Palliative Care Social Work Conference

Centering lived experience, field expertise, and practitioner insights. This aligns with the theme of ideas around “wisdom,” “perseverance,” and honoring experienced voices. 

Possible session types: 

• “Wisdom of Experience” panel(s) featuring long-term palliative care social workers 

• Lessons learned from sustained work in palliative and end-of-life care 

• What to know when entering palliative care (early-career preparation) 

• Insights from death doulas, child life specialists, hospice teams, and MAiD support roles 

Focusing on interprofessional models, shared-care teams, and integrated approaches. 

Possible session types: 

• Exploring cross-disciplinary collaboration (social work, nursing, chaplaincy, child life, medicine, behavioral health) 

• IPE or IPP as a method for strengthening palliative care teams 

• Practical frameworks for navigating spiritual differences between providers and patients 

• Building interdisciplinary training pathways in palliative care 

Using stories, reflection, and creative modalities to support patients, caregivers, and providers. This connects with palliative care values—presence, meaning, identity, and honoring human experience. 

Possible session types: 

• Narrative story exchange workshops 

• Guided reflection circles 

• Storytelling and legacy work in palliative care 

• Art therapy techniques 

• Techniques for facilitating meaning-making with patients and families 

• Narrative resilience building for providers 

Hands-on and experiential, allowing participants to engage deeply. 

Possible session types: 

• Bedside-friendly arts practices (Angela Wibben’s work, etc.) 

• Art therapy, music therapy, massage, expressive arts 

• All-day creative/experiential workshops 

• Skill-based breakout sessions using art, movement, or touch 

• Integrating creativity into palliative care for patients and providers 

Supporting the people doing the work — helps address workforce sustainability. 

Possible session types: 

• Resilience-building workshops inspired by Sojourn Cohort 

• Strategies for preventing burnout and compassion fatigue 

• Supporting wellbeing when working in sustained trauma environments 

• Peer support practices for palliative care teams 

• Balancing personal spirituality with patient-centered care 

Addressing complex questions in modern palliative care. 

Possible session types: 

• MAiD (Medical Aid in Dying): clinical, ethical, and practice considerations 

• Spirituality and cultural humility in end-of-life care 

• Supporting marginalized communities in palliative settings 

• Navigating moral distress, ethical dilemmas, and systemic barriers 

16th Annual Palliative Care Social Work Conference
Serious Illness-Related Caregiving: Support Through Practice & Policy

Friday, April 11, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (MST)
In person and online attendance options

Tivoli Student Union
Turnhalle Room
900 Auraria Parkway
Denver, CO 80024

Hosted by Metropolitan State University of Denver, Department of Social Work

CE Credits 

Up to 6 hours of CE Credits approved by Metropolitan State University. Participation in the training will count towards the requirements of DORA’s 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development all LCSW and LSW.

Keynote Presentation: CU Anschutz Participation in National Dementia Palliative Care Clinical Trial: Interdisciplinary Interventions and Considerations

Featuring Keynote Speakers: Hillary Lum, MD, PhD | Melissa C. Palmer, JD, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C | Ilian Mino, Research Assistant

Panel Talk: Valuable Resources For Practitioners

Featuring Speakers:

• Rocky Mountain Refuge with Br. JP Hall & Van Currell
• Beneficent with Kim Searles
• Mile High Senior Solutions with Laura Stiehl & Jill Skridulis

Breakout Session Topics:  

The Power Language – The Art of Palliative Care Goals of Care Discussions Brooke Chapman, LCSW, APHSW-C | Jennifer Grossman-Chinburg, LCSW | Colleen Carson, LCSW, APHSW-C | Heather Hester, LCSW | Sarah Gambell, LCSW 

Caregiver Support Starts with Clear Goals of Care
Christa Burke, MSW, LCSW, APHSW-C

Supporting the Caregivers of Trauma Patients
Margaret “Maggie” Gould , MSW, LCSW

Art Therapy and Narrative Therapy Interventions for Trauma-Informed Symptom Management
Leara Glinzak, Doctoral Candidate, LCP-IT, ATR-BC, ATRL, ATCS | Melissa C. Palmer, JD, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-c

Partnering in Uncharted Territory: Pre and Post-Death Loss and Meaning-Making Among Caregivers of Those Seeking Assisted Death
Jen Currin-McCulloch, PhD, LSW | Nathan Gallo, CNA & Yixuan Wang, MSW

Pulling a Double Shift: Acknowledging the Challenges Faced by Healthcare Professionals Who Serve as Unpaid Family Caregivers
Susan Lee, MSW, LCSW, APHSW-C

Learnings From the Far Side: Palliative Care Ambulatory Psycho-social-spiritual Observations
Beth Patterson, MA | Melissa C. Palmer, JD, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C

The Narrative Intervention for Long Covid-19 (NICO): Three Narrative Case Examples
Rachel Johnson-Koenke, PhD, LCSW | Jacqueline Jones, PhD, DNP, RN, FAAN | Emma Jones, LCSW

Age-friendly Palliative Care for Veterans and Their Caregivers in the VA Eastern Colorado
Healthcare System
Stephanie Hartz, LCSW, BCD | Laura Thibault, LCSW

2025 Palliative Care Social Work Conference Sponsors:

Community Partner Sponsorships:

Business Sponsorships:

Sponsorship Opportunities

Would your organization like to be a recognized sponsor for this event? Please contact us at [email protected] with questions.

Sponsorship Options:

• Community Partner Sponsorships: $200
  • Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
  • One complimentary full-conference registration
• Business Sponsorship: For $500 (for-profit company) or $400 (non-profit organization)  
  • Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program.
  • Two complimentary full-conference registrations
  • One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products
  • Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
• Platinum Sponsorship: $1500
  • Short video played the day of the conference program
  • Optional video included in gallery on the virtual access website
  • Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
  • Two complimentary full-conference registrations
  • Access for rep to attend the networking session at the end of the conference
  • A post conference attendee “blast” to all registrants send by PCSWK planning committee on sponsor’s behalf
  • One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products
  • Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table

Please email socialwork@msudenver.edu to provide the name(s), contact information and License Number (for CECs), for complimentary conference registration(s).

Event Coordination by the Student Association of Social Workers at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Proceeds will go towards student social work professional development and education.

15th Annual Palliative Care Social Work Conference
Fostering Health Equity and Inclusion:
Empowering Social Workers for Everyday Practice

Friday, April 19, 2024 | 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (MST)
In person and online attendance options

Tivoli Student Union
Turnhalle Room
900 Auraria Parkway
Denver, CO 80024

Hosted by Metropolitan State University of Denver, Department of Social Work

REGISTER Today!

Student Rate: $35

Online Rate: $65

In-Person Rate: $135

Volunteers attend for free! For more information, please email [email protected]

CE Credits 

Up to 6 hours of CE Credits approved by Metropolitan State University. Participation in the training will count towards the requirements of DORA’s 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development all LCSW and LSW.

Keynote Part I & II: Fostering Health Equity and Inclusion in Social Work Palliative Care and other Allied Health Professions 

Featuring Keynote Speaker: Karen Bullock, Ph.D., LICSW, FGSA, APHSW-C
Endowed Professor of Social Work at Boston College
Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)

Breakout Session Topics:  

Healing Narratives: Unpacking the Intersection of Generational Trauma and Moral Injury in Palliative Care – Dimple D. Dhabalia, JD, CAPP 

Palliative Care with Stigmatized Patients: An Interdisciplinary Approach – Fiona Bullock, M.S.W., APHSW-C, D.A.A.E.T.S., Tina Allen, SUDCC-SUD, James Murdock, M.Div., and Theodore Zwerdling, M.D. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Language and Conscious Communication – Hareklia (Harri) Brackett, APRN, CNS, ACHPN, Melissa C. Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD; Elizabeth Wambugu, AGNP-C 

Behind Closed Doors: The High Risks of Intimate Partner Violence on Palliative and Hospice Care Patients – Laura Madeline Thibault, LCSW and Matteo J. Vatalaro, LCSW (they/he)   

Shifting from cultural competence to cultural responsiveness: A phenomenological study of illness coping in Chinese pediatric patients living with blood cancer – Yixuan Wang and Nathan Gallo 

Spiritual Dialogue Skills to Support Patients Living with Serious Illness – Kelly Arora, PhD 

2024 Palliative Care Social Work Conference Sponsors:

Community Partner Sponsorships:

Business Sponsorships: 

Sponsorship Opportunities

Would your organization like to be a recognized sponsor for this event? Please contact Teiriana Ibarra, Event Planning Specialist, at [email protected] with questions.

Sponsorship Options:

• Community Partner Sponsorships: $200
  • Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
  • One complimentary full-conference registration
• Business Sponsorship: For $500 (for-profit company) or $400 (non-profit organization)  
  • Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program.
  • Two complimentary full-conference registrations
  • One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products; Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
• Platinum Sponsorship: $1500
  • Short video played the day of the conference program
  • Optional video included in gallery on the virtual access website
  • Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
  • Two complimentary full-conference registrations
  • Access for rep to attend the networking session at the end of the conference
  • A post conference attendee “blast” to all registrants send by PCSWK planning committee on sponsor’s behalf
  • One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products; Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table

Please email [email protected] to provide the name(s), contact information and License Number (for CECs), for complimentary conference registration(s).

