Social work conference to be held at MSU at Prestonsburg

Morehead State University at Prestonsburg will host this year's Kentucky Eastern Branch conference of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) on Friday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 131 of the Postsecondary Education Building.

The speaker at the conference is Geoff Wilson, a licensed clinical social worker and licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor based in Lexington. He will discuss intervention and treatment strategies for resistant clients with mental health and substance abuse disorders. Social workers who attend the conference will receive six hours of continuing education credit.

"Geoff is a licensed clinical social worker and licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who has been practicing in Kentucky for over 23 years. He's practiced in a variety of different treatment settings, including inpatient, outpatient and residential levels of care," said Deirdra Robinson, instructor and facilitator of social work at Morehead State at Prestonsburg, who also serves as the eastern branch chair for NASW-KY.

Attendees will learn about:  

• The prevalence of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders in the adult and adolescent population.  
• The history of the substance abuse/mental health treatment field's response to addressing the needs of clients with co-occurring disorders.   
• Defining what resistance is and how it manifests in those struggling with co-occurring disorders   
• The principles for treating clients with co-occurring disorders, including consensus-based and evidence-based practices for mental health and substance abuse treatment.   
• The barriers that exist in delivering effective services for the treatment population.

Registration for the event is $30 for NASW-KY members, $50 for non-members, and $15 for students. Payment will be accepted at the door in the form of cash or checks made out to NASW-KY. To register for the conference or for more information, contact Brenda Rosen at brosen.naswky@socialworkers.org.

For more information about social work programs at Morehead State, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/study/socialwork, email d.murphy@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2656.