The Intersection of Domestic Violence and the Grieving Process of Children

The Intersection of Domestic Violence and the Grieving Process of Children

Children who experience domestic violence are impacted at every level of their wellness. They can lose a caregiver or sibling(s) through separation, housing stability, and even the feeling of safety, security, and belonging, all contributing to a child’s grief. This grief may be initially overlooked or dismissed as adults focus on establishing safety and meeting the basic needs of all involved. This webinar will teach professionals how domestic violence and grief are intertwined. The webinar will highlight how domestic violence impacts the grieving process, particularly through secondary trauma and disenfranchised grief.


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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 →


Target Audience: Counselors, Social workers, Bereavement support professionals
Instructional Level: Basic
Format: Live Interactive Webinar

 

Objectives:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe how secondary trauma from domestic violence impacts a child’s grieving process.
  2. Discuss the intersection of disenfranchised grief with children who have experienced domestic violence.
  3. Implement 2-3 therapeutic interventions to assist children who have lost a parent/caregiver to domestic violence.

 

Speaker Bios:

Sheree Burnett, MA, LPC-S is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor. She has over 10 years of experience working with various populations in community mental health, private practice, hospital, and university settings. She has particular training in working with trauma individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence. She has conducted didactic training, participated in panel conferences, assisted with developing a curriculum about domestic violence for the educational system, and co-developed department initiatives to bring awareness about domestic violence and ways to celebrate survivors of domestic abuse. In addition, Sheree has worked with and participated in training to assist children and their families about grief. She also obtained certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which further allows her to assist survivors and grieving individuals with their healing journey in therapy.

Centering Intersectionality Within the Field of Childhood Bereavement

It is commonly believed that grief is different for everyone and that we should not compare one child’s grief to another’s. Why can grief differ so much from one child to another, even within the same family system? When a child experiences a death loss, adults in their system may attribute a child’s thoughts and behaviors to being a “grief response” and center the child’s grief as their primary motivating factor. This unintentional oversimplification of what the child may be experiencing can make grief the only lens by which adults see children who are grieving. It can potentially harm a child’s health and well-being if supportive adults only see a child as a “single story.” This presentation will use the concept of intersectionality introduced by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw to help adults who support children see them as the complex, socially constructed people they are.

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 →

Write Your Heart Out: Self Expression to cope with grief, loss, trauma, & stress

The W.H.O. recently reported COVID-19 pandemic has caused a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide and called for all countries to step up mental health services and support. Additionally, the coronavirus and the public health measures designed to prevent its spread have been shown to have had a profound negative effect on many young people. Writing and poetry are powerful tools to help process and cope not only with COVID-19 effects, but also for helping those dealing with grief, loss, trauma, and stress management in general. Yet, children, teens, and the adults in their lives often avoid writing because they think they aren’t a “good writer”. Attend this workshop to help them learn tools to overcome that negative self-talk barrier. Apply the research about free-form writing to help children and teens have a positive impact on healing and the immune system. In this interactive lecture/discussion, experiential, and personal reflection workshop, we will explore and experience poetry and written activities. Caring professionals can use the activities to help families process their grief and trauma, improve coping, and prevent stress & burnout.

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 →

Using Fictional Characters to Help Children and Adolescents Who Are Grieving Live Interactive Webinar

Reading about fictional characters’ grief and loss experiences can help children and adolescents deal with their own grief and loss. Many stories written for children and adolescents, like the Harry Potter books, are filled with loss and death. But literature, like magic, can open new worlds for people, and show many possible ways to survive losses and challenges and even flourish beyond them. Using reading and storytelling to help to improve a person’s mental health is often referred to as bibliotherapy. This session will present activities based on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to help children and adolescents deal with grief and loss, as well as activities based on other books to help children who are grieving (including Everett Anderson’s Long Goodbye, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, and The Hunger Games). The session’s goal is to give participants many practical individual and group activities, including discussion questions, worksheets, and crafts, that can help children who are grieving.

This webinar playback is available for active NACG members only.
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 →

 

When Hearts are Stretched: Fostering Compassion Resilience Amidst a Pandemic

For many care providers, filling your own metaphorical cup is easier said than done. The spark that draws us to our work can begin to dim when faced with daily pressures and the mounting stress among our teams. Workplace dynamics, time pressures, personal stressors, and repeated immersion in tough stories can take a toll. Then – we find ourselves a second year into a global pandemic. What anchors us during these times? What tools keep difficult conversations constructive and help us to productively manage the expressed anger and stress of others? How can we continually regenerate ourselves, interact in ever-more effective ways, and set up systems for healthy workplaces? Too often, workplace wellness oversimplifies the complexity of systems. Together we’ll explore practical strategies related to individual employees, collegial dynamics, and larger work structures – with the goal of enhancing well-being and tools to address trauma and chronic stress. May you leave feeling inspired and empowered with tools to help you, your colleagues, and your employees keep on keeping on.

This webinar playback is available for active NACG members only. 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 →

Manage “A Win-Win: Utilizing Interns to Support Your Agency While Training Future Grief Professionals”

The students of today will soon become your employees and colleagues of tomorrow. Interns can provide a critical resource for agencies to enhance current efforts, grow, and develop new strategies; they also provide a way for your agency to develop competent professionals and “pay it forward”. Join us for this collaborative session to explore ways to capitalize on the energy, creativity, and passion of student interns. Explore ways to deepen academic partnerships, recruit students, and develop robust training and supervision strategies to ensure a win-win for agencies and students alike. Whether you are just getting started or have been supervising students for years, everyone is welcome to join this conversation. Brought to you by two interns-turned-employees, now working as agency and university professionals, and one of their former practicum students!

This webinar playback is available for active NACG members only.
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 →