Event Coordination by the Student Association of Social Workers at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Proceeds will go towards student social work professional development and education.

Friday, April 8, 2022
Tivoli Student Union, Auraria Campus

Resilience in health care professionals means improved care for patients and their families. Based on conference evaluation feedback, all sessions are related to resilience and trends important for palliative care social workers and other allied health professionals to learn.

Program:

Virtual Keynote Speakers

• Morning Keynote: Carla Cheatham, MA, MDiv, PhD: Resilience, how we nurture ourselves and teach our health systems what is needed
• Lunchtime Talk: Andrew MacPherson, Healthsperien LLC: Health Policy, Hot Topics in Palliative Care
• Afternoon Keynote Panel: Resilience, self-care techniques and trends
  • Danielle Faye Jonas, MSW, LCSW, PhD Candidate, Silver School of Social Work, New York University
  • Kristin Drouin, MSW, LICSW, APHSW-C, Clinical Social Worker, Stem Cell Transplant Program, Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Eleanor Frechette, MSW, LCSW, Clinical Social Worker, Pediatric Advance Care Team, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute
  • Lauren Cramer, MSW, LISCW, Clinical Social Worker, Pediatric Advance Care Team, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute

In-Person Advanced Practitioner Sessions (Morning and Afternoon)

• Wonkey Grief and the Resiliency Toolbox, Kerri Boyer, LPCC, MA Clinical Health Counseling, Bristol Hospice Bereavement Counselor
• Moving Towards the Storm: Creating Meaning, Mastery and Resilience Through Palliative Care, Kay Adams, LCSW, Founder, Compassion Works LLC
• Compassion Fatigue: What It Is and How It Impacts Social Workers, Bre Holligan, MSW, LAC, EMDR Therapist, ADS, Center for Trauma and Resilience, supported by Nemayian Muthiora
• Resilience and Self-Care for Individuals and Organizations, Jenn Flaum, LCSW, MBA, Executive Director at HeartLight Center, Inc.
• What is Moral Injury and How is it Impacting Your Wellbeing?, Pari Shah, LCSW, MSW, PHD candidate, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Researcher of moral injury amongst clinical social workers
• Practitioners form Center for Trauma Resilience, station for attendee learning, topic TBA

Download the PCSWK Conference Program Brief for more program details!

Friday, April 23, 2021
Virtual Webinar

We are “Re-Imagining” our structure this year!

Based on conference evaluation feedback we’ve invited keynote speakers and interactive in-depth training sessions. “Live”, synchronous programming: 8 am – 1:05 pm, social networking: 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm. Live sessions will be recorded for later viewing.

Additionally, attendees can learn from pre-recorded content from poster contributors and sponsors accessible online before and after the conference.

All attendees are eligible for raffle prizes like SWPH memberships, local business, and self-care services!

Program:

Morning Keynote: Barbara L. Jones, Ph.D.
Barbara Jones, Ph.D., is the Josleen and Frances Lockhart Memorial Professor for Direct Practice in Social Work, University Distinguished Professor, associate dean for health affairs, and co-director of the Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. At Dell Medical School, Jones is associate director of social sciences and community-based research at the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes, chair of the Department of Health Social Work, and professor in the Departments of Oncology, Population Health, and Psychiatry. She is also a founding steering committee member of the UT Austin Center for Health Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) with colleagues at Dell Medical School, School of Nursing and College of Pharmacy.

Afternoon Keynote Speakers Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Scholars!
Bridget Sumser, MSW, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health
Carey Candrian, PhD, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Advanced Training Sessions:

• Updates from the field: The realities of Medical Aid in Dying, Viki Carter, LCSW, Sam DeWitt, Karrie Filios, LPC, & Carolyn Fulton. Moderator: Laurel Tropeano
• The Challenges of Aging Alone, Jane Barton, MTS, MASM, CSA
• Well-being at work: It’s Not an Oxymoron, Katie Morrison, MD
• Maximizing communication access for people in palliative care: Interdisciplinary considerations, Christina Perkins, MA CCC-SLP, Aleaza Goldberg,MA,CCC-SLP/L & Jessica Rossi-Katz, PhD, CCC-A
• Cannabis and Mushrooms as Medicine for End of Life, Deborah A. Mathias DNP, RN, CNE; Shannon Hughes, MSW, PhD; Rob Colbert, MA, PhD
• Palliative Care in Colorado: Trends, gaps, and Opportunities to Improve Care, Jenn Klus, MPH; Cordt T. Kassner, PhD

CE Credits

Up to 6 hours of CE Credits approved by NASW-CO. Participation in the training will count towards the requirements of DORA’s 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development all LCSW and LSW.