Workshop Description
This continuing education webinar explores social isolation and loneliness as critical public health and mental health concerns. Designed for social workers and helping professionals, this course provides practical tools to identify, assess, and address loneliness across diverse populations.
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified isolation across all age groups, highlighting the urgent need for innovative, evidence-informed interventions. Using an empirical framework, participants will examine risk factors, recognize key indicators of loneliness, and learn actionable strategies to promote connection, belonging, and improved health outcomes.
Learning Objectives
After completing this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Differentiate between social isolation and loneliness
- Identify and assess signs of loneliness in clients
- Recognize populations at increased risk
- Apply evidence-based strategies to reduce isolation and promote wellbeing
Continuing Education
3.0 CE credits
Approved for licensed social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists.
Fees
- NASW-NY Member: $45
- Other Chapters: $75
- Non-Member: $90
- Student (Non-CE): Free
Presenter
Christina Marsack-Topolewski, LMSW, PhD
Christina Marsack-Topolewski, LMSW, PhD is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Michigan and an Associate Professor of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University. Her educational backgrounds are in Special Education, Social Work, and Gerontology. She has 20 years of experience supporting individuals with disabilities and their family caregivers.
Dr. Marsack-Topolewski has published over 90 scholarly articles and encyclopedia entries on disability, family caregiving, dementia, and aging. She is an appointed board member of the U.S. National Task Group (NTG) on Intellectual Disability and Dementia Practices. Her research has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR) and ABC News Detroit, and she also has provided expert testimony advocating for legal provisions to protect vulnerable populations-- the first of these was signed into law in Michigan in 2023. In 2024, she received the Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Research Award for Research Excellence and the Arc of Oakland County’s Advocacy Hall of Fame Award.