Webinar Details

Registration will close at 5 PM ET on November 18, 2026

Session Description:

It is a natural human desire to want to make a difference, be remembered and create a legacy of some kind. Yet many people may struggle to know how to accomplish this goal. For those experiencing a life-altering cancer diagnosis, it is also common to engage in life-review –- to look back on one’s personal life story, while also looking forward with the hope of leaving a lasting impact through the passing on of values, lessons learned, meaningful memories and enduring expressions of love.

This is where legacy work can be so valuable. The word “legacy” can be briefly defined as what is handed down from the past, often from one generation to the next. It can be expressed in a variety of ways through an intentional transferring of one’s personal possessions, values, customs, stories, possessions, and memories that may continue to have a enduring impact on others. Legacy work has also been shown to help patients cope with emotional distress and in supporting quality of life. Clinicians themselves may also engage in a parallel process of legacy work regarding their own professional lives, meaning making as they experience and reflect on their impact over the span of their careers.

Oncology social workers can play a vital role in facilitating this process of life review, meaning making and an ongoing process of honoring life through legacy work. This may include interventions to support patients identifying ways to reflect on their lives, preserve memories, strengthen meaningful connections with loved ones, and options to preserve and pass on what has truly mattered to them.

Legacy work offers a rich and varied collection of potential interventions to support patients. In this experiential webinar, participants will learn practical intervention tools for facilitating legacy work with patients as well as an opportunity to reflect on legacy in their own lives.

Speakers:

Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW Dempsey Center

Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, has devoted her career to oncology care since 1995, with experience in both clinical and senior leadership roles. She currently serves as an Oncology Counselor at the Dempsey Center, a freestanding cancer support center which she co-created in 2007; maintains a private psychotherapy practice; and is co-founder of the Cancer Counseling Collective. She has published and presented widely on psychosocial oncology, including co-authoring the book, Navigating Serious Illness: A Pathway for Exploring Life, Love, & Legacy. An AOSW Fellow, Kerry has been recognized nationally for her dedication to improving quality of life in cancer care.

Debbie Mattison, LMSW, OSW-CE, FAOSW

Debbie Mattison, LMSW, OSW-CE, FAOSW has extensive clinical experience in oncology social work, palliative care, integrated healthcare and academic teaching. She is a group facilitator at the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor and is active in AOSW serving as co-chair of AOSW Spiritualty SIG, an abstract mentor and a past member of the Board of Oncology Social Work Certification. Debbie has published multiple articles and book chapters and presents nationally on topics including resilience, loss and grief, integration of spirituality in practice and career transitions. She is co-author of the book, Navigating Serious Illness: A Pathway for Exploring Life, Love & Legacy.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Articulate the clinical relevance and value of legacy interventions with oncology patients
2. Practice and apply a clinically-focused legacy intervention to a clinical patient scenario
3. Identify one application of a legacy intervention that can be incorporated into work with oncology patients in diverse care settings.
4. Practice and apply a clinician-focused legacy intervention

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

Please note: Registration will close at 5 PM ET on November 18, 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.