Products and Resources Catalog

On Day 2 of our MHTTC Grief Sensitive Virtual Learning Institute, we open our full day of learning with a brief whole Institute gathering that will: Welcome back participants from Day 1 and welcome in new participants joining us Offer a brief meditation and a few tools to help us get through the upcoming holidays in the face of grief and loss (with GSVLI faculty Doug Smith) Provide an overview and forecast to Day 2, previewing our learning line up Download the slides HERE. Speaker: Douglas Smith has been the lead instructor for the University of Wisconsin’s Grief Support Services Certificate program, which has trained over 600 healthcare professions in 39 states and 14 countries. He has conducted extensive grief training workshops in all 50 states, and internationally. He also has extensive personal experiences related to grief. This webinar was the opening session of Day 2 of November's Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI). For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute - Building Virtual Communities to Support Grieving Youth and Families during Uncertain Times Recording Lauren Schneider, LCSW, and Talya Schlesinger, MSW, of Our House Grief Support Center provide information on ways to build virtual communities and support youth and families grieving. Adapting grief supports to an online environment requires accommodations to effectively support families experiencing loss during challenging times. Session trainers explored how to appropriately adapt and develop interventions that address treatment goals using online treatment platforms. Speakers: Lauren Schneider, LCSW, Clinical Director of Child and Adolescent Programs, Our-House Lauren, a nationally recognized authority on Children’s Grief, has provided trainings for mental health clinicians, educators, clergy, health care providers and graduate students throughout the community since 2000. Lauren is the author of “Children Grieve Too: A Handbook for Parents of Grieving Children”. She also created “My Memory Book…for grieving children” and contributing author for “You Can’t Do It Alone. A Widow’s Journey through Loss, Grief and Life After (2020) by Maria Quiban Whitesell as well as grief-related curricula for use at Camp Erin Los Angeles and in OUR HOUSE grief support groups. Lauren is the Associate Producer of “One Last Hug…and a few smooches” an Emmy award winning HBO documentary about Children’s Grief. She trains and supervises OUR HOUSE group leaders as well as MSW and MFT clinicians and students. Lauren maintains a private practice in Los Angeles specializing in grief and loss.       Talya Schlesinger, MSW, Associate Clinical Coordinator of Camp and Children’s Programs, Our-House Talya is a clinical social worker dedicated to supporting children, adolescents and families. Talya completed her undergraduate studies in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience as well as Community Action and Social Change at the University of Michigan. She then received her MSW from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Children and Youth in Families and Society, and a minor in Human Services Management. Prior to joining the team at Our House Grief Support Center, Talya worked as a medical social worker at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on the Bone Marrow Transplant team.         For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

About the Presenter: Douglas Smith has been the lead instructor for the University of Wisconson's Grief Support Services certificate program, which has trained over 600 healthcare professionals in 39 states and 14 countries. He has conducted extensive grief training workshops in all 50 states, and internationally. He also has extensive personal experiences related to grief.    View Presentation Slides

Reviewing the Basics of Grief Counseling Presentation Slides

Session Description: The pandemic has highlighted the ways in which marginalized communities experience death and loss at much higher rates than white communities. Part 1 of this presentation covers the ways in which contemporary grief theory often sidelines marginal communities and highlights COVID-19 specific considerations regarding grief and loss.   Presenters: Dr. Candi Cann Michael Hebb    View Presentation Slides

Grieving in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond Presentation Slides

Key Questions: How can we understand the experience of grief? What factors complicate or mitigate the experience of grief? How can we assist grieving persons?   Presenter: Dr. Kenneth J. Doka is a Professor Emeritus, The College of New Rochelle and Senior Consultant to the Hospice Foundation of America. Dr. Doka has extensive experience in the area of grief, is a prolific author and speaker, providing keynoted addresses internationally. Dr. Doka participates in the annual Hospice Foundation of America Teleconference and has appeared on CNN and Nightline. In addition, he has served as a consultant to medical, nursing, funeral service, and hospice organizations as well as businesses and educational and social services agencies. Dr. Doka was elected President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling in 1993. In 1995, he was elected to the board of directors of the International Work Group on Dying, Death, and Bereavement and served as chair from 1997-1999. The Association for Death Education and Counseling presented him an award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Thanatology and Hospice. His Alma Mater, Concordia College, presented him with their first Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is a recipient of the Caring Hands Award as well as the Dr. Robert Fulton CDEB Founder's Award. In 2006, Dr. Doka was grandfathered in as a Mental Health Counselor under NY state's first licensure of counselors.   View Presentation Slides 

Understanding Grief and Loss Presentation Slides

Monthly electronic newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.  October 2020 issue features project updates from the co-directors of each of our projects, a state spotlight on Illinois,  and the results of our National Recovery Month 2020 recovery word cloud project. 

Download the slides. Download the resource handout.   While it may not be too difficult for many of us to have empathy for a student who has experienced a loss, we may struggle with communicating that empathy to the student in a concrete way that supports their grief recovery process. This session is designed to provide a better understanding of grief and loss in students and to explore interventions that providers can use to support grief recovery. This session will explain the foundational principles and COVID-19-specific considerations about grief and loss. We will review grief indicators in students as well as general strategies for helping them grieve in a developmentally-appropriate way.   Speaker: Rozlyn Kwong, LMFT, Hathaway Sycamore Child and Family Services   Learn more about the Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute.  

Download the slides.   This session will provide practical suggestions on how to support grieving students in any context, as well as the unique challenges of supporting grieving students during the current pandemic. A range of topics will be covered, including what not to stay, considerations related to grief across different cultures, how to initiate conversations with grieving students, identifying and addressing guilt, appropriate academic accommodations, and managing grief triggers in the classroom. Participants will be introduced to free online professional development resources from the Coalition to Support Grieving Students. Ample time will be devoted to questions and discussion, including discussion about tiered school-based support grief services.   Speaker: David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement   Learn more about the Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute.  

Download the slides.   The current school landscape is experiencing overwhelming psychosocial needs of students, caregivers who are uncertain how to support youth, and school systems struggling to develop a responsive plan. COVID-19 has only served to exacerbate symptoms of trauma, grief, and loss. In fact, COVID has created an environment in which there are “pre-conditions” to trauma. This session will provide an overview for school mental health professionals on how they can leverage their own resources to support students, families, and communities during these trying times. Inspired by two theoretical frameworks, the Ecobiodevelopmental and the Attachment Regulation and Competency (ARC) models, the session will promote a strengths based approach recognizing the neurobiological impact of stress on the brain, its impact on learning, and its influence on future outcomes. Discussions will revolve around effective communication and psychoeducation strategies to enhance students’ distress tolerance, support caregivers, and empower school personnel to develop creative support solutions.   Speakers: Lisa Wobbe-Veit, University of Southern California Kerry Doyle, University of Southern California   Learn more about the Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute.  

Watch the session. Download the resource handout.   While it may not be too difficult for many of us to have empathy for a student who has experienced a loss, we may struggle with communicating that empathy to the student in a concrete way that supports their grief recovery process. This session is designed to provide a better understanding of grief and loss in students and to explore interventions that providers can use to support grief recovery. This session will explain the foundational principles and COVID-19-specific considerations about grief and loss. We will review grief indicators in students as well as general strategies for helping them grieve in a developmentally-appropriate way.   Speaker: Rozlyn Kwong, LMFT, Hathaway Sycamore Child and Family Services       Learn more about the Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute.  

Watch the session.   This session will provide practical suggestions on how to support grieving students in any context, as well as the unique challenges of supporting grieving students during the current pandemic. A range of topics will be covered, including what not to stay, considerations related to grief across different cultures, how to initiate conversations with grieving students, identifying and addressing guilt, appropriate academic accommodations, and managing grief triggers in the classroom. Participants will be introduced to free online professional development resources from the Coalition to Support Grieving Students. Ample time will be devoted to questions and discussion, including discussion about tiered school-based support grief services.   Speaker: David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement   Learn more about the Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute.  

