitioners across a range of mental health and social service issues. In 2017, Dr. Bowen was selected as an American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare Fellow for his distinguished accomplishment as a scholar and practitioner dedicated to achieving excellence in his work to advance social good.

Aysenil Belger, PhD is Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Professor and Director of Neuroimaging Research in Psychiatry, and adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center. Dr. Belger is a cognitive neuroscientist whose research focuses on translational and interdisciplinary studies of brain circuits underlying attention, emotion and decision making, and how these circuits break down in neuropsychiatric and neuro-development disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Dr. Belger combines functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electrophysiological scalp recording (EEG), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), experimental psychology and neuropsychological assessment techniques to understanding the development of the adolescent brain, and how nature/nurture interactions provide particular vulnerability to individuals who develop schizophrenia or autism. Her integrative research has most recently pioneered exploration of electrophysiological and functional abnormalities in young autistic children, as well as children, adolescents and adults at clinical and familial risk for psychosis. Dr. Belger is part of a large interdisciplinary team of investigators conducting multi-institutional studies exploring the impact of early childhood abuse and neglect on adult brain function, structure and substance abuse outcomes. Recent studies from Dr. Belger’s laboratory have demonstrated that parents of children with autism share phenotypic and neurobiological markers associated with aberrant social information processing. She eagerly mentors multiple undergraduate, graduate and medical students, as well postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty.

We are pleased to introduce our wonderful faculty Presenters/Facilitators (with more bios forthcoming):

Byron J. Powell, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
Byron’s research focuses on efforts to improve the quality of health, behavioral health, and social services. Specifically, his scholarship has focused on 1) identifying contextual barriers and facilitators to implementing evidence-based practices in routine care, 2) identifying and assessing the effectiveness of implementation strategies, 3) developing methods for tailoring implementation strategies to address determinants of effective implementation, and 4) advancing research methodology in implementation science. His work is currently supported by a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health (K01MH113806).
Byron has received National Institutes of Health-funded fellowships from the Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (2015); Child, Intervention, Prevention, and Services Research Mentoring Network (2015-2016); Implementation Research Institute (2016-2018); and Mixed Methods Research Training Program for the Health Sciences (2018-2019). He serves on the editorial board of Implementation Science, and is Co-Chair of the Implementation Special Interest Group of the Society for Social Work and Research and the New Investigator Network of Expertise of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration.
In addition to his independent and collaborative research, Byron teaches courses on implementation research and practice, and provides methodological consultation related to implementation research through the Community Engagement Core (CARES) of the North Carolina Translational & Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS) and the Social and Behavioral Research Core of UNC’s Center for AIDS Research. He is also a Core Faculty Member of the UNC-RTI Consortium for Implementation Science.

Brandy Bynum Dawson, MPA joined Rural Forward NC as the Associate Director in September 2014. In her role, Brandy works with the Director and program staff to manage, plan, organize, and direct daily capacity building services. Specifically, she provides technical assistance, coaching, facilitation, resource management and support of community initiatives in rural central and eastern North Carolina. She also provides data, research and policy analysis of implementation structures and model programs to local communities. Her skills include policy analysis, program evaluation, organizational development, project and change management support, and other relevant expertise to communities. Brandy has been active in the nonprofit community for more than a decade as a professional, volunteer, and board member to improve outcomes for children and families. Prior to joining Rural Forward NC in 2014, Brandy served as the Director of Policy and Outreach at NC Child for over twelve years. Brandy has extensive experience conducting research and analysis of public policy issues and developing summary reports on a variety of topics. She has led several policy campaigns with a primary focus on mental health, education and youth justice; as well as provided community development services to agencies, communities, and coalitions in the areas of civic engagement, action planning, results-based accountability, program implementation and organizational collaboration. Brandy graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Brandy also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from NC State University, with a concentration in mental health policy.

Paul Lanier, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, where he teaches courses in social policy and program evaluation. Dr. Lanier received his doctoral degree from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on developing, evaluating, and implementing evidence-based prevention programs in child welfare, mental health, and early childhood systems. His research has included the implementation of family support models including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Triple P Parenting Program, Circle of Parents, and several early home visiting models. He is currently leading a statewide landscape analysis of early home visiting systems in North Carolina. His recent work has involved engaging and supporting low-income families with young children, particularly new fathers.

Laura Louison, MSW, MSPH is the Associate Director of Resource & Capacity Development and an Advanced Implementation Specialist with the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC Chapel Hill. In her current role, she works with state and local agencies to support the use of implementation science in their health and human services programs. Laura’s work focuses on building implementation capacity in complex and multi-sector systems, with a particular interest in rural and frontier communities.
Laura previously served as director of the North Carolina Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program at the North Carolina Division of Public Health. There, she was responsible for the implementation of the federal MIECHV program and statewide implementation of Nurse Family Partnership in collaboration with public and private stakeholders. Laura is a public health social worker with over fifteen years of experience in implementation of maternal and child health programs and quality improvement with public and non-profit agencies.

David Ansong, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. He is a faculty fellow of the Global Social Development Innovations and serves as a faculty director with the Global Asset Building program at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. Ansong’s research interests include identifying interventions to address economic and educational disparities among low-income youth and families in resource-limited countries. Ansong has been involved with intervention research on asset development for low-income households and young people including the YouthSave Ghana Experiment, which examined the viability and impacts of youth savings accounts for low-income youth in Ghana. He examined the psychological and educational impacts of education funding mechanisms such as matched savings accounts and scholarships, for low-income rural youth.

Oscar Fleming, DrPH, MSPH is an Implementation Scientist based at the National Implementation Research Network at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With the National Center for Early Childhood Development Teaching and Learning, Oscar works closely with Head Start professionals to enhance implementation capacity in service to improved programs that lead to positive outcomes for children, families and communities. Mr. Fleming is also the Lead for the Evidence-based Decision-Making Core for the National MCH Workforce Development Center. Over the last 25 years, he has worked on public health, early childhood and community development programs in North Carolina, across the US and in lower and middle-income countries around the world. His areas of interest include program design, implementation science, coaching, and team development in support of evidence based and other innovative programs. Mr. Fleming is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Public Health Leadership Program at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Currently working to complete a Doctorate in Health Leadership, Mr. Fleming has a Master of Science of Public Health and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Marilyn Ghezzi, MSW, LCSW is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Marilyn teaches advanced clinical practice courses, including a course on Social Work with Groups. Prior to joining the full time faculty in 2008, Marilyn worked as a clinical social worker for over twenty years. She is currently a Co-investigator on a pilot study of Specialty Mental Health Probation in North Carolina. As part of her study responsibilities, Marilyn meets with mental health probation officers in six North Carolina counties to train and consult with them about their probationers. She received her MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work in 1988.

Audrey Loper, MPH, MS has worked in public health for the past fifteen years, with a focus on maternal and child health, implementation of evidence-based programs, data use, and evaluation. She is currently an Implementation Specialist with the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she provides technical assistance on implementation science best practices. Audrey previously served as the Evaluation Consultant for the North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives and has worked as a childbirth educator and volunteer doula. She received her Master of Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill, and her Master of Science from the University of California, Davis.

Gina Chowa, PhD, MSW is an Associate Professor and Director of Global Social Development Innovations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Dr. Chowa conducts research on global social development, particularly the intersection of economic security, workforce development, social protection and financial inclusion and its impact on the well-being of vulnerable and marginalized populations in the Global South. She develops and evaluates interventions that aim to promote gainful employment, meaningful financial inclusion, long-term economic security, and improved health and education outcomes. Her research focuses on employing rigorous methodology to examine causal relationships between holistic economic security interventions and well-being of children, youth, and their families in low-resource communities. Chowa’s research is informed by more than two decades of global development practice and has informed her teaching in the areas of development theory and practice in global settings, community-based participatory methods, project design and proposal writing, and evidence-based practice in the Global South. Her current work focuses on nationwide, large-scale experimental demonstrations of economic security interventions and pioneering pilot programs to improve the welfare of marginalized populations including low-income youth, people living with HIV/AIDS, women, poor rural households, and urban slum dwellers. Her work has been funded by the MasterCard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Chronic Poverty Research Centre, University of North Carolina (UNC), National Institutes of Health and UNC Center for AIDS Research, and UNC School of Social Work.

