Webinar Details

Registration will close at 5 PM ET on May 20, 2026

Session Description: 

Cancer rates are on the rise for adults aged 30-39, with recent data showing 1 in 17 women and 1 in 28 men will get a cancer diagnosis
by their 50th birthday. For many people, this time of life overlaps with raising children–this means 1 in 5 newly diagnosed cancer
patients are parents. The cancer patient’s ability to engage in medical treatment and care is significantly impacted by their role of
being a parent. Parents may struggle to juggle medical appointments, side effects, and their own emotional needs with their parenting
obligations. In addition, parents often worry about how to prioritize the needs of their children–how to talk to their kids about cancer,
how to help them cope with big feelings, and how to navigate the many changes cancer treatment will bring to their routine and sense
of normalcy. This presentation will explore the key components of what patients need to parent through cancer. It will address the key
resources parents need to help them engage in medical care while maintaining parenting duties; how to connect parents to emotional
support that decreases distress and increases confidence in parenting through cancer; how to coach parents in talking with their kids
about cancer; and how to connect families to valuable resources to help them feel supported.

Speaker: 

Carissa Hodgson, LCSW, OSW-C, Director of Programs at Bright Spot Network

Carissa Hodgson, LCSW, OSW-C is the Director of Programs and Community Outreach at Bright Spot Network, which provides a
program of support to parents with cancer who have young children. She has over 17 years of clinical and program experience working
with families facing cancer. Her professional passion is supporting kids and families who are navigating cancer, shaped largely by her
father having lung cancer when she was a child and her step-father’s diagnosis of liver cancer when she was a young adult. Carissa
has been a member of the Association of Oncology Social Work since 2015 and presently sits as co-chair of the Youth, Families and
Cancer Special Interest Group. In addition to her position at Bright Spot Network she has a small psychotherapy practice and is a Long
Term Lecturer at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at UW Madison.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Recognize the common concerns of cancer patients who are parents
2. Address the 4 essential needs of cancer patients who are
   parents
3. Connect parents to key resources that parents need to balance cancer treatment and parenting duties
4. Coach parents on how to talk with their children using the 4 C’s of cancer framework
5. Identify meaningful resources that help cancer patients and their families find community (which reduces isolation and anxiety) and information (which increases confidence)

CE credits: 1.0 hours available for purchase
Click here to view Continuing Education information.
Category: Clinical/General
Educational Level: Beginner

Please note: Registration will close at 5 PM ET on May 20, 2026

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.