Board and Committee Meetings

Building Your Professional Brand as a Social Worker: Aligning Values, Voice, and Impact

Speaker: Rachel Spekman, LICSW, MSW, MBA, M.Ed.

Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 12-1:30 pm EST/10-11:30 am MST

Social workers often spend years developing clinical skills without intentionally developing their professional identity. This workshop helps participants define and communicate a professional brand grounded in their values, strengths, expertise, and lived experience so they can make more aligned career decisions, increase their impact, and pursue opportunities with confidence.

Learn more and register online

Don’t Miss What’s Next: Join NCORED Live on Facebook and YouTube!

#NASW Live | Voices, Vision, and Action: NCORED Community Engagement Forum is Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. ET.

📅When: October 1, 2026

⏰Time: 6:00 p.m. ET/4:00 pm MT

📍Where: NASW Facebook and YouTube

Join us for a timely conversation about racial equity, community engagement, and how social workers can respond to emerging social justice issues.

Watch Live on YouTube (no sign in required) or Facebook

Hear directly from NCORED, connect with colleagues, and bring your practice experience to the conversation. Committee members will also be participating in the live chat.

Responding to State-Level Threats: Briefing & Discussion

Date & Time: Oct 1, 2026 12:00 PM

We hope you can join national partners for a targeted briefing and discussion on strategies to respond to the continued influx of state-level bills impacting your state that complicate responses to homelessness and unmet substance use and mental health needs. The Cicero Institute, a Texas-based think tank, has put together and shared with governors and legislators state-specific playbooks across 22 states to implement last summer’s Executive Order on Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets.

Register online

Monday, October 5, and Tuesday, October 6
8:45 AM - 12:00 PM ET

This is a 6-hour virtual workshop designed to help professionals sustain and strengthen their use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) when supporting individuals with mental health, substance use, and/or medical challenges. MI is an evidence-based, collaborative, person-centered approach that helps individuals explore and strengthen their own motivation for change. Participants will learn and practice more complex OARS skills, apply additional MI strategies and tools, and develop skills for effectively responding to sustain talk and discord. The workshop will also introduce basic concepts related to MI fidelity and provide guidance on next steps for continued MI skill development.
 
Participants are expected to be currently using and have competence in foundational Motivational Interviewing skills (spirit, tasks, change talk vs. sustain talk, OARS, ratios) prior to attending this training. As a minimum requirement, participants must have completed at least one full day of foundational MI training in a single, continuous training event. This workshop builds upon those foundational skills.