LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY Team
The Clinical Social Work Association is committed to monitoring and working on legislative issues that can affect your clinical practice. At any given time, there are many policy issues making their way through the legislative process. CSWA brings these issues to the attention of its members, and let's you know how you can help. Members are alerted to important legislative and advocacy issues directly via email.
CSWA's Director of Policy and Practice, Deputy Director of Policy and Practice, and a volunteer Government Relations Committee of approximately 10 active CSWA members keep up-to-date on legislation and help guide advocacy efforts that are in the best interests of Clinical Social Workers and the field.
Meet Our Team
Leading the Government Relations Committee since the 2000s, is CSWA Director of Policy and Practice, Laura Groshong, LICSW. Groshong was a registered lobbyist in Washington for five mental health organizations for 25 years. In addition, she has been in private practice for over 50 years working with individuals, couples and families, and is an active approved supervisor in Washington State. As a result of her vast experience, Groshong is an expert at topics related to policy, advocacy and clinical social work practice. Groshong has been in her position with CSWA since 2006, where she regularly provides free, private consultations to CSWA members, and leads the advocacy and legislation efforts of the organization. Groshong received her MSW from the School of Social Service Administration at the University Chicago and additionally received advanced training at the Seattle Psychoanalytic Institute. Through the Mental Health Liaison Group, Groshong worked on passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act of 2008, the Affordable Care Act, and many other pieces of legislation that support and benefit LCSWs. Groshong has written and lectured extensively on clinical and legislative issues around the country with over 70 presentation and authorships to her name. She served as the Interim Chair for the Social Work Compact Commission through the Council of State Governments, and is currently CSWA's ad hoc representative to the Social Work Compact Commission.
Judy Gallant, LCSW-C, has served as CSWA's Deputy Director of Policy and Practice since 2022. Gallant served on the Government Relations Committee as an active CSWA member prior to holding her formal role and stepping into the position of Deputy Director of Policy and Practice. Gallant received her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work. She has worked in variety of practice settings for over 45 years, including with foster children and parents in New York City; providing child, adolescent and adult therapy at a family service agency in Baltimore; and as the Coordinator for the Psychological and Educational Resources and Testing Center at Jewish Family Services in Baltimore, Maryland. Gallant currently has a private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland. In addition to her work with CSWA, Ms. Gallant has served as the Director of Legislation and Advocacy for the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work since 2014, and as the Chair of the Maryland Legislation and Advocacy Committee since 2012.