Presented by: Stephanie Heitkemper, PhD, LPC, RPT-S, FT & Meredith Hammond, MA, LPC, RPT-S, ACS

Children and teens grieving a loss benefit from therapeutic spaces that support emotional expression, promote grieving as a form of learning, and foster continued bonds with the person they have lost. This session introduces sensory-based play techniques that use varied spaces—such as open sand trays for expressive exploration and contained memory gardens and ornaments for focused memorialization—to help young clients integrate autobiographical memories, process grief, and experience relational closeness. Attendees will learn how to guide children through activities like the “Wide-Open Sand Space” for expansive emotional exploration and the “Contained Memory Garden” for creating a safe, symbolic space to preserve specific memories. Open spaces allow children to process complex emotions and separation distress in a flexible environment, supporting the learning and adaptation aspects of grief. Smaller, contained spaces—such as memory ornaments or personal gardens—provide a focused, tangible way for children to retain meaningful autobiographical memories, fostering attachment bonds and helping them feel close to their loved ones. This session emphasizes how grieving as a learning process helps children and teens adapt to their new reality, providing the flexibility and structure they need to connect, learn from, and adapt through loss. Attendees will leave with practical, adaptable tools that allow young clients to explore grief, strengthen attachment, and learn resilience while continuing to connect with the world around them.

Presented by: Rebecca Versaci, LCAT, RDT, CCLS

Bereaved children and adolescents have unique grief processes and needs for psychosocial support when compared to adults. The use of creative techniques in therapy offers a familiar, developmentally appropriate, and holistic way to support a child’s grieving process. In particular, the use of stories in children’s therapy allows children to express thoughts and feelings related to grief, practice new ways of being, and make meaning of their experiences. Within the field of drama therapy, therapeutic storymaking is the practice of inviting clients to create original stories in therapy sessions. In this workshop, participants will explore the use of Lahad’s (2012) six-piece storymaking method and its facilitation with grieving children and adolescents. The facilitator will demonstrate how she guides children and adolescents when creating stories in therapy sessions and supports them in embodying these stories in dramatic role play. Through didactic learning and discussion, participants will gain grounding in the theoretical foundations of therapeutic storymaking and children’s grief. Through experiential learning and case examples, participants will develop skills in facilitating six-piece storymaking and role play with grieving children and adolescents to work toward the following aims: (1) expressing emotion, (2) practicing coping strategies, (3) developing insight into thoughts, feelings and emotions, and (4) strengthening relationships. Upon the workshop’s completion, participants will be able to confidently facilitate storymaking sessions with grieving children and adolescents with whom they work.

Presented by: Jennifer Wiles, MA, LMHC, BC-DMT, FT & Katie McGrail, LMHC, BC-DMT

Throughout history and across cultures, dance and movement have been used to express emotions and build community. On an individual, embodied level and through collective community experiences, moving through grief has always been a part of the human bereavement journey. In this session, we will share dance and movement based activities that are the core of our bereavement program for young people and their families. We will explore the key elements of the field of dance movement therapy and how they can be applied to attendees’ own programs. We will demonstrate and discuss how these activities can be adapted to meet the needs of people of all abilities who are grieving. Please join us as we share the potential and power of moving through grief together.