One in eleven children in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the age of 18” (Judi’s House, 2025). Beyond death loss, over 60% of adolescents and 64% of children have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) such as natural disasters, abuse, or community violence (McLaughlin et al., 2013; CDC, 2024). In today’s media-driven world, children are additionally exposed to traumatic content through constant news and social media coverage, heightening feelings of distress and insecurity.

This interactive session is designed to equip professionals with practical tools and strategies to support children and adolescents navigating a variety of trauma types across developmental stages. Traumas to be addressed include, but are not limited to, natural disasters, manmade violence, race-based trauma, adverse media exposure, refugee trauma, sex trafficking, abuse (physical, sexual, emotional), and terrorism. Participants will explore the unique impacts these experiences have on childhood development and working memory, while learning trauma- and grief-informed preparation, processing, and intervention techniques.

Delivering information repetitively can be both essential and emotionally taxing. This session will address the physiological and emotional toll of these tasks and provide thanatologists with self-care and self-regulation strategies, such as grounding and mindful breathing, to maintain presence and resilience.

This webinar session will allow participants to explore trauma-specific bibliotherapy resources, multisensory play-based interventions, and creative therapeutic activities tailored to developmental needs, reinforcing evidence-based strategies while offering opportunities for reflection.

Attendees will leave with at least three reputable resources—including professional toolkits, online libraries, and caregiver-friendly platforms—to extend support beyond the clinical setting. Collectively, this session empowers thanatologists with confidence, communication skills, and holistic strategies to effectively guide children and families through life’s most challenging circumstances.

Target Audience: Counselors, Social workers, Bereavement support professionals, school professionals
Instructional Level: Basic – This best describes a topic or issue that the prospective audience is encountering for the first time in a meaningful way
Format: Live Interactive Webinar

Cost: Free for NACG Members; $60 for Guests without CEs, $75 for Guests with CEs

Not currently a member? Become a NACG member today! Your membership will provide access to free monthly webinars with CEs on current topics to support you in your work, discounts on educational events, access to all webinar playbacks, and more. To learn more and become a member to access this webinar for no additional cost, visit HERE →

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify three strategies for age-appropriate communication with children about difficult topics, including preparation and processing based on the situation and potential trauma.
• Participants will be able to identify how stress impacts clinicians, caregivers, and thanatologists, while identifying two self-regulation techniques to overcome these barriers and remain emotionally present during challenging conversations.
• Engage in hands-on, multi-sensory play experiences that highlight developmental considerations and coping skill strategies, allowing child life specialists to rotate through interactive stations that reinforce the key talking points of the presentation.
• Identify at least three reputable resources (e.g., toolkits, online libraries, or apps) that can be shared with families and professionals to facilitate ongoing support.

Speaker Bio:

Stephanie Heitkemper, PhD, LPC, RPT-S, FT, is the owner of Resilient Minds Counseling in Denver, Colorado, where she specializes in grief and trauma across the lifespan. An EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, she integrates EMDR, play therapy, creative expression, and bibliotherapy to support children, families, and professionals navigating loss, trauma, and life transitions.

Her clinical and training work emphasizes age-appropriate communication with children about difficult topics, offering practical strategies for preparation, processing, and developmental support. She also guides clinicians, caregivers, and child life specialists in recognizing the effects of stress on their ability to remain present, equipping them with self-regulation techniques that strengthen their capacity to respond with empathy and confidence during challenging conversations.

As a national presenter and published author, Stephanie is known for her interactive and experiential teaching style. She designs multi-sensory play experiences that highlight coping skills, developmental considerations, and strategies that can be readily applied in professional practice. Her contributions to national grief publications underscore her commitment to evidence-informed resources, while her trainings consistently feature accessible tools—such as apps, libraries, and toolkits—that extend learning beyond the workshop.

Through her work, Stephanie bridges theory and practice to create trauma-informed, developmentally responsive spaces that support both grieving children and the professionals who care for them.

