Social Work Meetup: Collateral (Character) Letters of Support

This meetup will focus our discussion on collateral letters of support and what we use to shape them, how we request them, and what guidance, information, encouragement, or support we use in working with family, friends, community members, and loved ones who we ask to create collateral letters of support or character letters. If you have examples of something standard you use, please bring it to share!

Stephanne Cline Thornton, Social Work Training & Resources Coordinator
Stephanne Cline Thornton is a West Virginia native who has worked in and around criminal defense and mitigation for more than 20 years in Georgia, Colorado, and West Virginia. She is currently the Clinical Director for the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program, and owner of Transform Legal, a consultancy focused on mitigation, training, and sustainability. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Master Addiction Counselor, Stephanne focuses on proper assessment for and access to trauma and substance use disorder treatment to ensure the health and well-being of affected individuals. Stephanne is on the Trauma-Informed Care Network Speakers Bureau and uses that platform to call attention to the intersection of secondary traumatic stress and legal practice. She approaches her work with clients, lawyers, social workers, and mitigation specialists through a contextualized mitigation lens.