Welcome to API Social Work Council-Northern CA Chapter-NASW!
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) News Updates
While it’s important to stay informed and remain prepared, we encourage our Council members to take care of yourself and seek support if needed during this time. Please be safe and stay healthy. API Social Work Council is here with you. Latest Updates:APISWC Presents: What is Social Work?Interested or curious about a career in social work? Not sure what social work is? Check out Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council's "What is Social Work?" virtual event on May 13 from 10am to 12pm, featuring guest speakers with experiences in community mental health, children's bereavement counseling, geriatric social work, veteran mental health, and executive administration! Panelists will talk about how they got to their job now, what a typical day is like, and share some helpful tips and advice. Come curious, leave inspired! If you have any questions you want answered, submit them to apicouncilnorth@gmail.com!
Register at https://bit.ly/3Zto1SN Questions? Contact apicouncilnorth@gmail.com For more information on API Social Work Council, visit apiswc.org APISWC March 2023 Networking ForumAPISWC March Networking Forum
Reflections on Social Working with a Social Justice Lens featuring Ashley Mika Decena, LCSW March 15, 2023 | 7-8PM PST Register at https://bit.ly/3YLmHtr Ashley Mika Decena, LCSW is a Smith College School for Social work alum and identifies as a 2nd generation Filipinx-Japanese, Asian American woman of color from the Bay Area, CA. She has over 10 years of experience working with diverse populations in New York, Oakland, and Silicon Valley. Experiences include working in school based settings, nonprofit, outpatient therapy clinics, and the medical model of psychiatric care working with youth, families, and adults. Other areas of experience include organizing/activism, clinical supervision, and launching a private practice. Ashley will share themes of identity, representation, evolution as a social worker, and opportunities for growth in the field while weaving in how social justice has been expressed in her work. APISWC January 2023 Networking ForumAPISWC January Networking Forum
January 18, 2023 7-8pm Register at https://bit.ly/3VWoOtx Leslie W. Zeitler, LCSW is the Director of Learning Strategies for the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, a program of Race Forward. Leslie started out working for GARE in 2017 as a California Regional Manager and is now stepping into the role of GARE Director of Learning Strategies. As Director of Learning Strategies for the Government Alliance on Race & Equity, Leslie provides strategic leadership for the GARE network with respect to developing and refining learning strategies, tools, and approaches that support people at various phases of their racial equity journeys who are stepping into institutional change work for racial equity in the government sector. Leslie joined Race Forward following a four-year stint with the California State University Bay Area Academy and more than a decade at the California Social Work Education Center. At the Academy, Leslie oversaw development of statewide workforce development initiatives, co-designed cultural humility trainings, helped reform contractor curricula, and advocated for equity for the treatment of mental health issues in the child welfare system. Prior to this, Leslie worked with underserved children, youth, and families to prevent entry into the foster care system, at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco. Leslie is a social worker by training with a background in child welfare direct services as well as training and workforce development, with an eye to racial equity throughout her career. APISWC December Networking ForumAPISWC December Networking Forum featuring Deborah Son, MSW
Date: 12/11/2022 Time: 10am-11am PST (Virtual) Register at https://bit.ly/3UdKgt5 Deborah has over 10 years of experience as an activist and leader in the fields of systems change, advocacy, and community engagement. Her work spans across various fields including trauma-informed care, anti-violence, children and family services, and public and behavioral health. Deborah has been the Executive Director of NASW-CA over the past two years and was also heavily involved in APISWC, having once been our Co-Chair! As a recipient of the APISWC Diana Ming Chan scholarship and the founder of the API SW association at CSUEB’s MSW program, she will share her experiences in navigating leadership as a daughter of immigrants in spaces that are often not inclusive of API voices. She will speak to the challenges of bringing lived experiences to the forefront of systems change and the many ways in which social work has informed and fueled her capacity for impact and ongoing growth. Alzheimer's Association Collaboration: Workshop and Walk!We are a little less than a month away from the San Francisco Walk to End Alzheimer's! This year's walk, on November 5, will continue to offer the flexibility of both in-person and remote participation.
