course »Using Art with Children and Youth Involved in Foster Care to Heal Grief and Loss

Date: 3/16/2018, 9:00 am—4:00 pm
County: Alameda County
CEUs: 6
Location: Oakland
Sponsor: Fred Finch Youth & Family Services
Phone: 510-482-2244
Loss is a part of life, and grief can be debilitating. Death is only one kind of loss. Changes in relationships, home or educational placement and health status are examples of experiences that may evoke difficult feelings. We may grieve social, institutional and environmental conditions, including the lack of safety. At times we may feel overwhelmed, stuck, or lost. This training offers practices and ideas to help children and youth who are involved in foster care to safely experience and express sorrow. Modifications for those providing community-based service will be incorporated. We will spend time outdoors as well as inside. We’ll acknowledge the impact of grief, internally and externally, on ourselves and with others. We’ll explore strategies to shift despair into hope and positive action. This training will be experiential and interactive, and will include making art, discussion, case examples, and lecture based on clinical experience, community practices, and current research in neurobiology, trauma, and art therapy.