Neurodiversity and Childhood Bereavement

Neurodiversity affirms cognitive diversity, opposes the view that there is one “normal” type of cognitive functioning, and reduces stigma for folx who identify as neurodiverse. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of research on the intersection of neurodiversity and childhood grief. Grief support for children has not adequately addressed how neurodiverse children and adolescents may experience and respond to loss. This training seeks to provide definitions and examples of neurodiversity. In addition, this training seeks to equip those who attend with skills and knowledge to integrate neuro-diverse affirming practices into bereavement support for children and adolescents. There has been a lack of research on how neurodiverse children and adolescents encounter and experience loss. In this training, the concept of neurodiversity will be explored in depth. Subsequently, attendees will be provided with information on how neurodiverse children and adolescents may not fit traditional paradigms of grief which have focused solely on emotional processing. Lastly, attendees will be given a wide range of practical tools that will equip them to integrate neuro-diverse affirming practices into their clinical work.

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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

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Define their understanding of neurodiversity.
Restate the unique challenges neurodiverse children and adolescents face.
Describe how neurodiverse individuals experience grief.
Identify neuro-affirming interventions that can be used with grieving children and adolescents.
Formulate ways to integrate neuro-affirming practices for grieving children and adolescents in diverse clinical settings.

Speaker Bio:

Kailey Bradley, MA, LPCC-S, NCC, FT, specializes in working with individuals of all ages, with special interest and care given to children’s bereavement, complicated grief, perinatal loss, and chronic illness. Kailey worked for 4. 5 years at a local Hospice agency and has provided over 50 workshops and trainings on grief throughout her career thus far. Kailey also has conducted over 100 grief support groups and has a passion for research on methods and strategies for offering creative and engaging bereavement support groups for children. Currently, Kailey is an adjunct professor at Ashland Theological seminary where she teaches grief and crisis counseling courses. Kailey is also currently a doctoral student at Ohio University studying counselor education and supervision. She also co-owns Refuge Counseling, LLC a private practice specializing in the intersections of grief, sexuality, chronic illness and spirituality.

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

Introduction to Grief Support Series | The Kaleidoscope of Grief: Loss in Many Forms

This webinar is part of an ongoing series that will provide a foundation of introductory information for anyone working with or providing support to children, teens, and families who may be grieving. This series is not progressive; sessions can be viewed in any order.

Typically, when we think about grief, we associate it with loss due to a death. Yet, we know that many children and teens struggle with complex issues such as housing insecurity, out of home placement, family members experiencing addiction, out-of-home placement, incarceration of a family member, and a host of other challenging circumstances. While not related to a death, each of these challenges is in fact a type of loss. Often these non-death losses and the grief that accompanies them go unrecognized by caring adults. In this workshop we will expand our view of grief to include death loss as well as the more ambiguous non-death losses that sometimes go unnoticed. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of the ways that children experience grief throughout their development, the principles of grief-informed practice, and tools to support children on their grief journey.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

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 a range of experiences as grief and loss.
Describe the ways that grief and loss impact children at home, school, and in the community.
Discuss the principles of grief-informed practice.
Explore three ways that a caring adult can support a child who is grieving.

Speaker Bios:

Alexa Livelsberger, MS, LCSW, is the Outreach and Education Coordinator at Highmark Caring Place, a center for grieving children, adolescents and their families where she works to heighten awareness of children’s grief through consultations, presentations and trainings for professional and community groups. Lexi has a master’s of science in social administration from Case Western Reserve University and is a licensed clinical social worker in Pennsylvania. Lexi has worked with children and families in a variety of settings throughout her career, including community mental health, kinship care, and victim service fields.

Janet Arida, PhD, earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in Social Work from The University of Chicago, and a PhD in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a licensed clinical social worker and earned certification in Thanatology from the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Janet is currently a child grief specialist as well as the Outreach and Education Coordinator at the Highmark Caring Place in Warrendale, PA, where she oversees peer support groups for grieving children and their families. Additionally, in her role as Outreach and Education Coordinator, Janet works to heighten awareness of children’s grief through consultations, presentations, and trainings for professional and community groups. Prior to joining the Caring Place as a staff member, Janet was a clinical instructor and researcher in end-of-life issues in the School of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh. During her career, she has worked with children, adolescents, and families in a variety of clinical and community-based settings in both the Chicago and Pittsburgh areas.