To join the API Social Work Council (APISWC) team and/or support our fundraising efforts, please visit the link below to our team page: https://lnkd.in/gBSrxzbn After the walk, we will conclude with our third and final workshop in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association: Effective Communication Strategies. Saturday 11/12/2022 11am-12:30pm PST - Effective Communication Strategies Cindy Wang, MSW, Alzheimer's Association Community Educator, Chief, Systems Operations and Data Analysis Bureau, Adult Programs Division, California Department of Social Service Register at https://tinyurl.com/EffComAlz For more information about these workshops, contact Peining Chang at pchang@alz.org or (408) 372 - 9943. APISWC October Networking ForumOur October Networking Forum will feature Stacie Hiramoto, MSW!
Stacie Hiramoto, MSW, has been a mental health advocate and proud NASW member for many years. She is one of the founders and presently Director of the Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition (REMHDCO), a statewide mental health policy and advocacy organization representing BIPOC communities. Growing up on a small farm in a small town, she never dreamed she would encounter the amazing experiences that have come her way. Being a social worker has been a big part of life and she looks forward to the dialogue with others at this APISWC event. October 26, 7-8pm PST Register at https://bit.ly/3E1rU9G APISWC x Alzheimer's Association CollaborationCome join us for the second workshop of our collaboration series with Alzheimer's Association, focusing this time on a caregiver's journey through dementia.
Register at tinyurl.com/URD-API Time: Saturday October 8, 2022 11am-12:30 pm PST (virtual) Cost: FREE Come hear from our very own co-chair, Philip Chang, LCSW, as well as Alzheimer's Association Community Educator Ingrid Lai talk about a caregiver's journey through Dementia and how to understand and respond to dementia-related behavior. To understand a caregiver's journey through dementia is often easier said than done. The frustrations and difficulties in trying to do the "right thing" can be heavy on one's heart. Behavior is a powerful form of communication and one of the primary ways people living with dementia communicate their needs and feelings; as the ability to use language is lost. However, some behaviors can present real challenges for caregivers to manage. Join us to learn how to decode behavioral messages, identify common triggers, and learn strategies to help manage some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer's disease. Questions? Contact pchang@alz.org or 408.372.9943 APISWC x Alzheimer's Association CollaborationWe are so excited to partner with Alzheimer's Association to host a series of 3 educational workshops from September to November on the second Saturday of the month, 11am-12:30 PM.
Join us for our first workshop in September: Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia. Presenter: Alex Tsao, Ph.D. Caregiver, Member of the Alzheimer’s Association National Board of Directors, Alzheimer’s Association Northern California & Northern Nevada Chinese Advisory Committee Chair; Community Educator Alzheimer's is not normal aging. It's a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Join us to learn about: -The impact of Alzheimer's -The difference between Alzheimer's and dementia -Alzheimer's disease stages and risk factors -Current research and treatments available to address some symptoms -Alzheimer's Association Resources. Register at tinyurl.com/UAD-API For more information, please contact Peining Chang at pchang@alz.org or 408.372.9943. Visit alz.org/CRF to explore additional education programs in your area. APISWC August Networking Forum: MACRO Social Work ft. Jenn Torai, MSWOur August Networking Forum will continue on the theme of MACRO Social Work, featuring Jenn Torai, MSW. Jenn is a former Co-Chair of APISWC and former Board Member of NASW-CA, having also served on two different Committees for the CA Chapter. She is a SJSU alum and has served as an adjunct professor there, and finds great reward in helping others shape their own path. At times, a future in macro social work seemed far from reach, but the support of her community and network of fellow social workers helped her shape her career so that every day is full of gratitude and opportunity to make change. Hear about how her journey has led to co-founding a nonprofit that supports the professional development of AAPI women in Silicon Valley and becoming the Director of Local Government Affair for a world-class academic medical center.
When: August 24, 2022 | 7 - 8 PM PST Where: ZOOM Register at http://bit.ly/3as6Xbx Through Our Lens, With Our Voice: Clinical Experiences & Applications for Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA) Clinicians and Communities
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2020 Social Work Month Theme
Social Workers: Generations Strong
Read more on https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Social-Work-Month
Upcoming Event:
Previous Events:
2020
2019
2018
DACA and The Effects on API Communities: What Social Workers Need to Know
Thanks to those of you who were able to join us this past Friday evening at the Marriott San Mateo SFO Airport Hotel for a very interesting presentation by staff from Chinese for Affirmative Action on "DACA and the Effects on API Communities: What Social Workers Need to Know".
