Introduction to Grief Support Series | Why Evaluation Matters

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Why Evaluation Matters

In this webinar, we will discuss why program evaluation should be considered an essential practice for all childhood bereavement support agencies. If you are new to the field, you will learn about program evaluation in general and more specific applications for the bereavement field. We will also provide examples of how you may be included in the evaluation process, regardless of your role, and describe resources that can support evaluation work.

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:

  • Understand the purpose of program evaluation.
  • Understand your role in program evaluation.
  • Understand how to continue to grow evaluation.

 

Speaker Bios:

Maria Bartini, PhD, is the Evaluation Manager at Judi’s House/JAG Institute. With a doctoral degree in Life-Span Developmental Psychology from the University of Georgia, she has over 20 years’ experience teaching research methods, statistics, and child development at the college level. In her academic career, she also conducted evaluation research in schools, colleges, and youth sports organizations with the overarching goal of improving the lives of children and adolescents. In addition to heading the organization’s Childhood Bereavement Changemaker Initiative, Maria contributes to the evaluation and research activities at Judi’s House. Her work focuses on building evaluation/data utilization capacity in the field of childhood bereavement and evaluating the impact of Judi’s House services. She can be reached at mariab@judishouse.org.

Madeline (Maddy) Verheyden, MS, works as a Research Associate at Judi’s House/JAG Institute. In her role she helps lead the Childhood Bereavement Changemaker expansion, collaborating with organizations across the country to support implementation of data-informed strategies in decision-making, program implementation, and evaluation. Maddy holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology with concentrations in Evaluation Research and Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She can be reached at maddyv@judishouse.org.

Introduction to Grief Support Series | NACG Resources

The NACG has created a diverse set of resources through its dedicated workgroups, designed to provide information and strategies for those supporting grieving children in various roles. These free resources are easily accessible on the NACG website, where they can be shared directly, downloaded, emailed, or printed. In this webinar, we’ll dive into the NACG Resource Hub to explore the tools available and how they can enhance your work with families and communities. NACG staff and members will offer insights into the development process, practical applications, and the wide range of topics covered. Join us to discover how these resources can support your outreach and care efforts.

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: Intermediate – This best describes a topic or issue that the audience likely has a theoretical foundation for understanding and/or a working knowledge.
Format: Live Interactive Webinar

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Navigate various NACG resources on the website.
  • Utilize tools from the NACG Resource Hub in my work.
  • Understand the process of how resources are developed by the NACG.

 

Speaker Bios:

Megan Lopez, MSW, LMSW, joined NACG in 2014 and serves as the National Program Director. Megan has served as a Social Worker and Program Leader throughout her nonprofit career and has provided support to children, teenagers, and families in a variety of settings. Megan is an experienced presenter and trainer using an interactive style in her teaching and facilitating on a variety of topics related to program management, childhood bereavement support, grief in the school setting, and group facilitation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Texas Tech University and a Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington. Megan resides in San Antonio, Texas with her husband and two children.

Josephine Wheeler Ahart, MA, LPC, joined the NACG team in 2022 as the Marketing and Development Manager. Josephine has vast experience in marketing and communication from various industries, along with experience in counseling and grief work. She graduated with a bachelor’s in Applied Communication and a minor in Event Planning from Kent State University. She then received her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Akron and is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor. Josephine thrives on finding innovative ways to seamlessly bridge and integrate her marketing expertise with the insights gained from her counseling and grief experience. She is involved with Leadership Portage County as a member of their Board of Directors and Cornerstone of Hope Bereavement Center, including as a member of their Crisis Response Team. Josephine resides in Northeast Ohio with her husband and enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying active, getting creative, and cheering on Cleveland and Ohio sports teams.

 

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Information:

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.

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Basics of Leading a Grief Group

This webinar will provide the basic tools to facilitate a grief group for children, teens, and adults. After attending this webinar, participants will be able to feel comfortable facilitating or co-facilitating a grief group. They will be given tools and ways to adapt to a quick-moving group atmosphere.