Caryn Ward, PhD, HSP-P is the Associate Director for Education and Measurement of the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill. At NIRN, she is the Director of the State Implementation and Scaling up of Evidence Based Practices (SISEP) Center funded by US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. Dr. Ward has extensive experience in leading and developing infrastructure and capacity development with state and local education agencies as well as early childhood programs nationally. Within NIRN, Dr. Ward leads the development of implementation capacity measures and fidelity measures for use within education as well as other disciplines. Dr. Ward has served in a leadership role for the National Center for School Turnaround and currently serves on the advisory board of the National School Climate Center and research council for Communities in Schools – NC.

Tonya B. Van Deinse, PhD, MSW is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and the Co-Director of Specialty Mental Health Probation Caseloads in NC. Dr. Van Deinse’s background is in management and community practice within mental health service systems with a focus on populations that span multiple systems, such as adults with serious mental illnesses who cycle in and out of crisis services and the criminal justice system. Dr. Van Deinse’s current research and practice focus on intervention implementation – particularly at the interface of the criminal justice and mental health systems – and using stakeholder engagement and case consultation to develop strategies to enhance intervention uptake.

Allison Metz, PhD is a developmental psychologist, Director of the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), Senior Research Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and Research Professor at the School of Social Work at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Allison specializes in the implementation, mainstreaming, and scaling of evidence to achieve social impact for children and families in a range of human service and education areas, with an emphasis on child welfare and early childhood service contexts. Allison’s work focuses in several key areas including: the development of evidence-informed practice models; the co-production of effective implementation and scaling strategies to improve the application of evidence in service delivery systems; and the development of skills and competencies for implementation practitioners.
Allison serves on several national advisory boards and is an invited speaker and trainer internationally. She is a co-chair of the Summer Institute on Implementation Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. Allison is the author of many peer reviewed articles, briefs and white papers. She is co-editor of the widely read volume Applying Implementation Science in Early Childhood Program and Systems.

Sarah Verbiest, DrPH, MSW, MPH is a public health social worker, Director of the Jordan Institute for Families in the School of Social Work and Executive Director of the Center for Maternal and Infant Health in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. With over 25 years-experience in the field of maternal and infant health Sarah has led many initiatives to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, with a particular focus on health equity. She is a principal investigator on two research projects focusing on postpartum health and wellness. She leads several statewide infant mortality prevention campaigns and is the principal investigator for a new cooperative agreement with the federal government focusing on integrating preconception care into the well woman visit. She has held a governor-appointed seat on the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force for over a decade. In her work with the Jordan Institute she partners with faculty working on a diverse slate of initiatives from child welfare to children with special health care needs, social innovation and the redesign of guardianship for seniors. She recently published her first book – Moving Life Course Theory into Action – Making Change Happen with APHA Press. She took on the role of Co-Chair of the Summer Institute out of her passion for building collaboration, bolstering the social work profession and accelerating progress towards improving the health of families.

Kirsten Kainz, PhD is a research professor and assistant director of research development and translation in the School of Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her research and teaching focus on methods for investigating change and impact, particularly in the area of education equity and improvement. She actively facilitates school district improvement through her role as partnership consultant with the Strategic Education Research Partnership in Washington, DC and through her previous service as an elected school board member and engaged citizen.

Leah Bartley, PhD, MSW is an Implementation Specialist with the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her current role, she is supporting implementation science application in child welfare and early childhood initiatives. She also was a 2014-2016 Doris Duke Fellow for the Promotion of Child Wellbeing through the University of Chicago Chapin Hall. Previously, Dr. Bartley was a program manager for the Ruth Young Center for Children and Families where she provided technical assistance, data analysis, and implementation support to the replication of Family Connections, a child maltreatment prevention program. Furthermore, from 2008-2010, she was The Duke Endowment Fellow, following several years as a direct service social worker. Her most recent publications include a review of variables that have impacted fidelity of child maltreatment prevention related interventions and co-authorship on co-creative conditions for sustaining research evidence in public child welfare.

Rainier Masa, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Masa’s research interests focus on the economic and social aspects of health in low-resource communities. He conducts research on the intersection of economic security and health, including HIV prevention and treatment behaviors. As the lead researcher for health and social protection cores at Global Social Development Innovations, Masa develops and evaluates integrated health and economic strengthening interventions that aim to tackle underlying social and economic determinants of poor and adverse health outcomes in low-resource settings. His research combines formative evaluation, to increase understanding of the interaction of economic insecurity and poor health, and experimental and quasi-experimental methods, to identify and alter modifiable causal mechanisms that shape health behavior changes among individuals in resource-limited settings.

Dale Lynn Cusumano, PhD brings to the institute her expertise working at the early childhood, school, district, university, and state levels as a researcher, nationally certified school psychologist, program coordinator, and evaluator. Within her current position at the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), she provides technical assistance to state departments of education focused on building the knowledge and skills that facilitate development of evidence-based infrastructures in service of delivering full and effective use of evidence-based instruction practices to students. Dale also has served as the Project Director for the IES funded Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS) grant. She also has served as a Project Evaluator of a federally-funded Early Learning Opportunities grant, which examined the effect of coaching to facilitate implementation of an early literacy. At the district level, Dale has assisted in designing and delivering professional development modules that refined implementation of RtI at the school level. Dale’s research and evaluation efforts have been published in numerous journals one of which was selected as an honorable mention for outstanding article that contributed to the field of early childhood education. Virtual training and on-line resource development has been a critical part of Dale’s recent work including on-line course development at the university and the development and design of materials housed on the website dedicated to TIPS (www.TIPS2info.blogspot.com).

Virginia C. Strand, DSW is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and formerly a professor at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. She has over 35 years of experience in social work practice, research, education and training, with a recent focus on assisting community-based agencies implement evidence-based trauma treatment. Dr. Strand has authored over 30 journal articles and is co-editor of a recent text on Trauma Responsive Child Welfare Systems.

Carrie Martin Blanchard, PharmD, MPH is a research assistant professor in the Center for Medication Optimization through Practice and Policy (CMOPP) at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She leads the educational and research development for the center, and her research focuses how to implement and scale effective pharmacy services in the ambulatory care and community setting through the use of implementation science frameworks, the selection of effective implementation strategies, and the measurement of implementation outcomes of interest. Prior to her current position, she was the inaugural postdoctoral research fellow in Implementation Science at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in partnership with the National Implementation Research Network. She completed her Masters of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Carrie is a registered pharmacist in North Carolina and graduated with her PharmD from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Prior to pharmacy school, she conducted research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She holds a Bachelors in Chemistry from Wake Forest University.

Jennifer Schroeder, PhD is a clinical child psychologist with over 15 years of experience consulting to nonprofit, education, government, and philanthropic organizations to improve and sustain effective programs and services for children, youth, and families. She is the founder and president of The Implementation Group, a strategic planning and evaluation firm that supports effective implementation practices in human services and education. She holds a doctorate in clinical child psychology from Bowling Green State University and completed pre- and post-doctoral fellowships at Yale University.

Dorothy Cilenti, DrPH, MSW, MPH has worked in local and state public health agencies in North Carolina for more than 20 years. She is primarily interested in improving systems of care for underserved women and children. Dr. Cilenti is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health where she directs the National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Center, a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of MCH Workforce Development. She has served as principle investigator for more than 25 contracts and grants totaling more than 15 million, ranging from training grants to public health systems research awards. Dr. Cilenti received a Bachelors’ degree in Psychology from Duke University and a Masters in both Public Health and Social Work as well as a Doctorate degree in Health Policy and Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Todd Jensen, PhD, MSW is a Research Associate in the Jordan Institute for Families and Research Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His areas of interest are centered on family resilience and youth well-being. He has served as chief analyst on national projects with the United States Air Force aimed at supporting and informing efforts to prevent family maltreatment among active-duty members. This work has included presenting data to stakeholders in user-friendly ways and identifying and implementing programs and activities that are likely to be sustained over time. He is also involved in extant and emerging community-based projects in Guilford County, North Carolina aimed at alleviating family poverty and promoting child development.

Summer Institute Agenda (subject to changes/updates)
Summer Institute Day 1: Foundational Knowledge (June, 13, 2018)

8:30 – 9:15 – Welcome & Opening Remarks – Why Implementation is Important (Sarah Verbiest, Allison Metz, Bob Blouin, Gary Bowen, & Aysenil Belger; Video)
9:15 – 10:45 – Plenary: Defining Implementation Science and Understanding Implementation Science in Practice (Byron Powell & Allison Metz)

Powerpoint (Byron Powell)

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)
Video (Part 3)

Powerpoint (Allison Metz)

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)

11:00 – 12:00 – Group Breakout: Facilitated Reflection and Discussion
12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 – Plenary: Asessing Need and Context (Laura Louison, Oscar Fleming, & Paul Lanier)

Powerpoint

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)

2:00 – 3:30 – Group Breakout

Breakout A: A Deeper Dive on Assessing Contextual Fit (Laura Louison, Allison Metz, Paul Lanier, & Audrey Loper)

Powerpoint

Breakout B: Usability of Program and Practices (Leah Bartley & Tonya Van Deinse)

Powerpoint

Handout 1
Handout 2

Breakout C: Organizational Readiness (Ginny Strand & Jen Schroeder)

Powerpoint

Handout 1

3:45 – 4:45 – Closing Plenary – Implementation Science: Opportunities for Bridging Practice and Research to Improve Outcomes (Allison Metz)

Powerpoint

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)

5:00 – 6:30 – Reception & Networking

Summer Institute Day 2: Practice Skills (June 14, 2018)

8:30 – 9:15 – Reflections (Sarah Verbeist; Video); Opening Plenary – Case Example: Implementation Opportunities in Public System (Allison Blake)

Powerpoint

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)

9:30 – 10:15 – Plenary: Engaging Stakeholders in Framing and Solving Problems (Gina Chowa & Rain Masa)

Powerpoint

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)
Video (Part 3)

10:30 – 12:00 – Group Breakout (Pick 1)

Breakout A: Brokering Relationships (Brandy Bynum Dawson & Dorothy Cilenti)

Powerpoint

Breakout B: Co-Learning with Communities (Oscar Fleming & David Ansong)

Powerpoint

Handout 1

Breakout C: Group Process and Team Development (Marilyn Ghezzi & Laura Louison)

Powerpoint

12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 – Plenary: Using Data for Continuous Improvement and Evaluation (Kirsten Kainz)

Powerpoint

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)
Video (Part 3)

Handout 1

2:00 – 3:30 – Group Breakout (Pick 1)

Breakout A: Continuous Improvement Tools (Kirsten Kainz & Dale Cusumano)

Powerpoint

Handout 1
Handout 2

Breakout B: Data Visualization (Audrey Loper & Todd Jensen)

Powerpoint

Handout 1

Breakout C: Building Fidelity Measures (Caryn Ward & Paul Lanier)

Powerpoint

Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3

3:45 – 4:45 – Closing Plenary – How Can Implementation Science Be Used to Promote Equity and Social Justice (Paul Elam); Closing Remarks (Sarah Verbiest & Allison Metz; Video)

Powerpoint

Video (Part 1)
Video (Part 2)

Handout 1
Handout 2

Information About Lodging
If you require lodging, here are some nearby hotels to consider for the nights of June 12 and June 13:

The Carolina Inn

211 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
*This hotel is a 0.2-mile walk away (about 4 min.) from the School of Social Work.

The Franklin Hotel Chapel Hill

311 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
*This hotel is a 0.6-mile walk away (about 13 min.) from the School of Social Work.

Aloft Chapel Hill

1001 South Hamilton Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
*This hotel is a 15-minute bus ride away from the School of Social Work via the Chapel Hill Transit V and S lines (free).

Information About Parking
The most reliable place to park is in the UNC Hospital lot on Manning Drive. The parking fee is $1.50/ hour. The Carolina Inn next door on Pittsboro Street has space-available pay parking for a flat fee of $20/day. There are also numerous “park & ride” locations in Chapel Hill, with bus service to (or near) the School of Social Work.
Visit https://ssw.unc.edu/about/directions for more details.

Transforming Developmental Trauma’s Impact on Emotion Regulation & Connection
2018-04-20 08:30 - 16:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Research has shown that adverse childhood experiences–physical and emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence or substance abuse, and other early exposures to violence–are more common than thought and can cause profound and pervasive effects on physical and mental health. As adults, survivors of early trauma may experience:

complex disruptions of affect regulation,
disturbed attachment patterns,
rapid behavioral regressions and shifts in emotional states,
aggressive or destructive behavior against self and/or others,
delays or disruptions in achieving developmental competencies,
altered schemas of the world,
an overactivation of their stress response system,
altered awareness or assessment of danger, dissociation or numbingx
multiple health problems: cardiovascular, metabolic, immunological, and sexual disorders,
problems with self-concept and self-regulation, and
chronic feelings of shame, self-hatred, self-blame.

