Get Ready to Take Notes

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6 days ago
3 min read

Practical Tools You Can Use Immediately

One of the most powerful moments at any conference is when learning moves from theory to action—when you find yourself thinking, “I can use this with my students tomorrow.” That is exactly what attendees can expect from this year’s keynote by Dr. Cynthia Franklin, LCSW-S, LMFT, at the 2026 SSWAA National Conference.

Aligned with the conference theme, Gateway to Change, this keynote invites school social workers to step through a gateway of possibility—where strengths-based thinking, purposeful questioning, and solution-focused strategies open new pathways for student growth.

Why This Keynote Is a Must-Attend

Dr. Franklin is an internationally recognized leader in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and a pioneer in integrating solution-focused approaches into K–12 school settings. With decades of research, practice, and innovation behind her work, she brings both credibility and clarity to a question many school social workers wrestle with daily:

How can we support meaningful change when time is limited and needs are complex?

In her keynote, “Solution-Focused Strategies for Schools: Practical Tools for Social Workers,” Dr. Franklin moves beyond theory to demonstrate how solution-focused interventions look in practice—across individual sessions, classroom activities, group work, and school-wide mental health initiatives.

Come Ready to Reflect on Your Caseload

This keynote is not a passive listening experience. As Dr. Franklin walks through evidence-based strategies, attendees will naturally begin to reflect on their own caseloads:

Which students might benefit from a more strength-focused lens?
Where might solution-focused language shift a stuck conversation?
How can small changes in questioning create big changes in engagement?
What goals could students articulate if we helped them visualize success differently?

This session encourages social workers to pause and ask deeper intervention questions—not out of doubt, but out of curiosity and intentional growth.

Practical Skills You Can Take Back Immediately

Attendees can expect to leave with:

Core solution-focused techniques grounded in research
Creative and art-based strategies for goal setting and strengths identification
Tools for engaging students who feel discouraged or overwhelmed
Language shifts that foster hope, motivation, and agency
Intervention ideas that integrate seamlessly into existing school structures

These are not add-ons to your workload—they are refinements to the work you already do, designed to make interventions more effective and sustainable.

A Gateway to Sustainable Change

The Gateway to Change theme reminds us that transformation doesn’t always require sweeping reform. Sometimes, change begins with a different question, a reframed goal, or a strength-based conversation that helps a student see what is possible.

Dr. Franklin’s keynote serves as a gateway for school social workers to strengthen their clinical toolkit, sharpen their intervention strategies, and reconnect with the impact of solution-focused practice.

As you prepare for this session, come ready to listen, reflect, question, and take notes. Most importantly, come ready to imagine how these practical strategies might change the trajectory of the students and school communities you serve.

Cynthia Franklin, PhD, LCSW-S, LMFT

Cynthia Franklin is the Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and an internationally recognized leader in school social work and mental health. She has pioneered the integration of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) into K–12 education, advancing student achievement and resilience. Author of over 200 publications, Dr. Franklin’s research has shaped strengths-based practices worldwide. Honored as a “Social Work Pioneer” by NASW and recipient of the Gary Lee Shaffer Award by SSWAA, she is widely regarded as the leading scholar in SFBT. She also helped develop Gonzalo Garza Independence High School, a nationally acclaimed model for SFBT-based innovation.