I have recently returned from the Social Work Hospice Palliative Network (SWPHN) annual conference in Boston, Massachusetts. (Check it out at www.swhpn.org; it needs a larger Canadian presence.) I have been on their board for a number of years now. I was invited to be part of the opening keynote about pediatric palliative care and presented a research poster along with a team member. It was an excellent conference with lots of good discussions about the role of social work in hospice and palliative care.

It was interesting to be there on the heels of another presentation in which I was involved. I was asked to be part of a panel on death and dying, which was put together as part of an advanced training session for field instructors. One of the panel members was highly critical of how little training social workers receive about death, dying, grief, and loss. In Canada, only a few schools offer courses in this topic area. The United States programs have a little more content, however, it is far more common that people learn on the job or out of personal interest.

I have been doing research in death, dying, and bereavement for all my academic life, and as such, I bring the conversation into the classroom as much as I can. One of my favourite teaching moments occurred in a groupwork classroom where we were role modelling endings. One student knew where I was headed in my comments and urged me not to use the “d word”.Read More

This is the Association’s first foray into the blogosphere and I am hoping that, during the course of the year, I will be able to share some ideas and stories with you. September is the month that university classes begin anew… and where did it go?

What an interesting month it was, as fast as it went. For me September involved many visits to university campuses: my own, of course, but also several others. On the personal front, I got to experience first orientation with our youngest who is the first of three children to go away to university. Professionally, I am privileged to have had the opportunity to visit numerous other campuses throughout the month, including campuses in Québec. I grew up in a university town and I have always appreciated that back-to-school feeling that I experienced in all of them. One newer aspect that I have been enjoying is noticing how many places are now acknowledging the territory on which they are situated.Read More