August 1, 2025: Be part of the conversation.
An annual conference of practitioners and scholars sharing knowledge and research about current issues in clinical practice.
August 1, 2025, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
In-Person
Smith College Campus Center
100 Elm Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Lunch provided.
Up to 5.5 CEs for social workers available.
Registration opening early May 2025.
2025 Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Lisa L. Moore, M.S.W. ’98, LICSW, Ph.D.
Lisa L. Moore, LICSW, Ph.D. is a senior lecturer and director of the A.M. Program in Social Work, Social Policy, at The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at The University of Chicago, where she also serves as a faculty resident head. She is one of three collaborators on the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project, and has been a recent speaker for the Manhattan Institute of Psychoanalysis, the American Association of Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, and the New England Center for Existential Therapy.
Moore received, her bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College, her M.S.W. from Smith College School for Social Work and her Ph.D. in social and cultural anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She enjoys spending time with her two children, and their 1.5 year old party poodle, Sadiki in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
In this time of profound uncertainty, relationships are the anchor that facilitate one's sense of security. Through an exploration of our relationship with the institutional to the interpersonal, this talk will explore the ways the notion of complementary trauma is a generative concept that describes the institutional, interpersonal and intrapsychic cycles of retraumatization in relationships.
This concept also articulates the magnitude of the systemic trauma some are experiencing in the present. We will use this framework to explore the ways complementary traumas manifest in the uncertainty of relationships across institutions and people. This will be explored through an engagement of institutional, interpersonal, and community interventions. This talk will draw on Black feminist thought, psychodynamic theories, and relational cultural theory to explore the intricacies of relationality. This new conceptual framework will be introduced as a tool to access change in social work practice.
Plenary Speaker
Lydia Crafts, A.B. ’05, LCSW
Representative Lydia Crafts, A.B. ’05, LCSW, serves as a state representative in the Maine Legislature, where she chairs the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation. She represents four small towns and the beautiful island of Monhegan in Midcoast Maine.
Rep. Crafts grew up in Belfast, where she learned that being from Maine meant needing to be a thoughtful problem-solver, a strong collaborator, and a champion for justice. She also learned the importance of hard work, dedication, and commitment to the community. These beliefs informed how she chose her profession, how she’s raising her two daughters, and her approach to public service. Rep. Crafts earned her bachelor's degree from Smith College and her master's in social work from the University of Maine. In addition to her work in the legislature, Rep. Crafts is a clinical social worker with a private practice, where she works with children and adults.
Representative Lydia Crafts, BA ’05, LCSW, accidentally entered politics in 2018 when she first agreed to serve on her town's Appeals Board. Finding a love for collaborative decision-making and small town politics, she decided to run and was elected to the Maine Legislature in 2020.
Now in her third term, Rep. Crafts has led coalitions in drug policy reform, behavioral healthcare workforce expansion, and access to mental health services. As a practicing social worker, she will present on strategic policy initiatives and the vital role of social workers in the process. Her talk will use examples from her work in the Maine State Legislature to draw connections between access to behavioral healthcare and policy solutions at the local, state, and federal levels.
Rep. Crafts has championed bills statewide to expand social worker loan forgiveness, enter the interstate social work compact, modernize licensing, and increase access to professional training. Drawing on these examples, she will help participants better understand the role of social workers in political advocacy, how individuals can use their expertise to support policy
work in their communities, and national trends in improving access to behavioral healthcare. Because of her excellent work in these areas, Rep. Crafts was recognized as the Maine Social Worker of the Year in 2023 and the National Social Worker of the Year by NASW in 2024.
Continuing Education Credits and Approvals for This Course
Continuing Education (CE) credits offered vary by course. This course only offers the CE credits listed below. It is the attendees' responsibility to contact their licensing board to determine eligibility to meet continuing education requirements.
CSWE
Smith College School for Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and is therefore authorized to provide CEs as a postsecondary institution accredited by CSWE in many states. Courses offered through the School’s Program of Professional Education are awarded continuing education credits in accordance with Continuing Education Regulation 258, CMR, 31.00 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
NY State
Smith College School for Social Work is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0169.
Not Approved for Counselors (LMHC, LPC)
Smith College School for Social Work has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7110. This program does NOT qualify for NBCC ACEP approval.