 

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:

  • Provide leadership skills in leading a group of grieving children, teens, and/or adults
  • Practice and apply the skills of communication, awareness, and reflection
  • Apply self-care techniques better provide support for themselves to help others
  • Flexibility to adapt to a high-paced group environment

 

Speaker Bios:

Gabby Gauthier, MA, LPC, a licensed professional counselor and program director at the Children’s Grief Center, has been providing grief support for children, teens, and their families for 8 years. She facilitates groups for all ages to help families navigate their grief journey.

Gabby has a passion for encouraging the expression of grief, and teaching others how to feel comfort in the discomfort. She has provided training to volunteers at the grief center, as well as presenting at the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Conference.

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief-Tech: The Intersection of Grief and Technology

In today’s digital age, technology is reshaping how we experience and process grief. This webinar introduces new professionals to the evolving landscape of grief-tech, exploring its history, current applications, and future potential. We’ll examine how digital platforms and tools are being used to process and support grief expression and discuss the ethical considerations of using technology in grief support. The webinar will also explore practical ways to incorporate grief-tech into professional practice. We’ll conclude by considering the future of grief-tech, including developments in AI and machine learning for personalized grief support.

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:

  • Understand the evolution of grief-tech and its current applications
  • Identify ethical considerations and best practices for implementing technology-based interventions
  • Explore at least three ways to incorporate grief-tech tools or platforms into your professional practice to enhance bereavement support

 

Speaker Bio:

Melissa Lunardini, PhD, MA, MBA, FT, is the Chief Clinical Officer for Help Texts and CEO of Radical Grief. Melissa has 20 years of experience in program design and development in grief, loss, and trauma for healthcare, academia, for-profit, and non-profit industries. She is an international speaker and trainer. Melissa strives to remain current with trends and research in the industry as a published researcher and peer reviewer.

 

Unique Challenges of Supporting Bereaved Children in Rural America

November 14, 2024 | A free education event honoring Children’s Grief Awareness Month

Rural America is facing a growing mental health crisis—strained resources, rising suicide rates, and an over-reliance on medication. Compounding this is the staggering number of children who are grieving: 1 in 12 will experience the death of a parent or sibling before they reach the age of 18. Grief support professionals and bereavement centers in rural areas are working hard to keep up with the need but face unique challenges. We need to find new ways of supporting these communities that are informed of the challenges specific to rural populations. In this session, we’ll examine the intersection of rural mental health and children’s grief, shedding light on the specific barriers these communities face. Join us as we explore innovative strategies to improve support and take a closer look at the impact in your own region.

Presenter:

Dr. Kris Fulkerson is the founder of Coping 4 Kids, started in 2007, and co-founder of the non-profit Coping 4 Life in 2016 – after spending 13 years with a grief center. She has extensive training in grief/trauma, youth mental health needs, suicide prevention, and rural mental health. Kris has presented both nationally and locally, in person and online, including a national webinar on parenting teens during the pandemic through the NACG and most recently to Barry University in Miami on the rural mental health crisis afflicting the United States. Kris volunteers with both Experience Camps and TAPS providing clinical care to grieving children and adolescents around the country. She was honored with a 2011 NASW Social Worker of the Year award, a 2016 YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and the 2021 Horace Mann Reaching Out and Building Bridges Award by the Illinois Principals Association for her innovative mobile social work programs in rural schools. On a personal level, Kris is a widow raising her nine children with her amazing now husband, Jason, in Southern Illinois. Beyond her calling to help people, Kris kayaks, travels, raises her small army, and is the main blogger on Coping’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Attachment Theory and the Enduring Impact on Grief

Attachment Theory offers profound insights into how individuals form and maintain emotional bonds, regulate their emotions, and adapt to change throughout their lives. From birth, our attachment style is formed within the context of relationships and influences our sense of self, identity, and values. When experiencing grief and loss, our attachment style directly impacts how we grieve and relate to others. Throughout this presentation we will discuss attachment styles across the lifespan, how those styles can impact grief reactions, attachment theory’s role in healing, and strategies and interventions to navigate grief within the framework of attachment theory.

