Social Work听Seminars
Boston College Continuing Education, in collaboration with the School of Social Work, offers a series of intensive seminars on critical and leading-edge topics with current experts in the field of social work.
听Target Audience:听Intended for new and experienced social workers looking for comprehensive and up-to-date trainings on key issues in the field of social work.
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Spring 2026
Social Work听Seminars - Online
February 3 - April 28, 2026
(See dates and times below)
- Online participants are required to have a computer with video and audio capability.
- Please note: all registrants are required to log in to Zoom prior to accessing the Zoom link for the program. Instructions on how to create a Zoom account听can be found听.
- All programs offered online via Zoom will be delivered live and will not be recorded unless stated otherwise.
- These programs have a maximum capacity to allow for participant engagement. Register early to avoid disappointment!
Registration deadline: Seminar registration will close at 11:59PM three business days prior to each seminar.
Seminar A: How to Start a Private Practice
Online via Zoom 鈥� 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch break) (4 hours; 4 CEUs)
Instructor: Katie Silversmith, MSW, LCSW
Thinking of starting your own private counseling practice but feeling unsure or overwhelmed by the process? Whether you are just beginning or already have a private practice and want to ensure you have not missed any critical steps, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to succeed. We will cover the essential aspects of launching and running a solo therapy practice鈥攆rom legal requirements, financial planning, and deciding whether to get paneled with insurance companies, to day-to-day operations and effective branding and marketing strategies. We will do a deep dive into establishing your clinical niche, and nurturing relationships with potential referral partners for whom you can add value. You will leave with clear, actionable steps and insider insights to confidently launch your business.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain a better understanding of the legal requirements of opening a private practice.
- Participants will learn the importance of the foundational, financial, operational, branding, and marketing steps necessary to successfully launch a private therapy practice.
- Participants will establish how to determine their clinical niche.
4 Hours
Seminar Fee: $120
CEUs: 4
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Seminar B: Untangling Complexity: Special Topics in OCD, Anxiety, and High-Risk Comorbidities
Online via Zoom 鈥� 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch break) (4 hours; 4 CEUs)
Instructor: Jayme M. Valdez, LMHC
Prerequisite:
While not required, prior knowledge of OCD and anxiety disorders鈥攐r completion of a previous seminar on this topic鈥攊s strongly recommended, as foundational concepts will not be reviewed.
Obsessive鈥揅ompulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders rarely occur in isolation, and their clinical presentation is often complicated by high-risk factors and overlapping conditions. This advanced seminar examines the nuanced intersections of OCD and anxiety with suicidality, substance use, eating disorders, and neurodevelopmental differences such as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. Through case-based discussion and a harm-reduction framework rooted in the Unified Protocol, we will explore assessment strategies, evidence-based interventions, and practical approaches to integrated, collaborative care. Emphasis will be placed on equipping clinicians to manage risk and tailor treatment plans to the individualized needs of clients presenting with complex comorbidities while maintaining safety and therapeutic alliance. Participants will leave with concrete tools and a deeper understanding of how to navigate the multifaceted realities faced by individuals living with these challenges.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will recognize and differentiate key risk factors and warning signs for suicidality, substance use, and other high-risk presentations in clients with OCD and anxiety disorders.
- Participants will demonstrate knowledge of the Unified Protocol and harm-reduction strategies to develop individualized, evidence-based treatment plans for clients with complex comorbidities.
- Participants will implement integrated, collaborative care approaches that maintain client safety and strengthen the therapeutic alliance when treating high-risk, multi-diagnostic presentations.
4 Hours
Seminar Fee: $120
CEUs: 4
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Seminar C: Depressed, Borderline, or Bipolar?
Online via Zoom 鈥� 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. lunch break) (6 hours; 6 CEUs)
Instructor: Brian Quinn, PhD, LCSW
Clinicians will learn a clinical diagnostic method to distinguish patients with borderline personality, a major depressive disorder, from those with bipolar illness. They will learn about why antidepressants are the wrong treatment for those with bipolar depression and about the medications that should form the foundation of treatment. Drawing on research from empirically tested therapies for bipolar disorder, Dr. Quinn will discuss the many ways psychotherapists can help patients and families struggling with bipolar disorder once patients receive proper pharmacologic treatment. Clinicians will learn to recognize bipolar patients at the greatest risk of completing suicide and how to intervene in ways to reduce this risk. Finally, participants will learn about a non-drug treatment for depression, mania, and rapid cycling that they can put to immediate use.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe the four lines of clinical evidence that must be assessed to distinguish bipolar depression from major depressive disorder and borderline personality.
- Participants will be able to describe the key elements of empirically tested psychotherapies for bipolar illness.
- Participants will be able to describe the research showing why antidepressants are the wrong treatment for bipolar depression and what medications should form the foundation of treatment.
- Participants will be able to identify and effectively manage patients at the highest risk of suicide.
- Participants will be able to describe why atypical antipsychotics cannot be considered mood stabilizers that can take the place of drugs such as lithium.
6 Hours
Seminar Fee: $180
CEUs: 6
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Seminar D: Unmasking Gaslighting: Empowering Awareness & Addressing Psychological Manipulation
Online via Zoom, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (3 hours; 3 CEUs)听
Instructor: Dwayne Buckingham, PhD, LCSW-C, 情色空间D, PCC
In this seminar, participants will delve into the complex dynamics of gaslighting, which is a form of psychological manipulation that is designed to distort reality and undermine the confidence of oppressed and marginalized individuals. Through discussions, real-life case studies, and interactive exercises, attendees will learn to identify the subtle and overt tactics of gaslighting, understand the impact on victims, and explore strategies for addressing and combating this behavior.
Learning Objectives:
听听听听1. Participants will identify red flags of gaslighting in personal and professional relationships.
听听听听2. Participants will describe the psychological and emotional toll of gaslighting.
听听听听3. Participants will formulate strategies to build resilience and confidence to counteract manipulative tactics.
听听听听4. Participants will demonstrate empathy for oppressed individuals affected by gaslighting.
General
Admission
2-hour program: $60
3-hour program: $90
4-hour program: $120
6-hour program: $180
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Discounted
Admission
2-hour program: $30
3-hour program: $45
4-hour program: $60
6-hour program: $90
Current 情色空间SSW students and recent
情色空间SSW graduates (2021-2025)
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Free
Admission
情色空间SSW faculty and staff who need to maintain a license.
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Social Work Seminar Instructors
General Information:
You must be at least 18 years old to participate in the Social Work Seminars. All sales are final; we are not able to offer refunds. Registrations may not be transferred to another person or to another seminar, course, workshop, or program.听听
Online registration is required to participate in a seminar. General or Discounted Admission tuition for each seminar is to be paid by debit or credit card. Registrations will be processed upon receipt of payment. Payment is due in full in order to enroll.
These seminars are approved for CEUs for Social Workers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. They meet the requirements for Continuing Education Hours established by the State Board of Social Worker Licensure in Maine. If your state is not listed, please check with your local state licensing board to ensure the seminar meets state requirements prior to registering.
The has adopted a policy that requires licensees to complete continuing education (鈥淐E鈥�) in anti-racism and anti-discrimination to meet CE obligations.
听听听听听听听听Licensees must complete the following CE each licensing cycle:
听听听听听听听听1. Two (2) CE hours in anti-racism with a focus on oppression, and
听听听听听听听听2. One (1) CE hour in anti-discrimination, addressing oppression because of ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or 听听听听听听听听expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and/or mental or physical ability.
Boston College Continuing Education is required to ensure attendance to award CEUs. Participants must attend the complete program(s) they register for to receive CEUs; we are not able to award partial CEUs. Those who arrive late, leave early, or do not attend the entire program will be unable to receive CEUs.
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Getting to Campus
Parking is available at the nearby Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue Garages. Discounted parking passes are available upon registration.
Boston College is also accessible via public transportation (MBTA B Line - Boston College).