Introduction to Grief Support Series | How to Develop and Implement School-Based Grief Support

Introduction to Grief Support Series | How to Develop and Implement School-Based Grief Support

It is imperative that schools are able to provide grief support to bereaved students to ensure that they are not significantly impacted relationally, academically, or emotionally. When adequate grief support is not provided, it can lead to long-term relationship, academic, and career functioning disruptions. School-based grief support allows schools to support their students and staff in a manner that is conducive to a learning environment. This presentation will cover the multitude of ways that schools can support their students and staff. The development of these programs will be discussed, including the presentation material for childhood bereavement training for school professionals, how to provide direct support after the loss of students or staff, and how to equip school professionals with the tools and knowledge to support their bereaved students.  How to implement a successful ongoing grief support group and one-on-one grief support sessions with students will also be discussed. This presentation will also include a demonstration of the tools and lesson plans used to aid in the discussion of grief with both students and school professionals.

members only iconThis playback is available to active NACG members only. 

Members must be logged into the member portal to access the playback. 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: Students, interns, individuals entering the field of childhood bereavement, new staff members, new counselors, group facilitators, volunteers, anyone who wants to invest in their practice.
Instructional Level: Novice – 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

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Develop a school-based grief support program to support bereaved students. Utilize current models as a guide, such as New Hope Center for Grief Support’s school-based grief support model.
  • Create content and presentation materials to provide childhood bereavement training for school professionals so they feel better equipped to support students.
  • Implement a grief support group within the schools to allow bereaved students to connect with one another to learn more about their emotions and reactions to grief.
  • Construct developmentally appropriate activities and lesson plans to use during support groups and one-on-one sessions with students.
  • Adapt program content and activities based on developmental stages.

 

Speaker Bio:

Jennifer Frush came on board as outreach and event coordinator in the summer of 2018. Her passion and energy helped increase New Hope’s reach and impact, leading to her taking on the position of interim and then full Executive Director in January of 2020. She participates in the National Alliance for Children’s Grief online learning and webinars and other training. Jennifer sits on the following councils: Northville Community Cares, Ascension Community Health Advisory Committee, Community Mental Health Association through St. Mary Mercy Hospital’s Let’s Continue the Conversation Committee. She collaborates with eight Wayne Western School Districts. She is a trained facilitator for The Leader in Me school programs. She developed and led training for The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Families for Marine Elementary School. Additionally, Hegira Health invited Jennifer to speak at their Focus on Zero suicide prevention conference and to moderate their celebrity panel. Like other staff and volunteers, she received Trauma Informed Training and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Crisis Training, attended and participated several 2023 NACG Grief Conferences, recently attending the 2023 NACG Grief Conference and Training. Jennifer conducts Grief Sensitivity Training, Childhood Bereavement Training, Facilitator Training, and more serving as the Executive Director.

Laurel Neitling, BA, joined the team in July 2023 as the Circles of Hope Program Manager. She previously graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in management. She previously volunteered with New Hope as a support group facilitator. She experienced the loss of her father as a young child, and that led to a passion for helping bereaved families get the support they need. Laurel has had the privilege of watching many of our participants grow through their grief journeys, and she is grateful to work alongside such dedicated volunteers and staff members to offer grief support services to the bereaved.

 

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!

 

members only iconThis playback is available to active NACG members only.

Members must be logged into the member portal to access the playback. 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 →

 

Continuing Education (CE) credits are not available for webinar playbacks.
Target Audience: Counselors, Social workers, Bereavement support 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

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Implement strategies to recruit academic partners and student interns.
  • Assess agency’s capacity, strengths, and needs for student interns.
  • Integrate best practices for training and supervising student interns.

 

Speaker Bios:

Jennifer Wiles, MA, LMHC, BC-DMT is the Director of Children’s Services for Beth Israel Lahey Health at Home in Wayland, MA. She is the director of Camp Erin Boston and HEARTplay, a bereavement program for children, teens and young adults of all abilities in the greater Boston area Her current work focuses on Expanding the Language of Grief, which strives to make bereavement support available to those who are marginalized with limited access to services. Jennifer is a board-certified dance movement therapist/licensed mental health counselor and is on the adjunct faculty of Lesley University’s Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences where she also serves as a clinical site supervisor.

Cathy Fox, MSW serves as Assistant Professor and Field Education Director for the Social Work Program at Creighton University. As an alum of the program herself, she enjoys educating and supporting students as they prepare to become future helping professionals. Prior to moving to academia, she served over eight years as the Program Director and Director of Operations at Grief’s Journey, a grief center in Omaha, Nebraska. The majority of her research and practice is in the field of grief and loss, grounded in trauma, child development, and family systems, with a strong background in mental health and suicide. Cathy currently serves on the Program Committee for Mourning Hope, a grief center in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is an active member of the National Alliance for Grieving Children.

Erin Spalding LCSW, Program Director joined The Christi Center in 2007. She earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Texas. She has worked in a variety of social service settings including, support for the HIV/AIDS and LGBT communities, case management, counseling for youth with developmental disorders, and hospice. Her clinical experience has focused on providing services for kids, teens, and minority populations, particularly in the areas of grief and loss. Her job duties include outreach, program management, program enrichment, crisis intervention, community trainings, intern supervision, and group facilitation.

 

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