View Concurrent Sessions

• Thursday, April 27
• Friday, April 28
• Saturday, April 29
  

*Indicates virtual webcast/live-streamed session presented in the large plenary room.

View Poster Presentations

• Thursday, April 27 10:50am-11:30am; 3:15pm-4:00pm  Visit with Poster Presentations, Exhibitors, and Authors 
  
  
• Friday, April 28 10:00am-11:00am; 2:45pm-3:30pm  Visit with Poster Presentations, Exhibitors, and Authors
  

Thursday, April 27

Thu 11:30am - 12:30pm ET - Concurrent Session I 

*Union-1  Cultural Humility Applied: The Role of Faith and Spirituality in Clinical Settings
Presented by: Rebecca Morse, PhD, MA; Christina Zampitella, PsyD, FT; and Lory B. Easton JD, MPsy 
Many individuals self-identify as religious or spiritual. The importance of faith and spirituality in therapeutic work is unsurprising; it can be central to clients’ identities, and pivotal for social-networks, coping-styles, and goal-setting/aspirations for flourishing. Yet faith/spirituality is largely unaddressed in professional formation. Fear of ethical boundaries and limited training in integrating spirituality with psychotherapy leaves clinicians under-equipped to invite faith into clinical settings. Engaging and honoring clients’ spirituality enhances therapeutic relationships and improves treatment outcomes. Integrating clients’ faith/spirituality into psychotherapeutic work is an ethical imperative for professional competency, and the best approach is modeled on the concept of cultural humility.


Fairfield-2  Black Doulas Matter: Exploring the Intersection of Black Grief, Black Death and White Supremacy
Presented by: Jamie Eaddy Chism, DMin, CT, CTP
Despite the many diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives adopted by many healthcare systems, the system still disregards black life, ignores black death, silences black grief, and shames the Black griever. Beyond addressing obvious biases, Black doulas help us discover what it takes to provide care that embraces all intersecting identities, expresses a humble curiosity, maintains cultural humility, and combats white supremacy. Learn a decolonized approach to doula work, identify how whiteness impacts Black grief, and reimagine personal and communal healing as you provide end-of-life care and support grief while serving Black people and other people of color.


Madison-3a   11:30-12:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Grief Activism: Public Mourning and Grief as Protest
Presented by: Lisa McLean, PhD
This presentation will draw upon ethnographic research on transnational protests against migrant death and disappearance to discuss the significance of ‘grief activism,’ or public mourning as protest, and key strategies utilized by this movement to pursue change. In particular, the presentation will consider how grief is politicized within collectives of relatives of disappeared migrants as well as the movement’s use of “traumatic memes” (Taylor, 2019) to communicate a recognizable story about grief and injustice related to migrant death and disappearance. This research demonstrates the centrality of grief as a foundation for social justice activism.


Madison-3b  12:00-12:30 Research Report
Exploring Pupil Bereavement Experiences in Special Educational Teaching staff: An Enfranchised Grief?
Presented by: Benjamin Partridge, MRes, PGCE, QTS, BSc (Hons)
This presentation questions how useful the notion of disenfranchised grief is in explaining the bereavement experiences of professionals in special educational needs schools following the death of a pupil.   Findings show that teaching and support staff did not express feelings of disenfranchisement within the school setting, while they did outside of this setting with family and friends. Evidence suggests staff recognized each other’s rights to grieve within the school environment.   The presentation will reflect on the implications of findings, exploring who is best placed to provide support and who may have the means to enact support.


Fayette-4  Unable to Forgive: Moral Injury and Complicated Grief
Presented by: Ellen Chaffin, MA, MS
Why do some individuals develop complicated grief while others do not? Research has found that guilt is one of the best predictors of complicated grief. Often this guilt is caused by unresolved issues with the deceased, regret for past behavior, or self-blame related to the death, all circumstances which offer a high risk of moral injury. This presentation posits a causal connection between complicated grief and moral injury through case studies, reviews diagnostic considerations and ACT and expressive therapies for resolving moral injury in the context of complicated grief, and explores avenues for future research.


Champaign-5a  11:30-12:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Psychosocial Development in Bereaved Young Adult Caregivers
Presented by: Emily Mroz, PhD
Family caregiving impacts psychosocial development and results in unique bereavement support needs. Emerging and young adults commonly provide care to parents with cancer, but few resources are tailored to preparing practitioners to support this demographic of bereaved caregivers. This talk presents insights from a qualitative study of thirty-three emerging and young adult caregivers of parents who died following advanced cancer. Findings highlight positive and negative effects of caregiving on psychosocial development (i.e., identity, relational intimacy and roles, life path directionality). Takeaways outline bereavement support strategies and implications for developing resources to promote positive psychosocial development in this vital caregiver demographic.


Champaign-5b 12:00-12:30 Research Report - 30 minutes
Student Reflections on Contemplative EoL Education
Presented by: Gina Belton, PhD and Erica Zizak, MA
Understanding how students perceive their learning experience and practical application of learned contemplative approaches to death, dying, and bereavement aids in operationalizing compassionate end-of-life care. The purpose of this study is to examine how students in a doctoral end-of-life care specialization program perceive their learning experience and learning outcomes. Results of this study contribute to the body of knowledge informing end-of-life care stakeholders on how students of contemplative end-of-life care education are effectively moving learned concepts from theory into practice. It also informs us about transformative changes students experience through this educational process and how this affects their end-of-life encounters.


Knox-6  I’m Grieving My Child, But They’re Not Dead!
Presented by: M. Louise Purtle, MBA
As our understanding of gender expands, a growing number of young people are choosing an identity that varies in some way from their birth-assigned male/female label. As I found through personal experience a change in a child’s gender expression can disrupt everything from family dynamics to existential understandings. Loving a child through this emergence involves releasing the prior relationship and confronting numerous secondary losses. What we know about non-death, ambiguous loss can guide our response to this intersection of grief and gender, providing much-needed resources for families that are seeking to support a vulnerable portion of our youth population.


