Speaker(s):
Presentation: Traumatic grief is becoming more and more prevalent in our communities and is often a silent part of the presenting problem for many clients. Traumatic grief and, more specifically, homicide grief will be examined and defined. How it manifests itself in an individual and the community, as a whole, will be discussed. DSM IV and V definitions and existing theories such as Cognitive Processing Theory and EMDR will be presented, as well as the Companioning Philosophy for Caregivers, by Dr. Alan Wolfelt. An overview of how children in different stages of development process grief and loss will also be given.
Ways to identify and address grieving clients and coping strategies to help them manage their feelings of loss are covered. Addiction as an unhealthy coping strategy will be discussed, as it is also the easiest and most readily available strategy. We will follow the path of “Sonia”, a fictional, but typical, mother of three, 38 years old and mourning the loss of her eldest child, 17 yr old “Damon”, to gun violence in St. Louis. As she makes her way through her grief, we will discuss the various comments and situations she routinely encounters as she continues her life without her child.
Objectives:
- Define traumatic grief and identify dimensions of grief in various populations
- Identify grieving clients and incorporate healthy coping strategies to mourn in a trauma-informed treatment plan
- Describe how traumatic grief effects our communities overall
Slides and Handouts: