Loading the player...
Closed Captioning / Subtitles Available
Information
Untangling Grief: Supporting Children Through Substance-Related Loss
Copyright :
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.
Andrea Warnick, RN, MA
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 Andrea Warnick Consulting 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 from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Andrea Warnick has no relevant non-financial relationships.