Marion-7  Grief Counseling Around the World: The Global Perspective
Presented by: Cristina Maria Felizardo Rodrigues, PhD Student
Grief is a natural and universal phenomenon, as every human being will experience it.  However, the bereaved one´s response to the loss of a loved one is individual and subjective. Knowing that grief responses are influenced by sociocultural aspects, this study aimed to characterize Grief Counselling from a global perspective, using a Systematic Literature Review. Authors from the US, Australia, Canada, Spain, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Nigeria define Grief Counseling as a universal therapy that must attend to the sociocultural specificities, the individual characteristics of the bereaved child, youth, or adult, and the singularities of the loss

Thu 1:45pm - 3:15pm ET - Concurrent Session II 


*Union-1  Respecting Patient Preferences, Maintaining Hope and Setting Realistic Expectations: Multidisciplinary Approach at the Intensive Care Unit
Presented by: Silvia Perez-Protto, MD, MS, MBA and Panel
This panel consists of a bedside nurse with extensive experience participating with family meetings, highlighting the role of the bedside nurse in the values exploration and goals of care conversations. It also presents an intensive care physician expert in communication at the end of life, who will share effective tools to share prognosis clearly and with empathy, setting realistic expectations while keeping hope for seriously ill patients. A bioethicist will focus on how to appropriately engage clinical ethics to assist with goals of care discussions and address concerns with continuing potentially non-beneficial treatment, and its impact on preventing conflict among healthcare team members. A family support liaison from Lifebanc, northeast Ohio organ, eye and tissue recovery organization, will share insight regarding grief and trauma as it relates to the discussion of donation at end of life.


Fairfield-2  Self Compassion as a Resource in Loss and Grief
Presented by: Darcy Harris, PhD, FT
Clinicians who work with people experiencing loss and grief are often defined by their compassionate nature and ability to care for others in incredibly difficult situations. The ability to sustain this compassionate stance begins with self-compassion. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the cultivation of compassion-based practices as a buffer to fatigue and burnout that can be readily experienced when working with vulnerable individuals in organizational settings. This workshop will discuss self compassion as a professional competency, and introduce practices designed to cultivate self compassion in clinical work with clients.


Madison-3  Art Therapy Altered Books: A Narrative Reframing after Traumatic Loss
Presented by: Sharon Strouse, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT and Sarah Vollmann, MPS, ATR-BC, LICSW
Struggle is common in the aftermath of traumatic loss. In this didactic and experiential workshop, we will review evocative art therapy case studies of altered books and explore their therapeutic benefits for survivors of traumatic loss. Altered books are books that have been transformed from their original formats and reinvented as unique art objects of self-expression. Survivors of traumatic grief may alter books into reimagined narratives, fostering restorative retelling (Rynearson, 2022) meaning reconstruction (Neimeyer, 2019) and the dual process model (Stroebe & Schut, 1999). Participants will create an altered book to explore and experience this creative process.


Champaign-5  Finishing Well: Thanatologists Consider Their Career’s Final Chapter
Presented by: Moderator Louis Gamino, PhD; Panelists William Hoy, DMin, FT, Janet E. McCord, PhD FT, and Sherry Schachter, PhD FT
Do thanatologists really ever retire? Many ADEC members continue teaching, consulting, and providing clinical care into their 7 0s, 80s, and beyond. But when it becomes financially possible to “slow down” most begin thinking about the shape of their career in its “final chapter,” whether that chapter is measured in years or decades.  In this panel discussion, experienced thanatologists will discuss how they are navigating the road to and beyond retirement including their plans for teaching, writing, and supporting patients, albeit at a quieter pace. They will talk candidly about identity reconstruction and the financial challenges of the career’s “final chapter."


Knox-6  Autismandgrief.org: A New Resource to Support Grieving Autistic Adults and Their Support Network
Presented by: Ken Doka, PhD, MDiv; Lisa Morgan, MEd, CAS;  Alex M. LaMorie, AAS; and Amy Tucci
One in 45 U.S. adults is autistic (CDC, 2022),  yet limited research has been devoted to their grief experience.  Characteristics of autism may affect communication, behavior, and interaction with others, leading to disenfranchisement in bereavement and resulting in grief that may be unrecognized or invalidated.    Hospice Foundation of America has launched autismandgrief.org (funded by the NLM Family Foundation), a new website for autistic adults;  families and friends; and professionals. The panel will discuss the development of this innovative resource that fills a critical need by sharing information  and recommendations to help understand how grief is experienced and expressed by autistic adults.


Marion-7  Alleviating Burnout and Building Sustained Resilience with Mindful Compassion Art-based Therapy (MCAT)
Presented by: Andy Ho, PhD, EdD, MFT
Palliative and bereavement care professionals face a multitude of demands in their work, convoluted by frequent experiences of patient death and ensuing grief. The resulting stress and burnout adversely affect quality of patient care and quality of caregiver health. Mindful Compassion Art-based Therapy (MCAT) is a clinically robust, integrative, multimodal group-based intervention for reducing burnout and enhancing resilience through the reflective power of mindfulness and the expressive power of art-making. Participants will be provided with a unique opportunity to experience of MCAT that is grounded in empirical science, and to learn effective and creative ways for self-love, self-care, and self-discovery.






Thu 4:00pm - 5:00pm ET Concurrent Session III 

*Union-1  Grief Recovery of Black Men Involved with the Justice System: Bridging Theory and Practice
Presented by: Jeffrey Hallam, PhD, FRSPH and Rachael D. Nolan, PhD, MPH, CPH
Poor health outcomes are associated with a history of incarceration, leading people to experience grief. Given the overrepresentation of Black men historically involved with the justice system and the underrepresentation of Black men in grief research, this study examined the effect of exposure to a community-based grief recovery program. Our community partner recruited, enrolled participants, and delivered the program to Black men previously involved with the justice system. Analysis showed significant increases in participants' scores, indicating that program exposure positively impacted theoretical variables. Findings mirrored previous research that exposure to the TOGR-based program positively affected theoretical variables of grief recovery.

