​Beyond the Documents: Preparing Surrogate Decision Makers and Agents for End-of-Life Decisions

​Estate plans, advance directives, and powers of attorney are essential, but do they provide enough information when someone is facing serious illness, cognitive decline, or the end of life?

​Join Stephanie Rosso, PhD, and Bridget Sumser, LCSW, for a conversation about the gap between legal documents and real-world decision-making.

​Drawing on decades of experience in palliative care, caregiving, and end-of-life planning, Bridget will explore what traditional planning documents often miss and how we can better prepare those who may one day be asked to make difficult decisions on behalf of another person.

​Together, we'll discuss:

​- What fiduciaries, attorneys, and families need beyond legal documents

​- How values, identity, and quality of life influence decision-making

​- The emotional weight of serving as a surrogate, trustee, agent, or fiduciary

​- Ways to reduce uncertainty, conflict, and guilt for those left to make difficult choices

​- Practical tools and conversations that help people be known before a crisis occurs

​This interactive discussion is designed for estate planning attorneys, fiduciaries, care professionals, and others working at the intersection of planning, aging, serious illness, and end-of-life care.

​Participants are encouraged to bring questions and real-world experiences as we explore how planning can better support both the people making decisions and the people living with the consequences of those decisions.

👉 Join us live for an important conversation about values-based planning, surrogate decision-making, and helping others navigate life's most difficult choices with greater clarity and confidence.

​About Bridget Sumser, LCSW

​Bridget Sumser, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, educator, author, and nationally recognized leader in palliative, serious illness, and end-of-life care. She currently serves as Director of Counseling and Programs at Mettle Health, where she helps individuals and families navigate the emotional, relational, and practical challenges that arise between a serious diagnosis and end-of-life care.

​With more than a decade of experience supporting patients, caregivers, and families through complex health journeys, Bridget has become a leading voice in advance care planning, healthcare decision-making, grief, caregiving, and palliative care. Her work focuses on helping people navigate what she describes as healthcare's "missing middle"—the often-overlooked space where individuals and families must make difficult decisions while balancing uncertainty, changing circumstances, and emotional stress.

​In addition to her leadership role at Mettle Health, Bridget maintains a private practice providing therapy and coaching to adults, couples, families, and caregivers. Her work is grounded in a relational and systems-based approach that recognizes the impact of healthcare systems, social structures, and personal values on decision-making and well-being.

​Bridget earned her Master of Social Work from the NYU Silver School of Social Work and completed a post-graduate fellowship in palliative social work at Beth Israel Medical Center. She was named a Zelda Foster Fellow in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, recognized as an Emerging Leader in Palliative Social Work by the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network, and selected as a Sojourn Scholar by the Cambia Health Foundation.

​She is co-editor of the Oxford University Press textbook Palliative Care: A Guide for Health Social Workers and is a frequent speaker, educator, and contributor on topics related to mortality awareness, caregiving, advance care planning, and serious illness. Through her writing, teaching, and community engagement, Bridget continues to help professionals and families approach difficult conversations with greater compassion, clarity, and confidence.