Interpersonal Loss and Bereavement Among Refugees

The world is experiencing the highest volume of displaced people due to reasons ranging from natural disasters to political unrest. In 2019, there were 26 million refugees worldwide (UNHCR, 2021). The United Nations (2021) defines refugees as “persons who are outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and, as a result, require international protection” (para. 1).

Refugees’ experiences are dangerous and often traumatic, such as living in a war zone, witnessing violence, torture, murder or disappearance of family members or friends, and confinement, as well as traveling treacherous journeys in horrible conditions, often without food or water, and sometimes having to separate from family members. Therefore, refugees may be at risk of experiencing a complicated form of bereavement. Scholars have urged the importance of humanizing refugees and creating welcoming communities among nations that welcome refugees. The presenter will introduce the unique aspects of refugee loss and bereavement. The presenter will discuss strategies and interventions for providing services to youth from refugee backgrounds. The presenter will also share practical considerations for community collaboration and advocacy to support refugee youth. Attendees will gain knowledge on how to provide culturally responsive services for refugee youth and their families.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

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.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Identify and describe the unique aspects of refugee loss and bereavement.
Identify and describe special considerations in working with refugee youth.
Discuss specific strategies and interventions for providing services to youth from refugee backgrounds.
Discuss community collaboration and advocacy efforts for supporting youth from refugee backgrounds.

Speaker Bio:

Dana T. Isawi, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of counseling at Northern Illinois University. She joined NIU in the fall of 2017. Isawi has experience in teaching a variety of graduate courses in mental health counseling, school counseling and play therapy as well as providing supervision for graduate students. Isawi has clinical experience in the school and community settings both locally and internationally. Her professional experience also includes counseling intervention development, implementation and evaluation.

Isawi’s research and presentations focus on multicultural issues in counseling, especially on the traumatic experiences of refugees and counselors working with trauma survivors. Her presentations also focus on cultural considerations in play therapy and in working with families from diverse backgrounds.

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

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief Counseling Models and Interventions

Therapists are on the frontlines when people face the most challenging and devastating times in their life. Unfortunately, when it comes to grief and loss, most have been let down by their training programs in terms of how to help their clients at these most vulnerable times. This session will address when grief therapy is beneficial, review important principles and procedures of grief therapy, and provide a framework for delivering effective grief therapy. Participants will learn a variety of treatment techniques and interventions to use with clients across the lifespan and with differing types of grief.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Identify Worden’s 4 Tasks of Mourning and apply the model to their clinical work.
Implement a variety of grief-focused treatment interventions.
Discern and conceptualize the treatment needs of their grieving clients.

Speaker Bio:

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.

Jordan Park, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) attended Oklahoma State University for her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Human Development and Family Sciences. She has a professional membership with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Jordan has worked at Calm Waters Center for Children and Families for 4.5 years serving in a variety of programmatic and clinical roles. Currently, she is a full-time therapist, seeing individuals, families, and couples who have experienced a death and/or divorce. Jordan is very passionate about healthy relationships and encourages individuals to know they are worthy of love and of being seen, heard, and valued.

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief 101 for the New Practitioner

Ms. Phillips will present the foundation for grief therapy with children and adolescents. They will then present a curriculum developed by Ms. Phillips to help the beginning grief counselor establish a clinical practice. Concrete examples of activities used in the session will be demonstrated.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Participants will identify the developmental stages of children and how these impact bereaved youth.
Participants will learn of a basic curriculum of grief counseling.
Participants will identify appropriate treatment modalities with specific examples being taught.

Speaker Bio:

Jennifer Phillips, LCSW, CATP has obtained her Master’s degree from the University of Southern Indiana. She has been practicing for over 30 years specializing in grief counseling in all ages. She holds certifications in child and adolescent trauma. Jennifer utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy and play therapy techniques.

