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Digital Seminar

Untangling Grief: Supporting Children Through Substance-Related Loss

$69.99 Standard

The death of a significant person represents one of the most powerful disruptions in all aspects of a child’s emotional existence.  

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of myths and misconceptions around how to best provide support to a grieving child.  When the loss is substance related challenging elements such as guilt, shame, confusion, and isolation add further layers of complexity to a child’s grief process. An important element to consider in any child’s grief process is their ability to narrate their understanding of the death to both them and others, which can be particularly challenging when substance use is involved in the death.   

Having an awareness of complicating factors associated with substance related deaths is essential for you to provide skilled professional support to these young people. Join Andrea Warnick, grief specialist, as she shows you how to identify these factors and other challenges and barriers, you’ll experience supporting your young clients. Both innovative and practical strategies for supporting healthy grief process in children will be shared including:  

  • Approaches to helping children understand their grief and the cause of the death 
  • Ways of helping children develop their narrative of the death  
  • Creative ways for children to express and process their grief 

Stories and important messages from children, youth, and their families that illustrate “best practice” guidelines will be woven throughout. 

Here's What You'll Learn

Common barriers  

  • What holds families and professionals alike back from entering into conversations about death with a child?  
  • Strategies and approaches for navigating these barriers 
  • Risks and limitations 

Grief Literacy 

  • What is grief literacy and why is it important? 
  • How do we explain the following to kids: “Death”, “Overdose”, “Substance Use”, “Cremation”, “Grief”

Talking with Children about a Death from Substance Use 

  • Language to avoid 
  • A sample conversation  

5 Common Concerns of Grieving Children 

  • Why it’s important for adults to initiate the conversation about these 5 common concerns 
  • Examples of ways to address these concerns  

Practical Support Strategies 

  • Addressing informational gaps 
  • Modeling grief  
  • Helping the child narrate their story 
  • Fostering connection with the person who died 

Signs that Children May Need Additional Support 

  • Irish child bereavement pyramid  
  • Indications that children need more support than what they are currently receiving

Useful Resources 

  • Literary, web, and program resources  

Everything You're Getting

  • More than 1 hour of video content
  • Up to 1.5 CE credits
  • Certificate of completion
  • Handouts and resources

Meet Your Experts

Andrea Warnick, RN, MA

Toggle speaker biography

Andrea is a registered psychotherapist and registered nurse whose passion lies in helping individuals, families and communities support people of all ages who are grieving an illness or death in their lives. With years of nursing and counselling experience both in Canada and abroad , and a master’s degree in thanatology (the study of dying and death) Andrea brings to her work a rare mixture of medical and psychosocial expertise.

Andrea developed and teaches the 5 day Certificate Program in Children’s Grief and Bereavement at SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health. She was also the lead content developer for KidsGrief.ca and KidsGrief for Educators. Once a month Andrea hosts a free monthly forum through Canadian Virtual Hospice, KidsGrief Q&A, where she responds to questions from families and professionals from across the country about supporting grieving children and youth.

Andrea lives in Guelph, Ontario, from where she co-owns and runs Andrea Warnick Consulting, a group practice of 30 therapists who provide grief therapy across Ontario and grief education and consultation across Canada.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Andrea Warnick is the co-owner of AWC Grief Support and is the project co-lead for the development of www.kidsgrief.ca. She receives royalties as a published author. Andrea Warnick receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Andrea Warnick is the founding member of Canadian Grief Alliance and is a member of the International Work Group on Death and the Canadian Alliance for Children's Grief.
More taught by Andrea Warnick, RN, MA

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Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Product Code:
POS059725
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Copyright:
Jan 25, 2024
Closed Captions:
Available
Format:
Audio and Video

ADA Needs

We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.

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