Canadian Serious Illness Conversations (CSIC)

This course equips health care professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to have compassionate and effective conversations with patients, families, and caregivers dealing with serious illness. By focusing on person-centered values, goals, and wishes, these conversations help inform care decisions that align with what matters most to the individual, well in advance of when any health-care decisions need to be made. The course, developed by Pallium Canada, empowers health care professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide©, developed by Ariadne Labs.

What you will learn

Participants will build their skills and confidence in:

  • Understanding what serious illnesses are and what serious illness conversations involve
  • Knowing when, why and how to use the Serious Illness Conversation Guide© in their practice setting
  • Recalling the guide and recognizing how the conversation should flow compassionately and effectively
  • Using patient-tested language to initiate and navigate serious illness conversations
  • Knowing where to find extra support and using a common framework for serious illness discussions to enhance interprofessional collaboration

Who is it for?

This program is ideal for any health care professionals, such as physicians, nurses and social workers, who want to use the Serious Illness Conversation Guide© to develop their skills to engage in meaningful and compassionate conversations.

Accreditation

This one-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 3.0 Mainpro+® credits.

Course Format

To receive a Certificate of Completion, participants:

  • Complete pre-course activities and online self-learning modules (approximately 1.5-2hours)
  • Following the online modules, attend an interactive facilitated workshop, led by a certified SIC facilitator. This workshop provides the opportunity to practice and refine communication skills through small group role-playing exercises.
  • Complete post-course evaluations

Cost

Free

While this opportunity is offered at no cost, spaces are very limited to support a small facilitator-to-learner ratio and meaningful participation. If your plans change, please let us know so we can make your spot available to someone else.

Upcoming Sessions for Halton/Peel Region Providers

Option 1

Date: Friday, November 13
Time: 12 p.m. -2 p.m.
Location: Acclaim Health – Head Office, 2370 Speers Road, Oakville
Registration deadline: Thursday, November 4, 2026

Option 2

Date: Thursday, December 3
Time: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Virtual Session
Registration deadline: Wednesday, November 25, 2026

If you work in the Halton/Peel region and you are interested in taking this course, please contact our Admin Assistant at 905-827-8111 or [email protected] and provide your name, organization and option you are interested in.