Good Grief Spring Institute

For more information, please contact [email protected]

Join us for the Good Grief Spring Institute. This annual learning symposium addresses key issues related to grief and loss in order to raise awareness and enhance community resilience.

Attend this event to learn about:

1. The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on physical, emotional, and mental well-being throughout an individual’s life.
2. Best practices to facilitate conversations about grief and adversity. 
3. Systemic issues that cause inequitable experiences of grief and adversity.
4. How supportive relationships and adaptive life skills foster resilience in children and families.

ADMISSION

FULL-DAY: $125

AFTERNOON: $50

STUDENT RATE: $75

SCHEDULE

9:00 am: Check In

9:30 am: Conference Begins

9:45 am: Workshop 1: Talking About Grief: Confronting the Elephant in the Room

11:00 am: Break

11:15 am: Workshop 2: Challenge Accepted: Addressing Adversity Head On

12:30 pm: Lunch

1:30 pm: Good Grief Resource Session, Optional

2:15 pm: Keynote: “From Awareness to Socially Just Practices in Grief Support with Marginalized Youth”

3:15 pm: Break

3:30 pm: Panel Discussion featuring Good Grief participants 

4:30 pm: Conference Ends, Optional Reception to Follow

Keynote Address

From Awareness to Socially Just Practices in Grief Support with Marginalized Youth – Tashel Bordere, PhD, CT

In this session, participants will learn about the patterns of loss, disenfranchisement, and suffocated grief of marginalized youth and families and ways in which grief has been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and on-going systemic inequalities. Participants will also be exposed to an examination of socially just practices that contribute to effective outreach, cross-cultural communication, and grief enfranchisement of bereaved youth. 

Learning Goals

1. Describe sources of bereavement and suffocated grief in Black communities related to long-standing inequities, systemic oppression, and COVID-19.
2. Examine cultural resources as tools of grief enfranchisement and resistance to social denial of Black youth and family grief.

Dr. Bordere is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Science and State Extension Specialist in Youth Development at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She currently serves as Board Member of the National Alliance for Children's Grief. She has specialized training as a Certified Thanatologist (Death, Dying, and Grief). Dr. Bordere is past Board Member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), chaired the Multicultural Committee, and served as Editor of the ADEC forum publication. 

Panel Discussion

The symposium will feature a panel discussion led by Good Grief's Director of Education, Evelynn Moon, on the complexities of managing Adverse Childhood Experiences and grief. The panel will feature Good Grief parents and caregivers in conversation about the experience of supporting bereaved children who have a variety of ACEs.

Learning Goals:

1. Engage in a community conversation around the relationship between grief and other adversities.
2. Explore the role of adaptive life skills play in a young person’s ability to adapt to challenges.
3. Identify the types of support and relationships that positively support young people who are facing a range of challenges and adversities.

Workshops

Talking About Grief: Confronting the Elephant in the Room – Evelynn Moon, MA

This session is designed to identify and explore the role of grief following a death. Participants will learn the answers to how can we confront the "elephant" and reduce the isolation grievers often feel? How do we show up with empathy and compassion? What are helpful ways to support all those who are grieving? 

Learning Goals:

1. Identify death as a teachable moment and grief as a learning and growth experience
2. Facilitate competent conversations about death among children and adults
3. Explain strategies to assist children and adults coping with death
4. Identify the elements of grief that serve a useful purpose
5. Describe ways to be present for grievers in ways that are empathic and compassionate

Speaker Bio:

Evelynn Moon, MA is the Director of Education for Good Grief. Evelynn is responsible for Good Grief's education programs in the external community. Through education and advocacy, Good Grief is working to transform the environments that grieving children inhabit on a daily basis like schools, community and faith organizations, other nonprofits, and more. Prior to arriving at Good Grief, Evelynn worked in the creation, training, and implementation of Social Emotional Learning, Mentorship, and Comprehensive Sexual Education programming in schools throughout the state of New Jersey and beyond. 

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Challenge Accepted: Addressing Adversity Head On – Kelly S. Puryear, MSW

This highly energetic and interactive workshop presents a brief introduction to the context and findings of the first Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) study and its Principals who challenged themselves to think differently about the social determinants of health that they could see. It's a story of their impatience with the amount of health, social emotional, and behavioral challenges that exists in our country and the courage to set aside strongly held beliefs that can hide the truth. It's about systematically testing new possibilities. 

Learning Goals:

1. Introduce the CDC Adverse Childhood Experiences study.
2. Understand the impact of childhood trauma and its implications across the life course.
3. Explore ways to support building resilience and address the impact of ACEs.

Speaker Bio:

Currently working for the NJ Office of Resilience, Kelli Puryear's work focuses on transformative possibilities with justice-involved families/youth, early education and the intellectual/developmental disability communities.

Prior to joining the Office, she worked with the NJ Department of Children and Families Office of Adolescent Services supporting adolescents in their transition to adulthood.  Kelli has also served at various youth-development agencies ensuring achievement of organizational and programmatic outcomes.  Throughout her career, in both private agencies and public systems, she oversaw quality improvement systems and large-scale project management.  She is most excited about the transformative potential of understanding ACEs and contributing to core protective systems.  

Kelli was born and raised in Essex County, NJ were she currently resides. She hold’s a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (BSW) from Temple University, a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Rutgers University and completed post-Master’s work at the Heller School for Social Policy at Brandeis University. 

Good Grief Resource Info Session

Good Grief will share resources and information on current programs that assist children, teens, parents, and professionals in to build resilience through loss and adversity. There will be opportunity for Q&A.

Coffee, Lunch, and Cocktail Reception

Morning coffee and snacks, as well as lunch will be provided. At the conclusion of the event, you are invited to join us for a networking reception with Hors d'Oeuvres and refreshments.

Any complaints or grievances may be submitted in writing Good Grief at: 38 Elm Street, Morristown, NJ 07960.

CONTENT LEVEL

The content in this course will be at a beginner level.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Social workers, counselors, therapists, school professionals, parents and caregivers, and concerned members of the community.

REGISTRATION DEADLINES

Space is limited, and will be confirmed by email. In order to avoid being closed out, register as soon as possible. Deadlines are : March 11, 2022.

REFUND & CANCELLATION POLICY

Refunds and cancellations will be processed for those who request in advance of the date of their workshop, after which refunds will no longer be granted.

SNOW DATE

March 26, 2022.

COURSE COMPLETION AND INFO

For accommodations with disabilities, please contact Evelynn Moon, Director of Education for Good Grief at 908-522-1999 x8013 or via email at [email protected]