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© Judi’s House 2012
Supporting Grieving Youth in Schools
Micki Burns, Ph.D.Director of Programsmickib@judishouse.org
Brook Griese, Ph.D.Co-Founder
brook@judishouse.org
© Judi’s House 2012
Judi’s House• Nonprofit, community-based bereavement
center founded in Denver in 2001 in memory of Judith Ann Griese
• Vision: A community in which no child has to feel alone in grief
• Mission: To help children and families who are grieving the death of a loved one find hope and healing within themselves
• Provide free, comprehensive care to approximately 1,000 individuals annually
© Judi’s House 2012
Comprehensive Grief Care at Judi’s House
• Assessment of Individualized Needs
• Pathfinders: 10-Week Bereavement Groups
• Connections: Continuous Grief Support Groups
• Specialized Groups (Spanish-Speaking, Suicide)
• Individual and Family Counseling & Therapy
• Care Coordination and Referrals for Additional Resources and Services
• Education and Training in Community
© Judi’s House 2012
Overarching Goals of Our Programs
• Promote resilience, growth and healthy adjustment to loss
• Prevent complications of unaddressed grief and trauma associated with the death
© Judi’s House 2012
Grief Programming in Schools
• In January of 2007, Judi’s House began collaborating with schools to provide support groups to grieving students during the school day
• To date, Judi’s House has facilitated 134 school-based bereavement groups– 17 Groups in 12 Elementary Schools– 55 Groups in 24 Middle Schools– 62 Groups in 25 High Schools
© Judi’s House 2012
Why did we bring Judi’s House to schools?
• We will continue to exceed capacity within the four walls of Judi’s House
• It is estimated that over 30,000 youth in the Denver Metro area will experience the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 18 (Judi’s House, 2013)
• As income decreases, the likelihood of parental bereavement as a child increases substantially (www.childhealthdata.org)
© Judi’s House 2012
Why did we bring Judi’s House to schools?
• Schools are natural partners providing:– A safe, trusted, community space for services– A caring environment focused on well-being– Access for students/families who may not seek
support due to stigma, cost or other barriers– Peer relationships that foster connectedness– Collaborative, trained, mental health
professionals and other caring adults
© Judi’s House 2012
Why did we bring Judi’s House to schools?• Grief care professionals have an opportunity to
be proactive in supporting grieving youth– Not waiting for a tragedy to take action (e.g.,
Aurora theater shooting) – Promoting positive social and emotional health – Increasing awareness regarding grief and
trauma benefits the entire community– Training school personnel in the process of
identifying, assessing and addressing the needs of grieving children
© Judi’s House 2012
School Staff Interviews
• Members of the University of Colorado/Judi’s House Research Team interviewed school personnel to explore:– School resources for addressing grief– Options for assessing and gathering
information from grieving families – Interest in grief/trauma training and services– Benefits and challenges when implementing a
school-based group
© Judi’s House 2012
School Staff Interviews
• Interviewed 12 school counselors• Interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes• Transcripts of interviews where analyzed by
four research team members • Qualitative themes were identified
© Judi’s House 2012
• Resources available to schools:– Local grief care center (Judi’s House) – Hospice organizations– Private or individual therapists– Community social service agencies– Medicaid partnerships– Local Children’s Hospital– In-school support– Home-visit initiated by school
School Staff Interviews
© Judi’s House 2012
School Staff Interviews
• Additional resources that would be helpful:– Training for teachers and other school staff– Educational materials on grief to provide to
students and families– Workshops for parents– Interactive website– Local referral/provider lists
© Judi’s House 2012
School Staff Interviews
• Expressed mixed feelings about assessing grieving students prior to group– Concerned students would resist opening up– Recommended using a pen and paper survey
or conducting brief face-to-face interviews• Acknowledged difficulty getting additional
information from caregivers at any point– Recommended using pen and paper survey or
brief phone interviews
© Judi’s House 2012
School Staff Interviews
• School counselors varied in level of interest in involvement with grief groups– Some wanted to co-facilitate while others
wanted to provide the students a private space without school representation
– Most felt comfortable collaboratively addressing red flags with other professionals
© Judi’s House 2012
School Staff Interviews• Benefits of grief groups in schools
– Peer support – Connecting with other grieving students– Ease of access
• Challenges of grief groups in schools– Scheduling without hurting academics– Finding a consistent time/space– Obtaining caregiver consent and involvement– Needing enough students to start a group
© Judi’s House 2012
Creating Effective School Partnerships:Laying the Groundwork
• Be clear about expectations and limitations• Involve family and school systems
– caregivers AND teachers• Identify a primary school contact, preferably a
mental health professional• Establish ways to assess individualized needs and
monitor impact on school performance (academic, social, emotional, behavioral)
• Maintain a reciprocal feedback loop
© Judi’s House 2012
Creating Effective School Partnerships:Providing Services
• Know your environment– Introduce yourself to teachers, administrative
personnel and others; learn culture of school• Recognize limits
– Groups expose vulnerabilities and can be overwhelming to students
– Address red flags when they arise– Plan for fun, relaxing activities to end group– Provide coping skills that allow students to return
to class
© Judi’s House 2012
How do you get started?
• Contact your local school systems– Connect with administrators (e.g.,
superintendents, principals) to secure their buy-in – Attend back-to-school nights and other school
functions to establish rapport and awareness– Offer to provide trainings to school personnel,
social workers, counselors, psychologists and other professionals
– Distribute materials at teacher in-service events– Offer to provide school-based services if possible
© Judi’s House 2012
“Grief is not about letting go, it is about holding on in a different way.”-John Jacobs
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