NASW-NY C.A.R.E.S.

C.A.R.E.S. stands for Collaboration, Advocacy, Resources, Engagement & Support and is a cornerstone initiative of the NASW-New York Chapter, designed to actively engage our membership and social workers across New York State.

Social Work Month Series

Social Work Month Series

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Upcoming CARES Events

Upcoming CARES Events

View Upcoming Events
Virtual Social Work Job Fairs

Virtual Social Work Job Fairs

Date TBD
Division Special Events

Division Special Events

See Division Events

This initiative creates community engagement opportunities, events, and/or series throughout the chapter program year that foster connections among social workers and provide essential resources, support, and advocacy tools, all while reinforcing the core values of the social work profession.

The NASW-NY C.A.R.E.S. initiative works closely with the NASW-NY Policy Team and, when necessary, the NASW-NY Professional Development Coordinator to create C.A.R.E.S. programming that incorporates CE opportunities. At its core, C.A.R.E.S. aims to collaborate with the chapter's diverse committees, special interest groups, and regional divisions.

Additionally, we take great pride in our work with social work students and strive to cultivate meaningful partnerships with prominent New York social work organizations and agencies. These efforts aim to strengthen the social work community and provide ongoing support and connection for social work professionals.

Looking for a Division's Special Event?

Each NASW-NY Division hosts its own special events throughout the year — like ice cream socials, meet-and-greets, and other community gatherings — in addition to their regular monthly meetings. These events are listed directly on each Division's page alongside their meeting schedule, so you can see everything happening in your region in one place. Visit your Division page to view current meetings and any upcoming special events.

Other Elements of the C.A.R.E.S. Initiative Include:

  • The Bi-Annual CURRENTS Newsletter (est. 1956), inviting NY social workers to contribute, place ads, or share local community initiatives
  • The Annual Social Work Awards, where NY social workers are honored for their work in the profession

Though some events may be listed as exclusive to NASW-NY members, we often invite ALL to join NASW-NY C.A.R.E.S. events.

Important Information about NASW-NY C.A.R.E.S. Events:

  • All events are held virtually.
  • Unless specifically stated otherwise, events are not eligible for CE credits.
  • Beginning October 2025, to foster genuine engagement and honor the requests of our volunteer presenters, recording in any form, including through AI-powered note-taking apps (otter.ai, Zoom AI Companion, etc.) will no longer be permitted during events.
  • To help foster a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment, please take a moment to review the NASW-NY Anti-Harassment Policy before attending your C.A.R.E.S. program.
Event date: 9/16/2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Export event
NASWNY Chapter
/ Categories: CE Program

Decriminalization and Healing: An Introduction to Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) in the BIPOC Community

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Live webinar • 1 CEU credits September 16, 20267:00 – 8:00 PM ET ET
REGISTER

NOTE: This CE was originally scheduled for September 2, 2026 and has been postponed to September 16, 2026. If you registered prior to the schedule change on August 24 and are still able to attend on the new date, no action is needed. If you can no longer attend and would like a refund, please reach out for assistance.

Part 1 of 3 | Ketamine Series with Erica Sandoval

This introductory session explores Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) as a transformative healing modality, examining its benefits alongside the cultural stigma and systemic barriers that limit access in BIPOC communities. Participants will leave with tools to advocate for equitable, culturally humble KAP practice.

Each session in this series is a stand-alone offering.

Workshop Description

Part 1 of a 3-Part Series on Ketamine with Erica Sandoval (September, October & November). Each session is a stand-alone offering — participants may register individually.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) is an emerging and powerful healing modality — yet for many BIPOC communities, criminalization and cultural stigma have long stood in the way of access. This introductory session reframes ketamine as a tool for transformative healing and equips social workers with the knowledge to make KAP more accessible, equitable, and culturally humble in their practice.

Participants will explore the benefits of KAP and psychedelic healing, examine the social and systemic barriers that disproportionately affect BIPOC communities, and learn how legal advocacy, education, and destigmatization can expand access to this breakthrough approach.


Learning Objectives

Following this course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify key benefits of KAP for therapy, healing, and post-traumatic growth.
  • Describe social, cultural, and systemic barriers to KAP, especially in BIPOC communities.
  • Improve KAP accessibility in their communities through legal advocacy, education, and destigmatization.

Continuing Education

1 CEU credits

This workshop is approved for licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed psychologists.


Fees

  • NASW-NY Member: $15.00
  • Other Chapter Members (e.g., NASW-NJ, etc.): $25.00
  • Non-Member: $30.00
  • NASW-NY Student and Transitional Member (No Credit): $0.00

Presenter

Erica Priscilla Sandoval, LCSW, SIFI

Erica Priscilla Sandoval, LCSW, SIFI is an award-winning mental health practitioner, speaker, executive coach, entrepreneur, podcaster, philanthropist, author, and KAP practitioner. An Advisor for Journey Clinical, she has been trained in KAP at the Ketamine Training Center by Dr. Ron Siegel, Dr. Phil Wolfson, Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., and Licia Sky.

Erica is the Executive Director of Siembra Today, a women-run, BIPOC-led nonprofit devoted to providing accessible mental health and wellness support through narrative storytelling, books, workshops, healing circles, conferences, and social media campaigns. Siembra Today's goal is to destigmatize and promote mental health and wellness for the Latinx/e and BIPOC community, so that they can plant seeds of hope for themselves and future generations.

Erica is the founder and CEO of Sandoval Psychotherapy Consultation — known as Sandoval CoLab — which offers talk therapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), and holistic offerings. She is also the creator of the book series Latinx/e in Social Work, three volumes of personal narratives available in both English and Spanish that amplify the voices of Latinx/e social workers nationwide.

Erica holds a Post Master's in Clinical Adolescent Psychology and a Master's in Social Work from New York University, Silver School of Social Work. She is a President Emeritus of NASW-NYC, where she was the first immigrant Latina Board President of that chapter. As a proud immigrant from Ecuador, her passion is fueled by supporting her community.

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