Supporting Schools in the Aftermath of Crisis

Supporting Schools in the Aftermath of Crisis

Children’s bereavement centers/programs/providers can play an important role in supporting a school after a major crisis event due to school or community violence.  The following topics will be covered: how you and your center/program can prepare for consultation in this context; practical advice and support that can be provided to staff, students, and families;  clarifying the distinction between trauma and grief; the potential goals of grief support in schools; providing training and professional development to educators on how to support grieving students using freely available resources; considerations related to commemoration and memorialization; and promoting staff support and professional self-care for educators.  Guidance on when and how to seek additional support, including partnering with the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, during short- and long-term recovery will be discussed.  The session will also address how to advise schools and caregivers on how to talk to children who are only indirectly impacted by violence through the news or social media.  Ample time will be provided for questions and discussion.

 


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

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 →

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Describe your program’s goal and strategy for consultation to schools after a crisis involving school or community violence.
  • Outline practical advice and support that can be provided to staff, grieving students, and their families in this context.
  • List 2-3 appropriate goals for training of educators to support grieving students and freely available training materials.
  • Describe when and how to partner with the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement or similar resource to support short- and long-term recovery within the school.
  • Advise schools and caregivers on how to talk to children indirectly impacted by violence through news or social media.

 

Speaker Bio:

David J Schonfeld, MD, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, founded the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (www.schoolcrisiscenter.org) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The NCSCB coordinates the Coalition to Support Grieving Students which is comprised of over 140 professional organizations representing educators, medical professionals, and other interested groups.  For 35 years, he’s supported schools/communities after crises and loss, including the COVID-19 pandemic, shootings/stabbings in Winder, GA, Parkland, FL, Santa Clarita, CA, Newtown, CT, Las Vegas, NV, Aurora, CO, & Osaka, Japan; hurricanes Helene (TN), Maria (San Juan), Sandy (NYC/NJ), Katrina (New Orleans), & Ike (Galveston); tornadoes in Joplin, MO & Alabama; wildfires in Maui, HI, Butte & Sonoma Counties, CA, Sevierville, TN; & Sichuan, China earthquake.  His school-based research (e.g., funded by NICHD, NIMH, NIDA, MCHB, WT Grant) involves children’s understanding of and adjustment to serious illness and death and school-based interventions to promote adjustment and risk prevention.  He is Chair of National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters and a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children and Disasters, and former Commissioner for the National Commission on Children and Disasters and Sandy Hook Advisory Commission.

 

New York Life Foundation logo

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

 

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Information →

Silent Suffering: Supporting Youth Grieving Stigmatized Loss

This session will focus on supporting individuals who have experienced a stigmatized loss, including loss by suicide, homicide, and addiction. Presenters will review grief occurrence data for children and youth, along with practical understandings of relevant grief theories to guide practice with this bereaved population. As stigmatized loss is often accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt, and anger, it is vital for those working in the field to better understand the impact of stigmatized grief and loss on children and families. Several of the challenging components of working with those bereaved by stigmatized loss will be explored. Presenters will discuss important therapeutic techniques, interventions, and conversations for youth and caregivers, including best practices for helping children understand death by suicide, homicide, and/or addiction. Stigmatized losses often occur after traumatic lives. Therefore, aspects of understanding the impact of trauma on youth will also be explored. Presenters will provide several opportunities for experiential learning as we discuss and practice activity and body-based interventions for children and families. Finally, attendees will be provided with a multitude of resources to better understand and work with stigmatized loss and continue to inform practice.

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

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Define stigmatized loss.
  • Identify at least two theories of grief that can be adapted to work with a population bereaved by stigmatized loss.
  • Utilize two body-based interventions for traumatic loss in children and youth.
  • Identify best practices to discuss stigmatized loss with youth.
  • Identify two online resources for further information on stigmatized loss faced by children and families.

 

Speaker Bios:

Jodi Flesner, Ph.D., LPC, is a clinical supervisor, licensed therapist, and program coordinator at Heartlinks Grief Center. Jodi completed her master’s degree in Community Counseling at Loyola University Chicago in 2007 and her doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2015. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Illinois and Missouri. Jodi has worked at Heartlinks for seven years where she conducts individual and family counseling, group counseling, community outreach to support those grieving in the community, and various grief support groups at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Prior to that she worked as a doctoral intern at hospice for two years where she conducted individual and family bereavement support services, group counseling, and counseling at multiple grief/bereavement retreats and camps. She has taught multiple master’s level counseling courses, published a peer-reviewed article titled, “A Shift in the Conceptual Understanding of Grief: Using Meaning-Oriented Therapies with Bereaved Clients,” and completed multiple presentations in the area of bereavement including grief and coping in caregivers, theories of grief over time, exploring stigmatized loss, the importance of meaning making after a death loss, and the importance of infusing death education into counseling programs.

Diana Cuddeback, LCSW, is the Founding Director of Heartlinks Grief Center in Belleville, Illinois. Since her first Children’s Grief Group in 1991, Diana has provided children, families, and individuals innovative grief programming. Heartlinks serves individuals of all ages before and after a loss due to death. Diana and the Heartlinks team, provide individual and family counseling, grief support groups, as well as portable grief outreach programs and grief education. Diana’s mission is to create a meaningful community of support for grieving people filled with learning, activity, fun and connection. Diana is an experienced presenter who has presented on a variety of topics including children’s grief, traumatic loss and coping, stigmatized loss and the impact on children and families, and the various impacts of addiction-related loss, among others.

 

New York Life Foundation logo

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

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.

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:

  • Describe how secondary trauma from domestic violence impacts a child’s grieving process.
  • Discuss the intersection of disenfranchised grief with children who have experienced domestic violence.
  • 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.

 

New York Life Foundation logo

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

Peer Deaths: Supporting Students Grieving within the context of Racial Trauma & during COVID-19

*This playback is available to active NACG Members Only.

What Happened to You? Incorporating Trauma-Informed Practices in Grief Work

Distance Education and Displacement: Understanding the Impact on College Students and Young Adults

Unique Needs of Families Caring for Seriously Ill Children

*This playback is available to active NACG Members Only.

Lessons From the Front Lines of the Opioid Crisis: From Trauma to Transformation