NASW, Iowa Chapter - Southeast Branch Event

The Loneliness Epidemic: A Social Work Call to Connection

July 23rd 12-130 PM
1.5 CEUs

Facilitator: Lauren Gil Hayes, LCSW, LISW

Workshop Description:
Loneliness is more than a personal feeling; it’s a public health crisis, a structural issue, and a growing concern across all areas of social work practice. In 2023, the former U.S. Surgeon General named loneliness a national epidemic, citing health risks comparable to smoking and chronic illness. For social workers, this moment is a call to action.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how loneliness shows up in our clients’ lives—and in our own. Drawing from national research and grounded in real-world case examples, we’ll examine how loneliness intersects with identity, inequity, caregiving, and disconnection across the lifespan. Together, we’ll look at micro, mezzo, and macro strategies to address loneliness in practice and policy—while also naming the emotional toll of our work and the need for connection among helping professionals.

Whether you’re working in healthcare, schools, aging services, mental health, or administration, this session will offer both insight and tools for building more connected systems of care.

Presenter: 
Lauren Gil Hayes, LCSW, LISW is a social worker, therapist, and PhD student at the University of Iowa whose research explores loneliness, estrangement, and end-of-life care. She brings over a decade of experience in hospice, caregiver support, community-based health, and, now, in private practice. Lauren enjoys integrating clinical insight with systems-level thinking, working at the intersection of emotional care and structural change. 

Flyer

Registration