2024 Conference Schedule
Zoom attendees will be able to watch the panels, keynotes, and one session from each timeframe, all with the same links. Links will be emailed out a few days before the conference.
If requesting CEUs, the Department of Social Work will email those the week after the conference.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Conference Social Event 6:00 pm at the Hays Arts Council (112 East 11th Street)
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Registration, Memorial Union Lobby, 7:30am-8:00am
Welcome, Introductions and Remarks, Memorial Union Ballroom 8:00am
United States Senator from Kansas Dr. Roger Marshall, Memorial Union Ballroom 8:30am-9:00am
Legislative Panel, Memorial Union Ballroom 9:00am-9:45am
Kansas State Senator John Doll, State of Kansas Representative Ken Rahjes, Hays Mayor Shawn Musil; (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
Keynote Speaker Human Trafficking, Memorial Union Ballroom 10:00am-11:45am:
Julie Hart, Kansas Attorney General's Office; (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
Lunch, Memorial Union Ballroom 12:00pm-1:00pm
Angel Flight Central
Session 1 Presentations 1:00-2:30pm
Calvary Room
"Barriers Faced by Hispanic Immigrants in Rural Settings” - Annette Clarke Jones, PhD, MS, MSW, RSW and Joanna Sanchez, BSW Student (45 minutes)
This presentation will explain how rural Hispanic immigrants confront many overlapping difficulties and possibilities. Social work and language affect Hispanic immigrants' social relationships and economic well-being, but current integration models ignore this. To successfully advocate for Hispanic immigrants, social workers must know these challenges.
Black and Gold Room
"Understanding Challenges of Conducting Needs Assessment in Rural Areas: Examples from the Field" - Mohammad Khan MSW, MPS and Kristin Bailey-Wallace, MSW, LBSW (45 minutes)
The session will discuss the challenges of conducting a needs assessment in rural areas with examples from the US and Bangladesh. It will also discuss various steps and the framework for assessing community needs. Social workers can play an effective role of practicing rural social work utilizing the findings of needs assessment. Thus, it is essential to have knowledge on the challenges and framework of conducting a community needs assessment.
Smoky Hill Room
"Children with Problematic Sexual Behaviors: Who are they and how can we help?" - Andrew Monroe, MSW (90 minutes)
Designed for professionals from a variety of disciplines (social work, law enforcement, juvenile justice, mental health), this presentation will provide research-based information on children with problematic sexual behavior and strategies to promote provision of comprehensive services to these children, child victims, and their families in a way that preserves the family and promotes effective healing.
Trails Room
“Leaving a Home to Die: A Qualitative Insight on the Consequences of Illegal International Migration of Rural Population of Pakistan" – Dr. Sonia Omer (45 minutes)
The current research highlights the vulnerabilities of rural population of Pakistan with lower living standards and their deprivation from basic needs of life. In such a scenario the large number of rural people seek life abroad and their lack of education and lack of awareness make them the easy victim in the hand of mafia who lure them and send them abroad illegally. The study is based on the consequences of such incidents where a victim has receive death on his illegal journey abroad. The brings devastation for the entire family specially women and children left.
Prairie Room
"Increasing Access to Behavioral Health through Student Training in Telehealth & Technology" - Jason Matejkowski, PhD, MSW and Michelle Levy, MA (45 minutes)
Telehealth and technology are quickly becoming critical competencies for social workers, particularly in rural areas. While the recent COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an exponential growth in telehealth, many social work education programs lag behind in preparing students for this mode of service delivery and communication. This poster describes a training program to develop knowledge and skills in tele-behavioral health, with an emphasis on serving rural communities.
"Humanitarian Development is Crucial for Achieving Sustainable Rural Development" - Mohit Prodhan, MSW, DSW student (45 minutes)
Developing guidelines for social work practice, emphasizing the importance of humanitarian development, and promoting sustainable rural development.
