Grief and Bereavement Workshop
The Private World of Bereaved Children and Adolescents
Dr. Leslie Balmer
Monday October 25, 2010
Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to: Identify what makes childhood loss unique from loss during adulthood. Discuss children’s concepts of death and how this impacts on the grief process. Appreciate childhood grief as a dynamic developmental process that lasts a lifetime. Define traumatic loss and understand why a death from illness can be viewed as sudden and traumatic by children. Help parents and caregivers struggling to assist their children after a traumatic death such as suicide or murder. Incorporate practical and interactive assessment and therapy techniques into their work with bereaved children and adolescents.
Dr. Balmar will use case examples, art-work and video segments throughout the day to illustrate the profound nature of childhood grief, emphasizing the resiliency of bereaved children and adolescents as they struggle to make sense of their world after the death of a loved one.
About the Presenter: Dr. Balmer is a registered psychologist in private practice with Fleming Vigna Balmer in Ontario, Canada. She has over twenty years experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings. Dr. Balmer specializes in working with trauma victims who have suffered the death of a loved one through accident, suicide, or murder. In addition, she works with children, adolescents, and adults who are living with a life- threatening illness or have lost a loved one through illness. Drawing primarily on a cognitive/behavioral therapy background, Dr. Balmer incorporates art, games and play into her treatment of children and teens. She has published articles on childhood and adolescent bereavement and has lectured and facilitated training workshops in Canada, the United States, South America and Europe. She is a member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement.