The Unfinished Business of Childhood: Tending to the Childhood Wounds of Social Workers
Presented by: Adam McCormick, MSW, PhD
6-7pm CST September 3, 2025
1 FREE General Knowledge CE Credit
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective #1
Identify how childhood trauma adaptations can shape professional roles and caregiving behaviors.
Learning Objective #2
Explore the tension between attachment and authenticity and its impact on professional alignment.
Learning Objective #3
Examine the influence of identity (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation) on trauma responses and workplace experiences..
A social worker can apply this knowledge by recognizing the protective role of faith in fostering hope and connection, identifying warning signs of suicide while collaborating with faith leaders for support and referral, and integrating faith-sensitive tools and resources into practice to better serve individuals and families at risk.
About the Speaker:
Adam McCormick, MSW, PhD is Professor of Social Work at St. Edward’s University and Assistant Professor of Instructor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. He has a number of research interests and speaks frequently on a number of topics including LGBTQI+ youth in the child welfare system, the trauma of family separation in child welfare, the weaponization of poverty in child welfare, the relationship rights of siblings in foster care, the intersections of child welfare and immigration, social work and moral injury, and masculinity and mental health. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The unfinished business of our childhood: Healing the child trauma wounds of social workers. Dr. McCormick is also the author of the book LGBTQ youth in the foster care system: Empowering approaches to an inclusive system of care.