Jax State Social Work

10/10/2026

Call for Proposals | Jax State Social Work Department | 46th Annual Conference Theme, " Tending the Roots: Sustaining Growth Through Connection and Care"

In 2027, we're focusing on what keeps social work growing: connection, supervision, collaborative relationships, responsive systems, and caring for the people who care for everyone else.

Friends and colleagues, we can't wait to see what you bring this year! We're inviting social workers, behavioral health professionals, educators, supervisors, healthcare professionals, and community partners from across the helping professions to join us in Oxford for a day of learning, laughter, and real connection. Whether you're just starting out or you've been in the field for decades, your voice matters here. We're especially excited to hear from those serving rural and underserved communities, and from professionals at every stage of the social work journey. What can you share?

🌱 Ethics

🌱 Clinical Practice

🌱 Supervision & Leadership

🌱 Medical & Behavioral Health

🌱 Children, Families & Aging

🌱 Rural Behavioral Health

🌱 Student & Emerging Professional Development

Why present with us? Presenters get FREE conference registration, lunch and refreshments, CE credit for their session, and a shout-out in all conference materials. We love celebrating our presenters!

📍 Oxford Civic Center | Oxford, Alabama

🗓 Friday, March 19, 2027

📝 Proposals due: Friday, December 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST

✉️ You'll hear back by January 15, 2027
Our roots run deep in this community, and strong practitioners grow in systems that support connection, leadership, and lifelong learning. Come share what you know, plant new ideas, and help the next generation of social workers flourish.

👉 Submit your proposal here:https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/zUyZni2UFV

10/08/2026

🎓 Rural communities don't lack potential. They need leaders with the vision, skills, and determination to create meaningful change.

Are you the kind of social worker who questions why services aren't available, challenges systems that aren't working, and believes you can do something about it? Have you imagined launching a program, securing grant funding, or developing innovative solutions to address unmet needs?

Then we want to hear from you!

Jacksonville State University's Rural Behavioral Health Social Work Stipend Program is recruiting for Spring 2027!

💰 Selected MSW students can receive up to $25,000 in stipend support across three semesters. But this is not simply financial aid to support you through graduate school. It's an investment in your potential to lead, innovate, and transform communities.

**This stipend is more than financial support. It's an opportunity to develop specialized expertise in trauma-informed behavioral health practice. Students selected for the program are expected to participate in additional training, experiential learning, professional development, and travel opportunities beyond their regular MSW coursework.**

**We encourage students to consider these expectations carefully before applying. We're looking for individuals who are genuinely interested in specialization, eager to expand their skills, and willing to commit the time and energy needed to make the most of this opportunity.**

📍 19 counties. Two states. One mission.

Our focus is strengthening behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 0–26) across:

Alabama: Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Marshall, Randolph, St. Clair, and Talladega.

Georgia: Bartow, Carroll, Floyd, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, and Walker.

📅 Application deadline: November 1, 2026

You must apply to Jax State's MSW program before submitting your stipend application. Our competitive selection process includes a completed application, professional essay, and interview for selected candidates. We want to understand your vision, commitment, and readiness to take advantage of everything this program offers.

**We're not just investing in your education. We're investing in what you'll do with it.**

Learn more about eligibility and apply:
https://www.jsu.edu/socialwork/msw/stipend.html

10/02/2026

📣 Social Work Supervisors — Join Us November 6!

How does your personality and leadership style shape the way you supervise? Join us for a live virtual workshop, Choose Your Character: Understanding Personalities, Leadership Styles, and Effective Social Work Supervision, presented by Francesca Guida-Hall, LICSW, PIP.

📅 November 6, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM–12:15 PM
💻 Virtual
🎓 3 Supervision CEs
💲 $75 | $15 discount for Jax State alumni and staff - JSU15OFF

This training meets the Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners’ 3-hour Supervision Continuing Education renewal requirement.

The training will explore personality differences, leadership styles, and reflective, trauma-informed, and adaptive approaches to supervision that strengthen communication, supervisory relationships, psychological safety, and professional growth.

Register here: https://secure.touchnet.net/C20901_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=481

09/24/2026

Listen to Dean Newton share about the importance of the recent annual Out of the Shadows Conference

09/22/2026

What does social work education look like beyond the classroom? At Jax State, it looks like this! 🧡

Our social work students (BSW/MSW) recently visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where they explored Alabama's history and cultural landscape and considered how these experiences continue to shape the lives of the individuals, families, and communities we serve.

Our students showed up ready to learn! They asked meaningful questions, engaged throughout the experience, and represented Jax State with pride.

We believe preparing future social workers requires more than textbooks and lectures. It requires meaningful experiences that challenge students to think critically, develop cultural awareness, and connect classroom learning to professional practice.

At Jax State, we are preparing social workers who understand the communities they serve and are ready to become agents of change. Interested in a social work education that takes you beyond the classroom? Come grow with us!

09/21/2026

✨ New look, same commitment to our future social workers! ✨

Room 331 got an upgrade! 🧡🐔 As social work faculty, we advocate not only for the communities we serve, but also for our students. We remain committed to ensuring our future social workers have access to modern, engaging learning environments and the resources they need to thrive.

Our students deserve spaces that support collaboration, connection, and learning as they prepare to become the next generation of change agents! We are excited about our new classroom furniture and even more excited about the learning that will take place in this space!

09/16/2026

Sometimes the first sign that social work is calling you is simple: people trust you with their hardest moments.

That was true for Nicole Bishop. From an early age, Nicole noticed that people came to her when they needed someone to listen, someone steady, and someone who could simply be present. Eventually, she realized those qualities could become more than something she naturally offered the people around her, they could become the foundation for a career.

That brought her to social work.

At Jax State, Nicole has had the opportunity to take those strengths and learn how to use them as a future professional social worker.

And if you are considering the BSW Program but wondering whether you are ready, Nicole wants you to hear this: “You don’t have to be perfect, just willing to put in the work to learn and grow.”

She describes faculty as approachable and supportive, creating an environment where students can ask questions, make mistakes, find their strengths, and grow. In Nicole’s words, they want students to become not only “good social workers, but good humans.”

Maybe you have always been the listener.

Maybe people come to you when things get hard.

Maybe you have always known that you wanted your work to mean something.

You don’t have to know exactly where that will lead yet.

That is what education is for. ❤️ Come discover where your strengths can take you with Jax State Social Work.



https://www.jsu.edu/socialwork/bsw/index.html

09/13/2026

Please note: This job announcement is being shared for informational purposes only. Interested individuals are strongly encouraged to research and evaluate the hiring agency independently before submitting an application.

Job Opportunity: THRiVE Director of Integrated Care

United Way of East Central Alabama is currently seeking a Director of Integrated Care for its THRiVE Integrated Mental Health Initiative. This full-time, salaried position is designed for an independently licensed behavioral health professional interested in combining direct clinical care, program leadership, and community collaboration. The position requires a current Alabama LICSW or LPC license and experience with behavioral health assessment, psychotherapy, crisis response, and care coordination.

The salary range is $53,000–$60,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits are also available.

Interested individuals may send a cover letter and résumé directly to Shannon Jenkins, President & CEO of United Way of East Central Alabama, at [email protected].

09/11/2026

You do NOT want to miss the Alabama Society for Health Care Social Workers Annual Conference this October!

We have an AMAZING lineup of speakers this year, with timely topics, great opportunities to earn CEs, and plenty of time to connect with healthcare social workers from across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

And did I mention the location? 🌊☀️🌴

📍 The Wharf at Orange Beach
📅 October 14–16, 2026
🎓 Up to 15 CEs, including Ethics, Supervision, Clinical, and DSM

Come learn, network, recharge, and enjoy a few days at the beach with colleagues who understand the important work healthcare social workers do every day.

Alabama Society for Healthcare Social Workers Annual Meeting.

09/10/2026

What if the diagnosis is right? What if it isn’t? And what if everyone stopped asking because it’s been sitting in the chart for five years? 👀 That’s the conversation.

SURVIVAL IS NOT A DIAGNOSIS: Trauma-Responsive Differential Diagnosis with Adolescents and Adults. On September 25, we’re taking on complex diagnostic cases where symptoms overlap, histories matter, and the first explanation isn’t always the best one. No easy vignettes. No obvious answers. We’ll wrestle with questions practicing social workers actually face:

• Trauma or psychiatric disorder—or both?
• What role could substances, medical conditions, or environment be playing?
• Are we seeing evidence, or are we filling in gaps?
• How much is an old diagnosis influencing our assessment?
• What would we need to know before making the call?

The goal isn’t to diagnose faster. It’s to diagnose more thoughtfully.

📅 September 25, 2026
⏰ 9:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
💻 Live Virtual
🎓 3 Social Work CE Hours in DSM/Clinical
🎤 Dr. Maywald & Mrs. Francesca Guida-Hall

Last day to register is Monday 9/21 at 5pm. We only offer this training once every two years. We will not offer another DSM training until 2028.

Approved by the Council on Social Work Education for three social work continuing education hours in DSM/clinical content. Continuing education credit is not available for other professions.

Register here: https://secure.touchnet.net/C20901_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=430