SWCHRS Live Learning Lab

Time: Feb. 16, 3:00–5:00 p.m. CT

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Session Details:

As artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT rapidly advance, social work practitioners are increasingly encountering new opportunities—and new challenges—within clinical and administrative practice. This training provides a focused, practice-oriented exploration of how AI can support tasks such as documentation, treatment planning, assessment, and workflow management. Participants will analyze real-world examples of AI-generated case notes, summaries, and diagnostic suggestions while discussing how these tools may enhance or complicate clinical decision-making.

The session emphasizes the ethical and professional considerations that arise when integrating AI into therapeutic environments, including confidentiality, accuracy, bias, cultural competence, and the limits of algorithm-driven insight. Participants will compare AI outputs with human judgment, evaluate risks and benefits, and consider organizational stances on AI use in behavioral health.

Through reflective discussion and practical guidance, this training equips practitioners to make informed, responsible decisions about when—and whether—to use AI in direct practice. The session supports clinicians in navigating emerging technologies while protecting client welfare, professional integrity, and ethical standards.

Learning Outcomes

1. Examine the practical applications of AI and ChatGPT in clinical practice and case management. Participants will be able to identify how AI can support documentation, assessment, treatment planning, and workflow efficiency in direct practice.

2. Analyze ethical considerations and professional risks associated with using AI in therapeutic and administrative settings. Participants will be able to evaluate concerns related to confidentiality, accuracy, bias, data protection, and professional boundaries when integrating AI tools.

3. Assess the potential and limitations of AI in clinical decision-making, diagnostic processes, and client outcomes. Participants will be able to compare AI-supported outputs with human judgment and articulate when and how AI should—and should not—be used in practice.

Speaker

Leena Said, MSW — Minor Safety Specialist, Pinterest.

Speaker Bio: Leena Said is a dedicated social work and child safety professional with over eight years of experience supporting refugees, trafficking survivors, and at-risk youth. Currently a Minor Safety Specialist at Pinterest and formerly a Child Safety Specialist at TikTok, she partners with policy teams, law enforcement, and organizations such as NCMEC to investigate, report, and remove harmful content from online platforms. Her earlier work includes supporting unaccompanied refugee minors as a Social Worker with Lutheran Social Service, conducting crisis interventions with Catholic Charities, and advocating for trafficking survivors through the Polaris Project. Leena has deescalated suicide and violence-related crises, reported hundreds of trafficking cases, and independently managed heavy caseloads with compassion and skill. She holds an MSW from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Psychology from Philadelphia University.

Register Now - $50 for 2 CEUs

Date & Time: Mar. 26, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. CT

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Session Details: Clients living with substance use disorders often have histories of emotional, physical, and/or sexual trauma. While 12-Step groups such as AA and NA remain among the most widespread and accessible peer-support models for recovery, some traditional language within the 12 Steps may be challenging—or even contraindicated—for individuals with trauma histories.

This training introduces a contemporary, trauma-informed framework for understanding and addressing substance use. It offers broadened definitions of trauma across the lifespan and reviews SAMHSA’s core principles of Trauma-Informed Care. Participants will explore the relationship between unresolved trauma and the development of substance use disorders through an overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Study. The session also analyzes 12-Step language through a trauma-informed lens, presenting alternative language options that promote healing, empowerment, and safety. Additionally, the training highlights peer-support options beyond the 12-Step model to ensure clients can engage in recovery pathways aligned with their needs and experiences.

Speaker

​Eryca Kasse, LICSW— Founder & Executive Director, CHOICES in Healing & Recovery, Inc.

Speaker Bio: Eryca Kasse is a licensed independent clinical social worker  (LICSW) in Washington, DC with a background in co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. She received her BSW from George Mason University in 1998 and worked post bachelors with youth in high-risk situations (runaway, homeless, LGBTQ & court involved).  She received her MSW from Howard University in 2010 where she completed field placements with women returning home from prison & jail and adults living with chronic mental health & substance use disorders experiencing homelessness. Her post-graduate work has focused on adults living with co-occurring mental health & substance use disorders at community mental health centers, substance use disorder treatment programs, hospitals and emergency rooms; providing diagnostic assessments, individual & group therapy and crisis intervention. In 2016 she founded her consulting practice CHOICES, providing clinical supervision and CEU trainings for providers and workshops for people in recovery, focused on trauma informed behavioral health care. In Fall 2021, CHOICES in Healing & Recovery was approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and has expanded services to provide trauma informed peer support groups & facilitator trainings. Eryca currently lives in NE, DC with her tortie cat, and enjoys drumming, swimming and spending time with family.

Register Now - $65 for 3 CEUs

Date & Time: March 25, 1:00–4:00 p.m. CT

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Session Details: Bias in Social Work Practice: Understanding, Addressing, and Mitigating Bias is a three-hour continuing education session designed to strengthen ethical and reflective practice among social workers. Participants will explore how cognitive, social, and structural biases shape decision-making, client engagement, and organizational processes. The first hour examines foundational concepts and types of bias that influence perception and behavior. The second hour applies theory through realistic case scenarios, promoting awareness of how bias surfaces in assessment and intervention. The final hour focuses on actionable strategies for mitigating bias, including structured decision-making, accountability frameworks, and perspective-taking. Grounded in the NASW Code of Ethics, this session emphasizes self-reflection, professional responsibility, and the pursuit of equitable outcomes. Through guided analysis and applied learning, attendees will leave with tools to recognize, address, and reduce bias in their professional roles while advancing social work’s commitment to dignity, justice, and integrity.

This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886970186-1492) for 3 continuing education contact hours.

Speaker

​Anthony P. Natale, Ph.D., MSW— Director, Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies and Professor of Social Work

Speaker Bio: Anthony P. Natale, Ph.D., MSW, is the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies Director and an Associate Professor at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work. He teaches various social work courses and has received accolades, including induction into the Social Work Hall of Fame for Teaching Excellence in 2015 and the University of Oklahoma Regents Award for Superior Teaching in 2019.

Dr. Natale's research focuses on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging (IDEA-B) in higher education, HIV/AIDS health disparities among minoritized populations, trauma-informed interventions in social work practice, and social work with LGBTQQIPA2+ individuals. Before his current role, he held administrative positions such as Social Work Graduate Coordinator, Assistant Director of the School of Social Work, and Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence at the University of Oklahoma Graduate College.

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