Porter-Cason Institute CEU events and Lectures

Established in 1995 with funds from Dorothy Cason, a 1946 alumna of the Tulane School of Social Work, donated in honor of Elizabeth Porter, one of her professors, the Porter-Cason Institute's aim has been to reach as many social work practitioners as possible. The Institute does this in several ways -- hosting CEU events, providing guest lectures for its students and the public as well as making its board members available local agencies during its annual board meetings. 

During the past 12 months, the Porter-Cason Institute has done the following to help improve family practice in New Orleans and across the country.

• On June 23, 2009, the School served more than 150 social work practitioners by hosting an all-day training and CEU event  focusing on ways to build hope and resilience in the face of trauma and multiple stress factors. The workshop was a joint effort between the American Family Therapy Association (AFTA) and Porter-Cason Institute.
  
  Presenters Gonzalo Bacigalupe, EdD, Chair of the Department of Counseling and School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, along with Peter Fraenkel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Environmental Psychology at the City College of the City University of New York showed attendees how to help families overcome mental-health issues. Fraenkel also serves as the director of the Ackerman Institute’s Center for Work and Family, which includes empirically-supported, community-based programs for families facing the challenges of homelessness, domestic violence, and immigration.
  
  
• On Oct. 23 2009, Dr. Fred Buttell hosted the CEU event entitled "What's love got to do with it?: An examination of love in families experiencing intimate partner violence." The event drew more than two dozen participants and was co-sponsored by the Porter-Cason Institute and the Center for Life-Long Learning.
  
  
• On Nov. 4, 2009, Andre Stern, a TSSW alumnus, spoke to first-semester Master of Social Work students about therapeutic theory and other lessons he has learned during 20 years of  private practice along with his time in the New Orleans Public School system as well as Catholic Charities and Family Services.
  
  
• During the month of November, the Porter Cason Institute conducted several movie screenings for MSW student. Each video focused on family therapy, and the students were encouraged to discuss the video, what they took away from it as well as an other related thoughts.
  
  
• On March 25-26, 2010, members of the Porter-Cason Advisory Board held their annual board meeting in New Orleans. During those two days, the Porter-Cason Institute was able to reach more than 350 social work practitioners and students via community meetings, classrooms discussions and lectures. The culminating event came when the board held a panel discussion about family therapy before nearly 100 social work practitioners.
  
  
• On Saturday, April 10, 2010, the Porter-Cason Institute partnered with the Tulane's Center for Life-Long Learning to offer a six-hour CEU event entitled "Premarital Counseling: Building a Lasting Bond Before The Wedding Day." More than two dozen social work practitioners participated in the all-day training focusing on premarital counseling and that role it can have with the family.

For more information

Please contact, Ms. Parker Sternbergh (Assistant Director) at (504) 862-3475, or Dr. Richard Ager (Director) at (504) 862-3470.