© judi’s house 2012 supporting grieving youth in schools micki burns, ph.d. director of programs...

© Judi’s House 2012

Supporting Grieving Youth in Schools

Micki Burns, Ph.D.Director of [email protected]

Brook Griese, Ph.D.Co-Founder

[email protected]


Judi’s House• Nonprofit, community-based bereavement

center founded in Denver in 2001 in memory of Judith Ann Griese

• Vision: A community in which no child has to feel alone in grief

• Mission: To help children and families who are grieving the death of a loved one find hope and healing within themselves

• Provide free, comprehensive care to approximately 1,000 individuals annually


Comprehensive Grief Care at Judi’s House

• Assessment of Individualized Needs

• Pathfinders: 10-Week Bereavement Groups

• Connections: Continuous Grief Support Groups

• Specialized Groups (Spanish-Speaking, Suicide)

• Individual and Family Counseling & Therapy

• Care Coordination and Referrals for Additional Resources and Services

• Education and Training in Community


Overarching Goals of Our Programs

• Promote resilience, growth and healthy adjustment to loss

• Prevent complications of unaddressed grief and trauma associated with the death


Grief Programming in Schools

• In January of 2007, Judi’s House began collaborating with schools to provide support groups to grieving students during the school day

• To date, Judi’s House has facilitated 134 school-based bereavement groups– 17 Groups in 12 Elementary Schools– 55 Groups in 24 Middle Schools– 62 Groups in 25 High Schools


Why did we bring Judi’s House to schools?

• We will continue to exceed capacity within the four walls of Judi’s House

• It is estimated that over 30,000 youth in the Denver Metro area will experience the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 18 (Judi’s House, 2013)

• As income decreases, the likelihood of parental bereavement as a child increases substantially (www.childhealthdata.org)


Why did we bring Judi’s House to schools?

• Schools are natural partners providing:– A safe, trusted, community space for services– A caring environment focused on well-being– Access for students/families who may not seek

support due to stigma, cost or other barriers– Peer relationships that foster connectedness– Collaborative, trained, mental health

professionals and other caring adults


Why did we bring Judi’s House to schools?• Grief care professionals have an opportunity to

be proactive in supporting grieving youth– Not waiting for a tragedy to take action (e.g.,

Aurora theater shooting) – Promoting positive social and emotional health – Increasing awareness regarding grief and

trauma benefits the entire community– Training school personnel in the process of

identifying, assessing and addressing the needs of grieving children


School Staff Interviews

• Members of the University of Colorado/Judi’s House Research Team interviewed school personnel to explore:– School resources for addressing grief– Options for assessing and gathering

information from grieving families – Interest in grief/trauma training and services– Benefits and challenges when implementing a

school-based group



• Interviewed 12 school counselors• Interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes• Transcripts of interviews where analyzed by

four research team members • Qualitative themes were identified


• Resources available to schools:– Local grief care center (Judi’s House) – Hospice organizations– Private or individual therapists– Community social service agencies– Medicaid partnerships– Local Children’s Hospital– In-school support– Home-visit initiated by school




• Additional resources that would be helpful:– Training for teachers and other school staff– Educational materials on grief to provide to

students and families– Workshops for parents– Interactive website– Local referral/provider lists



• Expressed mixed feelings about assessing grieving students prior to group– Concerned students would resist opening up– Recommended using a pen and paper survey

or conducting brief face-to-face interviews• Acknowledged difficulty getting additional

information from caregivers at any point– Recommended using pen and paper survey or

brief phone interviews



• School counselors varied in level of interest in involvement with grief groups– Some wanted to co-facilitate while others

wanted to provide the students a private space without school representation

– Most felt comfortable collaboratively addressing red flags with other professionals


School Staff Interviews• Benefits of grief groups in schools

– Peer support – Connecting with other grieving students– Ease of access

• Challenges of grief groups in schools– Scheduling without hurting academics– Finding a consistent time/space– Obtaining caregiver consent and involvement– Needing enough students to start a group


Creating Effective School Partnerships:Laying the Groundwork

• Be clear about expectations and limitations• Involve family and school systems

– caregivers AND teachers• Identify a primary school contact, preferably a

mental health professional• Establish ways to assess individualized needs and

monitor impact on school performance (academic, social, emotional, behavioral)

• Maintain a reciprocal feedback loop


Creating Effective School Partnerships:Providing Services

• Know your environment– Introduce yourself to teachers, administrative

personnel and others; learn culture of school• Recognize limits

– Groups expose vulnerabilities and can be overwhelming to students

– Address red flags when they arise– Plan for fun, relaxing activities to end group– Provide coping skills that allow students to return

to class


How do you get started?

• Contact your local school systems– Connect with administrators (e.g.,

superintendents, principals) to secure their buy-in – Attend back-to-school nights and other school

functions to establish rapport and awareness– Offer to provide trainings to school personnel,

social workers, counselors, psychologists and other professionals

– Distribute materials at teacher in-service events– Offer to provide school-based services if possible


“Grief is not about letting go, it is about holding on in a different way.”-John Jacobs

© judi’s house 2012 supporting grieving youth in schools micki burns, ph.d. director of programs...

Documents

judis house nonprofit

walls of judis house

community slide

death slide

comprehensive grief

grief mission

grief vision

grief programming