Social Work Day 2025

More than 200 social work students and professionals gathered at the Bone Student Center to celebrate Social Work Day on Monday, March 31, 2025. The conference was hosted by Illinois State University’s School of Social Work with the generous support of the Kirk Haney Fund. The event is a professional development opportunity for community members and students, with social workers in attendance receiving continuing education credits (CEUs) for their participation.

This year’s Social Work Day theme was Mental Wellness, and it featured a variety of presentations by clinicians from across McLean County.

“I really enjoyed listening to the workshops presented to me today. Nathan Stephen’s workshop on trauma informed social work was incredible,” said BSW student Kaila Haste. “All the social workers from the organizations were very welcoming and friendly. I learned a lot of insightful information. Overall, I had a great day listening to workshops/presentations and collaborating with peers and representatives.” 

The event is also meant to honor social workers during Social Work Month, which spans the entirety of March. The theme for Social Work Month 2015 was Compassion + Action, which made Social Work Day’s Mental Wellness theme an easy tie in.

“Mental health remains a prevalent issue in our society,” said CJ Hamilton, chair of this year’s Social Work Day committee, “We really wanted students and community members to walk away from this year’s event with practical tools for helping clients.” 

Conference topics included: 

• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing by Chestnut Health Service’s Bryan Hinman  

• Trauma informed Social Work by Illinois State University’s Dr. Nathan Stephens 

• Red and green flags in potential employers by the Mental Wellness Center’s Jen Bovee 

• Supporting immigrant clients by The Immigration Project’s Camila Graunke 

• Role-playing psychotherapy by the Mental Wellness Center’s Ayrielle Ehlers 

• Functional behavior assessment by Illinois State University’s Dr. Shengtian Wu 

“I really enjoyed the format of this year’s Social Work Day, and I learned a lot from the sessions that I attended,” said Scott Helling, a second year MSW student at ISU. “I attended the Restorative Practices sessions and was very impressed with the information that Kevin Jones shared.” 

In addition to professional presentations, the event also featured numerous social service agencies, as well as state and national level associations that social workers and students can join. Professional organizations included the National Association of Social Workers, the Illinois Association of School Social Workers, the Association of Black Social Workers, and the Clinical Social Work Association.

“Attending the Social Work Day conference as an undergraduate was very beneficial experience. It provided me the opportunity to connect with cohorts above me, learn from guest speakers, and engage with organizations like the NASW,” said Analid Alcaide, a junior BSW student at ISU. “The topic of Mental Wellness was also very meaningful and worked as a reinforcement for the importance of mental health for both me and future clients.”   

ISU’s School of Social Work has always prided itself on its relationships with its field partners and its strong community presence. The conference is the department’s way to “give back” to their students and colleagues in the field.  

Instructor and alumni Stacey Wiggins said, “Social Work Day has always been an engaging experience for students and professionals to interact, network, and learn!  It’s kind of a family reunion of sorts for social workers in the community and alumni from the program.  This year felt like a return to the Social Work Day experience that focused on equipping and rejuvenating students and professionals to continue the meaningful work in our field!”  

This marks the first time the event has been held since Dr. Gardenia Harris became Director of the School of Social Work. “This was a very successful celebration of Social Work Month. The committee did a great job connecting Social Work Day to this month’s broader theme of Compassion Plus Action. CJ Hamilton, Dr. Nathan Stephens, Ingrid Brown, and Lisa Hernbrott should be commended for organizing this event,” said Dr. Harris. “Our students now have a greater understanding of mental health and can better implement interventions with future clients. We look forward to trying to top this event next year!”