Fairfield-2  Hope Has Never Been So Painful: Ambiguous Loss Experiences of Refugees
Presented by: Ibrahim Akmese, M.Ed. PhD student
The World has been facing the biggest immigration crisis over the past decade. In addition to non-death losses, many people experience the death of a loved one, but not all of them are able to confirm their loved ones’ deaths. After attending this presentation, you will understand the ambiguous loss in the context of current global issues such as immigration, understand the difference between confirmed and ambiguous loss, and apply different strategies and approaches while working with those who have experienced ambiguous loss.


Madison-3  Organ Donation and Transplantation: Shifting the Narratives of Loss
Presented by: Lara Moretti, LSW, CT and Rebecca A. Simon, LMSW
Individuals affected by both donation and transplantation have the opportunity to challenge their narrative of loss. Families of organ, eye and tissue donors often experience empowerment, unique opportunities for continuing bonds, and a positive association connected to their loved one’s legacy as a life saver.  Transplant recipients, while experiencing a second chance at life, may also experience losses related to their transplant including survivor’s guilt and other non-death losses.  Case presentations will be shared to highlight and illustrate how some families have shifted their narrative because of donation and transplantation.


Fayette-4  Flawed Foundations: Deconstructing Three Contemporary Grief Constructs
Presented by: Donna Schuurman, EdD, FT
The history of the movement to pathologize grief includes numerous examples of social constructs built on flawed foundations.  This workshop will deconstruct three current social constructs and expose the cracks in their assumptions:  1. The Inventory of Complicated Grief, developed in 1999 and utilized to this day, despite the lack of generalizability (acknowledged in Maciejewshi, P., Maercker, A., Boelen, P., & Prigerson, H., 2016)  2. The Dysfunctional Pandemic Grief Scale, developed in 2020 and available in over 25 languages; and 3.The hypothesis of grief as “addiction,” leading to testing of a grief pill, naltrexone.


Champaign-5a  4:00-4:30 Research Report - 30 minutes
The Importance of the Quality of the Pre-Death Relationship for the Continuing Bond
Presented by: Edith Steffen, PsychD and Karina Stengaard Kamp, PhD
According to the continuing bonds perspective, the continuing bond (CB) is a continuation of the pre-death relationship, well-illustrated by qualitative research. Quantitative research has, however, not explored whether the quality of the pre-death relationship is related to the quality, and experience, of the continuing bond. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 312 participants. Analysis revealed a significant association between pre-death closeness and more positive CB evaluation, and between pre-death conflict and more negative CB evaluation. Interestingly, pre-death conflict was found to be even more important for CB than pre-death closeness, pointing to the importance of addressing ‘unfinished business’ post-loss.


Champaign-5b  4:30-5:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Direct Cremation: The Risks and Benefits of Not Having a Funeral
Presented by: Kate Woodthorpe, PhD, MA, BA
There is a broad consensus that the contemporary funeral’s purpose is to provide social support for the bereaved. Reporting on a recent UK study this paper examines the reasons why people opt to not have a funeral service, with findings indicating participants do commemorate the death, but at a later date, with the ashes, or at an invite-only private event. Often multiple events can be held to great effect: participants overall felt satisfied with their choice(s) and did not report that their grief was negatively impacted nor their social support suffered as a result of not having a funeral service.


Knox-6  Naming the Unnamed: Seeing and Supporting Grieving Health Care Professionals
Presented by: Janet Arida, PhD, RN, LCSW and Alexa Livelsberger, LCSW
The professional training nurses, physicians, social workers, and other care providers receive emphasizes the important role of professional boundaries.  However, professional care providers are also affected by grief and loss when they experience the illness, disability, trauma, and death of the patients they care for.  We believe that the topic of professional grief needs a seat at the table!  Together we’ll explore ways for health care providers to care for themselves and their colleagues, while influencing the organizational culture around grief and loss in professional spaces.


Marion-7  Working with COVID-Related Death and Issues of Complicated Grief
Presented by: Edward Andrews, LPC, LMFT, CT
The COVID 19 Pandemic resulted in an estimated six and half million deaths worldwide, but also in countless other deaths related to untreated conditions which resulted in non-COVID-specific deaths. Conditions were often not monitored and untreated due to COVID restrictions. A wide range of grief reactions have resulted including anger, rage, and resentment, as well as a deep questioning of institutions and a disillusionment of hope and the shattering of assumptive world, (Rando, 1993), and beliefs. Therapists can help heal the trauma of a post-pandemic world using our skills and techniques.

Friday, April 28

Fri 9:00am - 10:00am ET - Concurrent Session IV 


*Union-1  Recent Neuroscience Findings and Their Relevance to Understanding Grief and Providing Grief Therapy
Presented by: Phyllis Kosminsky, PhD, LCSW, FT
Over the past ten years, technological advances in neuroscience research have deepened our understanding of how the brain develops and how it operates, particularly under stress. These findings reinforce previous studies of the effects of early life trauma on brain development, particularly those areas of the brain most involved with emotion regulation. In this presentation, you will learn about these research findings, and with the additional information offered by the presenter's clinical examples, gain an appreciation for their application to your work and how to use this information in your practice.


Fairfield-2  The Widows of Women: Different Experiences, Different Losses, and What Is Needed to Provide Optimal Support
Presented by: Jill Johnson-Young, LCSW
The goal of this presentation and discussion is to provide a different perspective for those who are not members of the community who work with lesbian widows, and special considerations needed in providing services for them. It will be led by a grief focused clinician who is also a twice widowed lesbian who has served in hospice as both a medical social worker and director of chaplains, grief staff and social workers.


Madison-3a 9:00-9:30 Personal Story - 30 minutes
How Sibling Loss Affects Children and How to Offer Support
Presented by: Susan Lawrence, BS, MA, MEd
This presentation will explore the experience of sibling loss during childhood through the story of the presenter. Sibling loss is frequently misunderstood and overlooked by adults, including those in the counseling field. Using her own situation as the context, the presenter will share current research and ideas on the topic, including data from studies conducted by her own college students. In addition, the presenter has worked with many bereaved children, and those encounters will add further insights. Through the interaction between personal story and professional knowledge, this presentation hopes to shed light on the unique experience of sibling loss.


