Crisis and loss are common in the lives of students, whether due to a death or crisis involving a student’s individual family or one that affects the entire school community. School professionals can play a vital role in providing important support to students to promote their understanding of the event, help them learn coping strategies to accelerate their adjustment and minimize their distress, and minimize maladaptive coping mechanisms and behavioral difficulties.

This workshop will help school professionals learn basic skills in how to talk with and support individual students or the entire class/school as they struggle to understand and cope with a crisis or loss in their lives.

The presenter, David J Schonfeld, MD, established and directs the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. He will draw on over 25 years’ experience in pediatric bereavement and school crisis response to provide examples and answer questions from participants.

Learning Objectives (teaching strategies will be lecture, audiovisual materials, discussion and questions and answers):

Supporting students at times of crisis and loss: By participating in the session, the learner will be able to:
• Initiate conversations with students in the aftermath of a crisis or after the death of a family member or friend
• Understand the importance of psychological first aid and basic supportive services to promoting adjustment after a crisis
• Outline the common symptoms of adjustment reactions in children and adolescents that may occur in response to a crisis
• Discuss the role of guilt in impacting adjustment to a loss or crisis
• Outline the timeline for adjustment for children after a crisis event
• Be able to provide practical advice on issues such as funeral attendance of children and appreciate the importance of long-term follow-up after a significant loss or crisis
• Describe grief and trauma triggers and advise on how to minimize their impact in a school setting, as well as other academic accommodations
• Discuss issues to consider related to commemoration and memorialization after a death involving a member of the school community
• Consider issues of professional self-care when supporting children and staff who are grieving or adjusting to a crisis event
• Know how to access free professional development resources on bereavement via www.grievingstudents.org

LCAP 5 & 6: Student Engament & School Climate



Continuing Educaiton Hours (CEH) will be provided to registered school nurses at the end of the meeting. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 12715 for 4.0 contact hours.