ODL 247: The Caring and Compassionate Human: Teaching Kindness and Empathy to People of All Ages

Created on 05/10/2024

Target Audience:

This course is targeted for social workers, case managers, nurses, and counselors.

Overview:

Bullying has always been an issue in our society, and that has not changed even in 2023. In fact, some would say the prevalence of social media has made it more common. The latest statistics show that 73% of students say they have been bullied in their lifetime and 44% say it has happened in the past 30 days. With 95% of teenagers connected to the internet and 85% of them on social media, cyberbullying is a widespread societal issue. The issue of bullying doesn’t just affect kids; adults are also subject to face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying, although it may be called harassment or stalking. In order to see these statistics decrease, there needs to be an emphasis on teaching kindness and empathy and not just expecting it. This training will focus on explicitly teaching kindness and empathy to children and adults of all ages. Helping professionals will gain knowledge on how to intentionally focus on kindness and empathy in a variety of settings. Participants will leave with strategies for children and adults and hear from an experienced teacher on how he intentionally teaches kindness and empathy in the classroom. 

Course Objectives:

By the end of the session – the participant will be able to:

• Examine ways to encourage compassion, empathy, and kindness
• Identify three types of empathy
• Describe the key elements of empathy
• Give examples of strategies that can be used to teach kindness and empathy in children and adults
• Summarize the benefits of being compassionate and empathetic

Presenter:

Jessica Patterson, LMSW, DSW, and CEU Creations Educational Manager

Jessica Patterson, LMSW, DSW, is a licensed social worker with over ten years of experience working in different systems. Jessica has a strong passion for teaching, training, and professional development. She also has a strong background around creating trauma informed systems, social emotional behavioral health and the implementation of community and individual support systems. 

Jessica has created and facilitated many professional development trainings throughout her career. Jessica’s role at CEU Creations includes developing curriculum, working with licensure boards, and presenting at various CE trainings. 

Jessica holds a Bachelor’s degree in organizational management and sociology from Ashford University. She received her Master’s in Social Work from University of Iowa and her Doctoral degree in Social Work from Capella University. Jessica is a licensed Social Worker through the state of Iowa. Jessica currently lives in Iowa with her husband, four children, two dogs, and cat. Any spare moment that Jessica has is usually spent running or reading. 

Daniel Gill, Teacher with over 30 years of experience

Daniel Gill was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from Iona College with a B.A. in psychology. He served in Vista, the national peace corps. During this time, he counseled young inmates at Rikers Island Prison. He attended Columbia University and graduated with a masters degree in urban education and curriculum. Mr. Gill came to the Montclair School System in September of 1970. This is his 52nd year teaching. He was part of the committee to redesign the middle schools of Montclair in order to desegregate the schools to comply with a court order. In 1984, he led the adoption of Glenfield as a peace site. In 1996, he coordinated the centennial of Glenfield School. In 2004, Mr. Gill and his students wrote a book on the history of Glenfield. It celebrated the Brown vs Board of Education ruling and its effect on desegregating the Montclair Public Schools. The focus of the book was to look at Glenfield as a microcosm of that decision. Mr. Gill has served in the Upward Bound Program at Seton Hall University for 40 years. This program serves high school students from East Orange, Newark and Irvington, New Jersey and provides them with academic and counseling services with the intent of getting them into a college or university upon graduation from high school. Mr. Gill was the recipient of the Robert Merril Scholar Award from Cornell University and was awarded with the Euphema Lofton Haynes Award from the Montclair NAACP. He is part of a recent documentary entitled “The One That Got Away”that dealt with one of his students and how he fell into the gang culture, his subsequent arrest and imprisonment. This year Mr. Gill served on the committee that organized the celebration of Glenfield’s 125th anniversary.  Mr. Gill is the proud father of three children who all graduated from Montclair High School and he enjoys spending time with his six grandchildren and wife, Michelle, who has always provided him with support and encouragement.

5 CREDIT HOURS APPROVED FOR:

Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 5 CE Credits
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 5 Contact Hours
Case Managers
CCMC – 5 Contact Hours
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing – 5 Contact Hours
Counselors
NBCC ACEP – 5 Contact Hours
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 5 Contact Hours

Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training required for ethics credits to be awarded. If this training indicates ethics credits are available, please verify that your state allows them to be earned through an on-demand course format.