Madison-3b 9:30-10:00 Personal Story - 30 minutes
We Don’t Know Death: 8 Assumptions We Make about Dying
Presented by: Lizzy Miles, MA, MSW, LISW-S
Prior experiences with death can lead us to believe that we know what to expect the next time we encounter a dying individual.  However, for hospice staff, this “knowing” can lead to inappropriate conclusions. This presentation will explore assumptions professionals often make regarding the dying process.  We will review the types of situations in which we may romanticize dying.  The presenter will share how dying individuals can surprise us and act in ways that we might not have anticipated. Finally, the presenter will offer interventions for professionals to use to ensure we honor patient choices and variations in cultural beliefs.


Fayette-4  Will the Real Mary Todd Lincoln Please Step Forward
Presented by: Harold Ivan Smith, DMIN, FT
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln remains a controversial American first lady. Mary experienced “grief overload” (Neimeyer & Holland 2006) following the deaths of parents, two sons, friends, three stepbrothers, and a brother-in-law who died defending the Confederacy. Did what Rando called, “previously unaccommodated losses,” impact Mary after her husband’s assassination, a third son’s death, and a son’s effort to have her declared insane? This paper uses Worden’s (2018) theory of “historical antecedents” as a mediator of grief and an historical example to demonstrate use of a client’s grief grid (collective grief experiences) to facilitate integration of loss.


Champaign-5a  9:00-9:30 Research Report - 30 minutes
B ereavement Care in Pre-death Phase: The “What,” “Whose” and “How”?
Presented by: Amy Chow, PhD, FT
Existing literature often refers to the content of pre-death bereavement care as the format of care, such as home visits and telephone contacts, which provides limited clinical utilization value. Sixty-three health and social care providers of end-of-life care participated in a cross-sectional online survey and reported the observed pre-death bereavement needs of their service recipients at three-time points: the first week of referral, last few days before the death, and the time in between. Information needs, being listened to and respecting the preference were found to be the commonly observed needs at the three-time points.


Champaign-5b   9: 30-10:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Using Ludic Strategies in Death Education for Children
Presented by: Maiara R. Santos, PhD, MSN, RN and Isabella Navarro Silva (PhD Candidate)
This study aimed to understand how the use of a ludic strategy can contribute to death education for children. Interpretive qualitative research. Data were collected through virtual workshops with children aged 7 to 10 created stories using an illustrated card game. The results indicated that regardless of their personal experience about death, with creative storytelling as a trigger to talk about death, children are able to express their doubts, opinions and feelings. Relying on the ludic strategy, the child can externalize their perception about death, hence the importance of using ludic activities to promote death education for children.


Knox-6  Utilizing Cultural Resiliency to Cope with Traumatic Loss
Presented by: Nancy Thacker Darrow, PhD, NCC and Jessica M. Tyler, PhD, LPC-S, BC-TMH, NCC
This presentation will explore the utility of cultural resilience in grieving traumatic loss. Culture can buffer its members from the impact of trauma, as culture creates meaning systems and provides healing rituals in connection to a group. A cultural resilience approach to helping offers many culturally responsive techniques to decrease client helplessness and hopelessness. Additionally, a social justice orientation to integrating cultural resiliency in therapy can be used to evaluate clients’ beliefs about loss, belonging, and marginalization. The presenters will provide strategies for decolonizing grief work with clients to ensure all clients may readily use cultural resiliency in their grief.


Marion-7  End-of-Life Care in Rural Communities: Challenges and Solutions to Supporting Healthcare Professionals
Presented by: Carrie Bauer, MS
Working in the end-of-life field brings challenges and rewards to the various professionals working with patient and families; however, professionals working in rural areas often face challenges that are unique when compared to those working in urban settings. During this presentation, we will identify various challenges faced by EOL professionals working in rural areas and provide ideas on how to increase support & awareness. We will also discuss how future research and literature would benefit from focusing on the unique needs of rural communities and EOL professionals, which could also help increase awareness of these challenges and unique characteristics.

 

Fri 11:00am - 12:00pm ET - Concurrent Session V
 

*Union-1a 11:00-11:30 Research Report - 30 minutes
Can We Make the Meaning Last? Strategies for Sustaining the Effects of Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy
Presented by: Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD, FT; Stephanie Napolitano, MA and Kailey E. Roberts, PhD
Grievers often describe how meaningful moments are transient, noting the sharp contrast effect when a fulfilling experience ends and their grief returns to the forefront of their consciousness. This study explored strategies for sustaining a sense of meaning over time in bereaved parents participating in a trial of Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy (MCGT). Parents were asked what they believe will help them sustain changes they made as a result of MCGT over time. Qualitative data revealed that parents believed changes could be sustained by continued engagement with MCGT concepts and intentional connection to sources of meaning, including their deceased child.


*Union-1b  11:30-12:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Therapeutic Factors Associated with Grief in Volunteer Facilitated Grief Support Groups
Presented by: Heather Servaty-Seib, PhD HSPP and Pam Malone, PhD, LCSW-S
Adults attending one of six support groups (i.e., Beyond Divorce, Adult Parent Loss, Bereaved Parents, Bereaved Spouses and Partners, Women’s Mother Loss, and Beyond Suicide) at an established center for grieving families will participate in a mixed method investigation. They will respond to quantitative measures including the Therapeutic Factors Inventory-Short Form (TFI-S; assess four of Yalom’s therapeutic factors), the Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale (ISLES), and the Inventory of Complicated Grief Screening and respond to qualitative assessments (i.e., open-ended questions) associated with satisfaction and helpful and hindering aspects of the group experience.


Fairfield-2  Organ Donation after Cardiac Death
Presented by: Amber Majeed-Nicely, MA, MFT; Kelsi Kolle, MSN, RN, CCRN, CPTC and Nicole Sousa
Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) are responsible for facilitating organ, eye, and tissue donation on behalf of the 106,000 people waiting for a life-saving transplant. OPOs compassionately guide families through their grief and offer organ donation as part of end-of-life decisions once the patient has either been declared brain dead or has sustained a nonsurvivable injury and the family has made the decision to withdraw all life sustaining measures. We will discuss the impact of organ donation on families and the type of grief support provided by OPO’s. Additionally, we will review innovative technologies used to optimize organ transplantation.


