A Community of Learning and Professional Development
Center Plaza
Online Trainings and Certificates
Free Social Justice Teach-Ins
Professional Development Workshops
Licensure Prep-Course
The Center for Excellence in Social Work is launching its innovative professional development institute called the Center Plaza- A Community of Learning and Professional Development. The Center Plaza is a thriving community hub where New Mexico’s social work students, educators, practitioners, and interdisciplinary partners come together to foster dialogue, inspire learning, and champion professional growth. Through collaborative engagement, we aim to elevate culturally humble and grounded social work practice and interdisciplinary collaboration, supporting professionals in addressing the unique challenges of our region to create lasting, transformative impact for people, families, and communities statewide.
“Early legislative advocacy experiences like SANA shaped my own identity and growth as a social worker. SANA provides a unique opportunity for students to engage, real-time, beyond the policy classroom, to affect real change” shared Western New Mexico University Assoc. VP for Academic Affairs; Dean, College of Professional Studies; and Graduate Division Director, Dr. Patti West-Okiri, EdD, LCSW
STUDENT LEARNING
Student Advocacy & Action (SANA) Day at the Legislature
During the 2026 regular session, social work students across New Mexico will come together to participate in Student Advocacy & Action Day at the Legislature. This is an opportunity to meet and network with other social work students, visit the NM State Capitol Building in Santa Fe and see the legislative session in action. A guided tour at the Roundhouse will be available. Additionally, students can visit legislative offices, attend committee meetings, or explore the Capitol Building independently.
3rd Annual New Mexico Social Work Education Summit
The call for proposals for the 2026 NM Social Work Education Summit, A spectrum of liberatory social work: From education to social transformation is open.
This year’s summit invites us to move beyond managing inequity toward tools and skills that will address oppression and advance sovereignty, collective care, and self-determination as core professional commitments. The application is for an hour-long presentation on April 10, 2026 in Mescalero.
As we gather for the third annual New Mexico Social Work Education Summit, we claim education as a site of resistance and possibility where liberation begins and social transformation takes root. We hope topics this year will equip social workers, social work educators and students not only with skills, but with collective courage, relational accountability, and responsibility to be in community and strive for liberatory practices.
Online Professional Development Certificates – Coming Soon!
Professional Development Certificates are opportunities to receive between 15-30 Continuing Education credits of concentrated online training from experts in specialized areas of practice. The Center has partnered with faculty and community experts to develop the following certificates:
- Tribal Social Work Practices and Service Delivery
- Mastering Culturally Responsive Social Work Practice through Belief-Systems Analysis
- Environmental Justice as Social Work Practice
- The DSM and Psychopharmacology
- International Social Work: Exploring Policies, Programs & Practices
- Reclaiming Our Roots: Community Practice for New Mexico
Professional Development
Continuing Education Trainings
These trainings are provided with various delivery methods and modalities including: in-person, online, live and instructor-led or self-paced and asynchronous. Centering cultural and identity-relevant approaches, these training opportunities address gaps in workforce preparation for social workers and helping professionals. Upcoming self-paced trainings include:
- Professional Social Work Ethics: Theories, Dilemmas, Culture and Power
- Foundations for Culturally, Linguistically and Ability-Affirming School Social Work
- Cultural Responsiveness in Healthcare: A Training for Practitioners
- End of Life Options and Care in New Mexico
Resources to Succeed
Licensure Prep-Course
This FREE comprehensive course is designed to help you prepare for the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Masters level exam. This course is tailored to guide you through the key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to succeed in the exam. The course will delve into crucial topics such as Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment, Assessment and Intervention Planning, Interventions with Clients/Client Systems, and Professional Values and Ethics.
Contact Information
Learning Opportunities
Free Social Justice Teach-Ins
Social Justice Teach-ins are a Fall/Spring series of statewide online learning opportunities featuring national and community experts addressing critical topics influencing social work practice in New Mexico. Live training recordings and resources are then shared on the Center Plaza’s online learning platform for participants to view and earn Social Work Cultural CE credit.