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Wednesday, April 8
8:30 - 11:30am - PreConference Workshop*
Caring for Our Nervous Systems: Trauma, Triggers and Dysregulation
Joyce McHugh, LCSW Advocate Care Services Caring for our nervous systems moves beyond self-care because it can be a daily, if not moment-to-moment, need some days. Working with unpredictable clients and situations can be chaotic and dysregulating. In this session, we will identify and explore what dysregulation is and how to bring ourselves back into calm and regulation. This presentation delves into how trauma and triggers can disrupt our emotional regulation, both as individuals and as a team. Attendees will learn how to recognize signs of dysregulation, understand its root causes, and implement strategies to promote emotional safety. This intensive is designed to help guardians, attorneys, and social workers understand and manage the profound effects of the trauma and stress of our work—and the people we work with—on our nervous system. This intensive will be intense, and we will pack an assessment of our regulation and communication in with interactive discussions, role-play, worksheets, and of course, laughter.
*additional fees apply
1:15 - 1:30pm - Conference Welcome
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1:30 - 3:00pm - General Session
Respecting and Valuing Your Profession and Colleagues: Communication Is Key
Joyce McHugh, LCSW Advocate Care Services This is a practical, engaging session focused on strengthening communication with colleagues, clients, and others in both professional and personal settings. Participants will explore how assumptions, communication styles, and nervous system responses influence conflict, credibility, boundaries, and ethical decision-making. Through discussion and applied examples, attendees will learn strategies to clarify rather than escalate disagreements, communicate respectfully under pressure, and navigate difficult conversations with confidence. While grounded in professional practice and ethical standards, the communication tools presented are universally applicable and can be used with clients, family members, and anyone else in participants' lives. This session equips attendees with clear, actionable skills to foster respect, reduce conflict, and build a culture of effective communication.
3:30 - 5:00pm - Breakout Sessions
Joyce McHugh, LCSW Advocate Care Services Guardians, social workers, and legal professionals often work in environments where emotional intensity, boundary testing, and chronic conflict are part of daily practice. Choosing Your Words Changes the Situation centers on the role of communication, boundaries, and intentional self-care in sustaining ethical and effective professional work. This session explores how unclear boundaries, repeated conflict, and overextension contribute to burnout and compromised decision-making. Participants will learn strategies for setting and maintaining clear boundaries with clients, families, and professionals, while developing self-care practices that support professional integrity and longevity. The focus is on self-care as an ongoing professional responsibility—embedded in daily practice rather than reserved for recovery after crisis.
Choosing Your Words Changes the Situation: Setting Boundaries and Self-Care
Planning Over Petitioning: POAs as the First Line of Defense Against Guardianship
Kathleen Rodberg Certified Elder Law Attorney McGuire Wood & Bissette Law Firm This session will examine the legal framework and practical power of durable financial and health care powers of attorney in North Carolina as tools that often eliminate the need for guardianship. Through discussion of drafting techniques, benefits, and common pitfalls, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to strengthen these documents to maximize their effectiveness and reduce or eliminate court involvement.
5:00 - 6:00pm - Welcome Reception
​Sponsored in part by Vernick Financial
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Thursday, April 9
8:30 - 9:45am - General Session
Ethics, Standards, and Rights: How They Fit Together
Sally Balch Hurme, JD Guardians have guideposts for carrying out their responsibilities in the Ethical Principles, Standards of Practice and Rights of Adults with a Guardian. But it can sometimes be confusing as to how they all fit together. We will discuss how they weave together to map out the route to excellence in guardianship.
10:15 - 11:45am - General Session
Identifying and Implementing Less Restrictive Alternatives
Meredith Smith, JD Associate Professor UNC School of Government This session will define and identify less restrictive alternatives (LRA) to guardianship and empower participants with some critical tools to support implementation of LRAs.
1:30 - 2:45pm - Breakout Sessions
Understanding Substance Use Disorders and Supporting the Human Beyond the Addiction
Early Dementia Indicators and Guardianship Prevention Strategies
Beth Harmer Assistant Department Head/ Graduate Program Director Western Carolina University Addiction is often misunderstood and wrongly perceived as a moral failing, which contributes to stigma and limits support for those affected. This training reframes addiction as a chronic brain disease, exploring the interplay between neurobiology, trauma, and attachment. Participants will gain insight into the stages of change and learn practical strategies to intervene and support individuals on their recovery journey.
Denise Young Program Manager Alzheimer's Association Many guardianship cases involving dementia could be prevented or delayed with earlier detection, planning, and support. This session helps professionals recognize early cognitive and behavioral red flags and introduces tools caregivers can use before court intervention becomes necessary. Participants will gain practical strategies for engaging families early and de-escalating situations that often lead to guardianship petitions.
3:15 - 4:45pm - Breakout Sessions
Psychiatric Advance Directives: When might it serve as an alternative to guardianship?
