When Hope Feels Distant:

Supporting Students Through Grief and High-Risk Coping Behaviors

Description

In our work, we often sit with students for whom hope feels distant. Their grief—whether from personal loss, systemic injustice, or the weight of the world—can be a quiet, invisible force and while grief is a universal human experience, in certain situations, grief, distress, and trauma manifest in ways that are loud and alarming including self-harm, substance use, or suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

These high-risk coping behaviors are often the language of an unbearable grief and distress. How do we, as helpers, learn to hear what is truly being said?

In this essential Learning Institute, Joanna Bridger will lead us on a compassionate exploration of this tender and challenging terrain – how to be with and support students through grief and how and when to differentiate it from other forms of distress and trauma. We will journey beyond behavior modification and crisis management to the heart of the matter: accompanying students through the process of grieving. Drawing on a rich, trauma-informed framework, Joanna will provide practical, relationship-based strategies to:

• Build the profound trust required to create a safe harbor for students.
• Understand the neurobiology of grief and high-risk coping.
• Implement healing-centered interventions that foster connection and restore a sense of agency

This is more than a training; it is a day of profound learning and deep restoration for the professionals dedicated to being an anchor for students in the storm.

NASW CE Guidelines

Format Type

In-person

Target Audience

LMHC, Social Workers, School/District Staff, Community Partners

Fee

$75 

Accessibility

Please email JuliaEnright@BrooklineCenter.org if you have any desired accommodations that would help you access and benefit from this training. 

Cancellation/Refund Policy

Symposium and/or Learning Institute registration may be canceled with full refund (less a $30 processing fee) provided written notification is received any time up until four (4) weeks prior to the conference start date. A 50% refund is available for conference registration and/or learning institute registration provided written notification is received between four (4) weeks and two (2) weeks prior to the conference start date. No refunds will be granted within two (2) weeks of the conference start date. In the case of an emergency/extenuating circumstances, special requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the bryt leadership team following the conference. Refund requests should be submitted in writing to JuliaEnright@brooklinecenter.org