Courageous Well-Being Continued: Putting Theory into Practice

This 60-minute session will build on the concepts presented in the first webinar, Courageous Well-Being, Finding New Pathways to Personal and Professional Renewal. As professionals and volunteers working with bereaved children and families, you are well aware of the challenges of your work — vicarious trauma and grief, burnout, empathetic distress, and work/life balance. It is essential to explore the strategies and practices that will help you cope with these issues. This interactive webinar will include writing exercises and practices you can use daily and share with your family and colleagues. Participants of this session should have attended Part I live or reviewed the recording from 7/19. You will need a paper or a journal for this session.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

Speaker Bio:

Donna Gaffney, DNSc, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, an advanced practice nurse-psychotherapist, author and educator, works with individuals, communities, and professional nurses in the aftermath of personal and national crises — 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Coronavirus pandemic. Donna provides pro-bono psychotherapy through the Emotional PPE Project and facilitates Virtual Schwartz Rounds for the New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute. With extensive experience in classroom, experiential and online education, she offers workshops, presentations and webinars nationally and internationally. Donna has taught and directed graduate programs at the International Trauma Studies Program, Columbia and Seton Hall Universities. Her webinar series at the beginning of the pandemic, Healing Ourselves, While Healing Others, was offered through Rutgers University School of Nursing and the Northeastern University School Health Academy. In addition to academic papers, book chapters, and articles for the lay press, Donna is the author of The Seasons of Grief, Helping Children Grow Through Loss. Donna holds graduate degrees from Columbia and Rutgers Universities, and the University of Pennsylvania. She received the 2021 APNA Award for Excellence in Practice – APRN. In 2023 her book Courageous Well-Being for Nurses will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Nicole C. Foster, MA, NBC-HWC is a national board-certified health and wellness coach, consultant, and writer. She is Head of Coaching at Lief Therapeutics, a start-up that offers the only mental health wearable device using HRV-Biofeedback. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she self-published an eBook, Well-Being in the Waiting: Finding Presence During Unprecedented Times, and provided complimentary copies to healthcare workers. Nicole collaborates with the With Grace Initiative, a non-profit organization supporting children with cancer, providing pro-bono workshops that promote connection, support, and psychosocial education in their Warriors of Wellness series.

She is a graduate of Columbia University’s Spirituality, Mind-Body Institute and holds a Master of Arts in Psychology. Her personal essays surrounding the loss of her father in the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have been published in New York Magazine and Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper. She is the co-author of Courageous Well-Being for Nurses, to be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in September 2023. Learn more about her work at www.NicoleCFoster.com and @NicoleCFoster on Instagram.

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

Facilitating Parent and Caregiver Support Groups

Many children’s bereavement centers and programs across the United States offer concurrent support groups for parents and caregivers that are typically held during the same time as children and teen grief support groups are being offered. This presentation will cover practical tips for facilitating grief support groups for parents, caregivers, and other adults. Best practices for running adult groups will be discussed, including group dynamics, group cohesion, and protecting the process. Additional topics include managing conflict and navigating challenging behaviors in groups, such as advice-giving, monopolizing, interrupting, or one-upping. Suggestions for effective ways to handle controversial topics when they arise in group will also be discussed. This presentation will include a discussion about providing grief support to parents and caregivers in a group setting while also providing helpful information to them about their children’s grief. Effective openings and closings will also be presented in this workshop. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

List best practices for running parent and caregiver bereavement support groups.
Identify challenging behaviors that arise in adult support groups and effective ways to handle them.
Discuss effective ways to protect the process and manage conflict in a bereavement group for parents and caregivers.

Speaker Bio:

Pamela Gabbay, EdD, FT is a nationally recognized trainer and consultant who has served the bereavement field in many capacities during her 25-year career. Dr. Gabbay is currently the Director of Operations and Training for The Compassionate Friends and is on the TAPS Advisory Board. She is part of the training corps of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Dr. Gabbay has served in a variety of roles including being the Director of The Mourning Star Center for Grieving Children and Camp Erin, Palm Springs. Dr. Gabbay is the co-author, along with Andy McNiel, of Understanding and Supporting Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals. She is on the Executive Committee of ADEC’s Credentialing Council and served as the President of the Southern California Chapter of ADEC. Additionally, Dr. Gabbay previously served as Vice President on the Board of the NACG. She was also an adjunct faculty member in the psychology department at Brandman University. Dr. Gabbay holds a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) from the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and earned a Master of Arts degree in Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She earned her Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University.

