Webinar Details

Beyond Our Words: Understanding Grief and Burnout Through a Somatic Lens

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
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Session Description:
Grief and burnout are embedded in the daily reality of oncology social work. Clinicians routinely hold stories of loss, anticipatory grief, complex medical trauma, and the emotional labor of supporting patients and families through life-altering diagnoses. Although oncology social workers are well trained in psychosocial care, many were not taught how grief, trauma exposure, and chronic stress affect the nervous system or how their own bodies absorb the cumulative impact of this work. This workshop integrates current research in somatic science, polyvagal theory, and evidence-informed grief models to support both clinicians and the oncology populations they serve. This session provides a clinical, embodied understanding of how grief, stress, and burnout manifest in the brain and body. The workshop reviews the neurobiology of loss, including activation of the limbic system, the cognitive effects of sustained stress, and the influence of professional grief and moral injury on a clinician’s window of tolerance. Using a polyvagal lens, participants will examine how sympathetic activation, dorsal collapse, and ventral regulation present in patients, families, and clinicians, and how these autonomic states influence treatment engagement, decision-making, emotional processing, and meaning-making. The session emphasizes the importance of recognizing somatic cues that indicate when a patient or clinician is outside their window of tolerance and how to support regulated, therapeutic engagement. Participants will learn practical somatic interventions appropriate for oncology settings, including breath-based strategies for nervous system stabilization, grounding and orienting skills to reduce overwhelm, and simple movement practices that release tension and support emotional integration. These approaches honor the body’s innate wisdom and strengthen internal resources for resilience. The workshop also addresses somatic markers of burnout, compassion fatigue, and grief saturation in helping professionals and offers accessible clinician-focused regulation skills that promote ethical, sustainable practice. Systemic pressures in oncology care, including high caseloads, institutional strain, and the emotional complexity of end-of-life work, are examined through a trauma-informed and social justice lens. Participants will leave with tools for integrating polyvagal-informed communication, recognizing dysregulation in themselves and others, and creating micro-moments of safety within clinical encounters. The workshop is designed to enhance professional competence, support evidence-informed practice, and promote regulated, compassionate oncology social work.
Speaker(s):

Amy Pickett-Williams, MSW, LCSW, RYT LIGHT Movement 

Amy Pickett-Williams, LCSW, RYT, is a licensed clinical social worker, grief therapist, and founder of LIGHT Movement, a non-profit providing somatic, trauma-informed grief support through donation-based classes, community programming, and professional trainings. She has more than 25 years of experience supporting grieving children, families, and adults across medical, behavioral health, and trauma-informed settings. Amy integrates evidence-based grief science, polyvagal theory, and somatic interventions to support nervous system regulation and adaptive meaning-making. She is the author of Beyond Our Words, an up-and-coming book on somatic and polyvagal approaches to grief, and teaches nationally to grievers and professionals. 

Dr. Katie Mattei, PsyD; LIGHT Movement

Dr. Katie Mattei is a Clinical Psychologist with more than 30 years of experience specializing in trauma, child loss, burn injuries, and professional burnout. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Denver, she has served as a consultant for schools, hospitals, and community organizations, and is a sought-after national speaker on trauma-responsive care. Katie integrates somatic healing, nervous system education, and evidence-based interventions to support resilience in healthcare providers, first responders, educators, and trauma survivors. She is the Chief Operating Officer of LIGHT Movement, helping expand accessible, embodied, and socially responsive grief and trauma support. 

Learning Objectives:
After attending the session, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify at least three ways grief, chronic stress, and trauma exposure impact the autonomic nervous system and narrow a clinician or patient’s window of tolerance.  
  2. Demonstrate two or more somatic interventions, such as grounding, orienting, or breath-based strategies, that can be used to support nervous system regulation in oncology patients and in clinicians themselves.  
  3. Apply polyvagal-informed assessment skills to recognize signs of sympathetic activation, dorsal shutdown, and ventral engagement in patients and families, and implement appropriate regulation strategies to enhance therapeutic effectiveness. 

CE credits: 1.5 hours available for purchase
Click here to view Continuing Education information.
Category: Clinical/General
Educational Level: Intermediate

 

ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORK BOARDS (ASWB):
This organization, Association of Oncology Social Workers, ACE Approval #1351, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/11/25 – 11/11/28.  Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 cultural competency continuing education credits.

NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT’S STATE BOARD FOR SOCIAL WORK:
Association of Oncology Social Work, Inc., SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0320.

Completion Requirements:
Social workers must successfully complete a quiz with a 75% passing grade and answer evaluation questions to earn credit for both live and recorded events.

*ACE approval is not accepted by all Boards. Please check the ACE jurisdiction map for a list of jurisdictions that currently accept ACE.