WELCOME TO OUR VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM 2025

Harnessing the Power of Social Work: Compassion + Action

For decades, NASW-MA Symposia has offered unique opportunities for professional development and networking, becoming the largest gathering of social workers, mental health professionals, and community leaders across the New England region. This year’s Virtual Symposium, in partnership with the NASW-RI Chapter, features over 80 workshops and speakers, covering everything from dismantling racism to incorporating telehealth to political advocacy. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with experts in the field, be inspired by highly regarded speakers, and gain new skills at innovative workshops. 

Participate in our live and on-demand workshops and earn 27+ continuing education credits for social workers. Live workshops are the scheduled workshops on Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2. Though most live workshops will be recorded, these recordings will not be uploaded to this website, but to the NASW Social Work CE Institute. On-demand workshops are a list of pre-recorded webinars that will be available on this website until Friday, May 16. 

MaMHCA has approved Symposium CEUs for LMHC’s, please contact us at chapter.naswma@socialworkers.org to request the necessary forms. 

Virtual Symposium 2025 Program Book:

Explore our Program Book for valuable social work resources, continuing education programs, career development opportunities, discounted services, and sponsor contact information. Don’t miss out on these essential tools to support your professional growth!

2025 Program Book Here

Join our Keynote Speaker Loretta J. Ross: On Thursday, May 1 (12:30 - 2:30pm)

In her presentation “Calling In: Navigating Challenging Conversations and Cultivating Compassionate Connections”, Loretta J. Ross will help us understand the divisiveness of cancel culture and leads us through alternative ways of holding one another accountable while developing empathy and building meaningful connections. With the rise of cancel culture, we often find ourselves embroiled in disagreements rather than focusing on our shared goal of advocating for human rights. To build solidarity in our work and communities, we must adopt a strategy that unites us and embraces our differences. ‘Calling In’ offers a path to engage in transformative conversations, meeting people where they are while making people feel heard, respected, and cared for. 

image

Loretta J. Ross is an activist, public intellectual, scholar, the 2022 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" award and an Associate Professor at Smith College. She has a passion for innovating creative imagining about global human rights and social justice issues and started her career in activism and social change in the 1970s. In 1978, she was the third executive director for DC Rape Crisis Center, the first rape crisis center in the country. This was her entry point into the women’s movement where she learned about women’s human rights, reproductive justice, white supremacy, and women of color organizing. Through her organizing she helped launch the movement to end violence against women that has evolved into today's #MeToo movement. Throughout her 50-year career, she has worked with the National Football League Players' Association, the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Black Women's Health Project, the Center for Democratic Renewal (National Anti-Klan Network), the National Center for Human Rights Education, and SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective.

Loretta retired as an organizer in 2012 to teach and follow her passion to educate. In 1996, she founded the first center in the U.S. to innovate creative human rights education for all students transforming social justice issues to be more collaborative and less divisive. In her work Calling In the Calling Out Culture, she transforms how people can overcome political differences to use empathy and respect to guide difficult conversations. In 2023, Loretta was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

LIVE WORKSHOPS AGENDA

Thursday, May 1

  • 7:00 - 7:30am | Conference Begins: Morning Info Session
  • 7:30 - 8:00am | Breakfast Room with Platinum Sponsor (Q&A Session) 
  • 8:00 - 9:30am | Session 1 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 9:30 - 10:00am | Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall 
  • 10:00 - 11:30am | Session 2 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 11:30 - 12:30pm | Lunch Room with Gold Sponsors (Q&A Session) & Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall 
  • 12:30 - 2:30pm | Keynote Address | 2 CEUs
  • 2:30 - 3:00pm | Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall  
  • 3:00 - 4:30pm | Session 3 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 4:30 - 5:00pm | Visit our Virtual Exhibit Hall  
  • 5:00 -  6:30pm | Evening Workshop | 1.5 CEUs
  • 6:30pm | Conference Ends

Friday, May 2

  • 7:30am | Conference begins
  • 7:30 - 8:30am | Breakfast Room with Gold Sponsors (Q&A Session) 
  • 8:30 - 10:00am | Session 4 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 10:00 - 10:30am | Virtual Exhibit Hall Visits
  • 10:30 - 12:00pm | Session 5 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 12:00 - 1:00pm | Lunch Room with Premier Sponsors (Q&A Session) & Virtual Exhibit Hall Visits
  • 1:00 - 2:30pm | Session 6 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 2:30 - 3:00pm | Virtual Exhibit Hall Visits
  • 3:00 - 4:30pm | Session 7 Workshops | 1.5 CEUs
  • 4:30pm | Conference ends

CEUS CERTIFICATES & COURSE EVALUATION SURVEYS

For Live Workshops: 

Attendees are required to complete a course evaluation survey after each workshop. There will be a code shared during all workshops. Enter these codes in the surveys to receive CE credit. Write down and save each given code, as the survey links may take a few minutes to reflect in the workshop listing. Click on the Agenda page (day 1 or day 2), find the workshop title, fill out the survey (with the code), and download your certificate. 

For On-demand Workshops: 

Attendees are required to complete a quiz after watching each video recording. CE certificates will be available after quiz completion. Attendees get 3 attempts to complete the quiz. Click on the Agenda page (on-demand), find the workshop title, complete the quiz, and download your certificate.

VISIT THE VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALL

image


Engage with our sponsors at our Virtual Exhibit Hall on both conference days. Explore career opportunities, valuable resources, and exclusive discounts. Attendees can access sponsor contact details, helpful links, and Drop-In Contact forms to stay connected. Don’t miss this chance to engage with leading organizations in the field!

Booth Schedule: 

  • Thursday, May 1: 9:30 - 10:00am, 11:30 - 12:30pm, 2:30 - 3:00pm, 4:30 - 5:00pm
  • Friday, May 2: 10:00 - 10:30am, 12:00 - 1:00pm, 2:30 - 3:00pm

How to Enter the Conference's Raffle: 

  • Participate in each sponsor booth, using the chat live feature and completing the drop-in contact forms. 
  • Attend our breakfast and lunch rooms network with our sponsors. 
    • May 1 Breakfast room (7:30-8am): Platinum sponsor 
    • May 1 Lunch room (11:30-12:30pm):  Gold sponsors 
    • May 2 Breakfast room (7:30-8:30am): Gold sponsors 
    • May 2 Lunch room (12-1pm): Premier sponsors

Raffle Prizes Available: 

The NASW-MA and NASW-RI Chapters are very excited to offer our attendees with raffle prizes this year, as a thank you for all you do for social work, clients and communities you serve! After the conference, we will notify eligible participants and you can rank your top prize choices. We’ll do our best to offer you a prize of your choice, although no prizes are guaranteed. You may decline participating or accepting a prize.

  • Mass Audubon: a one-year family membership.
  • Boda Borg Boston: a gift certificate for up to 5 people to Quest for 2 hours.
  • Old Sturbridge Village: a family admission pass voucher for 2 Adults and 2 Youth.
  • The Trustees of Reservations: an annual family membership.
  • EcoTarium (Worcester): an admission pass for two adults and two children.
  • Salem Witch Museum: a Family Pass for six (6) Adults
  • Keynote Speaker book “Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel” by Loretta J Ross (5 copies available).
  • $50 Amazon Gift Cards (4 available).
  • NASW-MA Shirts (10 available).
  • Free NASW-MA membership (for a non-member only).
  • Free NASW-RI membership (for a non-member only).
  • NASW-RI Private Practice Booklet (2 available).
  • Free tickets to Fall 2025 webinars (details coming soon).
  • Free tickets to NASW-MA’s Perilous Times: Advocating for Older Adults and People with Disabilities Conference 2025 (June 12) (2 tickets available for one for a member and a non-member).
  • Free tickets to NASW-MA’s School Social Work Conference 2025 (October 24) (2 tickets available for one for a member and a non-member).
image

NEED TECHNICAL SUPPORT?

Chat with us! Email our tech support at NASWtechsupport@meetingachievements.com and a member of our team will be in touch with you soon. You may experience a delay in response if you send an email outside of tech support hours.

Tech Support Hours:
Thursday, May 1, 6:30am - 6:30pm EST
Friday, May 2, 7:00am - 4:30pm EST

image