Stouffer Lounge (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
"Better together: Brown v. Board of Education & the Future of Inclusion in Rural Areas" - Scott Gregory, Ed.D (45 minutes)
Attendees will learn how Brown v. Board of Education and opposition to the decision, influence present rural realities and how to recognize positive and negative commonalities to inform future advocacy.
Pioneer Room
" Supporting Rural Veterans" - Peg Munke PhD, MSW and Marshal Hayes, MSW (45 minutes)
The focus will be on veterans and their needs in rural areas. Many times, veterans are not aware of their eligibility for educational and other benefits and are not aware of benefits available to dependents.
Kanza Room
"Social Work on the Frontier - Resources are Plentiful, but Rarely in Plain Sight!" - Kim Darrough-Hayden, LMSW (45 minutes)
No matter where you reside, this is the perfect opportunity to locate community resources you never knew were available.
Break, Snacks in the Ballroom 2:30-3:00pm
Session 2 Presentations 3:00-4:30pm
Calvary Room
"Balancing Act: Challenges Creating & Providing Rural Crisis Services” - Tina-Marie Brown, LCSW-C and Michelle Grigsby-Hackett, LCPC (45 minutes)
Providing behavioral health crisis services in rural areas creates a number of challenges. Serving 8 counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore we have worked through the barriers and created a crisis continuum that supports behavioral health interventions across the lifespan.
Black and Gold Room
"Integrating Community Spirit into Eco Therapeutic Interventions: Enhanced Efficacy" -Amy Fischer Williams PhD, DSW and Lillian Marie Wallace, PhD, MSW (90 minutes)
This theory building paper and presentation outlines a way to conceptualize eco therapeutic interventions in rural reservation settings. The presenters argue for the integration of the concept of community spirit when working with rural populations situated on or near Native Nations.
Smoky Hill Room
"Innovative Approaches to Empower Rural Communities: Economic Justice, Victim Advocacy, Talent Development and Diversity in Rural America" - Rachel Dolechek, MBA, Ed.S., DBA, and Ziwei Qi, PhD, M.S., B.A. (90 minutes)
This session highlights innovative collaborations between a rural Midwest university and community organizations, addressing challenges like rural poverty, limited services, and victim support. It focuses on economic justice, victim advocacy, and business communication to empower rural communities and foster resilience.
Trails Room
"Rurality: A Paradigm Shift in Rural Social Work" - Robert Villa, PhD, MSW (45 minutes)
Rurality is a holistic approach to assessing and intervention with rural Mexican-American populations. It provides a theoretical framework to assessing the resiliencies and cultural strengths used by Mexican American populations residing in Colonias along the South Texas Border environment. The focus is on the effects of political, economic and environmental forces/policies on a person's self-image and coping strategies.
Prairie Room
"Investing in Rural Settings While Creating Interest in Marco Practice for Students" - Arika Wiggins, PhD, LMSW and Kathie Miller, LCSW (90 minutes)
As a means of increasing interest in macro practice, students participated in a semester-long project, partnering with social services agencies in the poorest community in Missouri and wrote grants
Stouffer Lounge (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
" Innovative Pathways to Addressing Gaps and Barriers in Rural Behavioral Health Services: A Multidisciplinary Approach" - Tami Radohl, PhD, LSCSW; Steve Cagle, LSCSW; Holly Legg, APRN; Debra Moffitt, LSCSW (90 Minutes)
In this presentation, panelists from an independent rural health clinic will describe a multi-disciplinary approach to bridging service gaps and reducing barriers to holistic mental health care.
Pioneer Room
"Offering Online Credentials to Social Workers in Rural Behavioral Health Settings" - Tim McCarragher, PhD, LISW-S (45 minutes)
The University of Akron was recently awarded $420,000 to offer tuition-free online credentials for social workers already employed in behavioral health centers in rural communities throughout Ohio. This presentation will provide an overview of the program and lesson learned.
