Tuesday, March 23, 2021
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. PTThe session will focus on how to provide practical support to young people and health and wellness practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presenter will summarize the unique challenges health and educational providers confront when supporting grieving young people. Instruction will also promote the need for professional self-care and share solutions to increase our own wellness. Ample time will be devoted to questions and discussion.
Session will cover the following objectives:
- Identify the unique challenges for health and wellness practitioners to support grieving children during the pandemic
- Outline the common adjustment reactions that children and youth may demonstrate during a pandemic
- Describe practical support strategies for children and youth during the pandemic
- Provide free resources for health practitioners to support grieving children that can be used at this time
- Highlight the importance of professional self-care during the pandemic, how to address common barriers to self-care, and potential solutions
Meet the Presenter
David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, is the founder of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (www.schoolcrisiscenter.org), located at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The Center coordinates the Coalition to Support Grieving Students (www.grievingstudents.org), which is comprised of 100 organizations including the major educational professional organizations: AASA, AFSA, AFT, ASCA, NAESP, NASN, NASP, NASSP, NEA, SSWAA founding members, NCSCB, and the New York Life Foundation. Dr. Schonfeld is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He is the author of more than 150 scholarly articles, book chapters, and books including the book entitled, The Grieving Student: A Teacher’s Guide (Brookes Publishing, 2010). Dr. Schonfeld facilitated more than 1,000 presentations on the topics of pediatric bereavement and crisis. In addition, he provided consultation and training in the aftermath of school crisis events and disasters within the United States and abroad, including the COVID-19 pandemic.