Watch the session.   The current school landscape is experiencing overwhelming psychosocial needs of students, caregivers who are uncertain how to support youth, and school systems struggling to develop a responsive plan. COVID-19 has only served to exacerbate symptoms of trauma, grief, and loss. In fact, COVID has created an environment in which there are “pre-conditions” to trauma. This session will provide an overview for school mental health professionals on how they can leverage their own resources to support students, families, and communities during these trying times. Inspired by two theoretical frameworks, the Ecobiodevelopmental and the Attachment Regulation and Competency (ARC) models, the session will promote a strengths based approach recognizing the neurobiological impact of stress on the brain, its impact on learning, and its influence on future outcomes. Discussions will revolve around effective communication and psychoeducation strategies to enhance students’ distress tolerance, support caregivers, and empower school personnel to develop creative support solutions.   Speakers: Lisa Wobbe-Veit, University of Southern California Kerry Doyle, University of Southern California   Learn more about the Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute.  

Original Broadcast Date: 9/11/20 This two- part series shares learnings from The Dinner Party, a nation-wide movement turning loss from an isolating experience to one marked by community support, candid conversation, and forward motion. This session takes you through the basic principles of a grief-sensitive workplace, including cultivating a culture of peer support and re-engaging struggling employees. For more information, visit www.thedinnerparty.org/atwork. Download the slides HERE.   Speaker Bios: Carla Fernandez, Co-Founder, The Dinner Party Fernandez is the co-founder of the award winning The Dinner Party , which houses Grief At Work. The family dinner table is sacred ground in the Fernandez family - so when her dad passed away of brain cancer, coming back to the table was a natural way for her to connect with others and unpack the experience of life after loss. She is also on the founding team of enso, a mission-driven creative agency working with brands such as Google, Khan Academy, and Nature Conservancy on their impact campaigns. She is an NYU Social Entrepreneurship Fellow, and Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg School of Communications Innovation Lab. Iana Malcom is a community manager & BIPOC lead. At 27, and after 7 years of being her Caregiver, she lost her mother to Breast Cancer. At 31 years old, she lost her father to Brain Cancer. Since then she has dedicated her life to the support of Caregivers and all those managing life after loss. Outside of her work as a Community Manager for The Dinner Party, she is a birth and death Doula, Yoga and Meditation teacher, and leads Wellness retreats worldwide with her company Bliss Out Retreats. Justin Thongsavanh, MPA is a community manager for The Dinner Party. Throughout his career, he has worked for a variety of nonprofits and municipalities focusing on the development and implementation of programs for youth. Prior to joining The Dinner Party, he worked for one of the nation’s largest bereavement camps, developing programs and raising funds for children and teens who experienced the loss of a parent or sibling. After the death of his own father at the age of 12, he felt isolated and alone. As an adult he has made it his mission to not only find a community for himself, but to also help create a community for folks who have experienced loss and subsequent adversities. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies, a Certificate in Non-Profit Management, and a Master’s in Public Administration all from California State University, Long Beach. This webinar was one of the sessions of September's Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI). For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

Rituals are actions done in purposeful ways that symbolize something much more than the acts themselves. Every culture has rituals that provide purpose and meaning to experiences. Rituals are made up of actions that represent ideas, thoughts, myths, or beliefs about something specific. They give purpose to action and always serve to connect us to something else, generally something greater than ourselves. In difficult times, rituals provide a certain order to an existence that otherwise might be full of confusion and chaos. Given the current pandemic, loss and grief have taken a front seat. A sense of loss permeates in many of our lives, and for many clients, this may be difficult to name. Furthermore, the inability to perform rituals in our habitual ways can be distressful for many. The current webinar will discuss the experience of loss and grief for Latinos during the current pandemic: including physical and symbolic losses. The presenters will discuss Latinos' values and rituals as they relate to the current pandemic. The importance of the therapeutic relationship will be discussed as well as approaches and strategies that promote new rituals, new meanings, and transformative experience. Download slides here

