Individual Student Bereavement Support Plan
The Individual Student Bereavement Support Plan (ISBSP) is a resource for supporting students returning to school after they have experienced the death of a significant person in their lives. When a student returns to school, they may feel alone and challenged by the task of engaging with their daily routine. Schools are in a unique position to provide support for students with thoughtful plans specific to the individual’s needs. Students grieve developmentally, and their needs are unique and changing throughout the days, months, and years ahead. Students who need and receive grief support have improved outcomes socially, emotionally, and academically. The child must be included in discussions and decision-making regarding their Individual Student Bereavement Support Plan.
The ISBSP is available in both a PDF and Google Doc version and includes the full version and the At-a-Glance version. The full version is appropriate for school administration, counselors, and families. The At-a-Glance version can be developed for teachers with information from the full version to ensure teachers have details on the information they need while maintaining confidentiality for the child. You can access each version below.
PDF Version
If your organization utilizes PDFs, you can utilize the fillable Individual Student Bereavement Support Plan for that platform below. To access, once you open the link, select “File” → “Download,” and it will save to your computer. Once you open in your preferred application for PDFs, you should have the capability to complete and fill in the form.
Google Doc Version
If your organization utilizes Google Docs, you can utilize the Individual Student Bereavement Support Plan for that platform below. When utilizing Google Docs, you must save a copy to your Google Drive. To do so, open the document using the button below, select “File” → “Make a Copy”. Then name the document, select the folder you wish to save to, and select the “make a copy” button. It will then save it to your Google Drive. Delete the instructions section once you open your saved copy.
For additional instructions, click here. Note: You must be logged in to save to your Google Drive.
Have feedback you would like to share? Complete the ISBSP feedback form here →
The Individual Student Bereavement Support Plan has been endorsed by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students. The coalition is a unique collaboration of the leading professional organizations representing classroom teachers, principals, assistant principals, superintendents, school board members, central office staff, student support personnel, and other school professionals who have come together with a shared conviction: grieving students need the support and care of the school community.
The Coalition’s purpose is to create and share a set of industry-endorsed resources to empower school communities across America in the ongoing support of their grieving students, and we are proud to have this resource endorsed by this group.
Contributors
Format of the ISBSP adapted thanks to feedback from a pilot use by Park Nicollet Growing Through Grief.
Thank you to the following NACG members who contributed to this resource: (Listed alphabetically by last name.)
- Sara Asch, The Center for Grieving Children, Portland, ME
- Nicole Barnes, LICSW, Park Nicollet Growing Through Grief, St. Louis Park, MN
- Diane Carlson LMSW, CBC, Hospice & Palliative Care Foundation, Spartanburg, SC
- Liz Carson, Kate’s Club, Atlanta, GA
- Adam Carter, PhD, LCPC, NCC, CCMHC, ACS, TF, Bloomington, IL
- Katie Wilberding Cross, LCSW, Judi’s House, Denver, CO
- Timothy Dearhamer, LCSW, The Tristesse Grief Center, Tulsa, OK
- Allyson England Drake, M.Ed, CT, Full Circle Grief Center, Richmond, VA
- Michelle Gonzalez, MS, Uplift Center for Grieving Children, Philadelphia, PA
- Michelle Halm, MA, M.Ed., CT, Pillars Community Health, La Grange, IL
- Kelsey Hoeper, LPC, NCC, CT, Willow House, Bannockburn, IL
- David C. Joswick, BS, MS Executive Dir. New Hope for Kids, Maitland, FL
- Laura Moore, EdD, CHES, CCLS, The Harbor Lights Foundation, Rye, NY
- Lisa Moreno, M.Ed., M.A., LPC, RDT, CSC, NCC, Children’s Bereavement Center Rio Grande Valley, Harlingen, TX
- Jessi Morgan,LMSW, Communities In Schools of the Permian Basin, Midland, TX
- Camille Gerace Nitschky, Executive Director, Children’s Grief Center GLBR, Midland, MI
- Buffy Peters, Hamilton’s Academy of Grief & Loss, Des Moines, IA
- Jessica Porte, The Elizabeth Hospice, Escondido, CA
- Therese Ross, M.S., Executive Director, Rick’s Place, Wilbraham, MA
- Rachel Saffer, LCSW-S, The Austin Center for Grief and Loss, Austin, TX
- Elizabeth M. Sergent M.Ed, M.A., Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Charlotte, NC
- Colleen Shannon, LICSW, The Children’s Room, Center for Grieving Children and Teens, Arlington, MA
- Shawn T. Sledzianowski, NCC, LPC, CT, Highmark Caring Place, Warrendale, PA
- Mandi Zucker, LSW, CT, Inner Harbor, Westfield, NJ
NACG Staff Team:
- Liz Bowes, CLS, Program Manager, NACG
- Deirdra Flavin, MSc, CFRE, National Marketing & Development Director, NACG
- Vicki Jay, Chief Executive Officer, NACG
- Megan Lopez, MSW, LMSW, National Program Director, NACG
- Josephine Wheeler Ahart, MA, LPC, Marketing & Development Manager, NACG