Description

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

1. Identify key systemic, cultural, and educational gaps within the VA Community Care Network that contribute to inequitable veteran mental health care, particularly for veterans whose identities and experiences fall outside dominant or stereotypical military narratives.
2. Describe a practice-informed, resource-conscious framework for innovating veteran education delivery that integrates Social Constructionist Theory, Adult Learning Theory, and Anti-Oppressive Practice to strengthen provider competence and cultural humility.
3. Describe ethical, scalable strategies that social work supervisors and educators can use to enhance veteran-centered care equity and continuity, consistent with the NASW Code of Ethics and the Grand Challenges for Social Work, including Closing the Health Gap and Achieving Equal Opportunity and Justice.

Presenter Bio

Jessica Sellers, LMSW, is a Licensed Master Social Worker in North Alabama and a Doctor of Social Work Candidate at the University of Kentucky, concentrating in Military Behavioral Health. She has previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2021) and a Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama (2023).

Mrs. Sellers currently serves as an Outpatient Therapist at a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Cullman, Alabama, where she primarily provides individual therapy services to veterans through the VA Community Care Network. Mrs. Sellers focuses on providing healing spaces for veterans affected by complex trauma and is currently pursuing EMDR certification. She additionally frontlines Wellstone’s Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) Pilot Program, expanding statewide access to a no-cost neurobiological intervention for veterans and first responders across Alabama.

Mrs. Sellers has received national recognition for her leadership, advocacy, and service. She is a 2024 Student Veterans of America Leadership Institute Fellow and a 2025 participant in Wounded Warrior Project’s Women Warriors Summit. She is the 2024 recipient of the Build, Measure, Learn Repeat award through her engagement with the Travis Manion Foundation, contributing to local chapter leadership, youth mentorship, and community engagement initiatives.

Her research interests lie in service quality improvement throughout the VA Community Care Network and in the positive effects of volunteerism within military-affiliated populations. Mrs. Sellers’ doctoral capstone project examines innovative educational delivery strategies to improve provider competence and confidence in serving diverse veteran populations.

Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing

Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)

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.