Kids and Loss: How to Work with the Uniqueness of a Child’s Grief

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Faculty

Erica H Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT Related seminars and products

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Dr. Erica Sirrine is a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience in the field of death, dying, and bereavement. She earned a PhD in social work and has been awarded the distinction of Fellow in Thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Dr. Sirrine has conducted and published research on grief and bereavement, including a study on college student experiences of loss amid the COVID-19 pandemic that was published in OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying and featured in TIME magazine. She maintains a blog on grief and is the author of Sammy’s Story, an anticipatory grief counseling book for young children experiencing the serious illness of a parent.

Dr. Sirrine has extensive expertise providing individual and group therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families experiencing illness and loss. She has implemented numerous interventions and programs aimed at improving the emotional health of clients and currently serves as the director of social work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Sirrine frequently presents seminars on bereavement and loss throughout the United States and is known for her interactive and engaging workshops.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Erica Sirrine has employment relationships with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She receives royalties as a self-published author and a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Erica Sirrine is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers, the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, and the National Association of Social Workers.

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Objectives

1. Analyze the behavioral manifestations of grief in children.  
2. Evaluate the implications of a bereaved child or adolescent’s developmental stage on grief counseling and treatment.  
3. Apply appropriate interventions for bereaved children and adolescents to mitigate potential disruption of healthy developmental trajectories. 
4. Assess the diverse needs of bereaved children and families to prevent complications of grief and promote healthy adaptation following loss. 

Outline

• Cognitive components of understanding grief in childhood 
• Common grief reactions and coping mechanisms in grieving children and adolescents 
• Creative intervention strategies 
• Grief support groups for children and adolescents 
• Ethical and practical implications for counseling children at schools 

Target Audience

• Counselors 
• Social Workers 
• Marriage and Family Therapists 
• Psychologists 
• Psychiatrists 
• School Counselors 
• School Psychologists 
• School Social Workers 
• Case Managers 
• Addiction Counselors 
• Pastoral Counselors 
• Chaplains/Clergy 
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners 
• Mental Health Nurses 
• Thanatologists