Grieving is a natural reaction to a major loss. In foster care, grieving can be experienced at different times of the care situation by everyone involved--the birth parents, the child, the foster parents, and members of the foster family. Yet this grief is often denied or hidden. Join Charley Joyce, a Licensed Independent Social Worker and Clinical Director of PATH, Inc. of North Dakota, as he explores the issues surrounding grief and loss.
This course reviews the stages of grief, how the various members in a foster care situation grieve, and tools for regaining a sense of balance and acceptance after a separation. The discussion segment helps the viewer understand the differences between complex grief and normal grief, and when to seek professional help.
At the end of the course, parents will be able to:
- Identify the stages of grief.
- Understand what contributes to foster children's birth parents' and foster parents' grief.
- Describe the manifestations of grief and loss in children, birth parents and foster parents.
- Identify strategies for helping children through the grieving process.
- Describe complex grief.
- Identify strategies for helping to prevent complex grief.
Running Time: approximately 38 minutes.
This course includes handouts, a knowledge questionnaire, and a viewer's guide.
