May 2023
I sit here on a beautiful morning, anticipating a 2nd day of 88-degree weather, I am confident that winter has finally decided to release us from its unrelenting grip. But wait, more rain and SNOW forecast for this coming weekend?! Oh well, I guess that’s Minnesota weather for ya’. But while our weather may be unpredictable, your MSCSW Board, programming, and activities continue steadfastly.
I’m pleased to say that MSCSW, as the state affiliate of the Clinical Social Work Association, has continued its efforts to represent your professional interests to other local and national organizations, and State legislators, to provide ongoing legislative updates, and facilitate communication among members via the listserv and twice annual e-newsletters.
Our goals continue to be to:
- Provide networking opportunities for members.
- Represent your professional interests to various parties.
- Provide legislative updates.
- Distribute a society newsletter.
- Host professional education workshops.
- Disseminate research and educate professional social workers in best practices.
- Uphold and promote ethical and responsible standards in social work.
- Advocate optimum mental health services and ethical practice for all stakeholders (constituents, citizens) through legislative endeavors.
- Collaborate with educational and public organizations to promote clinical social work practice.
I am confident we continue doing a fine job addressing each of these goals.
Here are some of the past six month’s achievements:
- Our membership is the highest it’s been in recent history and we are delighted that participation among our outstate members has remained high due to so much of our programming being offered via Zoom.
- The Education Committee is humming along with some new members who have been presenting monthly webinars on relevant topics to a consistently large audience of clinicians. The presenters have been diverse, the topics pertinent to current clinical practice and have been receiving positive reviews.
- Colleen Starkey, Joyce Ratner, Gina Schuman have recently joined the Education Committee and will be helping plan for monthly educational events that are currently set up through July and are anticipated to be offered monthly again this coming year.
- We will be pursuing closed captioning for our webinars to better facilitate participation for those with hearing impairments.
- Our e-newsletter is one year old and finding new readership. Katie Mark continues leading this new effort with Bev Caruso’s steady guidance.
- After getting married last year, Anna Leppicello continues to serve as our Event Coordinator extraordinaire from her new home in the Denver, Colo. area.
- Jim Stolz continues representing MSCSW at the Coalition of Licensed Social Workers and has dutifully monitored and reported on the record number of legislative bills this session that directly impact our field, such as title protection and telehealth. He has recently begun attending the Mental Health Legislative Network to enable us to collaborate with them more closely and to be fully engaged with their efforts.
- As the Board’s Past President and Leadership Development Committee rep, Mitch Leppicello has increased his Board recruitment efforts. He will continue in that role as we seek a President and President-Elect to replace me after my term ends later this year.
- Dan Hinderaker has joined the Law Committee and will be working closely with Ellen Luepker and Clay Sankey who’ve been providing that service for the past many years. Watch for a separate introductory note from Dan in this e-newsletter.
We are planning our 2023 Annual Meeting for September again this year, tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 28th at an east-metro location, TBD. I’m hopeful we will be celebrating another year in existence by sponsoring a panel presentation by some of our charter members entitled, Our Living History Shared by Those Who Created It. Watch for emails and announcements on our listserv over the next month with details for this event.
Other initiatives that we continue to put in front of us are to continue to expand and diversify our membership and Board participation with out-state and BIPOC clinicians and build up participation in our two Low Fee Supervision Groups. We are planning a Board retreat for this fall that will clarify and update Board job descriptions and confirm our goals and priorities for the next several years.
I continue to feel honored to be part of an organization that grew organically from a need to organize and advance the priorities of clinical social workers around the State, that has existed for nearly 45 years and that continues to strive to provide high-quality education events and consistent advocacy.
I’m proud that MSCSW has rallied over these years to address issues such as licensure for social workers and mental health parity and today’s ongoing concerns regarding telehealth rules and reimbursement concerns.
MSCSW has long advocated for our profession, our members, and the community at large and I’m excited to be continuing my participation on the Board in a role other than President as my tenure is due to expire at the end of this term. Look for ballots with open Board positions later this summer and be sure to cast your vote!
I look forward to our community of clinical social workers growing and meeting whatever challenges come our way and feel confident the Board will continue to effectively guide the Society into the future.
Thank you all for your support of these efforts through your membership and for the important work you do in your community. And please feel free to reach out to me or any of the other Board members with your ideas or concerns related to our field, our efforts as a Board, or any other thoughts you might have.
We are here to serve our clinical social work community’s needs and support you, the provider of these critical services.
Written by Shelley Berven, Current Board President of MSCSW
