Renew & Refresh: Renew Your License, Refresh Your Perspective

NOTE: You may purchase a ticket to one workshop or both workshops. Be sure to select the the appropriate ticket based on the workshop(s) you'd like to attend:

To attend both workshops at a discounted price, purchase the "TWO WORKSHOPS" ticket.

To attend a single workshop, purchase the ticket for that specific date and topic.

Body Justice for Professionals

Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Facilitated by Paula Atkinson, Lisa Kays PLLC invites you to attend this course that explores the psychosocial aspects of weight and body shape, the broad range of social sciences including anthropology and sociology that create the way we think about weight and health. Participants will gain knowledge about body shape and weight issues in our current society, the definitions for one’s weight status, and the relationships between body size, weight and health. Participants will also be asked to explore their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas about their own bodies and how to manifest optimal health, sanity, and peace in their relationships with food and body size.

There will be discussions about the relationship between weight ideals, perceptions, concerns, body image, self-esteem, and identity. We will examine these factors across history and various cultures, and how these ideas influence health and identity. We will also explore the topics of fat phobia, size-ism, thin idealism, and weight stigma and how these intersect with other forms of oppression as well as how they influence all aspects of health. Also discussed is eating disorders and the many manifestations of disordered eating that can occur.

Learning objectives of the course:

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Name three specific tenets of each of the following: medical, psychosocial, moral, and social/cultural perspectives on weight and health and how these tenets affect beliefs about “obesity” and the treatment of people in larger bodies in our country.

2. Evaluate three research studies on weight stigma and disordered eating in the United States. Also subject five media/news reports to critical analysis for bias and validity.

3. Name five ways in which each of the following: social media, capitalism, and the diet industry, affect attitudes, practices and cultural norms when it comes to body shape and weight.

4. Describe specifically the ways in which the following six maladies: disordered eating, negative body image, food obsession, food addiction, exercise compulsion and diet cycling, may manifest differently in individuals.

5. Define the following 10 factors: body justice, body liberation, intuitive eating, thin idealism, fat phobia, body positivity, diet mentality, joyful movement, the fat acceptance movement, and the ‘Health At Every Size’ approach.

This course is appropriate for social workers at all levels of practice: beginning and intermediate.

Because the workshop is highly participatory and draws heavily on clinician questions and suggested reading, it is applicable to a wide-range of social workers at varying levels of experience. Indeed, social workers will walk away with different take-aways depending in their level/experience in practice, as outlined below:

Beginner: Beginning social workers will have an opportunity to explore how social media can and does impact their practice, and to start to develop their own values and identity—based on and informed by the NASW Code of Ethics and experiences of more advanced clinicians—related to how they may or may not interact with social media and/or integrate it into their work.

Intermediate: Intermediate level social workers who may have developed a more cohesive professional identity and values will be able to explore how social media may or may not fit into that identity and their values. They may explore and benefit more from discussion of strategies for managing clinical scenarios related to social media based on those that have emerged in their prior experience. In addition, they will have an opportunity to reflect on and review practices they have been engaging in and to assess their appropriateness in light of the NASW Code of Ethics and input from other clinicians.

The course will be led by Paula D. Atkinson, LICSW, LCSW, E-RYT 500.

Paula D. Atkinson a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, a psychotherapist in private practice. She is also a Registered Yoga Instructor with 500 hours, teaching now for over 18 years. She has been working for over a decade with those who suffer from disordered eating, food obsession, exercise compulsion and body image issues. She is a proud Body Justice activist and a professor at George Washington University, teaching their Body Justice class about the myths of measures of health, the culture's thin idealism, the origins of eating disorders and society's unrelenting bias against large bodies. She also teaches Body Justice Workshops and has a podcast called We Are Still Hungry that addresses such issues.

Agenda

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.: Introductions (including race + pronouns, identity as it relates to body size) and reason for attending this workshop

9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Icebreaker/Reflective Exercise & Discussion

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.: Overview and exploration of the following questions: What does weight mean in our current society? What are my personal beliefs about weight and health? What is the “obesity epidemic”? How do we define who is “overweight” and who is not? What is BMI? What influences body image and body ideals? What influences dieting? When did we start dieting? What is Fat Phobia & Size Bias? How does it intersect with other forms of oppression? Who does it serve?

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.: Case Studies and exploration of the following questions: What do we think “causes” Eating Disorders? What is food addiction? What roles do food corporations play? What do we know about the current Body Positive Movement? Where do we go from here? How do we serve clients from a size inclusive, body justice perspective?

