Over 365,000 youth in the United States are currently residing in the foster care system, and over 53,000 children are adopted each year. As a professional working with children or teens, it is likely that you will interact with multiple foster or adoptive youth at some point during your career. This workshop will provide educators, mental health professionals, community agency coordinators, bereavement specialists, social workers, and advocates with a deepened understanding of the unique and complex layers of losses inherent for many who have been placed in the child welfare system. Through videos, real life scenarios, and interactive activities, participants will particularly connect with the emotions and challenges common to foster youth who are grieving after a death. Strategies will be highlighted that assist these youth to increase their sense of identity, express their needs, and develop a sense of connection to others.

Guest Presenter:
Christine Lambright is the Director of School & Community-Based Services at The Children’s Room, Massachusetts’ largest independent child and adolescent bereavement nonprofit agency. Since 2015, Christine has acted in multiple programmatic roles at TCR. She currently oversees the strategic planning, development, and facilitation of school and community partnerships to provide grief support programming. She has presented training sessions at district, state, and national levels. Christine is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who has received two Master of Arts degrees in Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy, and she has nearly 10 years of prior experience as a clinician in a non-profit therapeutic foster care program.

Children Bereavement Center's Lunch & Learn series is offered FREE for community champions and mental health professionals. Each session offers training, resources and Q&A. CE Credit available for a fee for mental health professionals with licenses in Florida.