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East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice has taken steps to enable licensed professionals to complete the 30 hours of continuing education required every two years to renew their licenses by the Pennsylvania Board of Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.

“For many years licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors in our community have often needed to travel to the Lehigh Valley or the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area in order to complete the majority of their continuing education training, and now they can complete their hours here at ESU,” said John Kraybill-Greggo, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of sociology, social work and criminal justice.

Most recently, ESU joined forces with the Marywood University School of Social Work on Wednesday, April 6, to sponsor the Third Annual Spring Continuing Education Workshop. This annual co-sponsored workshop is planned by Dr. Kraybill-Greggo and Lloyd Lyter, Ph.D., Coordinator of the Marywood MSW Pocono Program at ESU. This year’s workshop, titled Being Fully Present: Mindfulness Practices for Social Workers, was facilitated by Christine Kessen, Ph.D., Marywood associate professor of social work and Ricardo Horn also from Marywood.

More than 80 people attended the workshop including ESU’s Bachelor of Science in social work (BSSW) program agency field supervisors, Marywood’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program field supervisors, both BSSW and MSW field students and regional community agency practitioners. Attendance at the workshop earned three continuing education units (CEUs) for licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors.

Prior to the spring workshop, the ESU Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice sponsored the inaugural Dr. Barbra G. Collins Fall Social Work Professional Development Day in November 2015. The event was named in honor of Barbara Collins, Ph.D., ESU professor emerita, for her 36 years of service to the university, community and social work profession.

The theme of the inaugural professional development day was Social Work Interventions with Alzheimer’s. The program agenda included a keynote address by Dan Cohen, MSW, Executive Director of Music & Memory, along with a viewing of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award Winning Documentary Alive Inside, highlighting Mr. Cohen’s work. The afternoon included three one-hour workshops facilitated by ESU BSSW Program Faculty and Advisory Committee members focused on responding to Alzheimer’s: (1) Ethical and Legal Considerations by Hanif Bey, MSW; (2) Strategies for Navigating Resources by Joanne Storer, MSW, LCSW; and (3) Self-Care Strategies by Lynn Steele, MSW, LSW. Jeffrey Dauber from the Alzheimer’s Association also provided a resource table for attendees. The professional development day was moderated by Dr. Kraybill-Greggo and attendees earned six CEUs for licensed social workers, marriage & family therapists and professional counselors.

The Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice also serves as host to an annual Continuing Education six-hour “mini-marathon” offered at ESU by the Eastern Division of the PA Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Recently, attendees earned six CEUs on March 5 by completing three continuing education workshops held on campus.

For more information about the Second Annual Dr. Barbara G. Collins Fall Professional Development Day to be held on Monday, November 21, 2016 or other continuing education workshop offerings, contact Dr. Kraybill-Greggo at 570-422-3844 or jkgreggo@esu.edu.