Upon completion of the program, participants are equipped with the skills, confidence, guidance, and community needed to become an effective social worker supervisor
Many social workers enter supervisory roles without the formal training, knowledge, or support required to excel.
The UConn School of Social Work's Center for Continuing Education and Professional Development aims to fill that gap by offering a rigorous, practice-based curriculum built specifically for MSW-level supervisors. Through the Social Work Practice Fellows (SWPF) Post Master's Certificate Program in Supervision-participants engage in interactive presentations, rich discussions, and small-group learning led by experienced and licensed practitioners.
The curriculum focuses on some of the most complex issues supervisors face in community-based agencies, offering both practical tools and valuable peer support. - Beth Sharkey, School of Social Work
This fall marked the launch of UConn's 8th offering of the SWPF program. Since joining as a founding partner school, UConn has helped train more than 125 social work supervisors through this nationally recognized initiative. Other partner institutions include Adelphi University, Syracuse University, and Loyola University Chicago. Together, these universities form a multi-institution network dedicated to strengthening supervisory practice across the profession.
The SWPF program features 36 hours of advanced training, delivered in 12 virtual sessions of three hours each. Session topics focus on trauma-informed supervision through a social justice lens; social work assessment; advancing supervisory skills in individual and group supervision and responding to children and families in crisis; health challenges impacting individuals and families; advancing knowledge of mental health and substance use; and furthering ability to confront performance and organizational challenges.
"The curriculum focuses on some of the most complex issues supervisors face in community-based agencies, offering both practical tools and valuable peer support," explains Beth Sharkey, MSW, associate director of Continuing Education and Professional Development. "Upon completion of the program, participants are equipped with the skills, confidence, guidance, and community needed to become an effective social worker supervisor."
To earn a certificate of achievement and 36 continuing education credits (CECs)-including the cultural competency requirement for Connecticut licensure-participants must complete all sessions. Enrollment is limited to 25 to ensure a highly engaging learning environment.
Sessions are offered fully virtual; the application date for 2026-2027 will be announced soon.
The SWPF program is among more than 50 continuing education programs offered annually by the SSW since 1979. While most attendees are from the Northeast, participants have joined from almost all 50 U.S. states, as well as Europe, the U.K., Asia, and Australia. Many alumni attend our trainings.
"I like to think of it as returning to the SSW, even if it's virtually, to participate in a CE program no matter where you live," Sharkey says.
