Understanding Grief as an Anxiety Response, not a Mood Disorder, & How to Support Affected System Involved Youth

Wendy Kessler, MSW, FT

Training Description

All loss - death as well as non-death loss - is processed as grief; and the normative grief we experience is often misunderstood as a mood disruption rather than an anxiety response. But for many grievers when a loss we feared has become our reality, managing anxiety is a more intense support need than our feelings of sadness as we are processing and adapting to loss. This training will offer insight into the confluence of grief and anxiety, and offer supportive techniques to help grieving youth self-soothe. Participants will be informed through presenter instruction, a slide presentation, case study analysis, and explanation of supportive techniques. To increase participant engagement and content retention, the presenter will also utilize the chat box, reaction emojis, guided participant discussion, and Questions & Response.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to :

● Identify 1 common reason grief responses are often misidentified as mood disruption rather than anxiety.

● Explain 2 key principles for normalizing anxiety and grief with system involved youth and families.

● Acquire 4 techniques to help system involved youth self-soothe when they are experiencing anxiety in response to grief.

Agenda

2:00 - 2:10pm  Welcome & Introductions

2:10 - 2:50pm  Educational Presentation: Grief and Anxiety

● All Loss is Processed as Grief

● Differentiating Grief, Anxiety, and Depression

● Normalizing Anxiety & Grief

● Differentiating typical grief anxiety from clinical anxiety

2:50 - 3:10pm  Learning Application: Case Studies

● Guided discussion of childhood grief & anxiety case study

● Guided discussion of adolescent grief & anxiety case study

3:20 - 3:50pm  Interventions for Self-Soothing

● 2 Strategies For Children

● 2 Strategies For Teens

3:50 - 4:00pm  Closing

Meet Our Trainer

Wendy Kessler, MSW, FT is a Grief Specialist. She is credentialed as a Fellow in Thanatology (the study of death, dying, and grief) by the Association of Death Education and Counseling, and is certified as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Wendy’s approach to grief work is characterized by nonjudgmental, compassionate, strengths based counseling; as well as the belief that grieving - an essential life skill that enables us to adapt to unwanted change and grow through loss - can be learned. Her support services include individual counseling, group facilitation, team training, and corporate consulting. When the path forward through loss is uncertain, it helps to have a guide. You can learn more about Wendy or contact her at her website: www.griefguideconsulting.com.

This course meets the qualifications for (2) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.