January | WEBINAR
January CE Webinar
Thursday, January 29, 2026
9am PT/12pm ET - 10am PT/1pm ET
FREE TO SWHPN Members | Non Members: $45
Please join us for our January CE Webinar: Unburdening Patients and Families in Life and Death Conversations: How the Use of Maternalism Transforms Quandaries Into Closure, presented by Chris Onderdonk, MSW, LCSW, APHSW-C, Inpatient Palliative Care Social Worker, UC San Diego Health.
Complex medical decision-making at the end of life often occurs at the limits of medicine, where standard shared decision-making models can unintentionally burden patients and families with impossible choices. This session introduces a maternalistic approach to care grounded in relational autonomy and informed non-dissent, offering an ethically sound and clinically practical framework for guiding patients and families through high-stakes decisions.
About the Speaker:
Chris is an inpatient palliative care social worker, educator, and national speaker with over two decades of clinical experience across hospice, palliative care, and bereavement. He teaches in Fordham University’s MSW program, serves as Affiliate Faculty at UC San Diego’s Sanford Institute for Compassionate Communication, and is Past Chair of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network.
May | ANNUAL CONFERENCE
2026 SWHPN Annual Forum
Strength in Connection: Facing Change as a Community
Date & Location: May 7-8, 2026 | Virtual Conference
SWHPN's mission is to enhance hospice and palliative care social work through mentorship, education, community building and advocacy as change agents committed to equity and anti-racism. We start with ourselves to dismantle harms perpetuated within the systems in which we exist.
This is a virtual conference bringing together palliative and hospice social workers to explore the power of connection, resilience, and shared purpose. In a care landscape shaped by systemic inequities, shifting policies, and ongoing challenges in how care is delivered, this gathering creates space to reflect, learn, and grow together. By hosting this Forum virtually, we aim to increase accessibility for hospice and palliative care social workers who are being deeply impacted by budget cuts—ensuring we can continue to connect with and support one another across geographic and financial barriers. Through expert-led sessions and engaging dialogue, we will empower ourselves, one another, and the communities we serve—centering equity, honoring diverse experiences, and strengthening our commitment to providing compassionate, person-centered care in an ever-changing world.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Continuing Education Information
Social Work Hospice + Palliative Care Network (SWHPN), #1716, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Social Work Hospice + Palliative Care Network aka SWHPN maintains responsibility for the program. ASWB Approval Period: 7/18/2023 – 7/18/2026.
Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval for continuing education credits.