Madison-3  Transcending Freud: A New Paradigm for Using Grief Dreams as a Foundation for Healing
Presented by: Ellen Chaffin, MA
A common phenomenon amongst the bereaved, grief dreams are a powerful and often overlooked tool that counselors can use to empower and engage grieving clients in their healing journey. Dreams can provide critical insights into the grief process both for the dreamer and the therapist, not through interpretation but as a mediated space to safely explore grief and memories of their loved one.  This presentation proposes a new model for using grief dreams to promote healing through creative visualization, expressive therapies, and mindfulness-based practices to track grief progress, identify problem areas, and facilitate emotional processing of grief.


Fayette-4  Baptism by Fire: Providing Education and Support to Medical Students and Resident Physicians through Covid, a Mass Shooting, and Multiple Faculty and Student Deaths
Presented by: Jennifer Hartman, EdS, LPC, RPT, NCC
Death education varies greatly among medical training programs as well as counseling training programs. The presenter shares her experience counseling medical students and residents who experienced multiple traumatic losses resulting from COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, a mass shooting at a hospital where students and residents rotated, and the unexpected deaths of a student and three faculty members in two years’ time. Collaborations with faculty to incorporate grief education into simulation activities as well as opportunities to process those experiences will be discussed. The presenter will describe her efforts to educate herself and how these experiences shaped her personally and professionally.

Champaign-5  Reflection and Reconciliation at End of Life: A Case Study
Presented by: Louis Gamino, PhD
Engaging in life review can often be a rewarding and constructive therapeutic exercise for dying patients. However, the process can also involve uncomfortable moments when confronting inevitable shortcomings, revisiting lost opportunities, or mourning broken relationships. In a compelling case study, the author presents how one hospice patient reflected on her tumultuous life journey and drew upon her hard-won wisdom to change how she related to her closest loved ones, including the role of forgiveness. Viewing excerpts from a videotaped interview illustrates how the patient made these turns during the course of end-of-life treatment and offers participants an active learning experience.


Knox-6  Understanding Grieving Youth: An Ethnographic Exploration
Presented by: Brianne Overton, FT, LPC, NCC and Courtney Dubin
In an effort to explore the impacts of the the grief gap on grieving youth, we set out to identify and understand gaps and barriers in accessing camp and other support from the perspective of grieving youth and their adult caretakers, with an emphasis on BIPOC youth and under resourced communities.

Marion-7  Linked Lives: The Impact of Racism for African Americans Experiencing Disenfranchised Grief
Presented by: Doneila McIntosh, MDiv, MA
Disenfranchised Grief (DG) occurs when a loss is stigmatized or is not socially validated. At the core of disenfranchised grief is empathy. While empathy is a complex construct, research has shown that empathy is impacted by racial identity, bias, and discrimination. Therefore, empathic failures (or the lack of empathy) come at a high cost for many grieving African Americans. Following the recent death of Tyre Nichols, the concept of “linked lives” began to trend on social media. Highlighting the interconnectedness of social networks, linked lives suggests that individuals are influenced by a collective consciousness among their ethnic/racial group, leading to a collective grief experience for many African American communities. Through this presentation, participants will learn more about the concept of linked lives, how the perpetuation of empathic failures can result in disenfranchised grief for African Americans, and some socioculturally attuned interventions to support African American clients amid their grief.

Fri 3:30pm - 5:00pm ET - Concurrent Session VI 

*Union-1  Grief Therapy as a Pluralistic Practice:  Voices of Experience
Presented by: Evgenia Milman, PhD, MA; Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD; Edith Maria Steffens, PhD; Darcy L. Harris, PhD, RN, RSW, MEd(Couns), FT and Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD, FT
The field of grief has been burgeoning in recent decades. Research has led to greater awareness of the range of challenges and complications confronted by the bereaved. Concurrently, novel therapeutic approaches have been developed to assist grievers seeking professional support. As a result, a wide range of well-established clinical interventions and techniques are now available. This panel offers guidance on how clinicians might manoeuvre this rich landscape of grief therapy, tailoring their approach in a manner that considers both the support needs of the individual griever as well as the personal and professional stance of the clinician.


Fairfield-2  Superhero Grief: Art-Informed Grief Therapy Techniques What We Can Learn from The Flash and Therapeutic Collage
Presented by: Jill Harrington-LaMorie, DSW, LCSW; Sharon Strouse, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT
What We Can Learn from The Flash and Therapeutic Collage educates learners on the transformational power of Collage in working with the bereaved.  A fictional superhero and real case study highlights challenges encountered in the aftermath of loss, subsequent importance of restorative retelling, continuing bonds, meaning reconstruction, and Collage’s ability to integrate fragments of shattered life while fostering post-traumatic growth. An experiential exercise of Collage will offer opportunities to explore, express and piece together a personal and/or professional experience of loss. This session seek to increase education, improve counselor self-awareness, improve skills in therapeutic alliance and teach a creative technique.

Madison-3  The Existential Exhibition: Articulating our Beliefs to Get Comfortable Listening to Others
Presented by: Debra Jarvis, MA, MDiv
People approaching the end of their lives, often want to discuss their religious and spiritual beliefs. But many care providers report that they have insufficient training for these conversations. One of the simplest ways to “train” for these conversations is to investigate our own beliefs about life’s meaning, spirituality and death—an Existential Expedition! In this workshop we will explore the jungle of our beliefs with nine questions. Pith helmets optional.

Fayette-4  Our Work, Ourselves - Panel
Presented by: John Jordan, PhD; Andy H. Y. Ho PhD, EdD, MFT; Edward Rynearson, MD and Sarah Vollman, MS, MPS, ATR-BC, LICSW
As thanatologists, we study, write, teach, and help with the dying and bereavement of other people. But what about our own losses? How have our life experiences with death, dying, and bereavement influenced our work? Have they led us into the field? Have they changed how we do the work? Have they changed how we view our own mortality? These important but rarely discussed issues (even within ADEC) will be the focus of this presentation. Three thanatologists will describe the role of personal loses in shaping their work in thanatology. Audience questions, comments, and sharing will be welcome.


