This first part of the workshop offers an overview of best practices for supporting students who have experienced loss. Participants will learn to identify signs and symptoms of maladaptive (“unhelpful”) grief reactions and explore strategies for fostering a grief-sensitive school community. The session also highlights indicators that may suggest a student needs additional mental health support or referral.
The second part of this workshop examines how the work of supporting others can impact us personally and professionally. Participants will learn practical strategies to reduce the risk of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. The session also emphasizes building compassion satisfaction and resilience through individualized approaches, offering a refreshed and meaningful perspective on what “self-care” truly entails.
Learning Objectives:
1. Explore definitions of bereavement and grief in children and adolescents
2. Describe how grief reactions may present in the school setting
3. Identify strategies to support students utilizing a bereavement-sensitive approach
4. Define secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout
5. Identify ways school staff can increase resilience and decrease risk for the cost of caring