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

Courageous Well-being: Strategies for Personal and Professional Renewal

Coping and self-confidence in your work require taking the time to understand the evidence-based literature and use effective strategies to enhance your well-being, find meaning in your work and discover joy and support in relationships. This session will explore the essence of courageous well-being. Based on evidence-based strategies, attendees will explore nontraditional approaches to minimize the consequences of stress and trauma—through nature, the arts, and creativity as indispensable wellsprings of respite and joy. The profound healing effects of advocacy for health and well-being are also introduced. Attendees will receive several handouts with practices and guides for use in their work and home lives.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Discuss how working with bereaved children and their families can put professionals and volunteers at risk for empathic distress fatigue, vicarious grief, ongoing stress, or burnout.
Describe the six elements of psychological well-being.
Explore how trauma and vicarious grief are carried in our bodies, hearts, and minds and the strategies used to manage the consequences of their work.

Speaker Bio:

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

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 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 playback is available to active NACG members only.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Summarize how bibliotherapy can help children and adolescents who are grieving.
Describe how reading the fictional works presented may help children who are grieving.
Discuss specific activities using fictional characters that may be helpful for specific age levels and situations of children who are grieving.

Speaker Bios:

Kathryn Markell, PhD teaches Child and Adolescent Development and Death and Dying classes at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. She has published and presented scholarly work on how to help grieving children and adolescents, including co-authoring the book “The Children Who Lived: Using Harry Potter and Other Fictional Characters to Help Grieving Children and Adolescents”.

Marc Markell, PhD teaches at Worsham College of Mortuary Science; he is also a professor emeritus at St. Cloud State University. He teaches Death Education for non-grieving children. Marc is a certified Thanatologist and Death and Grief Studies. He presents locally, nationally, and internationally. Marc has published three books on grief, as well as book chapters and numerous articles.

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

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.

This playback is available to active NACG members only.

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

Explain Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality.
Identify areas of their practice where intersectionality can be incorporated into their work with children who are grieving.
Create an intake process that uses principles of intersectionality to help portray a more complete picture of a grieving child.

Speaker Bios:

Adam W. Carter, Ph.D., is a professional counselor and counselor educator who received his doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, with an emphasis in multicultural counseling, from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Adam has taught courses in CACREP-accredited master’s level clinical mental health programs and doctoral-level courses in counselor education and supervision and served as the Trauma-Informed Counseling Graduate Certificate coordinator at Northern Illinois University. During his time at Northern Illinois University, he founded the Center for Grief and Loss at the University’s Community Counseling and Training Center, where he provided clinical supervision and education to counselors in training. Adam’s ongoing research and scholarship program focuses on early childhood grief responses and preparing counselors-in-training to work with grieving children. Adam’s scholarly work also includes numerous peer-reviewed presentations focusing on topics such as trauma-informed counseling, play therapy, and developing research skills in counseling practitioners. His clinical experience is broad, having worked as a counselor and supervisor in community mental health clinics, in-home intensive settings, community advocacy agencies, and private practice.

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

Resources & Support

Education

Explore our Education and CE opportunities:

Awareness

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About Us

Neurodiversity and Childhood Bereavement

Introduction to Grief Support Series | The Kaleidoscope of Grief: Loss in Many Forms

Objectives:

Speaker Bios:

Interpersonal Loss and Bereavement Among Refugees

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief Counseling Models and Interventions

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief 101 for the New Practitioner

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Courageous Well-Being Continued: Putting Theory into Practice

Speaker Bio:

Facilitating Parent and Caregiver Support Groups

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Courageous Well-being: Strategies for Personal and Professional Renewal

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

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

Objectives:

Speaker Bios:

Centering Intersectionality Within the Field of Childhood Bereavement

Objectives:

Speaker Bios:

Resources & Support

Education

Explore our Education and CE opportunities:

Awareness

Grants

About Us

Neurodiversity and Childhood Bereavement

Neurodiversity and Childhood Bereavement

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Introduction to Grief Support Series | The Kaleidoscope of Grief: Loss in Many Forms

Objectives:

Speaker Bios:

Interpersonal Loss and Bereavement Among Refugees

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief Counseling Models and Interventions

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Introduction to Grief Support Series | Grief 101 for the New Practitioner

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Courageous Well-Being Continued: Putting Theory into Practice

Speaker Bio:

Facilitating Parent and Caregiver Support Groups

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

Courageous Well-being: Strategies for Personal and Professional Renewal

Objectives:

Speaker Bio:

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

Objectives:

Speaker Bios:

Centering Intersectionality Within the Field of Childhood Bereavement

Objectives:

Speaker Bios:

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