Breakout Sessions*

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  Breakout Session 1 - Option A

  Joy as a Tool for Healing
  
  Presenter: Shawnieka E. Pope, PhD Candidate, MSW, LISW-S, LCSW
  
  This workshop explores joy as a powerful and intentional tool for healing, connection, and
  resilience within individuals and communities. Too often, conversations about stress, trauma,
  and adversity focus solely on deficits and pain. This session reframes that narrative by centering
  joy as an act of resistance, restoration, and collective strength—particularly in communities that experience ongoing marginalization and loss. Participants will examine how everyday practices
  of joy, celebration, creativity, and cultural affirmation promote emotional wellness, build
  belonging, and strengthen community bonds. Through reflection, discussion, and interactive
  activities, attendees will identify strategies to cultivate joy in personal life, professional practice,
  and community spaces. The workshop emphasizes that joy does not ignore struggle; rather, it coexists with it, offering energy, meaning, and hope. Participants will leave with practical tools to intentionally nurture joy as a pathway toward healing, resilience, and sustainable community well-being.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 1 - Option B

  Family Meetings in Palliative Care: What We Know and What Is Needed to Strengthen Research and Practice
  
  Presenter: Dr. Ting Guan, PhD, MSW and Jamie Hill, MSW, LCSW, PhD Student
  
  Family meetings are an evidence-based palliative care intervention that support communication and shared decision-making among patients, families, and multidisciplinary care teams. This presentation draws on our team’s systematic review of 16 studies examining family meetings in palliative care, as well as qualitative interviews with 19 clinical social workers who implement family meetings in clinical settings. We (1) synthesize core components of family meetings, including structure, processes, team involvement, and outcomes; (2) characterize the roles of social workers in these meetings, which include pre-meeting organization, communication facilitation, emotional support, advocacy, and follow-up coordination; and (3) identify key barriers to implementation, such as inconsistent institutional policies, time constraints, lack of private space, limited clinician training, and challenges engaging patients and families with low health literacy or strong religious beliefs. We conclude by discussing future directions for research, practice, and education to enhance the implementation of family meetings in clinical care.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 1 - Option C

  Political Divisiveness: Impacts on social work student mental health and how to alleviate the effects
  
  Presenter: Tessa Duncan, LCSW and Dr. Stephanie Boys, PhD, JD, MSW
  
  Our study examines the impact of political divisiveness on the mental health of social work students. Using a mixed-methods approach, we surveyed Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students at an urban, Midwestern campus to explore their perceptions on political divisiveness, how it impacts their daily lives, and ways they cope with such impacts. Prior to the presentation, we plan to complete analysis of the quantitative data using descriptive statistics and thematically analyze the qualitative data. From this study we hope to learn how social work students are affected by the current climate of political divisiveness. Subsequently, we hope that our findings encourage dialogue about how social work students, and social workers in general, can cope with these challenges. It is imperative that these impacts be acknowledged and addressed, as finding appropriate coping skills will allow us to better serve clients and reduce burnout.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 2- Option A

  We've had a slight change! Speaker announcement coming soon!

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 2- Option B

  Bridging the Divide: Integrating Behavioral Health and Medical Social Work, Across Systems of Care
  
  Presenter: Lindsay J. Huff, Adjunct Faculty (MHAI), Founder (Breaking Barriers), Community Outreach Associate (Recovery Village) and Zach Ward, MSW, LSW
  
  This session examines the persistent separation between behavioral health and medical social work, emphasizing how fragmented systems and undervaluing lived experience limit holistic care. Participants will explore how communication breakdowns, institutional barriers, and the dismissal of client and provider lived experience hinder collaboration and patient outcomes. Through case examples and interactive dialogue, the session will highlight strategies to elevate lived experience as a critical source of knowledge, foster interdisciplinary partnerships, and advocate for integrated service models that honor both clinical and psychosocial expertise. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and advance unified care delivery.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 2- Option C

  Neurodivergence: Balancing Clinical Competency and Client Self-Report
  
  Presenter: Kristina Shannon, LCSW
  
  Neurodivergence has gained increased visibility in recent years, underscoring the need for clinicians to move beyond dismissive or pathologizing frameworks toward more informed, affirming practice. When neurodivergent experiences are not adequately considered, interventions may be misaligned and risk causing unintended harm. This educational presentation explores the range of experiences encompassed under the neurodivergence umbrella and examines why clients may self-identify as neurodivergent. Attendees will reflect on the balance between clinical perspectives and client self-report, with emphasis on how increased awareness and can support more ethical, responsive, and effective intervention planning.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 3 - Option A

  Being Prepared for the Unexpected – Adaptability as a Superpower
  
  Presenter: Michelle Zaremba, MSW, LSW
  
  Given today’s climate of uncertainty, being able to adapt to changes is crucial in the field of Social Work. Changes in funding, policy and the stressors of those we work with can appear at any time. Learn to understand the importance of adaptability for our organizations, our clients and for us personally. Learning to continually adapt can be the superpower that all Social Workers can master.

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  Breakout Session 3- Option B

  The IN Grief Education Task Force: A Collaborative Effort in Childhood Bereavement Care
  
  Presenter: Celestia Mai, LSW and Carol Braden, LMHC
  
  In the state of Indiana, 1 in 10 children will be bereaved prior to the age of 18 (CBEM, 2025). Grief professionals throughout the country are advocating on the statewide and national level to offer grief education in schools following an increase in mental health crises and bereavement since the 2020 Covid Pandemic. This education not only meets the social emotional learning of grieving young people and their peers but also supports those caring for these students during the school day. In 2024, a group of grief professionals and non-profit organizations began collaborating to bring this education and awareness to the state of Indiana. This presentation reviews the impact of childhood bereavement in Indiana, what has been done thus far and how medical social workers can join in on this effort to help champion and advocate for this level of support during a time where funding and resources are limited.

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  Breakout Session 3 - Option C

  Serving Veterans along the Homeless Continuum
  
  Presenters: Claire Landberg, LCSW, MAC and Scott Seibert, LCSW
  
  This presentation explores the various services offered to Veterans experiencing homelessness
  and the socioeconomic issues that are homeless adjacent and factors that contribute to
  homelessness. Attendees will gain insight into the operational structure of VA Community Outreach Division, the importance of housing-first programs, the impact of supportive services on Veteran outcomes, and how to connect Veterans to care. The presentation aims to foster dialogue on best practices, service delivery, and inspire continued innovation and collaboration in the mission to end Veteran homelessness.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 4 - Option A

  From Gray to Technicolor: How to Balance Hope & Uncertainty to Achieve Peace
  
  Presenters: Baylie Giek, LCSW
  
  In today’s society, hope seems to be fleeting. With new legislature and news consistently instilling fear, how can anyone find peace? While that may be a rhetorical question, it is something that has to be analyzed in order to bring peace to every social work role, system, or community. In this presentation, I will challenge you to learn techniques to balance peace/harmony in an unrestful time. By reviewing core values that make up your role in social work, providers can learn to cultivate hope even in the most uncertain of times. It is stretching beyond binary patterns to see into the “gray areas” of life. And from the gray, comes the most beautiful technicolor world of hope, peace, and clarity. From macro down to micro work - ethics are clear: social workers balance the hope and peace in all the systems they touch.

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  Breakout Session 4 - Option B

  How Lived Experience with Multiple Chronic Conditions Strengthened My Social Work Practice
  
  Presenters: Jennifer McIntosh, LCSW
  
  This presentation examines how my experiences with multiple chronic medical conditions has
  deepened my effectiveness as a social worker. While lived experience is often centered on
  clients, its influence on practitioners is less explored. Navigating my multiple conditions
  expanded my empathy, improved my ability to build authentic, trauma-informed relationships
  and sharpened my understanding of resilience and vulnerability. Confronting my own limits,
  prompted a more intentional approach to boundaries, self-care and reflective practice. I will
  discuss how personal challenges can enhance professional insight and connection. Participants
  will gain perspective on using lived experience as a source of growth and on fostering workplace
  cultures that acknowledge and support the realities of social workers.

  Attend This Session

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  Breakout Session 4 - Option C

  Can Social Work Values, combined with Wraparound Services, Improve HCV patient Resilience?
  
  Presenters: Markanda Baugh (she/her), MSW, LSW, MATS, CCHW and Joseph Bartholomew, PhD, MSW, LCSW, LCAC
  
  For individuals diagnosed with Hepatitis C (HCV), accessing treatment can prove to be difficult and can be disrupted by compounding barriers. HCV treatment is often viewed as purely medical, but the greatest barriers to cure are social, structural, and systemic, including housing instability, food insecurity, transportation barriers, and stigma towards substance use disorder. This demonstrates the need for social work approaches within healthcare settings. This presentation examines how a value-driven social work approach can improve access to and retention in HCV care. Over three years, a comprehensive HCV program integrated on-site medical treatment with supportive services, including case management, harm reduction, food access, and transportation assistance. Program outcomes demonstrated increased referrals, higher rates of treatment initiation, re-engagement with individuals previously lost to care, and an increase in sustained virologic response cure rates. Through the NASW Code of Ethics, patient confidence in HCV treatment can be renewed and strengthened when systems alone have failed.

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