ODL 249: Caregiver Mental Health and Ethics in Practice

Revised on 06/14/2024

Attention New Jersey Social Workers: 

This course is approved for all social workers, including New Jersey. The Board Adopted Amendments: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.3, 6.4, and 6.7 Content Areas for Continuing Education Credit on April 15, 2024. This updates the Board’s regulation. This amendment states that  attendance at programs or courses offered by providers approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) are now acceptable sources of CE credit. 

At the June 12, 2024 public meeting, the Board voted to allow “any applications submitted, or audits which take place, on or after September 1, 2022” to be able “to submit CE from the sources updated in the new amendment adopted on April 15, 2024.”For more information please refer to https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/sw/Pages/Additional-Information.aspx#CE

Target Audience:

This course is targeted for social workers, case managers, nurses, and counselors.

Overview:

This course aims to provide helping professionals with insight to the challenges that caregivers face daily and our ethical obligations in practice. The course will explore common challenges faced by caregivers, the impact of caregiver mental health on care recipients, boundaries, cultural competence, and advocacy. Strategies for promoting caregiver mental health and self-care will also be covered, emphasizing the importance of addressing caregiver needs to ensure quality care. 

Course Objectives:

By the end of the session – the participant will be able to:

• Recognize the emotional toll that caregivers endure on a daily basis and identify ways to help caregivers 
• Identify some of the challenges faced by caregivers and solutions that can be implemented
• Examine some ethical principles/dilemmas that can arise around caregiving, care partner mental health and advanced care planning and how the helping professional can assist in resolving these 

Presenter:

Lauren Snedeker, DSW, LSW, LMSW, Assistant Professor of Teaching Coordinator for the MSW Certificate in Aging and Health Rutgers School of Social Work

Lauren Snedeker is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Coordinator for the MSW Certificate in Aging and Health Program at Rutgers School of Social Work. Her areas of practice and scholarly interests focus on the aging experience, mental health during older adulthood, and caregiving experiences. Educating about the rich, clinical opportunities that exist in gerontological social work, mentorship and building community for MSW students are Lauren’s passions.

Lauren holds a master’s degree in social work from the Silver School of Social Work at New York University and received her Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) from Rutgers School of Social Work. Over the course of her career, Lauren has worked in diverse settings serving the older adult population, such as hospitals, nursing homes, senior centers and privately by conducting home visits. She has experience working with individuals, families and caregivers. Additionally, Lauren has developed training, graduate-level curricula, content for continuing education events and professional conferences, and articles on age-related topics.

Lauren’s early research focused on debunking dominant narratives of the aging experience through qualitative inquiry. Lauren’s current research project includes a qualitative study with gero-focused social workers to better understand their workforce experiences and therefore increase the amount of those interested in this practice area.  Lauren is also leading two research projects at Rutgers University that focus on interdisciplinary work between interpreters and social workers, and ways the school can lead age-friendly efforts on campus.

1 CREDIT HOUR APPROVED FOR:

Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 1 Ethics CE Credit
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 1 Contact Hour
Case Managers
CCMC – 1 Contact Hour
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing – 1 Contact Hour
Counselors 1 Ethics Hour*
NBCC ACEP – 1 Contact Hour
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 1 Contact Hour

* Some states do not require/accept ethics hours for counselors, for those cases contact hours will be awarded

Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training