Description

The Heart & Shield Program: Advancing Social Emotional Learning in Law Enforcement Training

Upon completion of this conference, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how Social Emotional Learning functions as a mechanism influencing officer perception, emotional regulation, and discretionary decision making.
2. Analyze how race, trauma, and emotional processes interact to shape police community encounters and contribute to inequitable outcomes.
3. Apply the Policing with Presence framework to reframe officer professionalism as relational, reflective, and equity-centered.

Presenter Bio

Yolanda Massey-McCullough, MSW, is a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) candidate
and serves as Director of BSW Practicum Education at Fayetteville State
University’s School of Social Work. In this role, she provides strategic leadership
for undergraduate education, oversees community-based practicum partnerships, and ensures alignment with the 2022 CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.

She earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Shaw University and a Master of Social Work from Fayetteville State University. As a first-generation college graduate, her scholarly interests focus on advancing equity and access through education, with particular emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL), trauma-informed and culturally responsive practice, and social work education as a mechanism for systems-level change. Her doctoral capstone project, Policing with Presence: Integrating Social Emotional Learning into Law Enforcement Training, examines SEL-informed approaches to reducing negative interactions between law enforcement and communities of color while promoting reflective, equity-centered policing practices.

Massey-McCullough has contributed to the profession through scholarly and professional presentations, including serving as a presenter for the Baccalaureate Program Directors Conference and as a co-presenter at a Social Work Conference hosted by the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning initiative at Fayetteville State University and has earned multiple certificates from the Association of College and University Educators to advance evidence-based teaching
modalities.

She previously served as the first Program Director for the Gillis Jones Institute of Ethics and Leadership and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, a service-oriented international organization emphasizing scholarship, leadership, and community engagement aligned with social work values.

Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing

Session not eligible for CE credit.

Target Audience: This conference is intended for social workers and students.

Accreditation: University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Provider # 1377, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/29/25-9/29/28. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 15 general continuing education credits.

Claiming CE Credit: Instructions for claiming CE credit will be disseminated at the beginning of each session.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding CE credit or to report a grievance, please contact Christina Krantz at Christina.Krantz@uky.edu. For technical assistance, please contact lmshelp@uky.edu.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these presentations are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the University of Kentucky or the College of Social Work. The inclusion of any topics, perspectives, or discussions is intended for academic engagement and does not constitute endorsement by the institution.