This August, NASW will convene social workers skilled in this practice area for candid and open discussions about the many roles we have in providing professional services to care for patients and their families affected by serious and life-limiting illnesses. I encourage you to attend this event—

NASW 2010 Annual Practice Conference
Social Work's Critical Role in End of Life Care
August 3-4, 2010 | Boston, MA | 8.5 CE Credits

This conference is designed specifically for social workers and will help you enhance the care you provide to patients and their families. It also will help you understand how to make your practice part of the solution to providing hospice and palliative care to an aging population that is living longer.

Many experts in the field of social work and hospice/palliative care will be speaking at this conference, among them, Dr. Kenneth J. Doka and Susan Blacker.

Dr. Doka will explore the most current theoretical perspectives on loss and grief, emphasizing six areas where understandings of grief have been challenged and developed. Ms. Blacker will look at the remarkable growth and development of this field of practice in the past decade. I will facilitate the event and give the opening presentation, discussing the social work workforce and overall need for reinvestment in our profession.

In addition to being a dynamic learning experience, the conference will offer 8.5 CE credits, which can be applied toward state relicensure and NASW professional credentials in hospice and palliative care and other practice areas. It will feature eight breakout sessions on pressing end of life care topics, such as ethics, grief, cultural competency, and family crisis counseling.

Conference details and registration, speaker and session information, and hotel accommodations can be found at www.socialworkers.org/conference.