Statewide Networking Events
Join us to connect with social workers in your region! FREE AND OPEN TO ALL SOCIAL WORKERS AND STUDENTS.
Monthly Educational Meetings
1st Tuesday of every month from 5:00–6:00 p.m. (1 CEU) via Zoom
Free and open to all social workers in this region!
Click on a date below to pre-register. If you can't click on a date, registration for that meeting has not been opened yet.
January 3: Center for Life Transitions
Speaker: Roxann Storms MSW, LICSW, Executive Director, Center for Life Transitions
Center for Life Transitions is a newer non-profit grief center dedicated to offering hope and healing during times of loss or major life changes. We'll share how our programming serves our mission to be community-based and collaborative. We'll also highlight ways that all social workers can become more informed about various aspects of grief, natural and normal reactions to loss, and ways to support those we work with and those in our lives.
February 7: Suicide Prevention
Speaker: Stephanie Christoffels, Associate Pastor, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Chaplain, MN ARNG
March 3: Social Work Month – Annual Update
Speaker: Dr. Karen Goodenough, Executive Director, NASW-MN
April 4: Being an Active Ally: Knowing Your Role in Community Inclusion
Speaker: Natalie Ringsmuth, Executive Director, Unite Cloud
Natalie grew up in Central Minnesota and received her Music Education degree from Concordia College in Moorhead. She taught middle school choir in Georgia and worked in the church sector for over a decade. In 2015, she founded Unite Cloud, a non-profit working to reduce racial, religious, and cultural tensions in Central MN. She is also a trainer with the CARE (Community Anti-Racism Education) Team at SCSU (St Cloud State University), a member of the St. Cloud Area School Board, and was appointed to the MN Governor's Task Force on Equity and Inclusion. Natalie loves to spend time with her 3 children, making music and playing games.
May 2: Boundaries and Ethics in Social Work Practice (Two Hours, Ethics)
Speaker: Sarah Meisinger MSW, LICSW, Director of Field Education, Department of Social Work, St. Cloud State University
Drawing on 25+ years of direct practice experience, Sarah will explore the importance of intentional boundary conversations in social work practice. Time will be spent reflecting on key foundational concepts that inform boundary development and expression, including the social worker’s role and practice setting, the client’s perspective, access to and use of professional supervision and support, and the social worker’s ongoing self-awareness practice.
Sarah is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and the Director of Field Education in the Department of Social Work at St. Cloud State University. She is the author of Stories of Pain, Trauma, and Survival: A Social Worker’s Experiences and Insights from the Field (NASW Press, 2009) and Exploring Boundaries in Social Work Practice: The Space In Between (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2021). Sarah proudly serves on NASW-MN’s board as the Central Minnesota Regional Representative.