Champaign-5  Teaching That Matters:  Staying Authentic as an Educator of Thanatology - Challenges in “Thanapedagogy”
Presented by: Illene Cupit, PhD; Janet E. McCord, PhD, FT; Rebecca Morse, PhD, MA and Carla J. Sofka, PhD, MA
Becoming an effective thanatology educator requires reflection in light of political, health, climatic, and economic changes affecting the ways in which we live (and die). How do educators negotiate such challenges? This symposium will examine the pressing concerns we experience as educators, and potential solutions to stimulate critical thinking. Four experienced death educators will address authenticity in teaching polarized issues, challenges of including global awareness diversity and social justice, placement of thanatology at various levels of education, and helping students navigate evocative materials in thanatology. A conversation with the audience regarding their thanapedagogical challenges will conclude the symposium.


Knox-6  Navigating the Ethics of Personal Loss, Countertransference, and Self-Disclosure in Grief Support
Presented by: Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C and Eleanor Haley, MS
While historically psychology, counseling, and social work discouraged self-disclosure, in recent years researchers and clinicians have adopted a far more nuanced approach to the use of self-disclosure. Unfortunately, there remains limited education and training around these topics. This workshop will outline considerations for assessing the clinical value and appropriateness of self-disclosure. It will review types of countertransference and the intersection between countertransference, self-disclosure, and personal loss. The session will offer hands-on self-assessment tools to better identify countertransference and practice strategies to improve clinical competence when utilizing self-disclosure, monitoring the impact of disclosures, and responding to unexpected client reactions.

Saturday, April 29

Sat 9:00am - 10:00am ET - Concurrent Session VII 

*Union-1  Lost in the Middle: Exploring Collective Grief and Healing on the Pages of a Graphic Novel
Presented by: Donna Gaffney, DNSc, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
Graphic novels can offer a unique and rich format that allows young readers to explore, in words and images, how grief affects individuals, schools and communities. Following Kai’s Journey, a picture book series, the presenter will describe how multiple team workshops and student focus groups were held to develop an honest depiction of loss and grief that includes: deaths of a parent, sibling, a school sports star, as well as anticipatory grief—all against the backdrop of the pandemic. Attendees will receive the graphic novel Lost in the Middle, a conversation guide and a resource list of other relevant graphic novels.


Fairfield-2  Serving an Underserved Population: The Unmet Bereavement Needs of Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder
Presented by: Caren Franke, MS
Exposure to traumatic events is more common among adults with substance use disorders (SUD) and serious mental illnesses (SMI) relative to the general population. Both death and non-death related losses may result in intense feelings of grief.  However, the bereavement needs of this population are understudied.  Standardized assessments of traumatic events among persons with SMI and SUD, individual semi-structured interviews involving staff and clients, and a survey of training-related needs were used to conduct a needs assessment. This presentation outlines strategies for developing the behavioral health workforce to better address the bereavement needs of persons living with SMI and SUD.


Madison-3  Bereavement Care: A Widower’s Use of Stories/Bibliotherapy
Presented by: Ted Bowman, MDiv
The presenter will interweave his personal grief-writing process with literary resources utilized as a grief educator. In so doing, he will illuminate how words, especially metaphors, informed and helped him as a widower AND to shed light on bibliotherapy as a resource for grief and bereavement care. Grieving work as a professional is one thing; it is another when the loss is personal. Countertransference will be addressed, including when personal sharing can be questionable and when an asset for bereavement care. Participants will consider when personal sharing and bibliotherapeutic practices fit well in bereavement care.


Fayette-4  Impact of the Pandemic on Childhood Bereavement by Race and Ethnicity
Presented by: Laura Landry, PhD
The pandemic contributed to increased mortality rates that disproportionally impact communities of color. This session presents analyses examining the pandemic’s impact on childhood bereavement using an adaptation of the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM). Analyses find a significant increase in the number of U.S children younger than 18 who were newly bereaved from a caregiver’s death during the pandemic. Bereavement due to a parent death increased significantly for all populations, yet results demonstrate great variation based on race and Hispanic Origin. Overall increases in the number of bereaved children during the pandemic have important implications for resourcing grief support programming.


Champaign-5a  9:00-9:30 Research Report - 30 minutes
Qualitative Exploration of Nurse Faculty Grief Related to the Death of a Nursing StudentS
Presented by: Paulette Dorney, PhD RN CCRN-K; Elise Colancecco, PhD, RN and Janice Farber, PhD, RN
Nurse faculty serve as teachers, role models, and mentors to students in the classroom and the clinical setting. While nurse faculty teach students about concepts of death and dying, little is known about the impact of a student’s death on nurse faculty. This presentation explores the grief experiences of nurse faculty following the unanticipated death of a nursing student.  Presenters will discuss the unique grief experiences of nurse faculty, warranting the need for further dialogue and faculty education related to this topic. The powerful narratives will provide insights for policy development and supportive interventions for students, faculty and college administrators.


Champaign-5b   9:30-10:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Legacy Mentors: From Grief To Growth
Presented by: Ashley Leal, MA; Jacob Brenneman, BS; Paul T. Bartone, PhD; Bonnie Carroll, MA and Chantel Dooley, PhD
In this presentation, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) research team will highlight an ongoing research study exploring the long-lasting effects of peer support and mentorship. With an emphasis on the impact of peer support, our team hopes to highlight the experience of Legacy Mentors and bereaved military children through a mixed methods design. The results of this project will help show how peer-to-peer mentorship can provide bereaved military children with tools to cope with grief and traumatic experiences.


Knox-6  The Value of Peer Support for Suicide Loss Survivors
Presented by: Denise Meine-Graham, CT, TRCC
It is estimated an average of 135 people are impacted by every suicide death. With over 47 ,000 annual suicides across the United States alone this means suicide deaths are impacting millions of people. It is more important than ever that we know how to support people who have lost someone special. Participants will learn what local outreach to suicide survivor (loss) teams are and how they can positively impact loss survivors. Participants will be provided practical next steps on how they can start or support an existing loss team in their community.


Marion-7  The Use of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy to Ease the Fear of Dying - NO CE's for this session, per accreditation standards by APA, ACCME
Presented by: Christine Caldwell, BA
Since 2006, Johns Hopkins, NYU and UCLA have conducted clinical research in patients with advanced-stage cancer using psilocybin, the active component in “magic mushrooms”, showing it to ease anxiety and depression while increasing overall well-being and acceptance toward dying.   Ketamine, used in anesthesiology, is a legal alternative and often considered a “psychedelic”. It is prescribed to relieve symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety and depression in those with terminal illnesses.   The presentation will cover the use of psilocybin and ketamine therapy for individuals with terminal diagnoses. It will include the history, research, overview of neuroscience, benefits and health contraindications for each.

Sat 11:00am - 12:00pm ET - Concurrent Session VIII 

*Union-1  Faith and Posttraumatic Growth in the Aftermath of Suicide Loss
Presented by: Melinda Moore, PhD and Daniel Roberts, DD, DMin, FT
Suicide, perhaps more than any other cause of death, challenges our ways of thinking about the person who has died and our relationship to them. Faith and spirituality may be a comfort in these traumatic situations, but it may also challenge one’s ability to process the traumatic grief of suicide (Moore & Roberts, 2017 ). Moore & Roberts (2022) have explored the use of faith to buoy the suicide bereaved’s sojourn on the path to healing and a new construct of Positive Psychology, Posttraumatic Growth.


Fairfield-2  Making Sense of Grief: Toward a New Model for Practice
Presented by: Alagu Subramanian and William G. Hoy, DMin, FT
Bereavement is uniquely individual, depending on the type of loss. Throughout the field of bereavement, scholars proposed several models in an attempt to explain the process of grief yet the frequently-cited models do not account for the dynamicity, variability, and fluidity of the grieving process over time. Given the difficulties with the common models, this presentation introduces a novel model to chart the variable individual experience and dynamic nature of grief on a categorized continuum enabling the identification of points of potential clinical intervention. This model allows for greater communication with bereaved individuals in characterizing griefs major paths.


Madison-3  My Year of Mortality Thinking
Presented by: Thomas Attig, MA, PhD
Last year my daughter registered me with StoryWorth. It enabled her to send, and me to answer, a question per week for a year about my life experiences.  I gradually came to think of it as “My Year of Mortality Thinking.”  As I share some of my life story, I will reflect about the worth of stories both for me and for my children and grandchildren. And I will reflect on the place of such stories in understanding life review, coping with mortality, anticipatory mourning, ethical wills, grieving as relearning the world, and learning to love in separation.


Fayette-4  Intimacy and Rebuilding Life
Presented by: Gloria Horsley, PhD and Frank Powers, PhD, LCSW
The presentation is a personal and professional response to the lack of information that Dr. Horsley and Dr. Powers found available for seniors when they met online. After 60 years of marriage Gloria’s husband died of a staph infection and Frank was alone after divorce and a failed relationship.  In the presentation they will discuss such issues as Fundamentals of Senior Dating; Facing Relationship Fears; Identifying qualities you are looking for in a partner; Online Dating.    This presentation is taken from the upcoming book: “Open to Love:  Fearless Dating After 60. Co-Authored by Dr Gloria Horsley and Dr. Frank Powers.


Champaign-5a  11:00-11:30 Research Report - 30 minutes
Good Grief Support in Distributed Worksettings
Presented by: Beth Hewett, PhD, CT, CCISM
Using a phenomenological approach and biographical story in a qualitative case study supported by extant literature, I report on how one large airline provided grief support to an employee following her children’s deaths in a plane crash. To explore this employer's responses to bereavement and its impact on employees in a distributed work setting, this employee's story is contextualized with both a 10-item survey of airline employees from company support group and peer support programs and interviews with three managers. This research suggests five actionable steps that may minimize human costs and help manage the financial costs of workplace bereavement.

Champaign-5b 11:30-12:00 Research Report - 30 minutes
Community Care for Terminally Ill Patients Benefits Family Caregivers
Presented by: Anna Yan Zhang, PhD, MSW and Amy Yan Man Chow, PhD, RSW, FT 
The development of community-based end-of-life care (EoLC) responded to the increasing aging population and overload of hospital services. Most research focuses on patient outcomes, the involvement of family caregivers, and the effectiveness of caregiving training for actualizing community care. However, family caregiver outcomes as the collateral effects of patient-oriented EoLC remain unknown. Initiated and funded by Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the study recruited 345 family caregivers caring for terminally ill family members. The findings showed a salient reduction of their caregiving strains, especially in the domain of negative perception of caregiving. Only positive moods improved, and significant improvements are not identified in other aspects of well-being.

Knox-6  Being the Constant Presence in a Sea of Change: The Lived Experience of Vigil Keeping for a Family Member at End-of-Life
Presented by: Colleen Fleming-Damon, PhD, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FT, CNE
An end-of-life vigil is the act of being with another towards death. A family vigil is a phenomenon that occurs when one or more significant others gather by the bedside of a family member in the weeks, days, or hours prior to death. There is a scarcity of research on end-of-life vigils as human experience, yet vigil-keeping is a natural human phenomenon. The purpose of this dissertation research was to explore form, structure and meaning of lived experience of vigil keeping for a dying family member at the end of life that may inform and enrich understanding of the experience.


Marion-7  Say Farewell Your Way: The Case for Inclusion, Personalization and Valuing Our Unique Human Traits in Post Death Rituals
Presented by: Jennifer Muldowney, BBus, PgDip
NFDA forecasts the US cremation rate will soar to 78.7% in 2040. The benefit of after-death rituals depends on the ability of the bereaved to shape those rituals and say goodbye in a way which is meaningful for them. In this presentation, we will redefine how, by shifting an antiquated mindset and embracing a new blueprint, we can apply new more freeing techniques and offer more support to grieving families.    A modern end-of-life ritual should have two goals; to provide a cathartic experience for the living and provide a suitable and highly personal tribute in honour of the deceased.

