Professor of Social Work Jonathan P. Kessler (USA) to Give a Lecture at RSU

Social work is a dynamic profession with a lot of areas in which graduates can work. It focuses on reducing, limiting, or eliminating undesirable social consequences arising from a wide range of social events and processes. Therefore, protection of the needs and interests of those in difficulty, but especially the most vulnerable members of society, is a constant concern of social workers.

World Social Work Day is celebrated in March every year, thus emphasising the global dimension of social work. In celebration of World Social Work Day, the United Nations (UN) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) have set the following goals:

• strengthen cooperation, partnerships, existing contacts and establish new ones with UN institutions and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs);
• disseminate knowledge about social work, its values, principles and methods (practical and theoretical) among UN institutions, and related international NGOs;
• highlight social work policy, practices and achievements in pursuit of common goals;
• spread knowledge about UN activities, goals, programmes and campaigns among social workers, social work organisations and schools.*

This year, Social Work Day will be celebrated worldwide on 20 March. This year’s motto is: Buen Vivir in Social Work: Shared Future for Transformative Change.

The mission of the social work professionals extends far beyond the borders of individual countries. Therefore, despite the diversity of cultural and historical practices, social workers from all over the world are able to share their experience in raising and addressing social issues.

Implementing social work policy, good practice, and achievements in accordance with the basic values of social work in their everyday practice, social work practitioners participate in achieving the global goals of social work in local governments and non-governmental organisations, developers of social services and creators of social work education. Latvia also has a tradition of celebrating World Social Work Day each year through a variety of activities.

On 14 March, the Ministry of Welfare will host a conference Changes in Social Work: Community, Crisis and Opportunities.The motto of the conference is “I am if we are. We are if the Earth exists”, which echoes the theme of this year’s World Social Work Day.

Whereas this year, the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Department of Welfare and Social Work will welcome visitors from Salem State University, USA. Students and interested people will have an opportunity to meet social work students from this university and professors Zoe Kessler and Jonathan P. Kessler, but on 11 March at 15.00, RSU teaching staff and students are invited to attend Jonathan Kessler’s lecture on addiction issues in the family, Family roles in addiction, which will be held in auditorium 1 in the RSU main building at 16 Dzirciema iela.  

The lecture will also be available online

Kessler (pictured) is a clinical social worker with more than 30 years of experience. He provides clinical social work services including psychotherapy in private practice. For the past seven years, he has also practised as a lead social worker working with 17-22-year olds with autism spectrum disorders and their families. 

Kessler has in-depth clinical skills training in hypnosis, trauma and motivational interviewing, as well as individual, group and family therapy. For the past eight years, he has been an associate professor at the School of Social Work at Salem State University. He is currently an associate professor at Merrimack College's Winston School of Education and Social Policy. Last year the professor also visited Riga and gave two lectures at RSU, as well as at the Ministry of Welfare and the Social Department of Riga City Council.

*  WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY AT THE UNITED NATIONS GENEVA 20 MARCH 2024 ● #WSWD2024 BUEN VIVIR IN SOCIAL WORK Co-Building a Sustainable and Just Future