While the DSM-5 does not include a diagnostic category of “developmental trauma disorder,” treating these constellation of problems in a piece meal fashion would miss out on how they express a system of internal disorganization.
In this workshop, Kate Gotelli will explore ways that adults who have a history of adverse childhood experiences can learn to make sense of their own struggles and begin a process of healing with self-awareness, compassion, and safe re-connection in present relationships. Kate will explain and demonstrate how to approach charged schemas, emotions and sensations in a manner that reduces sympathetic arousal, overwhelm, and helplessness while increasing clients’ capacity to negotiate stress and trauma. She will also offer practical recommendations on how to use the therapeutic relationship itself to help individuals with developmental trauma to restore control and power that creates safety, allows for remembrance and mourning, and promotes reconnection with everyday life.

Licensure Exam Preparation
2018-04-17 12:15 - 13:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Join us to become familiar with the social work licensure exam used in NC and other states. Tanisha James, LCSW and member of the NC Society for Clinical Social Work and NASW-NC, will provide information about the structure and content of the exam. Sample questions and testing tips will be shared during this session.

Awake, Alert and Aware: Improving Latinx services begins with Me
2018-04-16 12:00 - 14:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
What does it mean to be a member of the Latinx community? This workshop encourages participants to examine cultural biases and assumptions that can contribute to treating a community of individuals as “other,” including when this stance comes from a place of ethical compassion. Ivy Hooper will draw from her extensive practice with members of the Latinx community and share powerful observations of unique strengths and challenges within its members. She will also emphasize the multiplicity of experiences within this community, diverse in: language, heritage, citizenship, nationality, ethnicity, race, residency, generation, as well as layers of individual experience. Participants will also engage in practices of self-examination and a nonjudgmental stance that applies more broadly to working with the diversity of individuals outside of the dominant paradigm.

North Carolina Licensure Process
2018-04-09 12:15 - 13:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Elizabeth Pope, Assistant Executive Director of NC Social Work Certification and Licensure Board, will be here to explain the process of obtaining social work certification and licensure in North Carolina as well as answer other questions you may have about the licensure process.

CMPP Networking Night
2018-04-05 17:30 - 20:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Meet Community, Management, and Policy Practice graduates to learn about their current work and
steps they took in their initial job searches. You will have an opportunity to network, share ideas, and discuss your future with recent graduates.

Practicing Social Justice within the System
2018-04-03 12:00 - 13:45 | UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, 135 Dauer Road, Chapel Hill, 27599, United States
The UNC Weiss Urban Livability Program and Jordan Institute for Families Social Justice Action Series are pleased to announce a discussion with Durham City Council Member DeDreana Freeman on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 3rd 2018. The conversation will focus on the opportunities and challenges of promoting meaningful social justice and change from within established systems of power. This event will be held at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health from 12:30 – 1:45 pm in Room 1301. Lunch will be provided from 12-12:30 pm. All are welcome!

Policy Engagement Training for Researchers
2018-03-29 10:00 - 14:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Description: This workshop aims to provide concrete tools to empower researchers to foster long-term relationships with policymakers. These relationships have the potential to address policy crises and opportunities when they arise, as well as to promote policy improvement over the long-run. Skills taught in the training include: how to develop ongoing, reciprocal, trusting relationships with policymakers and civic intermediaries; how to assess policymakers’ resources, needs, and opportunities; the timing of the policy-making process; how to make effective use of intermediary groups; how interaction with policymakers can help researchers determine better research questions; how to write a strong policy brief, and how ongoing policy engagement can be a part of researchers’ academic success.
Participation in the workshop is free and lunch will be provided. We have 30 seats available for this event. People interested in joining need to complete a brief application form (click here) by Friday, March 2nd.
Doctoral students, postdocs, research associates, and faculty may apply. To be more inclusive of scholars across the state, we’ve allocated spots for folks from other universities who are interested in policy. Please share with your network!
The event is co-sponsored by the Scholars Strategy Network and the Jordan Institute for Families at the UNC School of Social Work. Please contact Natalie at 919.907.0026 with questions.
The Scholars Strategy Network, is a non-partisan, non-profit, national community of scholars dedicated to building relationships between university researchers and policymakers, community organizations, and journalists. Learn more here.

Negotiating Social Work Salaries and Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
2018-03-27 12:15 - 13:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Sharon Thomas, Assistant Dean for Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid, will offer current tips and strategies for salary negotiation and information on student loan forgiveness programs relevant to social work students.

2018 School of Social Work Career Day
2018-03-26 10:30 - 13:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Many agencies from North Carolina and beyond will be here to recruit MSW students. Recruiters will share information about social work positions and their agencies. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore social work career options with potential employers!
** Added bonus- Professional Headshots will be offered for all MSW students**

Bringing It All Together: Tips for Maximizing Your Career Day Experience
2018-03-19 12:15 - 13:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Monique Tuset, Coordinator of Student Affairs, will offer a brief but intensive prep session to help students better prepare for their career day experience. This session will cover career day logistics and etiquette in addition to answering any lingering questions students may have regarding resumes, cover letters and/or successful networking strategies.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Trauma
2018-03-15 08:30 - 2018-03-16 16:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) offers an empirically validated approach to the treatment of PTSD and other trauma-related symptoms like unwanted thoughts, feelings, memories, and nightmares. Trauma survivors often work to avoid these experiences as well as trauma-related situations and cues. Narratives about the self as “damaged” or “broken,” or that their presence can taint others are common in survivors of trauma, and these stories can narrowly define who individuals are and thus how they can act in the world. It is a common misconception that healing from trauma means being able to remove oneself from the trauma and “leave it behind.” This workshop will teach from the ACT approach, which does nearly the opposite—it explores how to make room for difficult memories, feelings, urges, and thoughts as part of living a value-guided and deeply meaningful life. Dr. Plumb Vilardaga will explain, model, and demonstrate the ACT approach as it relates to trauma work. Participants will learn from a mix of didactic and experiential exercises using “real” role plays (asking attendees to tap into their own thoughts, feelings, memories, and reactions as fellow humans) to encourage and deepen emotional experiencing and cognitive flexibility, and particularly as it applies to individuals with a history of adversity.

The Accountable Clinician: Sitting with culture and power differentials in therapy
2018-03-05 12:00 - 14:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Identity is a complex and multifaceted construct. In this lecture, Dr. Carmen Crosby will explore ways that the context of culture creates inherent power dynamics, which influence actual and perceived power within the therapeutic alliance. Dr. Crosby will encourage us to deepen our therapeutic work by considering specific elements of identity affecting our clients and ourselves. Finally, Dr. Crosby will present ways to leverage power imbalances in session, illustrating the applications of this approach with examples from work with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

DP Networking Night
2018-02-27 17:30 - 19:30 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Join UNC SSW graduates working in Direct Practice for a night of networking and learning about the job search after graduation. Alumni will share their experiences in the professional world and answer questions you have regarding your own job search. Plus a light dinner!

Embracing Simple Practices to Promote Community and Environmental Sustainability
2018-02-26 12:00 - 14:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
Come learn about ecological justice, environmental racism, climate change, and strategies to engage in radical community organizing to facilitate the transition to a clean, healthy, and just society.
Certificate for 2 contact hours available – Buffet lunch by Vimala’s CurryBlossom Cafe
Meredith Powers, Ph.D. is one of the major voices emerging in the global profession of social work, calling us to embrace a professional identity that includes a response to the environmental crisis. She is co-editor on a series of workbooks for global social workers and educators: Social Work Promoting Community and Environmental Sustainability, published by the International Federation of Social Work (free download at http://ifsw.org/shop/). She founded and administers the growing, international, online networks Green/Environmental Social Work Collaborative Network and a Facebook group Ecologically Conscious Social Workers for social workers around the world who are committed to ecological justice. She’s also a (2003) graduate of UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and teaches just down the street at UNC Greensboro. Among other engagements, Powers was recently invited to speak at the United Nations on climate justice and sustainability as part of the annual Social Work Day event.
Can’t make it in person? Click here for directions to live stream

NASW-NC Sponsored Resume Review
2018-02-20 10:00 - 14:00 | UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building - 325 Pittsboro St #3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, United States
NASW-NC Associate Executive Director Valerie Arendt will be conducting individual social work resume reviews for MSW students. Valerie has extensive experience with hiring employees and reviews hundreds of member resumes every year. More information regarding sign in times will be sent closer to the date!
