General registration: $35 for those unaffiliated with VCU & the School of Social Work $30 for VCU SSW alumni and field instructors.
Free registration: For all VCU & SSW students, faculty and staff.
Insights into Mental Illness: Practice Models
Jan. 29-April 23, 2026
In a rapidly evolving world, the field of mental health and social work is facing new challenges and opportunities. One of the most critical areas of focus is the understanding and treatment of various treatment modalities and how they are utilized with clients.
The VCU School of Social Work's "Insights into Serious Mental Illness: Practice Modalities" is a cutting-edge program that addresses the multifaceted dimensions of the ways in which practice models are developed, utilized, and how clinicians must examine implicit bias and anti-racist concepts in an ever-changing world.
This comprehensive course, comprised of seven engaging sessions, is designed to provide participants with a deeper understanding of various practice models, their impact on individuals and the broader community, as well as the tools and insights to address these complex issues. It explores models such as:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Play Therapy
- EMDR
- IFS
- Open Dialogue
Each session is led by a distinguished expert in the field, ensuring that participants receive the latest insights, research and practical knowledge. The goal of this series is to equip social workers, students, alumni and field instructors with the tools necessary to make a meaningful impact in the lives of their clients.
By the end of this course, participants will have gained a profound understanding of themselves as individual practitioners, a broader perspective on the ethical aspects of social work and practical tools to enhance their work with individuals experiencing serious mental illnesses. Learn more about our series lead, Cassie DeSena-Jacobs, D.S.W., LCSW, CCTP-II, M.S., and more mental health-related initiatives at the school.
Series learning objectives
Upon completion of the "Insights into Serious Mental Illness: Practice Modalities," participants will be able to:
- Define Mental Illness (MI): Gain a comprehensive understanding of what constitutes MI, including the diagnostic criteria, prevalence and the impact on individuals and communities.
- Discuss Open Dialogue: Examine the use of Open Dialogue in the SMI
- population in various clinical settings, to include the clinic, the community and carceral settings. Discuss the adaptability of the model and the benefit of its use, particularly in marginalized populations.
- Innovate Healing Techniques in Child Therapy: Explore the essential concepts and practices of play therapy, equipping clinicians with the tools to effectively support children in a therapeutic setting.
- Apply ACT: Identify how psychotherapy, particularly ACT, is increasingly recognized as a valuable addition to medication in the treatment of psychotic disorders
- Understand EMDR: Examine on integration of somatic practice into EMDR and explore ways to address intergenerational racial trauma.
- Explore IFS: Practice and engage in the clinical application of experiential Parts Work with trauma, depression, anxiety and attachment wounds
- Apply an Anti-Racist Lens: Develop the ability to apply an anti-racist lens and practices when addressing individuals with SMI, recognizing the importance of challenging social injustice within the context of mental health care.
Level 3 Mental Health First Aid digital badge
Participants who earn the Level 3 Mental Health First Aid digital badge have gained a comprehensive understanding of what constitutes serious mental illness (SMI), including the diagnostic criteria, prevalence, research and the impact on individuals and communities.
They have developed skills in open dialogue, play therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, EMDR, and internal family systems. They are competent in applying an anti-racist lens and practice when addressing individuals with SMI, and challenging social injustice within the context of mental health care.
Applications for social work and behavioral health practice
The content of this series highly relevant and beneficial to social work practice in several ways. The series provides an in-depth understanding of mental illness, including its diagnostic criteria, prevalence and the impact on individuals and communities. Learning and practicing open dialogue will include ways to use this model in various clinical settings, to include the clinic, the community and carceral settings. Attendees will address and discuss adaptability of the model and the benefit of its use, particularly in marginalized populations, with a specific emphasis on how open dialogue can be utilized to address racism and cultural mistrust.
Clinicians will evaluate the tools used to support children in a therapeutic setting when using play therapy. Participants will develop the skills to identify implicit biases in themselves and others, while cultivating cultural humility to foster more inclusive, equitable and respectful interactions in professional and personal settings. Participants will review of the stages of play therapy and the specific interventions most effective for each stage as well as the treatment planning process, providing practical strategies to foster collaboration and buy-in.
Participants will explore how clients’ attempts to control or escape from hallucinations (experiential avoidance) are a core problem in psychosis and can exacerbate symptoms. Additionally, a review of key ACT processes in practice will be followed by a discussion of intervention tools such as defusion skills, to assist social workers in helping their clients change their relationship with their symptoms rather than trying to eliminate them.
Attendees will discuss the ways in which Racially Focused EMDR goes beyond being culturally competent and integrates anti-racist practices to support communities of people who have been marginalized and rightfully have mistrust in the systems that have upheld deep rooted oppression. Participants will focus on integration of somatic practice into EMDR and explore ways to address intergenerational racial trauma. Attendees will explore the clinical application of experiential Parts Work with trauma, depression, anxiety and attachment wounds.
The underlying mechanism of memory reconsolidation as a path to transformational change will be discussed, as well as ways to promote safety in the therapeutic alliance. The presentation will equip attendees with the basic skills to start listening for and befriending their clients’ – as well as their own – Parts.
Teaching methods
This series will utilize a diverse set of teaching methods to create an engaging and informative learning experience for participants. These methods are designed to accommodate various learning styles and ensure that attendees gain a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter.
Renowned experts will deliver video presentations, offering valuable insights and real-world experiences. These videos provide a direct connection between participants and the presenters, facilitating comprehension and illustrating practical applications of the content. Slide presentations will complement the video content, offering visual aids and organized outlines of the topics discussed. These slides serve as reference materials, emphasize key points, and enhance overall understanding.
While the series features video presentations, they are not passive lectures. Speakers will actively engage the audience within their presentations, encouraging questions, discussions and critical thinking. Participants can ask questions and interact with the speakers to delve deeper into the subject matter.
Small-group discussions play a pivotal role in the learning process. After each video presentation and lecture, participants will join facilitated small-group discussions. These discussions promote active participation, idea exchange and practical application of the content to real-life scenarios. They encourage participants to share their perspectives, learn from one another and explore diverse viewpoints.
These teaching methods create a dynamic and comprehensive learning environment, ensuring that participants actively absorb and apply the knowledge gained. The combination of video content, slide presentations, interactive lectures and small-group discussions fosters critical thinking and skill development in addressing the complex topic of serious mental illness.
- Presenter: Gary Cuddeback, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H.
VCU School of Social Work dean and professor - Date: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026
Dean Cuddeback will provide an introduction to the Insights into Serious Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Seminar Series, and provide an introduction to severe mental illness and how social workers are an integral part of working with this aspect of mental health.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Define serious mental illness and how social workers can impact individuals with these diagnoses.
- Discuss the ethics of mental illness and why practitioners are more important now than ever before.
- Discuss the research that is currently being facilitated about mental health and how it can be applied to practice.
About the presenter
Dr. Cuddeback has been involved in dozens of projects focused on individuals with severe mental illnesses, especially those individuals who are involved with the criminal justice system, and has published papers about the physical health needs of justice-involved individuals with severe mental illnesses; the prevalence of individuals with mental illnesses in prison; the role of Medicaid on mental health service use and recidivism after jail release; the characteristics of individuals with mental illnesses who are incarcerated in jails versus prisons; and adaptations of evidence-based practices for justice-involved individuals with severe mental illnesses.
- Presenter: Sara Tolentino, LCSW
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026
This seminar will provide a broad overview on the use of Open Dialogue in the SMI population in various clinical settings, to include the clinic, the community and carceral settings. Adaptability of the model and the benefit of its use, particularly in marginalized populations, will be reviewed, with a specific emphasis on how open dialogue can be utilized to address racism and cultural mistrust.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Understand the philosophical foundations of Open Dialogue.
- Learn the key principles of Open Dialogue.
- Learn how to adapt Open Dialogue across treatment settings.
- Identify how Open Dialogue can be utilized as a tool to address racism and cultural mistrust in a therapeutic setting.
About the presenter
Sara Tolentino is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 27 years of experience in community mental health and substance abuse services at Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services. Throughout her career, she has served in multiple capacities — including case manager, clinician, clinical supervisor and program manager — working with high-acuity populations across a wide range of settings.
Her leadership experience includes supervising the most intensive community-based programs, such as Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Intensive Community Treatment (ICT) teams. In recent years, she has managed all behavioral health and diversion services for both Henrico County jails, leading forensic mental health initiatives and supporting justice-involved individuals.
In addition to her clinical and administrative work, she serves as a hostage negotiator for Henrico County, is a certified Red Cross First Aid and CPR trainer and represents her locality on the Virginia State Early Diversion to Court-Ordered Treatment (EDCOT) Committee. She brings a deep commitment to crisis response, systems-level collaboration and trauma-informed care for underserved and vulnerable populations.
When she is not at work, she enjoys baking and spending time with her two adult sons and her cat, Winston.
- Presenter: Nikole R. Jiggetts, LCSW, RPT-S, CTP
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026
This seminar unravels the essential concepts and practices of play therapy, equipping clinicians with the tools to effectively support children in a therapeutic setting. Participants will develop the skills to identify implicit biases in themselves and others, while cultivating cultural humility to foster more inclusive, equitable and respectful interactions in professional and personal settings.
Participants will review the stages of play therapy and the specific interventions most effective for each stage as well as the treatment planning process, providing practical strategies to foster collaboration and buy-in.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Discuss the fundamentals of play therapy and the therapeutic powers of play.
- Identify the stages of play therapy and specific interventions.
- Discuss implicit bias and practice cultural humility in diverse settings.
- Describe practical play strategies to engage clients in assessment and treatment planning process.
- Presenter: Katrice Byrd, D.S.W., LCSW
- Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
This seminar will address the intersection of racism and trauma with mental illness (SMI). This series will discuss implicit bias and structural racism, and the ways in which the history, policies and practices in the United States have led to inequitable outcomes and racial disparities for individuals of color with serious mental illness. This session will discuss the potential reasons why persons of color are often diagnosed with SMI more often, and barriers to treatment due to systemic racism/lack of trust in mental health care systems.