Kanza Room
"Using Experiential Learning to Increase Social Empathy of Educators in High Poverty Rural Region" - Rebecca Davison, EdD, MSW (45 minutes)
To explore the intersection of social work, education, and poverty within the context of experiential learning and social empathy, research was conducted to understand the impact of a poverty simulation on educators' social empathy levels in a high poverty rural school district.
Evening Social, Memorial Union Ballroom 5:00pm-6:00pm
Rural Caucus Meeting, Memorial Union Stouffer Lounge 6:00pm
Friday, June 28, 2024
Registration, Memorial Union Lobby, 7:30am
Welcome and Remarks, Memorial Union Ballroom, 8:00am
F.O.U.R. Questions Panel, Memorial Union Ballroom, 8:30am-9:45am:
Kansas Department of Children and Families Staff members, (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
Keynote Speaker, Memorial Union Ballroom, 10:00am-11:45am:
Kimberly Freese, Regional Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
Lunch, Memorial Union Ballroom 12:00pm-1:00pm
Session 1 Presentations
1:00pm-2:30pm
Calvary Room
"Churches as Assets for Older Adults Aging in Place in Rural Communities" - Jessica Savell, Graduate Student (45 minutes)
This presentation covers social isolation and loneliness in older adults, particularly in rural communities, and the role of churches in meeting their needs. It addresses current trends, factors, and effects of social isolation, and how professionals can collaborate with congregations.
"The Role of Rural Nonprofits: Meeting the Needs of Rural Poverty" - Megan Whiteside, MA in Political Science (45 minutes)
This presentation will focus on the vital role rural nonprofits play in meeting the needs of rural poverty and will identify social policy gaps to direct future social work advocacy.
Black and Gold Room
"Paving the Way through Partnership" - Pamela Beach, Tanya Becker, LMSW, Paige Beeson, BS, and Andrew Jacobs, BSW, MSW, LMSW (90 minutes)
This session will illustrate how the impact of collaborative partnerships can shape a robust and resilient workforce while also driving the efforts to build safety with families and children.
Smoky Hill Room
"The RAISE Kansas Project" - Lindsay Schmidt and Earl Legleiter, MSE (45 minutes)
RAISE Kansas provides career exploration programs to rural schools. It is expanding to guide the development of economy projects in six rural communities and developing a STEM educator support system.
Trails Room
"Serving Veterans in Rural Settings" - Kathryn Stefanowycz, LSCSW, LCSW, and Rhonda Weimer, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, B.A. (90 minutes)
Presenters will provide information about social work practice with veterans including how to understand warrior ethos, Veterans Health Administration (VA) eligibility, how veterans access VA services, and new tools such as Veteran Video Connect (VVC) through a Whole Health perspective. Presenters will present the VA's S.A.V.E. training to help provide education to reduce veteran suicide. Lastly, they will discuss situations where the VA cannot fully meet the veterans’ needs and is obligated to pay for Care in the Community.
Prairie Room
"Story & Song: An Introduction to Rural Social Work & the National Rural Social Work Caucus" - Samuel Hickman, MSW (45 minutes)
Brief stories and songs, primarily from the folk and Appalachian traditions, performed live, are incorporated into lecture to provide perspective on rural social work, and to highlight the development and accomplishments of the National Rural Social Work Caucus.
"Calming Techniques" - Betsy Kent-Hickman, MSW, LICSW, DCSW (45 minutes)
We all experience stress or anxiety, but that doesn't mean we understand it! The negative effects of stress seem to have increased due to COVID-19, information overload, and expectations. Do you ever feel you can't take in anything more?
Stouffer Lounge (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
"The Power of Partnership: Leveraging Collaborations to Meet Rural Behavioral Health Needs" - Jim Kuemmerle, MSW, BCD, LCSW (90 minutes)
Millions of Americans living in rural communities face significant barriers to accessing quality behavioral healthcare. Limited resources, stigma, and geographic isolation contribute to a growing crisis in rural mental health. This presentation explores the power of collaboration as a key strategy to bridge this gap and ensure all individuals, regardless of location, have access to the care they deserve.
