Pediatric healthcare providers often receive limited training in how to support grieving children and feel uncomfortable in this role. This course aims to fill that gap by equipping learners with the practical knowledge and skills needed to support grieving patients and their families. The materials were developed by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students which includes over 135 major professional organizations representing school and pediatric health professionals (including the AAP, SDBP and others); the Coalition is coordinated by the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at CHLA. The course includes over 20 free video modules (most 10-15 minutes in length) covering a wide range of topics from initiating a conversation with a grieving child to the unique challenges of grief in the setting of a school crisis. The videos feature expert commentary, professionals sharing their observations and advice, and bereaved children and family members offering their own perspective on living with loss.
Series Objectives
- Become more comfortable initiating conversations with children and their families related to deaths of family members and friends.
- Recognize the role of guilt and other common reactions in grieving children and their families in impacting adjustment to a loss.
- Provide practical advice on issues such as funeral attendance of children, academic accommodations, and minimizing grief triggers, and appreciate the importance of long-term follow-up after a significant loss.
Please note: The original video modules were developed for use by school professionals, but the content is equally relevant for pediatric healthcare providers.
- Talking with Children (40 minutes) – Offers practical suggestions for how to initiate a conversation with children who have recently experienced the death of a close family member or friend; includes 4 simulated encounters (using actors) to illustrate starting the conversation with a grieving child or adolescent.
- What Not to Say (7 minutes) – Provides concrete advice on “what not to say” to children (and adults) who are recently bereaved.
- Providing Support Over Time (12 minutes) – Describes the unique role that professionals can play to support grieving children, both in the immediate aftermath of a loss as well as over time as children come to understand and cope with their loss.
- Peer Support (5 minutes) – Addresses the important role of peer support for grieving children and provides tips on preparing children to help grieving peers.
Credit:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers up to 1.75 Hour(s) Attendance w/ No Credit. Claim credit based on your participation.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also offers up to 1.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians. Claim credit according to your participation.
- Concepts of Death (12 minutes) – Describes the four concepts that strengthen children’s understanding about and ability to cope with death.
- Connecting with Families (11 minutes) – Considerations for reaching out to families to seek information, offer assistance, and support children over time.
- Cultural Sensitivity (5 minutes) – Explains how a general sensitivity to the unique backgrounds and needs of each family and individual should guide support considerations.
Credit:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers up to 1 Hour(s) Attendance w/ No Credit. Claim credit based on your participation.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also offers up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians. Claim credit according to your participation.
- Funeral Attendance (14 minutes) – Practical advice on advising families around children’s participation in funerals after a loss and how to provide optimal support.
- Secondary & Cumulative Losses (10 minutes) – Discusses issues related to secondary and cumulative loss and highlights the challenges faced by children living in violent communities.
- Coordinating Services & Supporting Transitions (12 minutes) – Addresses how to coordinate communications and services among all adults, even during transitions.
- Social Media (11 minutes) – Challenges and opportunities social media may present in supporting children who are grieving.
Credit:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers up to 1.5 Hour(s) Attendance w/ No Credit. Claim credit based on your participation.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also offers up to 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians. Claim credit according to your participation.
- Impact on Learning (9 minutes) – The impact of grief on learning and how to minimize academic challenges after a death.
- Guilt & Shame (8 minutes) – How to address guilt and shame, two common reactions children may feel after the death of a family member or friend.
- Other Reactions (8 minutes) – The range of emotional and behavioral reactions beyond guilt, shame, and learning challenges.
- Grief Triggers (13 minutes) – The phenomenon of grief triggers and how they can be handled, especially in a school setting.
Credit:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers up to 1.75 Hour(s) Attendance w/ No Credit. Claim credit based on your participation.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also offers up to 1.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians. Claim credit according to your participation.
- Professional Preparation (7 minutes) – Why professional preparation and training in the area of bereavement support among professionals is vital.
- Professional Self-Care (11 minutes) – The important role of professional self-care for (school) professionals as they provide support to grieving students.
Credit:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers up to 1 Hour(s) Attendance w/ No Credit. Claim credit based on your participation.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also offers up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians. Claim credit according to your participation.
- Death and School Crisis (18 minutes) – How to respond to a death involving a student, teacher, or another school staff member.
- Suicide (10 minutes) – Addresses the unique challenge of supporting children who are grieving a death by suicide of a family member or a member of the school community.
- Commemoration and Memorialization (14 minutes) – Explains the value of commemorative and memorial activities and practical guidance for such activities especially within a school setting.
- Potentially Life-Limiting Conditions (9 minutes) – How to support a seriously ill student with a potentially life-limiting condition and to help classmates understand and cope.
Credit:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers up to 1.25 Hour(s) Attendance w/ No Credit. Claim credit based on your participation.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles also offers up to 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians. Claim credit according to your participation.