Original Broadcast Date: 9/10/20 This session examines grief and the double pandemics of racial violence and COVID-19, including a discussion of ways that the double pandemics of COVID-19 and antiblackness inform grief, complex grief, and teaching and learning. Aaminah Norris and Babalwa Kwanele discuss the complexities of racism, how the loss caused by pandemics particularly influences and harms Black children, students, and families, and introduce possible healing strategies. Download the slides HERE.   Speaker Bios:   Dr. Aaminah Norris, Associate Professor at Sacramento State University, is Founder and CEO of UnHidden Voices LLC, a Black woman-owned educational consultancy with a mission of building empathy and disrupting the invisibility of Black children, students, and families. She has more than 25 years of experience supporting schools and non- profit organizations in addressing issues of educational equity for low-income students from historically marginalized communities. She researches, teaches, and advocates the digital literacies of Black girls and women, with a particular interest in their STEM practices, culturally responsive pedagogies particularly as they connect to maker education, and the pedagogies of Black women teachers.     Babalwa Kwanele is a licensed mental health therapist (LMFT), with over 30 years of professional experience working with culturally diverse youth, children, and families in community mental health and school - based settings. Her work and research has a special focus on prevention and intervention, with the goal of improving academic outcomes and the social determinants of health. She has extensively studied the neurobiology of trauma and the effects of racism and poverty on communities, families, individuals, and complex systems. Kwanele’s areas of specialization are complex multigenerational trauma, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), trauma-informed school based mental health, impact of secondary trauma on educators and learning, complex family systems, cultural humility, and culturally responsive care.     This webinar was one of the sessions of September's Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI). For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

Original Broadcast Date: 9/10/20 While the world was grappling to find footing as the pandemic erupted, we leaned into the time-tested OUR HOUSE model of grief support; harnessing the inherent healing power of connection, for the first time, through an online format. In this session, we  share lessons learned wading through the challenges of supporting families on overwhelm. We teach how we addressed JW Worden’s Tasks of Mourning using interventions that can be facilitated by volunteer group leaders via an online platform. We share the magic that can happen when you create virtual spaces with intention for children to connect and support one another around their grief and losses, in spite of Zoom fatigue and physical distance. OUR HOUSE is a grief support center based in Los Angeles, California. Download the slides HERE.   Speaker Bios: Lauren Schneider is a nationally recognized authority on Children’s Grief. She has provided trainings for mental health clinicians, educators, clergy, health care providers and graduate students throughout the community, and has authored books and curricula on the topic of grief (e.g., “Children Grieve Too: A Handbook for Parents of Grieving Children,” Camp Erin Los Angeles curriculum). She is the Associate Producer of “One Last Hug...and a few smooches” an Emmy award winning HBO documentary about Children’s Grief. She trains and supervises OUR HOUSE group leaders as well as MSW and MFT clinicians and students. Lauren Sneider maintains a private practice in Los Angeles specializing in grief and loss. Talya Schlesinger is a clinical social worker dedicated to supporting children, adolescents and families. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience as well as Community Action and Social Change at the University of Michigan. She then received her MSW from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Children and Youth in Families and Society, and a minor in Human Services Management. This webinar was one of the sessions of September's Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI). For more information on how to access resources from September's GSVLI and how to register for November's GSVLI, please click here.

We are facing a time of unprecedented loss and grief. Many are experiencing prolonged physical separation from their loved ones. Others are coping with the death or serious illness of a loved one. COVID-19 has imposed additional stressors and complications upon these devastating circumstances, further traumatizing everyone involved.  Dr. Nadeau brings a renewed perspective to the treatment of grief and a better understanding of the evidence-based practices that best support individuals experiencing trauma and grief associated with COVID-19.   Presented By: Janice Nadeau, PhD, LP, LMFT, RN, FT (Minnesota Human Development Consultants) Recorded on September 10, 2020 for the MHTTC Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI)   Presentation Resources Transcript_Sept 10 (GSVLI)_Understanding Loss_Nadeau.pdf