Kanza Room
"Large Animal Veterinarians in Rural Communities and a Social Worker's Role from a Veterinary Social Work Perspective" - Cassidy Moreau, LMSW (45 minutes)
This presentation highlights the integration of mental health education into veterinary curriculum, promoting veterinary social work and trans-disciplinary collaboration to enhance mental health resource access and resilience among veterinarians and rural communities.
Pioneer Room
"Social Workers Leading Change in Rural Communities" - Renee White, PhD, and Lisa Street, PhD, LCSW (90 minutes)
Social workers are often intimidated by macro-level practice. This workshop identifies community roles for social workers and helps them transfer basic helping skills to participating in and leading community-level change.
Break, Snacks in the Ballroom 2:30-3:00pm
Session 2 Presentation
3:00-4:30pm
Calvary Room
"Enriching Resources for Youth Mental Health: Bridging the Literature Gap" - Amber Youngblood, PhD, DSW (45 minutes)
The mental well-being of juveniles is increasingly recognized as a critical component of overall health. However, there is a noticeable gap in the literature available to support the mental health needs of juveniles especially those who reside in a rural community.
Black and Gold Room
"At the Intersection of the Rural Mental Health Crisis and Children’s Grief" - Kris Fulkerson, MSW, LCSW (90 minutes)
This presentation outlines research demonstrating the rural mental health crisis, followed by a discussion of how this crisis impacts grieving children, and ends with a dialogue about how we can begin addressing this need.
Smoky Hill Room
“RETAINWORKS- Retaining employees after injury or illness” - John Costello (45 minutes)
RETAINWORKS assists individuals staying in the work place after an injury or illness. This not only helps the employee, the employer and the community- by keeping the individual working and contributing to the business and the community.
Trails Room
"From Stressed to Strong, Supervise for Stress Relief and Resilience" - Teri Augustus, LMSW, and Luis Dozier, MSW student (90 minutes)
The presentation will address challenges faced in social welfare, including those specific to rural areas. Tools will be incorporated to promote debriefing and conflict resolution in social welfare practice, enhancing and improving retention in the social welfare workforce.
Prairie Room
" Vaccine Confidence in Rural Communities – Through a Social Work Lens " - Mizuki Kojima, MSW, LICSW (45 minutes)
The presentation will examine how social workers are uniquely trained to work with diverse subgroups within the rural communities, including, but not limited to individuals of color, refugees, and immigrant populations who have significantly higher COVID-19 mortality rates.
Stouffer Lounge (also available Zoom Session for online attendees)
"The Journey Toward Effective Community Engagement" - Thabsile Lukhele, Doctoral Student, Shunale Oliver, Doctoral Student, Mohit Prodhan, BSW, MSW, Doctoral Student, and Lenola Wyatt, Doctoral Student (90 minutes)
Community members are the experts of their life experiences. Effective community practice is based on respectful engagement with residents. This results in sustainable community change. Community assessments and interventions give residents a voice which results in empowerment and independence.
Pioneer Room
"Veteran's Courts: A Necessary Resource for Rural Veterans" - Peg Munke, PhD, MSW; Marshall Hayes, MSW; Mike Daley, PhD, MSW (45 minutes)
Veterans courts are designed to assist justice-involved defendants with the complex treatment needs associated with substance abuse, mental health, and other issues unique to the traumatic experience of war. Some veterans returning home from war find it difficult to integrate back into the community and may become involved in criminal activity.
Kanza Room
"Innovative Practice Guidelines for the Unique Culture of Rural Social Work" - Amanda Lewis, LCSW (45 minutes)
This session examines issues unique to rural communities. Attendees will learn to address topics using social work skills while working through the dual relationships that inevitably occur in rural communities.