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:

  • Describe the four attachment styles and discern the potential difference in grief responses.
  • Identify how attachment styles can be utilized to promote healing.
  • Gain skills in applying attachment theory in therapeutic settings.

 

Speaker Bio:

Jordan Park, LMFT, received her Master’s Degree at Oklahoma State University in Human Development and Family Science with an option in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2017. She has served in various roles throughout her 5 years of employment at Calm Waters, and is currently a full-time therapist, seeing individuals, families, and couples who have experienced a death and/or divorce. She is very passionate about healthy relationships and encourages individuals to know they are worthy of love and of being seen, heard, and valued.

Heather Gaglio, LMFT, received her Master’s degree at Oklahoma State University in Human Development and Family Science with an option in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2012. She is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (LMFT) and an Approved Supervisor through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Heather has over 10 years of clinical experience and has worked in non-profit and private practice settings. Heather has been involved in supporting research in the field of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs as well. As the current Clinical Director at Calm Waters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Heather oversees a team of therapists and clinical interns who provide over 250 hours of grief counseling to nearly 150 clients each month. She is passionate about increasing access of grief support and educating the community about healthy and helpful ways to support children and families through grief and loss so that no one has to grieve alone.

 

Terrific or Terrifying? How to Engage Tweens in a Peer Support Grief Group

Are you afraid of tweens? There seems to be a universal belief that they are a bit of an anomaly. They lie in this no man’s land between child and teen. Their peers are the mirror they hold up to themselves and so is society and social media. The adolescent is trying to discover who they are as an individual while fiercely craving to fit in with their cohorts. Grief is a deeply personal and complex emotional process that can profoundly impact adolescents’ lives, relationships, and academic performance. When you combine the awkwardness of being a tween and grief, you’ve got a recipe for a complicated population of grievers. By gaining a better understanding of the unique challenges faced by grieving middle schoolers, we can offer the support and resources to help them navigate through this difficult journey. This presentation identifies the developmental and social factors that come into play for adolescents and how those may impact peer support group dynamics. Participants have the opportunity to integrate this knowledge into action by practicing activities that can foster engagement and connection among tweens in peer support groups.

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:

  • Identify developmental factors that influence a middle school-aged child’s grieving process.
  • Restate the relation of development to social factors and how they impact the peer support dynamic.
  • Demonstrate activities that can be adapted to a peer support grief group for middle school-aged children.

 

Speaker Bios:

Mimi Dambro, MSW, LSW, has been the Assistant Director of Programs at Peter’s Place: A Center for Grieving Children & Families for the past 3 years. Through her experience, she has run onsite and school-based peer support groups for children ages four through high school as well as groups for adult caregivers. In addition to her facilitation experience, Mimi has created numerous curriculums, grief modules, and activity book bags for middle school and high school aged youth. Prior to her time at Peter’s Place, Mimi worked with children and families at the University of Pennsylvania’s Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic working with youth in foster care. She has spent time as well working for Child Guidance Resource Centers in their school-based program working with children grades kindergarten through 8th grade. Mimi is a licensed social worker who earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bloomsburg University and her master’s degree in Social work from the University of Pennsylvania. Mimi’s passion for supporting youth and families is what connects her to working in the realm of childhood bereavement.

Pat Wong Connolly, LCSW, CT, is an Onsite Group Facilitator at Peter’s Place: A Center for Grieving Children & Families, located in Radnor, PA and serving the Greater Philadelphia area. Her work focuses on developing and facilitating peer support groups for children and caregivers as well as designing and implementing volunteer training. She has over 10 years of experience working with various populations in bereavement, private practice and higher education settings. Pat earned her master’s degree in college counseling and student development from the University of Delaware and her master’s in social services from Bryn Mawr College. She is a licensed clinical social worker and certified thanatologist, who maintains a private practice, supporting individuals through grief and life transitions.