Jill Johnson-Young, LCSW, provides clinical guidance and evidenced-based practices for supporting grieving clients. The grieving process is a complex and personal experience that can become even more challenging to navigate when combined with the concerns of COVID-19. In this presentation, Jill Johnson-Young offers her insight on the individual experience of grief, methods of supporting grieving persons of all ages, and guidance on recognizing and responding to COVID-related grief and trauma in clients.    Presented By: Jill A. Johnson-Young, LCSW (Central Counseling Services of Riverside & Murrieta, CA) Recorded on September 11, 2020 for the MHTTC Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI)   Presentation Resources Transcript_Sept 11 (GSVLI)_Are You The Therapist_Johnson-Young.pdf

In this keynote address, Dr. M. Katherine Shear describes a model of grief and adaptation to loss that is derived from clinical and experimental research. She discusses the new diagnosis of Prolonged Grief Disorder, identifies some unique challenges posed by loss during COVID-19, and explains why bereavement during the pandemic is associated with increased risk for the development of Prolonged Grief Disorder (i.e. complicated grief). Download the slides HERE. Speakers: Dr. M. Katherine Shear, Founder and Director of the Center for Complicated Grief, is an internist and a psychiatrist with the heart of a social worker. She is a talented clinician who is widely recognized for her work in bereavement studies and complicated grief disorder. Dr. Shear developed a short-term psychotherapy for people unable to move forward after a loss that was influenced by her inherent optimism and faith in human creativity and resilience. Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT) has proved to be efficacious in three NIMH-funded randomized controlled trials. Her work has produced several assessment instruments and an instruction manual for CGT—a focused, adaptation-focused approach with the strongest evidence base of any grief treatment to date. Dr. Shear is the Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia School of Social Work and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She served on review committees of the National Institute of Mental Health and on the advisory council for its National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She served as an advisor to the DSM-5 workgroup on complicated grief and adult separation anxiety, a member of the World Health Organization’s ICD11 Working Group on Mood and Anxiety Disorders, a member of the scientific advisory board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and an elected member of the board of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. This webinar was the opening session of September's Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI). For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

Mental health professionals and school mental health personnel often do not receive intensive training on helping patients manage grief, loss, and bereavement, particularly grief related to situations seen during this pandemic. This series of fact sheets, developed by the MHTTC Network, is designed to help mental health professionals and school mental health personnel support patients, students, and families who may be experiencing grief at any time, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sheet, we define grief and differentiate between normative or uncomplicated grief from prolonged or complicated grief. Below, you can find the links to the other fact sheets in the series: Fact Sheet #2 - Responses to Grief Across the Lifespan: In this sheet, we discuss differences in grief reactions based on developmental level. Fact Sheet #3 - Preventive Strategies and Protective Factors: In this sheet, we discuss preventive strategies and protective resources for complicated grief. Fact Sheet #4 - Cultural Responsiveness: In this fact sheet, we describe differences in cultural expressions of grief. Fact Sheet #5 - Evidence-Based Treatments for Grief: In this sheet, we highlight evidence-based treatments for managing grief.

Mental health professionals and school mental health personnel often do not receive intensive training on helping patients manage grief, loss, and bereavement, particularly grief related to situations seen during this pandemic. This series of fact sheets, developed by the MHTTC Network, is designed to help mental health professionals and school mental health personnel support patients, students, and families who may be experiencing grief at any time, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sheet, we discuss differences in grief reactions based on developmental level. Below, you can find the links to the other fact sheets in the series: Fact Sheet #1 - Introduction to the Fact Sheet Series and Defining Grief: In this sheet, we define grief and differentiate between normative or uncomplicated grief from prolonged or complicated grief. Fact Sheet #3 - Preventive Strategies and Protective Factors: In this sheet, we discuss preventive strategies and protective resources for complicated grief. Fact Sheet #4 - Cultural Responsiveness: In this fact sheet, we describe differences in cultural expressions of grief. Fact Sheet #5 - Evidence-Based Treatments for Grief: In this sheet, we highlight evidence-based treatments for managing grief.