This discussion will include a look at the racial analysis of social determinants of psychosis in the U.S. as well as a call to action on ways to support individuals of color living in the U.S. with SMI. This seminar will discuss practice models to utilize when working through an anti-racist lens that have a mental health diagnosis as well. It will end with a discussion regarding the ways in which social workers can move forward when working with SMI with an anti-racist lens/perspective.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Discuss the history of structural racism with SMI populations
- Identify social determinants of psychosis in the U.S.
- Apply an anti-racist lens and practices when addressing ways to work with individuals with SMI.
- Identify practice models to use with clients that have an anti-racist and trauma informed lens.
- Apply the ethical principle of challenging social injustice and why this is important when working through an anti-racist lens.
- Presenter: Klara Prachar, LCSW
VCU School of Social Work assistant professor of teaching - Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
This seminar will address how psychotherapy, particularly ACT, is increasingly recognized as a valuable addition to medication in the treatment of psychotic disorders. Unlike traditional CBT, which often aims for symptom reduction, the core goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility. This means helping clients engage in valued or meaningful actions even in the presence of difficult feelings or sensations associated with psychosis.
This seminar will explore how clients’ attempts to control or escape from hallucinations (experiential avoidance) are a core problem in psychosis and can exacerbate symptoms. A review of key ACT processes in practice will be followed by a discussion of intervention tools such as defusion skills, to assist social workers in helping their clients change their relationship with their symptoms rather than trying to eliminate them.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Define and explain the six core processes of ACT: acceptance, defusion, contact with the present moment, perspective taking, values and committed action.
- Understand the specific application of ACT for psychosis, including the use of mindful acceptance and defusion skills to help clients change their relationship with their symptoms rather than trying to eliminate them
- Comprehend that the primary aim of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility, which involves the ability to be more present and willing to experience their internal events in the service of chosen values.
- Identify experiential avoidance in clients with psychosis and understand its role as a core problem in psychopathology. They will also learn how this avoidance can paradoxically increase negative experiences.
- Recognize that ACT differs from other cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) by not having symptom reduction as the primary goal. Instead, it focuses on helping clients accept symptoms while pursuing a valued life.
- Presenter: Jessica Clary, LCSW
- Date: April 9, 2026
EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, was developed in 1987 by psychologist Francine Shapiro, surprisingly discovered by accident. In recent years, EMDR has increased in popularity and demand for those seeking relief and support with symptoms relating to their experiences with traumatic events. EMDR focuses on eight phases to alleviate trauma symptoms and is often taught with bilateral stimulation strategies such as eye movement between objects, sound and hand buzzers.
Racially Focused EMDR goes beyond being culturally competent and integrates anti-racist practices to support communities of people who have been marginalized and rightfully have mistrust in the systems that have upheld deep rooted oppression. This seminar will focus on integration of somatic practice into EMDR and explore ways to address intergenerational racial trauma.
Objectives
- A brief overview of EMDR to include an introduction to the eight stages
- Exploring why race is important and needs to be integrated into trauma practice
- Learning what somatic EMDR is and methods for practicing it
- Practical skills for integrating racial identity and building cultural wealth
About the presenter
Jessica Clary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing trauma-focused therapy through an anti-racist, inclusivity-centered lens in Virginia. She has worked in the field of mental health and substance use for 10 years. Jessica is passionate about racial, social and criminal justice activism, removing the hierarchy and decentering whiteness. These values led her to building skills, to include Race Focused EMDR, that support navigating these realities within the therapy setting.
- Presenter: Dan Cimo, LCSW
- Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Experiential approaches to therapy have been emerging since the 1940s, originating from the humanistic movement. Since the 1980s, Dr. Richard Schwartz has popularized Parts Work as an experiential approach to healing with the development of Internal Family Systems.
This presentation will explore the clinical application of experiential Parts Work with trauma, depression, anxiety and attachment wounds. The underlying mechanism of memory reconsolidation as a path to transformational change will be discussed, as well as ways to promote safety in the therapeutic alliance. The presentation will equip attendees with the basic skills to start listening for and befriending their clients’ – as well as their own – Parts.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Identify the role of Parts in a client’s functioning and explore how they are generally organized in the nervous system.
- Explore strategies for identifying Parts and ways to work with them in session.
- Review breakthroughs in neuroscience that support Parts Work as an approach to transformational change that go beyond symptom management.
- Identify opportunities for advanced training in Parts Work.
Registration options
There is no charge for any VCU students, faculty or staff, but separate registrations are required for all participants.
About this series
Cassie DeSena Jacobs, D.S.W., LCSW, CCTP-II, M.S., is the VCU School of Social Work's director of Mental Health Initiatives and organizes the school's series on serious mental illness. She is a clinical social worker with over 18 years of experience in New York and Virginia.
Cassie’s clinical expertise focuses on working with individuals who have experienced trauma, in particular sexual trauma and trauma in the family of origin, polyvagal work and neurobiology. She also serves as an assistant professor.
Mental Health Initiatives
The VCU School of Social Work is meeting the need for training mental health providers and other clinical social workers through innovative partnerships, clinical skills labs, a focus on serious mental illness, new academic minors and certificates, and more. Learn how the school is preparing the next generation of mental health clinicians.
