Grief Wisdom for Youth and Families: Understanding the journey of loss and accessing the wisdom of grief

Life, as we knew it before the pandemic, has changed. For ourselves as helping professionals and our clients, grief has become a reality of everyday life. People experienced the loss of jobs, school, hugs, social connections, sports, graduations, weddings, funerals, it seems that every area of life has been touched. And if we were already grieving a loss, coping can be complicated. What do we do with this surreal feeling of disorientation? How do we recognize the signs and symptoms of grief and how do we cope? How do we guide our clients effectively through the journey of grief?

This day long workshop will give you an overview of what grief looks like at any time but especially during a time of ambiguous and complicated loss. We will talk about how to care for yourself and others in a time of uncertainty. We will explore how your clients experience grief and how to guide them through the process in a way that promotes healing and transformation using the 7 guideposts of grief wisdom.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain ambiguous loss and complicated loss.
2. Identify the signs and symptoms of grief and how they differ in children and youth.
3. Recognize the difference between grief and mourning.
4. Identify ways of coping with grief.
5. Describe the 7 guideposts of grief and how to use them to support clients.
6. Examine support for the clinician when grieving.

Research: There is a lot of research available on the subject of ambiguous loss on Google Scholar.

Target Audience: social workers, mental health therapists, and other clinicians providing mental health services to children, youth, and families who meet the NYS OMH training grant eligibility criteria

ADA Accommodations: If you require any support for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ebp@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5843.

Customer Service: We are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ebp@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5843.