OCYI’s Critical Hours Training Conference offered critical hours staff a full day of presentations to support their work with children and youth across Ottawa.
Social workers Laura Coatsworth and Andrea Prescott-Cornejo, who provide services to palliative care families at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice and CHEO, presented an insightful morning session titled "Caring for Young Grievers" highlighting the unique needs of grieving children and supplying helpful strategies.
Delivered in a warm and comfortable style, Laura and Andrea shared the following framework of objectives with a full room of highly engaged staff:
- Developing an understanding of grief
- Review of grief reactions in children and youth and strategies to care for a grieving young person.
- Discussion of how to talk with kids about death and grief.
- Understanding when and which supports might be needed.
Knowing that a person’s role as a caring, consistent, and trusted adult can be one of the most effective supports in a young person’s deeply personal journey with grief, RNCH also runs regular sessions of Caring for Young Grievers: A Workshop for Parents, Caregivers and People Working with Children online. Hosted virtually, in English and French, this free workshop helps parents, caregivers, educators, counsellors, and other professionals to better support the grieving young people in their lives.
Visit the RNHC website or click on these links for more information.
• Register for an upcoming workshop
• Email us for more information
Caring for Young Grievers: Workshops for Your Workplace
You can now request a custom, free, in-person Caring for Young Grievers workshop for any organization serving youth, including education, health, community-focused organizations and more. Email Grief Support Services at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice for further information.
“I decided to attend the OCYI annual training conference because it's a great opportunity to both learn from experts in the field of youth development, and to connect with different youth agencies in our local community.
I specifically decided to participate in the Caring for Young Grievers workshop because of the need for support for some of our service users. We work with volunteers who may not have specific training on addressing questions of grief with the youth they support, and it is my responsibility as a case worker to be able to provide reassurance, knowledge, and guidance to those who might need it. Personally, it's also a subject that I'm interested in. I'm trained in psychology, and I have a professional curiosity to learn more about this specific topic.” Julie Darcis Enrolment Coordinator – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa