Building Emotional and Relational Skills for Effective Client Engagement in Social Work

Level: Beginner

Summary

In today’s complex and emotionally charged practice settings, Christian social workers and counselors must be equipped not only with professional skills but also with the relational wisdom to engage clients effectively. This webinar presents a biblically grounded and evidence-informed approach to developing emotional and relational intelligence using the Relational Wisdom 360 (RW360) model.

Drawing on my experience as a certified RW360 advanced instructor, I’ll introduce practical tools to cultivate self-awareness, other-awareness, and God-awareness: skills essential for trust-building, navigating emotional tension, and fostering deeper therapeutic engagement. This session will also present a values-based version of RW360 for ethically and effectively serving clients from diverse or non-Christian backgrounds while remaining faithful to a Christian worldview.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

1. Explain the core concepts of the RW360 model, including the SOG (Self-aware, Other-aware, God-aware) and SOV (Self-aware, Other-aware, Values-aware) frameworks for relational engagement.
2. Differentiate between faith-based and values-based relational wisdom, applying each appropriately based on client context and ethical considerations in social work practice.
3. Utilize practical tools such as READ, GPS, and SERVE to strengthen client rapport, emotional self-regulation, and therapeutic alliance.
4. Apply relational wisdom to challenging case scenarios, including emotionally reactive clients, strained family systems, and ethically sensitive discussions.
5. Demonstrate how Christ-centered relational skills can enhance client trust, engagement, and transformation, while also learning how to translate these principles for secular or pluralistic environments.

Continuing Education Statement

Live: Approved for LPC, LMFT, LCSW, and IBCC

The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) offers some psychologists, therapists, counselors, social workers, and play therapists Continuing Education (CE) credit due to good standing with certain states and a limited number of professional organizations. It remains the responsibility of each participant to be aware of state licensure and CE requirements. Participants should check their state and/or local regulations regarding required Continuing Education hours. *Webinars MUST be watched LIVE to receive CE Credit.  

On-Demand: 2 NBCC Credits 

Effective immediately, participants can now earn “On-Demand” NBCC credit for CounselTalk webinars that are not attended live. To receive this credit, participants must complete a 10-question quiz and an evaluation following the On-demand CounselTalk webinar.

Please note the following details:

• The CounselTalk webinar will switch to “On-Demand” credit after 11:59 pm on the day of the webinar.
• Participants must sign up for the CounselTalk webinar prior to its start time to be eligible for this type of credit.

Presenters

Dr. James Long, Jr. is a licensed clinical social worker and a Certified RW360 Advanced Instructor. He earned his Doctorate in Theology with an emphasis in Counseling from The Master’s Seminary and is currently pursuing a PhD in Human Services at Capella University. He also holds a Master of Social Work degree from New York University, as well as bachelor’s degrees in Counseling and Theology from Northeastern Bible College. James is the co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Clinical Director of Cornerstone Counseling Center. He is a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor and serves as full-time faculty at Nyack College in New York, NY. He has also served as a faculty professor at Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ. James frequently conducts seminars and workshops on a wide range of counseling and ministry-related topics.