Beyond the Statistics; Everyone's Story Matters
Marvin Swartz, MD Professor of Psychiatry Duke University Many adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have fluctuating decisional capacity and experience recurring psychiatric crises, sometimes resulting in behaviors that place them at risk for involuntary treatment or arrest. They may also have periods of insight into the nature of their illness and need for treatment, when they are able to plan ahead for future episodes of incapacity. A psychiatric advance directive (PAD) is a legal tool by which a person may consent to future treatment in a crisis by appointing a trusted proxy decision-maker and documenting one’s treatment preferences, such as by giving advanced consent to hospital admission. This session will discuss the nature and origins of PADs and their potential role as an alternative to guardianship..
Lisa Wawrzonek NGA President 2026 You'll need to know their age, their diagnosis, their needs yet what about their story? While guardianships and conservatorships are considered protective appointments, protection is not all we can achieve when we get to know as much about a person as possible. What makes us each unique with regards to our preferences, our story, our lifestyle is truly the core of our humanity. Let's dive into the importance of the social history, the impact connection can have and hear a few stories that will inspire your path forward in this profession.
5:00 - Evening Activities
LaZoom Tour*
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
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90 minutes guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville with a 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing.
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*Only $25! ($50 value)
11:45 - 1:30pm - NCGA Luncheon & Annual Meeting
Join us at this luncheon to hear updates from the NCGA board and a message fromNational Guardianship Association (NGA) 2025 President, Lisa Wawrzonek!
1:30 - 2:45pm - Breakout Sessions
Understanding Substance Use Disorders and Supporting the Human Beyond the Addiction
Early Dementia Indicators and Guardianship Prevention Strategies
Beth Harmer Assistant Department Head/ Graduate Program Director Western Carolina University Addiction is often misunderstood and wrongly perceived as a moral failing, which contributes to stigma and limits support for those affected. This training reframes addiction as a chronic brain disease, exploring the interplay between neurobiology, trauma, and attachment. Participants will gain insight into the stages of change and learn practical strategies to intervene and support individuals on their recovery journey.
Denise Young Program Manager Alzheimer's Association Many guardianship cases involving dementia could be prevented or delayed with earlier detection, planning, and support. This session helps professionals recognize early cognitive and behavioral red flags and introduces tools caregivers can use before court intervention becomes necessary. Participants will gain practical strategies for engaging families early and de-escalating situations that often lead to guardianship petitions.
2:45 - 3:15 - Refreshment break with exhibitors
3:15 - 4:45pm - Breakout Sessions
Psychiatric Advance Directives: When might it serve as an alternative to guardianship?
Beyond the Statistics; Everyone's Story Matters
Marvin Swartz, MD Professor of Psychiatry Duke University Many adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have fluctuating decisional capacity and experience recurring psychiatric crises, sometimes resulting in behaviors that place them at risk for involuntary treatment or arrest. They may also have periods of insight into the nature of their illness and need for treatment, when they are able to plan ahead for future episodes of incapacity. A psychiatric advance directive (PAD) is a legal tool by which a person may consent to future treatment in a crisis by appointing a trusted proxy decision-maker and documenting one’s treatment preferences, such as by giving advanced consent to hospital admission. This session will discuss the nature and origins of PADs and their potential role as an alternative to guardianship..
Lisa Wawrzonek NGA President 2026 You'll need to know their age, their diagnosis, their needs yet what about their story? While guardianships are considered protective appointments, protection is not all we can achieve when we get to know as much about a person as possible. What makes us each unique with regards to our preferences, our story, our lifestyle is truly the core of our humanity. Let's dive into the importance of the social history, the impact connection can have and hear a few stories that will inspire your path forward in this profession.
5:00 - Evening Activities
LaZoom Tour*
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
​
90 minutes guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville with a 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing.
​
*Only $25! ($50 value)
Friday, April 10
8:30 - 10:00am - Breakout Sessions
Pressure Points: Challenges Involving GALs and Potential Changes
Mental Health First Aid for Guardianship Settings
Timothy Heinle School of Government UNC Chapel Hill John Potter Potter Law Firm An attorney who is appointed as a guardian ad litem (GAL) in an incompetency and guardianship proceeding serves in a role unlike any other in our system. This unique role brings with it unique challenges. In this session, attendees will learn more about a few of those challenges, and what they mean for the people at the heart of these proceedings, and for others involved in these cases. Attendees will also hear about potential changes on the horizon to the role of the GAL and will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback about those possibilities.
Noa Beck Outreach & Marketing Director National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Western Carolina Caring for someone under guardianship often involves navigating complex emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. This session equips guardians, attorneys, and court personnel with practical tools to identify and respond to mental health crises effectively. Participants will learn how to respond supportively, and connect individuals with appropriate professional resources. Through realistic scenarios tailored to guardianship contexts, attendees will gain confidence in promoting mental well-being, enhancing decision-making, and supporting those they serve with empathy and skill.
10:30 - 12:30pm - Clerks Panel and Closing Remarks
Moderated by Hon. Mark Kleinschmidt​