School Social Work Association of Nebraska

2023 Annual Conference

Social Influencers of Health and Education 

Friday March 10, 2023 | 9am-3pm

Nebraska Wesleyan University

 5000 Saint Paul Avenue

Lincoln, NE 68504

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Keyonna King, DrPH, MA


Click HERE for more information and to register



Membership for the 2022-2023 school year is now open!

 Please navigate to Join SSWAN for more information.

FIRST TIME SSWAN members will receive a FREE membership in 2022-2023

This is made possible through our partnership with Children's Hospital and Medical Center.

**Remember that all current members must register and pay each year** 

SSWAN Member Meetings


September 8, 2022 ( Zoom only)

November 10, 2022 (Zoom only)

January 12, 2023 (Regional in-person)

May 11, 2023 (Zoom)


A Message from the President: 


November 2022

 

Can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving?  As I write this, I am sitting at an airport on my way home from the Midwest School Social Work Association Conference in Carmel, Indiana.  What a conference!  I had the opportunity to hear wonderful speakers and to collaborate with members from 10 states that make up the Midwest School Social Work Association, as part of the Midwest Council.  

 

Joining me at the Midwest Conference were SSWAN members Emily Arkfeld and Stephanie Hoesing.  I am very thankful for their willingness to represent Nebraska along with me at the conference.

 

One of my favorite parts of the conference is the annual banquet. The banquet is where all 11 state associations honor their School Social Worker of the Year.  How inspiring it is to hear about the amazing work these folks are doing. This includes the work of our very own School Social Worker of the Year, Stephanie Hoesing from Omaha Public Schools. Nice work Stephanie!

 

I would like to take a minute to reflect back on what we have accomplished together as an organization the last 2 months, and look ahead to what we will be accomplish together during the remainder of the school year. 

 

We have welcomed over 130 SSWAN members, more than ever before!  This includes more than 20 first time members who received a free membership.  On October 21st, we experienced a wonderful fall retreat, where over 70 SSWAN members gathered to learn about Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model in Education at UNL’s Innovation Campus. Thank you to Jewel Schifferns and Children’s Hospital for helping to make these accomplishments possible.

 

Looking ahead to the months to come, we will offer our last 2 Neurosequential Model in Education modules in November. We will also be offering 2 free 1-hour CEU opportunities for our members through our BYOB’s.  I think it is amazing that through your SSWAN membership you are able to receive 7 free CEU’s!

 

As March rolls around we will meet again in person for our annual conference.  Look for more information about this conference coming very soon.

 

I hope to see you all at our upcoming SSWAN meeting November 10, 2022, where we will have the opportunity to hear some of the exciting things happening around our state in the School Social Work profession.

 

Thank you for being a part of SSWAN! I am reminded of the saying, “together we can achieve more.”  I am excited to see what we can accomplish together in the months ahead! 

 

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any ideas or feedback you might have at cerks@lps.org

 

Carrie Erks, LICSW

SSWAN President

 


Children’s Hospital & Medical Center’s Community Health & Advocacy team is excited to partner with SSWAN during the 2022/23 school year to implement statewide efforts to expand supports to schools for youth mental health training and resources to create positive & supportive school environments that are trauma informed & promote suicide prevention best-practices.  This partnership will include Children’s sponsorship of 25 new SSWAN Memberships, moderation of the Neurosequential Model in Education introductory training course, developed by Dr. Bruce Perry, as well as funding support for the annual SSWAN Conference. Children’s recognizes the amazing support, training and networking opportunities that SSWAN offers to its members and is thrilled to partner with them to enhance their support of School Social Workers across the state.

“...the most powerful form of reward is relational. Positive interactions with people are rewarding and regulating. Without connection to people who care for you, spend time with you, and support you, it is almost impossible to step away from any form of unhealthy reward and regulation.”

― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing