For certified social workers

Wisconsin requirements | Approved credits | Reminder service | Current workshops | Online Classes

Earn the continuing education hours you need to satisfy certification renewal.

Have you earned the credits you need for social work certification renewal? We offer continuing education that will help you fulfill the mandated continuing education requirements. The programs listed on this page fall within the subject matter areas identified by the Examining Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors for continuing education for social workers in Wisconsin. We offer face-to-face workshops for social workers in the Midwest as well as online classes that can be taken from anywhere in the country.

Below is a list of the classes, workshops and seminars available for social work credit. They are listed by subject area. A link to more information is provided whenever possible. If you are not already on our social work mailing list, call us at 1-800-442-4617, Send your name, address, and interest area to astravers@dcs.wisc.edu, and/or join the recertification reminder service .

 

Wisconsin Requirements

Social workers in Wisconsin need 30 continuing education credit hours for each 2-year cycle including four hours of ethics and boundaries. The other 26 credit hours need to pertain to the particular type of social work you are doing. We have programs that satisfy these specific requirements through either "live" workshops or online format.

 

Approved credits

Programs offered by the Department of Professional Development & Applied Studies are approved for the following credits.

Social Work Credits:

Social Workers: The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professional Development and Applied Studies, (PDAS), (provider number #1042) is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), (800-225-6880) through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. PDAS maintains responsibility for the program. WI, IA and MI Boards of Social Work recognize ACE programs. MN Board of Social Work CE Approval Number: 06-138. IL Registered Social Worker Continuing Education Sponsor #159.000243.
Counselors: PDAS is recognized by the National Board for Certified Counselors to offer continuing education for National Certified Counselors. PDAS adheres to NBCC continuing education guidelines (Provider #5990).
WI Psychologists, and Marriage and Family Therapists: Qualifies as an accredited university continuing education course relevant to professional practice.
WI Substance Abuse Counselors: Qualifies as a continuing education course consisting of relevant subject matter taught by qualified presenters.
Educators: This program may qualify towards your Professional Development Plans (PDPs).

A special certificate of hours awarded will be passed out at the program or sent shortly afterward.
Illinois and Iowa Social Work Credit: Professional Development and Applied Studies is approved as a sponsor of programs for both Iowa and Illinois social work credit. Sign-up sheets and verification of approved hours are provided. For those of you who live near the state border and need credentialing in two states, this is your opportunity to get both types of credit at once.

Recertification Reminder Service

Stay on top of your continuing education requirements! Join our e-mail service especially for licensed social workers. Automatically receive a bi-monthly listing of our upcoming programs approved by the Association of Social Work Boards. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to: join-social-worker@lists.wisc.edu.That’s it! We’ll send you reminders every other month.

 

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Workshops available for social work credits

When available, click on a title for full details. Otherwise you can link to the catalog of all UW-Madison Continuing Studies programs where you will find brief descriptions and details of the programs offered in each subject area. This catalog can be found at http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/classes/classtoc.htm.

Ethics

"This was the most helpful continuing education class I've been to in a long time. I was learning for the whole day" —Beth Johnson, Psychologist, re: Ethics, boundaries and practice: current issues.

Social workers need 4 hours of ethics and boundaries credits in each two year cycle. Listed below are classes we offer that meet these requirements. Please see the representative sections for more extensive descriptions of these classes.

For more information on these ethics related workshops visit the ethics page.

• Ethics and boundaries for social workers (online class-see below)

Aging and Long Term Care

(See Aging and Long-term Care and the Case Management Certificate program)

• An overview of key issues in geriatric mental health
• Case management ethics
• Health challenges and late life mental illness: Part 1
• Health challenges and late life mental illness: Part 2
• Late life anxiety disorders
• Late life sleep disorders
• Nursing home administration: independent study
• Psychotherapeutic approaches for older adult
• Strengths based case management
• The star method of geriatric mental health: Part 1
• The star method of geriatric mental health: Part 2

Brief descriptions and details can be found in the UW-Madison Continuing Studies catalog. Go to the Aging and Long-term Care section.

Alcohol and Other Drug Programs

• Intoxicated driver assessment training program
• National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Conference
• Human brain: impact of alcohol and other drugs on the human brain
• Human brain: overview of brain function and structure
• Human brain: prenatal alcohol use and brain development
• Human brain: the adolescent brain
• Motivational interviewing for individuals with FASD
• Substance Abuse course 1: Fundamentals of substance abuse
• Substance Abuse course 2: Psychoactive substances
• Substance Abuse course 3: Assessing and treating substance use disorders
• Substance Abuse course 4: Substance abuse and families
• Substance Abuse course 5: Skills for working with substance abusers

Brief descriptions and details can be found in the UW-Madison Continuing Studies catalog. Go to the Alcohol and Other Drugs section.

Diversity

• Cross-cultural health care case studies: online self-study course (online class - see below)
• Cultural competency for human service professionals: an introductory self-study course (online class-see below)
• Facilitating by heart
• Honoring our common differences

Brief descriptions and details can be found in the UW-Madison Continuing Studies catalog. Go to the Diversity section.

Mediation and Conflict Resolution

• Divorce mediation unit 1
• Divorce mediation unit 2
• Divorce mediation: advanced skills with complex cases
• Mediation and domestic abuse: problems, policies, and procedures
• Mediation techniques for managing conflict (online class-see below)

Divorce mediation units I and II make up the Divorce Mediation Certificate Program.
Brief descriptions and details can be found in the UW-Madison Continuing Studies catalog. Go to the Mediation and Conflict Resolution section.

Mental Health Assessment and Treatment

(See Mental Health: Assessment, Treatment and Therapy)

• A child's anger: techniques for helping children and teens cope with anger
• Boys and Girls at Risk: the emerging science of gender differences
• CLAYtherapy®: the therapeutic use of clay with children
• Clinical supervision: ethical boundary and practice issues
• Eastern conference on child sexual abuse treatment
• Ethics, boundaries & burnout: body, mind and spirit in the mental health practice
• Exploring the energy dimension
• Integrating motivational interviewing into current practice
• The language of the soul: process
• Midwest conference on child sexual abuse
• Motivational interviewing: theory and practice
• No simple answers: advanced ethics and boundary issues
• Personality disorders: assessment and management
• Stress and health: teaching stress reduction to clients
• Suicide and violence

Brief descriptions and details can be found in the UW-Madison Continuing Studies catalog. Go to the Mental Health section.

 

Online Continuing Education Opportunities:

You are allowed 16 hours of online credit towards the 30 total hours needed, so online courses are an excellent way for busy professionals to pick up continuing education hours. These courses are designed to meet your professional needs while accommodating your busy life. They allow you to engage interactively with colleagues in the virtual classroom, and the courses are more in-depth than traditional workshops. You just commit to participate online, choosing your own schedule for reading assignments and class discussion each week.

Human Services Administration Online Courses

Content for the online courses is structured as weekly modules focusing on various aspects of the topic. Taking these courses can lead to a certificate in Human Services Administration. Contact Ann Whitaker at 608-262-4509 or awhitaker@dcs.wisc.edu for details as the programs change each semester.

• Cross cultural health care case studies: online self-study course
• Cultural competency for human service professionals: an introductory self-study course
• Ethics and boundaries for social workers
• Introduction to researching and writing grants
• Leading vs. managing in human service administration
• Mediation techniques for managing conflict
• Supervision and human resource management
  

How to register:

Registration information is also listed with individual program descriptions.

By phone: Call 608-262-7942 or toll-free 800-725-9692.

By mail: Print, complete and mail the UW Continuing Studies registration form.

By fax: Print, complete and fax the UW Continuing Studies registration form.

Online: You will find a link to an online registration form listed with most programs.

 

Other resources:

The UW-Madison School of Social Work: This department is a good campus resource for social workers and occasionally offers continuing education programs, as well.