course »Holiday Stressors: Helping Youth in Foster Care through the Holidays

Date: 10/23/2019, 6:00 pm—9:00 pm
County: Alameda County
Location: Oakland
Sponsor: Alternative Family Services (AFS)
Phone: (916) 254-5200
The holidays can be stressful and busy times for everyone. For children in foster care, this time of year can be especially difficult. Many children experience feelings of guilt, shame and sadness during the holidays. And their feelings might be really mixed. During this work shop participants will review and identify strategies to help children cope during the holiday season. In addition to normal holiday stress, many system-involved youth face painful memories, family separation, difficult family dynamics, or at the worst, violence. The season becomes one of sadness and grief, often lasting well into the new year. Understanding how difficult this time may be for foster youth, can help caregivers and staff support them and let them know that there are people who care. Training will be conducted through lecture, class discussion, power point and hand outs.