Continuing Education Courses for Licensed Social Workers

Overview

All NYS licensed psychologists, social workers or mental health practitioners are required to complete continuing education and must complete 3 hours of acceptable course work in appropriate professional boundaries, in each 3-year registration period starting April 1, 2023. The Board of Regents approved regulations on October 4, 2022, that requires psychologists, social workers and mental health practitioners licensed and registered under Articles 153, 154 or 163 of the Education Law, to complete 3 hours of acceptable continuing education on issues related to maintaining appropriate professional boundaries between licensees and patients. The course work must be taken from a provider approved by the Department and counts toward the 36 hours of continuing education required in each 36-month registration period. The regulations apply to each psychologist, licensed master social worker, licensed clinical social worker, mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, creative arts therapist and psychoanalyst licensed and registered for registration periods starting on or after April 1, 2023. Licensees with a registration period commencing prior to April 1, 2023, do not have to complete coursework in appropriate boundaries until their next registration period. A licensee does not need to submit continuing education certificates to the State Board, unless audited by the Board or applying for a delayed registration.

Commonpoint is proud to offer continuing education courses for our community!

Upcoming Courses include:

Family Estrangement

*RESCHEDULED FOR Monday, February 2*, 2026, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM , two contact hours

Instructor: Jane C. Bardavid, LCSW, Therapist, private practice; Former Director, CAPE Clinic, Samuel Field Y

Family connections provide the core of our sense of ourselves, our identity. Our shared experiences, values, and belief systems weave us together. So, family estrangement and rupture destroy a sense of belonging and tear at the heart of the family fabric. Family Estrangement is on the rise in the US and is now considered an epidemic. Why is estrangement the solution to family conflict, and what are the short-term and long-term consequences? This workshop will explore the causes of this phenomenon, the impact of cutoffs on family relationships, and clinical considerations for repair.

Working with Individuals and Families Experiencing Housing Insecurity

Monday, February 23, 2026, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM , two contact hours

Instructor: Jeri Mendelsohn LCSW, Consultant, Former Executive Vice-President &
CEO, Samuel Field Y & Central Queens Y

Lack of affordable housing sits at the root of a host of social problems, from poverty, to being unhoused, to disparities in health care, and educational disruption. Low-Income families and communities of color are disproportionately affected due to systemic inequities in the housing market. We will explore the role of clinical social workers in work with individuals and families facing housing insecurity that include a blend of direct clinical treatment, practical case management, and, significantly, engaging in advocacy for systemic change.

Working with Transgender Youth and Families – Part 2

Monday, March 16, 2026, 9:00AM – 11:00AM, ***Please note time change***

Instructor: Shawn Giammattei, PhD. Dr. Giammattei is the founder of Quest Family Therapy and is a licensed family psychologist in Northern California. He specializes in couple and family therapy with a focus on the treatment of gender incongruence in children, adolescents and adults, as well as LBGQT couple and family issues.

Transgender issues have been the focus of much of our news recently, and transgender youth are especially vulnerable to depression, anxiety, with a high suicide rate. This workshop will focus on exploring clinical strategies in helping young people and their families navigate an already hostile environment, and to working with families who support or oppose their children’s gender identity crises.

From Survival to Regulation: Clinical Strategies that Help Clients Settle, Stabilize, and Thrive 

Monday, April 27, 2026, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Instructor: Jennifer L. Outlaw, LCSW, currently serves as a Prevention Site Director for Foster America collaborating with state child welfare jurisdictions and consulting partners in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky. She also is Part-time Faculty for the Guided Path MSW Program for Capella University and a Consultant in Executive Leadership for MPGC Consulting and for ACRC Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), transforming residential foster care. Jennifer Outlaw formerly served as the Chief Program Officer for SCO Family of Services.

Supporting client self-regulation is foundational to effective, ethical, and sustainable clinical practice. This CEU training equips mental health professionals with practical, evidence-informed clinical strategies that promote nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and adaptive functioning across diverse client populations. Grounded in neuroscience, trauma-informed responsive care, and somatic awareness, participants will explore how dysregulation presents in clinical settings and how targeted interventions can support stabilization, engagement, and therapeutic progress. This training emphasizes skills clinicians can integrate into assessment, treatment planning, and therapeutic encounters – without requiring advanced somatic certification. 

Rage to Resilience: Anger Management Clinical Skills

Monday, June 1, 2026, 9:00AM – 11:00AM, ***Please note time change***

Instructor: Joel Kouame, LCSW, MBA, CAMS-II, SIFI. Joel Kouame, LCSW, MBA, CAMS-II, is an individual and couple’s therapist, immigration evaluator, clinical supervisor, and founder of JK Counseling—a fully virtual group practice. He specializes in stress-related disorders, including PTSD, anger management, OCD, and ADHD, and utilizes evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, IFS, CBT, and the Gottman Method to help clients create lasting, meaningful change. Beyond his clinical practice, Joel serves as an adjunct professor and is the founder and writer of The Shworker, a monthly newsletter exploring social issues through a clinical lens. His work bridges research and practice, delivering insights that are both accessible and transformative.

Examine anger through a biopsychosocial lens, addressing physiological arousal, maladaptive cognitions, and relational triggers. This workshop emphasizes evidence-based approaches such as CBT, parts work, and somatic techniques to help clients recognize anger cues, regulate emotions, reframe destructive responses, and strengthen relational resilience. Clinical strategies will equip providers to transform cycles of rage into opportunities for growth and healing.

These sessions will take place virtually and pre-registration is required.  If you’d like to register for a class, please fill out our form and submit payment below. If you are a Commonpoint staff member please register by clicking here (please – only use this form if you are a Commonpoint staff member!). ($50 Fee Per Class – two contact hours unless otherwise indicated)

Please note that beginning 7/1/24, there will be a 3% service charge if a credit card is used (not applicable to debit cards).

The cost for each CEU course is $50, and $25 for DGMH partnering organizations of Commonpoint. These organizations include:
HANAC Harmony JVL ISC
Peter Cardella Senior Center
Rego Park Senior Center
Self-Help Benjamin Rosenthal ISC
Sunnyside Community Services
Theodora Jackson NSC
Self-Help Clearview NSC
Elmhurst Jackson Heights NSCA
Maspeth Senior Center
Pomonok Senior Center
JASA Leap
SNAP
Gural JCC