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Fall 2025 Supervision Workshops
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Webinar

F25-2003 Fostering Psychological Safety in Social Work Supervision

Total Credits: 3 Supervision CEs

Bundle(s):
Fall 2025 Supervision Workshops
Categories:
2000 Supervision |  600 Leadership and Management |  New
Instructor:
Tonya Phillips, PhD, LCSW-C
Course Levels:
Intermediate
Duration:
3 Hours 15 Minutes
Target Audience:
Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
Dates
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Description

Supervision is a critical space for social workers to reflect, grow, and develop their professional practice. According to the NASW Standards for Social Work Supervision, effective supervision enhances professional competence, supports quality client care, and provides guidance through the evolving demands of the profession. In Maryland, the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 10.42.08 establishes specific requirements for social work supervision, including qualifications of supervisors, frequency and format of supervision, documentation standards, and the scope of supervisory responsibilities.  

This training integrates the principles of psychological safety with the legal and professional framework outlined in COMAR 10.42.08, helping supervisors understand how to create a structured yet supportive environment where supervisees feel safe to ask questions, admit uncertainties, and engage in reflective learning. Participants will learn how to align supervisory practices with Maryland state regulations while fostering a culture of openness, consistency, and professional growth. Through case scenarios and interactive exercises, this course offers supervisors practical tools to support supervisees’ development, meet regulatory standards, and promote a healthy supervisory alliance grounded in psychological safety. 

 

This workshop is in accordance with and compliance with the NASW Standards with a focus on service, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, and social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients, to colleagues, in practice settings, as professionals, to the social work profession, to the broader society.   

This workshop is in compliance with the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ COMAR 10.42.03.06.A(5)  and with the District of Columbia Board of Social Work 17-70-7008.4.   

Maryland: This workshop meets the Supervision CE license renewal requirement for the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’.  

 

Instructor

Tonya Phillips, PhD, LCSW-C Related Seminars and Products

Dr. Phillips is a licensed clinical social worker in both MD and VA. She currently serves as the director of the University of Maryland’s Faculty Assistance Program, where she oversees operations focused on the well-being of faculty and staff. In this role, she has spearheaded initiatives aimed at enhancing retention, fostering growth, and sustaining morale, all while strengthening the university’s employee retention base. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor in the Doctoral Program at Morgan State University, contributing her expertise to the next generation of social work professionals.

Agenda & Learning Objectives

AGENDA:

1:05 pm – 1:15 pm Log on      

1:15 pm – 4:30 pm    

There will be one 15-minute break.    

Overview of the key components of COMAR 10.42.08,  

  • Welcome and overview of rationale workshop   

  • Review COMAR 10:42.08  

  • Who can supervise (LCSW-C with board approval)  

  • Supervision frequency and format (e.g., face-to-face, individual/group)  

  • Documentation requirements  

  • Standards for accountability and feedback  

Introduction to Psychological Safety  

  • Group Activity “Defining Safety in supervision” – Participants describe what safety means in their workplaces; skills for fostering safety and how this impacts worker/supervisee relationship   

  • Overview of psychological safety specific to social work supervision and mandates per code of ethics   

The Pillars of Psychological Safety  

  • Definition and key principles of psychological safety to include seminal research related   

  • How psychological safety aligns with COMAR 10:42.08   

  • Identifying behaviors that promote or hinder psychological safety in social work   

  • Discussion: Challenges unique to social work environments.   

Building and Sustaining Psychological Safety  

  • Strategies for creating a culture of safety:   

  • Active listening and empathetic communication   

  • The role of supervision and leadership in fostering safety for social workers    

  • Addressing workload stress, trauma, and power dynamics   

  • Interactive activity: Role-play scenarios to practice building psychological safety in tough   

  • situations   

 Identifying Barriers to Psychological Safety   

  • Addressing systemic barriers: Bias, stigma, and hierarchical structures in social work   

  • Tools to navigate challenging team dynamics   

  • Group exercise: Develop personalized action plans for enhancing psychological safety in participants’ workplaces.   

Conclusion and Next Steps 

  • Recap of workshop highlights   

  • Individual reflection: One action to implement immediately   

  • Closing remarks and Q/A   

4:30 pm Adjournment   

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the purpose and core functions of supervision based on the NASW Standards for Social Work Supervision and the COMAR regulations (Title 10, Subtitle 42, Chapter 08).  

  • Identify key principles of psychological safety and explain how they support professional development and competence within supervisory relationships.  

  • Apply techniques for cultivating a safe, inclusive, and growth-oriented supervisory environment that encourages open communication and learning.  

  • Evaluate supervision scenarios to recognize opportunities for strengthening the supervisory alliance and improving supervisee engagement.  

  • Develop a plan to incorporate psychological safety into routine supervisory practice while aligning with COMAR requirements for supervision structure, frequency, and documentation in Maryland.  

Bibliography & References

BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES

Bourn, D., & Hafford-Letchfield, T. (2011). The role of social work professional supervision in conditions of uncertainty. The international journal of knowledge, culture and change management., 10(9), 41-56.   

Clark, T. R. (2020). The 4 stages of psychological safety: Defining the path to inclusion and innovation. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.   

Edmondson, A. C. (2023). Right kind of wrong: The science of failing well. Atria Books.  

Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Wiley.  

Egan, R., Maidment, J., & Connolly, M. (2016). Trust, Power and Safety in the Social Work Supervisory Relationship: Results from Australian Research. Journal of Social Work Practice, 31(3), 307–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2016.1261279     

Frazier, M. L., Fainshmidt, S., Klinger, R. L., Pezeshkan, A., & Vracheva, V. (2017). Psychological safety: A meta-analytic review and extension. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 113–165.  

Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. (n.d.). Supervision of social workers (COMAR 10.42.08). Code of Maryland Regulations. Maryland Division of State Documents. https://health.maryland.gov/bswe/Documents/Regs/10.42.08Supervision.pdf.  

Maximo, N., Stander, M. W., & Coxen, L. (2019). Authentic leadership and work engagement: The indirect effects of psychological safety and trust in supervisors. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 45(1), 1-11.    

Newcomb, M. (2022). Supportive social work supervision as an act of care: A conceptual model. The British Journal of Social Work, 52(2), 1070-1088.    

Newman, A., Donohue, R., & Eva, N. (2017). Psychological safety: A systematic review of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 27(3), 521–535. 

Williams, J. (2022). Supervision as a secure base: the role of attachment theory within the emotional and psycho-social landscape of social work supervision. Journal of Social Work Practice, 37(3), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2022.2089639     

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Trauma Informed Care Framework (SAMHSA, 2014)  

Course Completion & CE Information

Category I Maryland BSWE Requirement

The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs. This workshop qualifies for 3 Category I Continuing Education Units for supervision. The Office of Continuing Professional Education is also authorized by the Maryland Board of Psychologists and the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors to sponsor Category A continuing professional education. 

 

ASWB Information 

University of Maryland School of Social Work Office of Continuing Professional Education, #1611, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 2/11/2024-2/11/2027.  

To receive ACE credit, full attendance is required; no partial credits will be given for partial attendance. 

 

Certificate Access

To access the evaluation and certificate, click on the orange certificate button in your CPE account. Once you complete the evaluation, access to the certificate will be available.  

Live Interactive Webinars (Cat I) and Live Webinars (Cat II) - Allow up to 30 minutes post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate. 

In Person Trainings - Please allow five (5) business days post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate. 

 

Please refer to the tab "Live Interactive Webinar Policies & FAQs" for UMSSW Office of CPE policies regarding all live interactive webinar related matters. Contact our office at cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu for more information.  

Evaluation

Participants will have access to the evaluation after attendance has been verified. Evaluations will be available for one (1) week after the workshop has ended.  

After one (1) week, participants will no longer have access to the evaluation and will have to contact CPE about reactivation.

Target Audience

Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists

We welcome anyone interested in the topic!

 

Live Interactive Webinar Platforms

LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR PLATFORMS

The Office of Continuing Professional Education hosts Live Interactive Webinars through Zoom. This platform offers a high quality and user-friendly webinar platform for our registrants.

System Requirements:

  • Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher; MacOS 9 or higher; Android 4.0 or higher.
  • Internet Browser: Google Chrome; Firefox 10.0 or higher.

Our system is not compatible with the Safari web browser.

  • Broadband Internet Connection: Cable, High-speed DSL and any other medium that is internet accessible.

**Please have your device charging at all times to ensure that your device does not lose power during the webinar.

Course Interaction Requirements:

To participate in Live Interactive Webinars, you MUST have a device that allows you to view the presentation on screen and hear the instructor at all times. We do not allow participants to call-in from their phones or mobile devices and solely listen to the presentation. Participation in Live Interactive Webinars is mandatory.

Our webinar policies can be found on our website by clicking here.

Webinar Policies & FAQs

Click The Link to View The Webinar Policies & FAQs

https://umbsswcpe.ce21.com/Page/live-interactive-webinar-procedures-policies-4129

 

 

Code of Conduct

The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work adheres to the NASW Code of Ethics. This policy is to ensure that the training environment for social work professionals remains respectful, productive, and conducive to learning. Disruptive behavior that interferes with the learning process, disrupts the training experience for others, or undermines the integrity of the program will not be tolerated.

 

Expectations for Participant Engagement:

In alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and the University of Maryland Baltimore Code of Conduct, participants are expected to demonstrate professionalism, which includes respecting confidentiality, maintaining a collaborative and respectful tone, and contributing positively to the group dynamic. Disclosures made during the training (e.g., case studies or personal reflections) must be handled with care and in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines.

All participants in the training program are expected to:

  • Engage actively in the learning process and show respect for the opinions and contributions of others.
  • Demonstrate professionalism in both attitude and behavior, maintaining respect for instructors, peers, and the training environment.
  • Maintain open communication by expressing concerns or disagreements constructively and respectfully.
  • Follow the guidelines and expectations provided by instructors and facilitators.
  • Support a collaborative learning environment where all participants feel valued and safe to contribute.

 

Instructors and CPE staff reserve the right to dismiss participants who do not adhere to ethical/professional principles and standards. If removed, CEs will be adjusted to reflect the time attended, unless otherwise specified. 

ADA Accommodations

If you are requesting ADA accommodations, please contact our office via email at least two weeks prior to the workshop date. Requests after that date may not be fulfilled.  

Our email address is cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu.  

Late Fees and Refunds

The base price is $70, which includes CE credit.  

Late Fee: On 10/16/25, a non-refundable late fee of $20 is added to the base price. Late fees cannot be refunded or applied to account credit.  

Cancellations: **ALL cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee.**  To be eligible for a refund or CPE account credit, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the workshop. 

For more information, please read the general policies on our website.  

 

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