Social workers and mental health professionals have a responsibility to serve their clients and communities in the most effective way possible. An excellent education prepares them for that service. However, to stay well-equipped to care for others, education stretches beyond a degree and into continuing education units (CEUs). For those practicing in these fields, obtaining West Virginia social work or mental health CEUs through courses and trainings is essential to staying appraised of the latest information and practices in their fields.

Learn why continuing education matters and how KVC West Virginia helps community providers acquire the CEUs needed to stay relevant and at the top of their practice — and why it all adds up to great outcomes for the clients and communities we serve. We provide these trainings to social work licensees, licensed professional counselors and Department of Human Services (DoHS) professionals.

KVC places among the TOP 1% of employers nationwide with an 80 Work Wellbeing score on Indeed! Begin your social work or mental health career with KVC West Virginia.

The Social Work Field is Always Evolving

Continuing education opportunities like CEUs offer social workers and mental health professionals opportunities to learn the latest and most relevant information in their field and thus provide more optimal care and support for their clients. “Information changes a lot, and we get more information all the time in our field,” explains KVC West Virginia Training and Development Specialist Patricia Brewster. “For our providers to deliver the best services to their clients, they have to know what’s new, what’s accurate, what’s up-to-date and of course, they have to get those trainings from reliable sources.”

The field of social work is always evolving, advancing and improving — and understanding those advances is vital for social work and mental health professionals. One example of ever-changing information in the social work and mental health fields is the effects of trauma. While trauma treatment has always been a vital service, the nuances of how to support clients in navigating their trauma have changed. Research and lived experiences have shaped our understanding of its effects. “Trauma has become more and more important and we recognize just how much it impacts overall wellbeing,” explains Patricia.

Meeting Licensing Requirements

The importance of continuing education goes beyond the helpfulness of the information, extending to the point of obligation and requirement for licensing purposes, explains KVC West Virginia President Erin Keltner.

Erin Keltner, KVC West Virginia President

“Ethically, it’s our obligation,” Erin says. “In all social work and mental health fields, it’s an obligation that we continue to stay abreast of what is relevant in the field, but also to practice within our bounds. And you can only do that when you have excellent training and excellent opportunities to learn about what’s going on.”

West Virginia requires social workers to complete 30 hours of approved continuing education every two years. Every professional must also complete training in certain topics, including ethics and veteran-specific training.

Benefits of Continuing Education Training with KVC West Virginia

Thanks to our team’s dedicated efforts, KVC West Virginia offers a variety of mental health and social work CEUs. These include monthly and annual trainings. Both West Virginia Department of Human Services employees and community providers (social work licensees and licensed professional counselors) can participate. These knowledge-first, evidence-based trainings provide two hours of CEUs through convenient virtual sessions, making them accessible to providers across West Virginia.

We know how valuable these trainings are for our team — and our participants agree! “I thought the training was presented well and the trainer was very helpful in answering questions,” one participant shared in a survey. “This was a great training and very informative. The trainer provided a lot of examples which made it easier to understand.” And here at KVC West Virginia, we believe continuing education doesn’t have to be bland or boring! This isn’t about “checking a box” for licensing requirements. We work hard to bring our trainings to life, keeping things interactive, engaging, interesting and relatable to those in the class. “Ethics was not as boring as it usually is, and the trainer kept my attention throughout the training,” said another participant.

“Conversation was clear and interesting. I feel like the communication was engaging and easy to follow.”

Continuing education training through KVC is convenient, affordable and top-of-the-line in terms of the quality and value for your time. We understand just how busy life can be in this field because we live it every day too! That’s why we offer these trainings virtually and at an affordable price point, packing each hour with valuable, applicable information to help you be even more successful in your work.

Upcoming West Virginia CEU Trainings

At KVC West Virginia, we offer CEU trainings on a variety of evidence-based, relevant topics. Patricia and Erin prepare and teach these sessions with engaging content and discussions. We offer these CEUs free of cost for West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) employees. Community providers, including social work licensees and licensed professional counselors, can attend for $40.

“If you’re receiving information about timely topics, evidence-based topics, topics that pertain to our field, $40 is a heck of a value,” comments Erin, “Especially when we offer the trainings virtually.”

Monthly CEUs

Each month, we offer at least one CEU targeted at a specific evidence-based topic. Erin explains, “We try to pick topics and books that are important to the field and that are relatively new and hot topics that people are interested in.” Previous CEU topics have included:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavioral therapy
• Mental health diagnosis
• Psychotropic medication
• “Atlas of the Heart” by Dr. Brene Brown
• Detecting dishonesty
• Human trafficking

In addition to these fresh new topics each month, we regularly offer our most popular training, Ethics, in-house to KVC staff as part of orientation, as well as to external providers and DoHS employees.

New CEU Trainings for 2024

We’re excited to offer two new CEUs this summer and fall:

• August 28, 10am-12 pm: Mental Health Diagnosis (Register here)
• November 13, 10am-12 pm: “The Deepest Well” by Nadine Burke Harris (Register here)

If you’re looking for more CEUs this year and are interested in either of these trainings, register for them here.

Trainings for KVC Staff

Our KVC team enjoys many of the same trainings that we provide to community providers. It’s all part of our work to strengthen our staff. Some of these trainings are part of orientation for new employees. Others are incorporated into regular staff trainings or offered as optional continuing education opportunities. KVC places among the TOP 1% of employers nationwide with an 80 Work Wellbeing score on Indeed! Interested in learning more about how you can join the KVC West Virginia team? Take a look at our careers page, where you’ll find open opportunities for social workers, therapists and more.

Earn West Virginia Social Work CEUs with KVC

We believe in the importance of continuing education, because of the difference it makes in better serving our communities! If you’re interested in seeing how accessible, affordable and valuable KVC’s CEUs are, take a look at our professional training calendar and sign up for an upcoming CEU. You can also join our email list to receive updates when we open training registration here: