Strategies for Supporting Children and Youth after Loss

This workshop is geared toward mental health professionals practicing with children and youth. Strategies for Supporting Children and Youth after Loss will provide a brief review of the impact of death and significant loss on children and families. The workshop be grounded in viewing grief as a person-centered process that is located within the intersectionality of individuals who are grieving. The goal of this workshop will be to equip mental health professionals with language, skills, tools, and strategies for supporting children, youth, and families after the experience of a loss.

Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Identify a framework for guiding clinical work with children and youth who are grieving.
• Develop language to discuss death and loss with children and youth from birth through 18.
• Expand their clinical interventions and family support strategies for working with grieving individuals.

Presenter Bios:

Maureen Patterson-Fede, LICSW

Maureen Patterson-Fede is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who brings years of working with children and families to her work with the Good Grief Program. The central pillar to Maureen’s work has been supporting children and their caregivers as they heal from trauma and loss. She has worked with families in a variety of settings including domestic violence shelters, Children’s Advocacy Centers, clinic-based settings, and home-based work. Across these environments, she has learned that families deeply benefit from kind, empathetic, and attentive care that is led by their needs and illuminates their strengths and resiliency.

In her work with the Good Grief Program, Maureen brings her experience to provide developmentally informed, responsive consultation and support services to caregivers and their children in the wake of an acute loss. Maureen also works collaboratively with community partners to provide training on how to support resiliency and well-being for children who are grieving.

Minelia Rodriguez, LMHC

Minelia Rodriguez is a bi-lingual (Spanish/English) mental health clinician, who provides consultation and therapeutic services at the Good Grief Program. Minelia has provided therapeutic and support services to children and families through home, school, and clinic-based programming. Through the Good Grief Program, Minelia is able to provide trauma and grief interventions to children and families when they’ve experienced a significant loss. Minelia works hard to provide service access to families in neighborhoods of a lower socioeconomic status, and who are experiencing higher rates of community violence. Minelia is especially interested in increasing service access for Spanish-speaking families, immigrant families, and families who are experiencing significant barriers to mental health treatment.

Yvette LeBlanc Gundry, LMHC

Yvette LeBlanc is a Mental Health Clinician and National Board-Certified Counselor who provides therapy and consultation services to children and families through the Good Grief Program at Boston Medical Center. Yvette holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling from the University of North Texas and has specialized training in child-centered play therapy as well as expressive arts and mindfulness interventions. She has diverse clinical experiences including in community agency settings, in higher education student support, and within child advocacy centers; all of which contribute to her expertise in supporting the needs of child and adult clients alike.

The foundation of Yvette’s approach to therapy is honoring the client’s unique experience and the belief that telling one’s story in therapy can positively affect the healing that happens in each area of a person’s life. She utilizes a client-centered, grief- and trauma-informed approach to tailor therapy and parent consultation to each family’s needs. Yvette strives for a collaborative relationship in which she provides a nonjudgmental space for each client, along with information, encouragement, and support so that children and caregivers can make the progress they want to make on their healing journey.