6a: September 19, 2025: Implicit Bias and Sizeism: How Our Biases Impact Our Ethics, Boundaries, and Referral Practices

Friday, September 19, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Pre-register by September 12, 2025

This is a virtual course, and will take place over Zoom.

A link to this virtual course will be sent one week prior to the event.

3 CEHs

$45.00 SLU Alumni and pre-registered SLU practicum instructors

$65.00 All others

Course Description
Presenter: Charles Franke, LCSW  

Title: Implicit Bias and Sizeism: How Our Biases Impact Our Ethics, Boundaries, and Referral Practices 
*Meets Implicit Bias and Ethics Requirements (1.5 CEH each)

Learning Objectives:

• Identify when implicit bias may be present when working with a client in a larger body and learn advocacy strategies for working with clients when sizeism and weight stigma are present.  
• Apply ethical decision making and self -awareness skills to enhance therapeutic rapport and reduce the influence of their own implicit bias.
• Discuss strategies to address sizeism, weight stigma, and implicit bias in accord with the professional ethical standards for clinical professionals with particular attention on social workers.  

Course Description: Sizeism and weight stigma impact every facet in the lives of people in larger and marginalized bodies, especially in relation to healthcare outcomes and clinical interactions with helping professionals. As social workers, we are ethically obligated to ensure the dignity and worth of the individual, as a result, a call to action on sizeism and weight stigma is underway. For many social workers this first includes examining implicit biases related to our own response to being in the presence of larger bodies.  The effect of sizeism and weight stigma impact all aspects of social work practice including clinical work, referral and discharge processes, goal setting, and communication styles. In this CE course, we will look deeply into the ethical issues and the implicit biases that can occur, develop strategies for ethical decision-making, reflection and self-awareness, and examine the history of sizeism and weight stigma that is pervasive in society. Case studies and group discussions of ethical dilemmas will be used to amplify opportunities for improvement while building individual awareness that can better serve our clients, understand how implicit bias impacts clinical care, and create safety for those we serve. 

Bio: Charles “Chaz” Franke, LCSW is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Work is a therapist and clinical supervisor for Light Source, a small group practice in Belleville, Illinois, He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from McKendree University, and a Master of Social Work degree from SLU. Mr. Franke has been practicing therapy full time since 2007.  Since the beginning of his career as a therapist, he has worked with trauma and its long reaching effects. This work has included extensive work with all ages and all walks of life. He specializes in self-compassion and integrating Eastern thought and philosophy into the therapeutic process.  Chaz provides both clinical and reflective supervision to clinicians across many settings to help further their ability to find their voice in the field and maintain engagement in their work.