Thresholds Conference: What Matters Most at End of Life – IN-PERSON

Join us on Tuesday, May 6 for our 14th annual Thresholds Conference: What Matters Most at End of Life. We are excited to welcome two keynote speakers, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and founder of The Conversation Project, Ellen Goodman, and author and CEO of Grateful Living, Joe Primo, to focus on what to expect at the end of life and how to navigate the dying process and grief. We look forward to fostering a supportive environment where attendees can take part in meaningful conversations and gain a roadmap for peace, preparedness, and emotional clarity.

Both keynote speakers will be joining us in person. During our lunch break, Ellen Goodman will be signing hard copies of "The Conversation Project," and Joe Primo will be signing copies of his book, “What Do We Tell the Children?: Talking to Kids About Death and Dying.” Both books will be available to purchase at the in-person event.

This is a hybrid event and can be attended in person at Hannaford Hall in Portland or virtually from your computer. You are currently on the in-person registration page.

About Ellen Goodman:

Ellen Goodman has been hailed as an American original. As a trailblazer and powerful voice for women, she has spent most of her life chronicling social change and its impact on American life. A Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, she was one of the first women to open up the op-ed pages to women’s voices and became, according to Media Watch, the most widely syndicated progressive columnist in the country.

Ellen began her career as a researcher for Newsweek magazine in the days when only men wrote for the newsweekly. After two years, she became a reporter for the Detroit Free Press and then The Boston Globe where she began writing her column. The column was syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. She wrote her twice-weekly column until 2010 appearing in over 400 newspapers.

Ellen also serves on the board of Encore.org, a movement to transform the narrative around aging and encourage elders to use their passions, skills and decades of experience to make a difference in our communities and the world.

A cum laude graduate of Radcliffe College, Goodman returned to Harvard as a Nieman Fellow, where she studied the dynamics of social change, and again as a Shorenstein Fellow.

Ellen has a daughter, stepdaughter, two grandchildren and lives with her husband, Robert Levey in Boston.

About Joe Primo:

Joe Primo is the author of What Do We Tell the Children?: Talking to Kids About Death and Dying. He began his work as a Chaplain at The Connecticut Hospice, where he supported dozens of children and teens as they said goodbye to a loved one. This experience made him passionate about creating supportive and safe places of belonging for grieving families, which led him to design and build programs at Good Grief, where he also served as CEO for ten years. Leading the largest children’s bereavement program on the East Coast, Joe partnered with more than 250 schools to implement Social Emotional Learning and expanded Good Grief to 4 campuses during his tenure.

Joe has served as the President of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, and he is on the advisory board for Option B.

As a prominent advocate for grieving families, Joe designed educational programs and resources for funeral professionals to empower children and teens in end-of-life rituals while he was the National Spokesperson for the Funeral Service Foundation.

In his current role as CEO of Grateful Living, Joe leads a global organization that supports more than 1.5MM people each year in learning how to practice living gratefully to discover meaning in times of uncertainty and ease. Joe has written more than 30 articles on “The Grateful Life,” and taught courses on grief and hope, where he interviewed renowned voices in each. His TED Talk, Grief is Good is just one example of where he believes culture needs to change.

Thresholds Conference

Thresholds is an annual educational conference presented by Hospice of Southern Maine that brings together members of the public, caregivers, healthcare professionals, business leaders, faith leaders, and individuals from all walks of life to engage in meaningful conversations about end-of-life issues.

Continuing Education Credits

Attendees who participate in the full conference will earn 4 contact hours. Certificates of Attendance will be available to pick up at the event and to download. Social Worker CEUs will be available for qualifying attendees. See below for more information.

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and Hospice of Southern Maine (HSM). Amedco LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Ph*rm*cy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Amedco Joint Accreditation #4008163.

Professions in scope for this activity are listed below.

Social Workers

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Amedco is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Amedco maintains responsibility for this course. ASWB Learner Level: Intermediate. Social Workers completing this course receive 3.50 GENERAL continuing education credits.

The following state boards accept courses offering ASWB ACE credit for Social Workers: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OH, OK*, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI, WV*, WY

OK: Accepts ASWB ACE for live, in-person activities but not for ethics and/or online courses.
WV: Accepts ASWB ACE unless activity is held live in West Virginia.
The following state boards accept courses offering ASWB ACE credit for Counselors: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, ME, MO, ND, NE, NM, NH, NV, OK*, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WY

MI: No CE requirement for licensed counselors.

The following state boards accept courses offering ASWB ACE credit for MFTs: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, ID, IN, KS, MD, ME, MO, NC, NE, NH, NM, NV, OK*, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WY

AL MFTs: Credits authorized by NBCC or any other state licensing agency will be accepted.
MA MFTs: Participants can self-submit courses not approved by the MAMFT board for review.

MI: No CE requirement for licensed MFTs.

The following state boards accept ASWB ACE credit for Addictions Professionals: AK, CA, CO, CT, GA, IA, IN, KS, LA, MO, MT, ND, NM, NV, OK, OR, SC, WA, WI, WV, WY

Info: 8:00am: Registration Opens
9:00am: Daryl Cady - Welcome Remarks
9:05am: Ellen Goodman - Keynote and Q&A
10:15am: Stretch and Bathroom Break
10:25am: Breakout Rooms and Q&A
11:45am: Lunch Break and Book Sale
12:45pm: Joe Primo - Keynote and Q&A
1:55pm: Closing Remarks

Host or Publisher Hospice of Southern Maine