 

New York Life Foundation logo

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

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Professionals working in the field of loss and bereavement are accustomed to supporting families in need after a death has occurred. Yet many families experience grief at the time of diagnosis leading up to the actual death. This reaction, otherwise known as anticipatory grief, is what families are immediately coping with as their world changes drastically.

This workshop will address anticipatory grief; why and how it is a unique type of grief and how it impacts children’s developmental stages. It will also cover therapeutic interventions such as bibliotherapy, creative arts, and play techniques. Emphasis on legacy building and holding space for families and their grief journey will also be presented. The presenters will also leave time for discussion.

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

 

Speaker Bio:

Shani Thornton, MS, CCLS, has been a Certified Child Life Specialist for 17 years. She started her career in a pediatric inpatient rehabilitation setting, transitioned to the community, and launched a private practice in the Sacramento region of Northern California. Shani supports families coping with life’s challenges of illness, trauma, loss, and transitions. Using therapeutic play, creative arts, education, and empathy, she helps children process these challenges and create a coping plan to support their needs. She offers in-home visits, phone/virtual consultations, caregiver workshops, and support to community programs, hospice agencies, and schools. Shani’s expertise has been working with families coping with a terminal diagnosis, end-of-life support, and grief. She recently co-authored a chapter on private practice in The Role of Child Life Specialists in Community Settings. She has been a chair member of the Association of Child Life Professionals and the California Association of Play Therapy and volunteers as a burn camp leader for the Firefighters Burn Institute. Shani is a sought-after presenter for many local, regional, and national conferences and reaches many followers through her insightful blogs and publications.

Corrie Sirota, MSW, holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from McGill University, (Montreal, Canada) as well as a Graduate Certificate in Loss and Bereavement where she continues to teach. As a licensed psychotherapist, Corrie maintains a private practice specializing in Loss and Bereavement, Parenting, Stress management, and Relationship issues. She is the author of “Someone Died…Now What – A personal and professional perspective on coping with grief and loss” and “Loss & Found – A grief activity journal. Corrie is also the Clinical Director of Myra’s Kids Foundation which holds a weekend bereavement camp for children ages 6-17.

Corrie is the co-host of Life Unrehearsed – a weekly radio show on CJAD 800 about the ins and outs of everyday life. She is also a well-known guest speaker, having presented at numerous conferences and workshops, both locally and nationally and continues to develop and facilitate psycho-social prevention and intervention workshops for school professionals, students, camping staff, various community agencies, organizations, and businesses. Corrie delivered a TEDx presentation in Oct 2019 entitled, Creating New Normals after Someone You Loved Died. She is frequently interviewed on many local radio, news, and TV programs on various issues relating to loss and bereavement, how to cope with crisis, child development, and parenting. She is married and has two children and loves to laugh.

 

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Beyond Risk Factors and Warning Signs: An Introduction to Suicide

Suicidology has been a distinct discipline for over half a century, yet suicide is still misunderstood as a symptom of psychiatric illness – treat the illness, suicidality will go away. This has never worked and suicide rates, particularly among Black youth in America, continue to climb (Jackson-Lowman et al., 2023). This is partly because of European-based assumptions that suicide is a singular, individual, autonomous experience without connection to socio-cultural contexts or structural-historical forces (Button & Marsh, 2020). Instead, suicide is a “wicked problem” (Bryan, 2021): highly complex and not easily addressed with solution-focused, linear thinking. Grief after suicide has been underestimated in terms of the reach and impact on the bereaved.

Research has led to the construction of the Continuum Model of the Effects of Suicide Exposure (National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, 2015), illustrating that 115 people are exposed each time a suicide occurs, and 63 of these will have high or very high closeness with the deceased. Those bereaved after suicide are often challenged by the “perceived intentionality” of the death and related “perceived responsibility” for the death (Jordan, 2020). Research shows that lifetime suicide exposure is related to increased suicidal ideation, PTS, and anxiety (Andriessen et al., 2020). This presentation will go beyond risk factors and warning signs that lead to inaccurate presumptions about suicide. We will review theories of and best practices for addressing suicidal behavior, framing suicidality as not just an individual act but something that has social determinants (Millner et al., 2020; Jackson-Lowman et al., 2023). We will address research about and best practices for suicide intervention, postvention, and supporting grievers after suicide. The presentation will offer special consideration of how children and teens are impacted, what they worry about after a suicide death, and ways to support them (Andriessen et al., 2020).

