FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (8/06)
Contact: Lynn Stewart or Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, 318-841-7265

Centenary’s Director of Counseling Elected to Vice-Chair of State Board of Social Work Examiners

SHREVEPORT, LA – Tina Feldt, director of counseling at Centenary College, has been elected vice-chair of the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners, a regulatory agency that governs social work practice.

A 20-year veteran in social work with licenses in clinical social work and addictions counseling, Feldt will conduct the board’s business in absence of the chair.

As a three-year term member, Feldt serves on a committee to assist impaired professionals and another that improves continuing education opportunities for social workers. Her duties on the board require her to attend meetings in Baton Rouge every five to six weeks to work on issues with granting licensure to social workers, resolving ethical dilemmas and dealing with social workers who violate the Louisiana Social Work Practice Act.

Among other things, the board has been working to monitor license renewal in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“New Orleans probably had the largest concentration of social workers in the state, and we don't know how many will maintain their license in Louisiana,” explains Feldt.

“Many moved to other states after the storms. Given the fact that social workers provide the majority of mental health services, there is the potential for even greater impact from the hurricanes than previously thought.”

Feldt has received other honors, including the Social Worker of the Year Award for Louisiana and the Dorothy Schenthal Leadership Award, both given by the National Association of Social Work.

" I am honored to have been chosen to serve the public and maintain the integrity of the social work profession," says Feldt.

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