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.
Our 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.