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:

  • Identify and discuss theories of suicide.
  • Identify and discuss research on and best practices for suicide intervention and addressing suicidal behavior.
  • Identify and discuss research on and best practices for postvention and grief support after suicide.

 

Speaker Bios:

Janet McCord, PhD, FT, Professor of Thanatology and Thanatology Program Director at Edgewood College, has been a thanatologist and suicidologist for nearly 30 years. She is a death educator who teaches a broad array of topics in thanatology and suicidology and has educated hundreds of master’s level students around the globe in graduate thanatology programs. She is a member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement (IWG) since 2016 and embraces the IWG’s vision as her own: a world where dying, death, and bereavement are an open part of all cultures. Her research interests include the investigation of global and cultural perspectives of trauma, dying, death, grief, suicide, and loss, and the intersection of thanatology with literature and the arts. She is in the process of conducting research on death and funeral rituals among the Acholi and BaGanda peoples of Uganda, and plans to expand this research to other low-income countries. She currently serves as a Thanatology Section Editor for the Routledge Online Resources: Death, Dying, and Bereavement, and has published peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, book chapters, and contributed to a range of projects as an author or reviewer.

Rebecca S. Morse, PhD, is a behavioral and developmental psychologist and thanatologist. She has taught at several Universities and Colleges on a broad range of topics in psychology, criminology, traumatology, grief after suicide, and thanatology. She is a Past President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling and is the co-chair for the American Psychological Association End of Life Special Interest Group. She is also a collaborator on a project with the Hospice Foundation of America to provide grief education for individuals with Autism, funded by the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation. She is a Thanatology Subject Editor for Taylor & Francis, and has published peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and contributed to numerous textbooks as both an author, and a reviewer.

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Homicide Loss 101

Homicide loss brings up complex emotions, challenges, and experiences that often complicate the grief process for individuals, children, and families. Persons experiencing homicide loss must navigate the legal system, potentially stigmatizing situations, and cultural factors in addition to the factors that come with a grief event. Through this presentation, we will discuss unique challenges, the impacts of the trial process, the impacts of witnessing homicide, and language to discuss homicide loss with children.

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:

  • Identify 3 unique challenges individuals, families, and children experience related to homicide loss.
  • Recognize best practice language to use when discussing homicide loss with children at different developmental levels.
  • Recognize the impacts of the trial process on children and families grieving homicide loss.
  • Identify the impacts of witnessing a homicide.

 

Speaker Bio:

Becca Olsson, MSW, received her Master’s Degree at the University of Oklahoma in Social Work in 2023. She has worked in the social services field since 2019 with experience in mental health services, youth homelessness services, sexual abuse and trauma therapy services, and grief. As the Center-Based Program Coordinator at Calm Waters, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Becca manages the grief and divorce support group programs onsite at Calm Waters. In providing services, she aims to help individuals and families feel less alone in their grief, pain, and loss. She is passionate about social justice and acknowledging and incorporating individuals’ and families’ unique identities and experiences into services.

Kaitlyn Roedl, LPC Candidate, received her Master’s degree at Southern Nazarene University in Counseling Psychology in 2021. She is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPC-C). Kaitlyn is a therapist at Calm Waters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and has over 2 years clinical experience and has worked in clinical and non-profit settings. Kaitlyn has experience working with children, teens, adults, and families. Kaitlyn is passionate about creating a safe environment for children and families so individuals don’t have to feel so alone in their grief. Through creating a safe environment, she hopes to increase access to grief support services and empower her community through education.