11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Final reflections, Q&A and Evals

Details

Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location: Zoom (link will be emailed to participants before the workshop begins)

CEs: Participants successfully completing all three hours of the workshop plus the course evaluation will receive 3 Continuing Education credits.

Fees: $110, payable via Eventbrite or by check or Venmo upon request to lisa@lisakays.com. Payment must be made prior to the workshop. Refunds will not be given for cancellations once fees are paid; however, arrangements can be made for a participant who has paid the fee to transfer their attendance to a friend or colleague by letting Lisa Kays know of this change and their email address in advance.

In order to receive CEs and the certificate, attendees must attend the full workshop and complete a course evaluation. CE certificates will be emailed upon receipt of course evaluation.

“Lisa Kays, #1526, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Lisa Kays maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 1/27/22-1/27/25. Social workers completing this course receive 3 Continuing Education credits.”

The Continuing Education Institute of Illinois has reviewed and approved this program for nurses, psychologists, dietitians and other applicable professionals in multiple states. Refer to your board regulations to confirm the eligibility of this offering for continuing education credit. Other professions or requests, please inquire.

If you have questions or concerns about the course content, references or content evaluation, contact Paula D. Atkinson at pauladatkinson@gmail.com or 202-215-8356.

If you have questions or concerns about registration, facilities, accommodation for disability, or course administration, contact Lisa Kays at lisa@lisakays.com or 202-350-1640.

Queer Oppression

Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Living in an oppressive culture has lasting and traumatic impacts on one’s emotional well-being. The cultural oppression of gender diverse, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, & queer folk has its own particular contours and impacts. Therapists working with these populations would do well to understand this form of oppression, how it shows up in the life span, and how clients can heal from the cultural trauma while still living in its shadow.

Due to the interactive nature, we request that cameras are on for this workshop.

Learning objectives of the course:

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

1. Name two examples of how a hetero- and cis-centeric culture can negatively affect queer people.

2. Name two examples of the trauma effects of queer oppression.

3. Describe two oppressive elements against queer people.

This course is appropriate for social workers at the following levels of practice: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

The course is highly participatory and focuses less on practice skills, so clinicians at any skill level, with limited understanding of LGBTQ clients, can benefit from the content. It will be particularly useful for straight and cisgender identifying therapists and social workers.

Beginner: Beginning social workers, with limited knowledge of cultural oppression, will gain knowledge about definitions and concepts, while connecting them to real world examples. They will start the process of seeing their own interactions within the culture.

Intermediate: Intermediate social workers with a more developed knowledge of oppression and its impact, especially on queer folks, will be able to make connections to the clients they are working with, developing a deeper understanding on how the culture has impacted their clients.

Advanced: Advanced social workers, who have much experience and understanding of queer clients should be able to deepen their understanding of how to treat the trauma to which this population is exposed.

The course will be led by Michael Giordano. Michael has been a Clinical Social Worker since 1999. He earned his MSW from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and worked in small non-profits before entering private practice in 2007. While serving a wide range of clients and their concerns, his main interests are queer identities, trauma, and sex therapy. Additionally, he is an AASECT-certified sex therapist. He also is passionate about teaching fellow clinicians about modern ethical quandaries. Mike is an avid yogi, a new empty nester, and an amateur poet.

Agenda

9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. ET: Introductions

9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. ET: Overview of topic & Icebreaker

9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. ET: Defining terms

10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. ET: Experiential processing/discussion

11:00 p.m. - 11:15 a.m. ET: Questions

Details

Date: Saturday, May 13, 2023

Time: 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Location: Zoom (link will be emailed to participants before the workshop begins)

CEs: Participants successfully completing this workshop and the course evaluation will receive 2 Continuing Education credits.

Fees: $75, payable via Eventbrite or by check or Venmo upon request to lisa@lisakays.com. Payment must be made prior to the workshop. Refunds will not be given for cancellations once fees are paid; however, arrangements can be made for a participant who has paid the fee to transfer their attendance to a friend or colleague by letting Lisa Kays know of this change and their email address in advance.

In order to receive CEs and certificates, attendees must attend the full workshop and complete a course evaluation. CE certificates will be emailed upon receipt of course evaluation.

“Lisa Kays, #1526, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Lisa Kays maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 1/27/22-1/27/25. Social workers completing this course receive 2 Continuing Education credits.”

If you have questions or concerns about the course content, references or content evaluation, contact Mike Giordano at mike.giordano.msw@gmail.com or 202-460-6384.

If you have questions or concerns about registration, facilities, accommodation for disability, or course administration, contact Lisa Kays at lisa@lisakays.com or 202-350-1640.