Sexuality in Serious Illness Care

The provision of whole-person care requires us to recognize the multidimensional impact that living with a serious illness has on each aspect of a patient’s quality of life (physically, socially, psychologically, spiritually, and culturally). Conducting a comprehensive biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment lays the groundwork for the sensitive exploration of how serious illness and its treatment influences our patient’s sexuality and sexual expression. This interactive workshop will use the PLISSIT Model as a foundation to address these concerns. Strategies to support the historically, politically, and socially marginalized with these complex and interconnected issues will be explored, with tools and resources provided.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Social workers who take this class will be able to:

• Identify the multidimensional impact that living with a serious illness has on each aspect of a patient’s quality of life (physically, socially, psychologically, spiritually, and culturally).
• Describe how a social worker’s comprehensive biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment lays the groundwork for the sensitive exploration of how serious illness and its treatment influences our patient’s sexuality and sexual expression, and how the PLISSIT Model provides a foundation to address these concerns.
• Discuss strategies and possible structural changes needed to better support the historically, politically, and socially marginalized with these complex and interconnected issues.

Shirley Otis-Green, MSW, MA, ACSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FNAP, FAOSW

Shirley Otis-Green’s career is dedicated to transforming the delivery of care to more equitably address the symptoms and stress of serious illness. Her education, research and consultation efforts focus on quality of life, palliative care, and interprofessional leadership. As Principal Investigator on studies with over $3.5 million in external funding, her work has been disseminated through more than 100 publications and 500 professional presentations. 

Shirley is a National Association of Social Workers Pioneer and has been recognized with Fellowships by the Association of Oncology Social Work, California Health Care Foundation, and the National Academies of Practice. She was among the first to receive an international Master of Arts in Health Research - Palliative Care degree from Lancaster University in Great Britain, and is co-editor of The Oxford Textbook of Palliative Social Work, 2e, now in its Second Edition. Shirley is also the Founder and Consultant for Collaborative Caring.

Class fees are listed below:

• Full Tuition - $75
• GSS Alumni - $62.50
• Current Field Instructor to a Fordham MSW student - $62.50
• Current Adjunct Online Faculty - $62.50
• SWHPN Member - $62.50
• 3+ from one agency registering at same time - $50
• Current Military and Veterans - $50
• Non-Fordham Current MSW or Social Work Doctoral Student - $37.50
• Current Fordham MSW or PhD Student - $25
• Fordham Alumni Palliative Care Fellow - $25
• Field Instructor or Career Mentor to a CURRENT Palliative Care Fellow - $0
• Fordham faculty and staff - $0
• Current Fordham Palliative Care Fellow or Montefiore Fellow - $0

Continuing Education Hours

Completion of this class will result in the receipt of two and one-half (2.5) continuing education hours. CEHs are not awarded for partial completion of the class.

You will receive the Zoom link for joining the class by the day before the class. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE LINK BY THIS TIME, PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER. 

You will need a computer and a reliable WiFi connection. The computer may be a desktop or a laptop. It may be an Apple or Windows computer.

If you have never used Zoom before, you will likely be prompted to download an applet, which is a small program that allows Zoom to communicate with your computer. This is safe and you will need to do this to join the class.

It is NOT advised that you participate using a table (e.g,.an iPad) or a cellular phone. The software is not optimized for these devices.

Please plan to join the online class 15 minutes before the start time to be sure that you don’t have any problems connecting. We cannot provide technical support to you and refunds won’t be offered if you have technical problems. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us at [email protected] at least a few days before the class.