Published: April 23, 2008 01:34 am            

MSU-Meridian to host conference Thursday

The Mississippi State University-Meridian Campus will host the Mississippi Conference on Social Welfare (MCSW) Central District Conference on Thursday.

The one-day conference, “Across the Board in Social Services,” will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in MSU-Meridian’s Kahlmus Auditorium. Registration begins at 8 a.m. MCSW members and MSU-Meridian students may attend free. The cost for non-members and for on-site registration is $45, which covers the cost of instructional materials, lunch, and membership into MCSW. The conference is approved for continuing education credit.

Organized in 1927, the Mississippi Conference on Social Welfare (MCSW) strives to promote social well-being and to support social service delivery in Mississippi. The organization is made up of mostly social workers, but is open to any individual or agency that is interested in any aspect of human services.

The Central District Conference is one of three regional programs MCSW offers its members each year to inform them of issues they may face in their professional careers. Among those encouraged to attend are case managers, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and human services professionals.

Between 60 and 80 attendees are expected for the conference, said MCSW President Brent Hurley.

Hurley, who works with the state Department of Mental Health, said the organization has a solid working relationship with MSU-Meridian and its social work department.

“We started having the Central District Conference in Meridian about four years ago,” he noted. “Since then, we have not wanted to move the location because the turn out of participants has been the largest of the three district conferences, and the MSU-Meridian Campus has been an extraordinary partner in helping us present the valuable information to the public.”

Presenters for the morning session and their topics of discussion include Rhonda G. Carr, a licensed clinical social worker and assistant professor of social work at MSU-Meridian, on the topic “Making Ethical Decisions” and Karla Rushing, a licensed social worker who has worked with the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Rush Health Systems, on “Coping with Everyday Stress.”

In the afternoon, Sheri Roebuck, a registered nurse and administrator of the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Kosciusko, will co-lead the session “Caring for Those Who Care for Us.” Closing out the conference will be Dr. Melinda Pilkinton, a licensed clinical social worker who currently serves as field coordinator and assistant professor in MSU’s social work program, discussing “Methamphetamines and Child Welfare Issues.”

MCSW is recognized by the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists as a designated provider of continuing education credit.

The conference is being sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, Mississippi Paralysis Association, Mississippi Stepping Stones and the MSU-Meridian Social Work Program.

        

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