The presenters, Hong Mei Pang and Annette Wong, brought a great deal of resources to share. The Council is very grateful to them for sharing their time and expertise with us.
Please go to Chinese for Affirmative Action's website www.caasf.org for more information about the services they provide. The San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network (www.sfilen.org) also provides some great resources. Please check them out when you have a chance.
The presenters, Hong Mei Pang and Annette Wong, brought a great deal of resources to share. The Council is very grateful to them for sharing their time and expertise with us.
Please go to Chinese for Affirmative Action's website www.caasf.org for more information about the services they provide. The San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network (www.sfilen.org) also provides some great resources. Please check them out when you have a chance.
Legal and Social Impacts of the Immigration Ban

On May 6, 2017, The API Social Work Council invited immigration attorney, Nancy Hing Wong, from Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach to speak on the "Legal and Social Impacts of the Immigration Ban." Ms. Wong gave a very informative presentation as well as made available a number of useful resources. Council co-chair, Richell Jose, and co-founding member, Nancy Lim-Yee, presented information about the API Social Work Council during the meeting. Our Council member, Jenny Kwak, talked briefly about her article "Standing Up", which recently appeared in NASW-CA News.
2017
2016
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2016 CEU events

The Neuroscience of Addiction: Treatment Strategies to Build Brain Resilency
Presented by: Michael Liao, MSW, Director of Programs, NICOS Chinese Health Coalition
There is an ever-growing body of research to suggest all addictions – substance-based or otherwise, have shared causal pathways, and therefore have commonalities in disease maintenance, treatment, and recovery. This workshop will present current neurological research on the process of addiction, and provide practical interventions for promoting brain healing and recovery.
For the past 9 years, Michael S. Liao, MSW has been providing problem gambling training and technical assistance to various groups throughout the state of California. He has also authored various problem gambling training curricula and academic publications.
January 30th, 2016
12:00 to 3:00pm (presentation begins at 1:00pm)
Sunset Mental Health Services
1990 41st. Ave. San Francisco, CA 94116
Light lunch provided & 2 CEUs for LCSW/LMFT!
*Free* for members or $10 at the door.
$10 annual membership pays for itself!
Presented by: Michael Liao, MSW, Director of Programs, NICOS Chinese Health Coalition
There is an ever-growing body of research to suggest all addictions – substance-based or otherwise, have shared causal pathways, and therefore have commonalities in disease maintenance, treatment, and recovery. This workshop will present current neurological research on the process of addiction, and provide practical interventions for promoting brain healing and recovery.
For the past 9 years, Michael S. Liao, MSW has been providing problem gambling training and technical assistance to various groups throughout the state of California. He has also authored various problem gambling training curricula and academic publications.
January 30th, 2016
12:00 to 3:00pm (presentation begins at 1:00pm)
Sunset Mental Health Services
1990 41st. Ave. San Francisco, CA 94116
Light lunch provided & 2 CEUs for LCSW/LMFT!
*Free* for members or $10 at the door.
$10 annual membership pays for itself!
2015
API Social Worker Council: 20th Year Anniversary Celebration!!
It's time to celebrate! APISWC is turning 20!
Let's come together on August 22nd to share a meal, reflect together on our accomplishments, reunite with familiar faces, and look forward to the next 20 years!
Special guests:
Janlee Wong, MSW
Executive Director of NASW-CA
and co-founders:
Nancy Lim-Yee, LCSW
Janice Wong, LCSW
Dr. Susan Sung, PhD
Saturday, August 22nd, 2015
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Milbrae Avenue, Milbrae, CA
$20 purchase here!
Deadline is 8/8/15
API Social Worker Council: 20th Year Anniversary Celebration!!
It's time to celebrate! APISWC is turning 20!
Let's come together on August 22nd to share a meal, reflect together on our accomplishments, reunite with familiar faces, and look forward to the next 20 years!
Special guests:
Janlee Wong, MSW
Executive Director of NASW-CA
and co-founders:
Nancy Lim-Yee, LCSW
Janice Wong, LCSW
Dr. Susan Sung, PhD
Saturday, August 22nd, 2015
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Milbrae Avenue, Milbrae, CA
$20 purchase here!
Deadline is 8/8/15
2014 CEUs event