Thursday, January 11, 2024
Category: Partnerships
Messiah University partners with Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC to offer courses for licensed social workers
The Bridge Center for Continuing Education at Messiah University and Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC have joined together to offer eight, 3-credit NASW-PA approved CE courses for licensed social workers, and those holding a master's or doctoral degree in the profession.
Attendees can complete each course as a stand-alone offering or participate in all 8 courses by the end of 2024 to earn an Advance Practice Certificate in Holistic Bereavement Care from The Bridge Center for Continuing Education at Messiah University and Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC. Attendees will learn forefront research and practice innovations in bereavement care; advance professional competence in holistic, death-related care; gain comfort in integrating religious/spiritual domains into the biopsychosocial assessment and treatment of bereaved persons; expand their understanding of social diversity in the context of bereavement practice; and more. Individuals will learn from an advanced certified thanatologist, doctoral-trained, licensed PA social worker with two decades of experience in the field and a decade of teaching expertise.
“We are thankful for this partnership with Ripple of Light, a local Messiah alum owned, faith-based organization with a well-earned reputation for excellence in continuing education,” said Dr. Rob Pepper, Messiah University’s executive director and assistant to the president for innovation and university partnerships. “While social work professionals receive training during their formal schooling in death-related care, this programming addresses a gap in continuing education for practicing social workers. It will specifically advance their knowledge in the areas of end-of-life and bereavement care and will assist them in applying this knowledge to their clinical context.”
“Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC is grateful to join with the Bridge Center in furthering Messiah’s faith-based mission by offering social workers advance training on culturally competent integration of religion/spirituality into treatment of bereaved persons across the lifespan,” added Julie A. Guistwite, Ph.D., LSW, FT, owner of Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC.
This partnership allows attendees to complete 24 of 30 required CEs for PA licensure renewal including ethics and suicide prevention CEs. The National Association of Social Workers PA Chapter (NASW-PA) will co-sponsor each course and provide the continuing education credits. Courses will be hosted online from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ET). Cost per course is $90 (NASW Member) or $100 (NASW Non-member). Learn more and register for individual courses or multiple offerings at messiah.edu/bridgecenter.
About Messiah University
Founded in 1909 and located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Messiah University is a nationally ranked, private Christian university of the liberal and applied arts and sciences that enrolls nearly 3,300 undergraduate and graduate students. This partnership is facilitated through The Bridge Center for Continuing Education and the Office of University Partnerships at Messiah University.
About Ripple of Light
Ripple of Light Bereavement Resource Center, LLC equips professionals and organizations with the knowledge and skill to engage, empower, and enrich the well-being of persons navigating a death experience. The Bereavement Resource Center offers health and social care providers access to continuing education that advances their expertise in forefront practice trends and research while fulfilling licensure and credentialing requirements.
Editor’s Note: NASW has been designated as a pre-approved provider of professional continuing education for social workers (Section 47.36), Marriage and Family Therapist (48.36), and professional counselors (49.36) by the PA State Board of Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.