Jessica Correnti, MS, CCLS, is a Certified Child Life Specialist, author, bereaved mother, and grief specialist. She is the founder of Kids Grief Support, a private practice that provides therapeutic sessions and grief education to children and families in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as virtual services to families worldwide. Her work centers on developmentally appropriate communication strategies that prepare children for difficult conversations, support healthy processing of grief, and integrate trauma-informed care.

With nearly twenty years of professional experience, Jessica spent 14 years as a Child Life Specialist in pediatric hospital settings at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, and GBMC. She supported children and families in intensive care, emergency, surgical, and inpatient units, bringing a depth of knowledge in navigating complex medical and emotional experiences. She now applies this expertise in her private practice, offering individual therapy, grief groups, and collaborations with funeral homes and child loss organizations.

Jessica combines clinical expertise with expressive, multi-sensory interventions to help children build resilience and coping skills. She also equips professionals with practical self-regulation strategies and shares accessible resources—including toolkits, libraries, and grief-specific apps—that extend care beyond the therapy room.

As the author of four children’s grief books, including The ABCs of Grief and the forthcoming The ABCs of Grief: Coping (2026), Jessica is committed to creating compassionate, developmentally informed tools that foster connection and healing for grieving children and families.

Supported by the philanthropic investment
of the New York Life Foundation.

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Information:

Each professional is responsible for the individual requirements as stipulated by their licensing agency. Please contact your individual licensing board/regulatory agency to review continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Please note: You must attend “live” (in real-time) to earn CEs. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the CE process, please contact Megan Lopez at megan.lopez@childrengrieve.org or at (432) 288-4688.

The National Alliance for Children’s Grief has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7221. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The National Alliance for Children’s Grief is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Counselors completing this course will receive 1.5 contact hours.

The National Alliance for Children’s Grief is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0689. Social Workers completing this course will receive 1.5 contact hours.

The National Alliance for Children’s Grief is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0238. Counselors completing this course will receive 1.5 contact hours.

National Alliance for Children’s Grief, #1819, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers.  State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. National Alliance for Children’s Grief maintains responsibility for this course.  ACE provider approval period: 07/20/2023 – 07/20/2026. Counselors completing this course will receive 1.5 continuing education credits.

Refund/cancellation policy: If you need to cancel your registration, please contact Megan Lopez at megan.lopez@childrengrieve.org or at (432) 288-4688. Please note that no refunds will be given.

To request accessibility accommodations: The National Alliance for Children’s Grief is committed to providing universal access to all our events. Please contact Megan Lopez at megan.lopez@childrengrieve.org or at (432) 288-4688 to request disability accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.

Attendance policy: To earn CEs for this event, you must attend the entirety of the event as demonstrated by your autogenerated login and logout time on the Zoom Webinar report and complete an online event evaluation within seven (7) days of the event. Please make sure you are signed into Zoom using the name that matches your professional license and not the name of your place of employment, as there is no way to verify your attendance after the fact if your name does not appear on the Zoom Webinar report. CE certificates will be sent out within 30 days of the educational event. The link for your certificate will come from “certificates@simplecert.net” as the National Alliance for Children’s Grief. Please be sure to add this email to your “safe sender list”. The NACG is unable to process certificates after 90 days from the date of the event. 

CE Certificate retrieval request: The NACG maintains continuing education records for at least six years from the date of completion of the educational event which include: the name and curriculum vitae of the presenter, a record of attendance, an outline of the course, date, and location of the course, and the number of hours for completion of the course. If you attended a CE educational event and need a copy of your CE certificate, please complete this form to obtain a copy: https://nacg.wufoo.com/forms/qfsln7r1twqpty/. Please note if the education event was more than 90 days ago, and a required evaluation was not completed, a certificate cannot be provided per the policy.

Grievance policy:  To view the NACG’s Continuing Education Grievance Policy, you can find it HERE. Please complete THIS form to share a grievance with the NACG regarding a continuing education event.