Sat 1:30pm - 2:30pm ET - Concurrent Session IX 

*Fairfield-2  LGBTQIA+ and Funeral Service: Serving All People
Presented by: Marc Markell, PhD, MS, CT
Funeral directors are called on to assist families in making arrangements for a loved one who identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, or Asexual (LGBTQIA+) in life.  Unfortunately, there are few resources easily available for funeral directors that could give guidance about these issues.   This presentation will address some definitions of terms. These definitions may help funeral directors feel more comfortable if they understand the language used. Next, we will look at some factors of discrimination, and finally what funeral directors can do to help when making arrangements for a person who identified as LGBTQIA+.


Fairfield-2  A New Text-Based Approach to Delivering Quality Bereavement Care
Presented by: Melissa Lunardini, MA, MBA, FT and Deborah Levesque, PhD
Professional and community support during bereavement is in short supply and can be difficult to access. Only a minority of grievers are extremely satisfied with the support they receive. Researchers and bereavement professionals are seeking innovative low-cost, high-reach forms of support to meet grievers’ needs. This presentation will report on the acceptability and helpfulness of Grief Coach, an ongoing, expert, text-based grief support service, among bereaved family members who accessed the service as a hospice benefit. The findings, based on survey data, inbound texts, and one-on-one interviews, suggest that hospice-bereaved family members appreciate the service and find it helpful.


3a 1:30-2:00 Research Report - 30 Minutes
The Cross-Lagged Relationships Between Insomnia and Prolonged Grief Symptoms
Presented by: Thomas de Lang, Msc
Treatments for prolonged grief have shown limited effectiveness. Sleep problems may exacerbate grief, yet are currently not directly targeted in prolonged grief treatment. It has been suggested that prolonged grief symptoms exacerbate insomnia symptoms, whereas insomnia symptoms may, in turn, fuel prolonged grief symptoms. We examined this potential reciprocal relationship using longitudinal data from bereaved adults who completed three questionnaires at six-months intervals. We found that changes in insomnia symptoms predicted changes in prolonged grief symptoms but not vice versa. The results suggest that targeting insomnia symptoms after bereavement is a viable option for improving current treatments for prolonged grief.


3b 2:00-2:30 Research Report - 30 Minutes
The Co-Occurrence of Approach and Avoidance in Prolonged Grief Disorder
Presented by: Maarten Eisma, PhD
Paradoxically, loss-related avoidance behaviors and loss-related approach behaviors are both proposed to perpetuate grief. We aim to solve this paradox, by examining whether loss-related avoidance and approach processes co-occur in prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Using latent class analyses among 288 bereaved adults, we determined patterns of approach behaviors (yearning, rumination, proximity-seeking) and avoidance behaviors (loss-reality avoidance, experiential avoidance). Classes showing low odds of approach and avoidance behaviors, high odds of approach behaviors, and high odds of approach and avoidance behaviors emerged. The latter class showed significantly higher PGD levels. Taking approach and avoidance patterns into account may improve PGD treatments.


Fayette-4  Pet Loss Through the Eyes of a Pet Loss Professional
Presented by: Coleen Ellis, CT, CPLP
As more people are acknowledging pets as family members, pet lovers are demanding elevated life care for their pets as well as in their end-of-life experiences. The statistics of pet ownership and the trends and research findings in what people want when it comes to their pet’s death will be discussed. Attendees will find the anecdotal stories of rituals families have done heartwarming as well as the requests they have for their pet loss professional in the before, during and after their pet’s death. This presentation will give attendees an idea of another layer of death care support.

Champaign-5a  1:30-2:00 Research Report - 30 Minutes
Perceived risk, death anxiety, and self-esteem during COVID
Presented by: Jennifer Fredette, JD and Caitlin Reynolds, BS
According to Terror Management Theory (TMT: Greenberg et al., 1986), the awareness of one’s own mortality is an underlying motivator in human behavior. TMT has been used as a theoretical background for research during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Klein et al. (2022) has addressed its limitations. We assessed the relevance of TMT during the pandemic by investigating the links between young adults’ perceived COVID-19 risk, death anxiety, and self-esteem. Overall, the findings were not consistent with TMT arguments for theorizing COVID-19 related issues. We argue that the thanatological community should continue revising theories to strengthen our understanding around death-related topics.

Champaign-5b  2:00-2:30  Research Report - 30 Minutes
Starting Conversations: Death Avoidance in Young Adulthood
Presented by: Caitlin Reynolds, BS and Emily L. Mroz, PhD
Young adults have been characterized as highly death-avoidant, a quality which leads to negative psychosocial consequences. Relations between death avoidance and grief in this life phase are underexplored. In the current study, we examined associations between death avoidance and grief symptoms in a sample of 47 0 college students. Young adults who reported high death avoidance were more likely to perceive their losses as unexpected, which was associated with more grief symptoms. Our discussion will consider available and to-be-developed initiatives to engage young adults in death conversations, before, during, and after loss to reduce death avoidance and foster constructive grief adjustment.


Knox-6   LGBTQIA+ Affirming End-of-Life Care Through Bereavement
Presented by: Kailey Roberts, PhD and Emma Ritter, BA
LGBTQIA+ individuals make up a significant percentage of the U.S. population, and experience health and healthcare disparities that impact end-of-life care needs. It is important for clinicians to have the knowledge to provide LGBTQIA+ affirming and inclusive end-of-life care. Drawing on queer theory, critical disability studies, and research, attendees will be introduced to key considerations regarding LGBTQIA+ competent and affirming end-of-life care. Guidance on terms and concepts will be provided, including disenfranchised grief and intersectionality. Ultimately, this presentation will aim to empower clinicians to provide competent and affirming end-of-life care through bereavement to LGBTQIA+ patients and families amidst systemic barriers.


Marion-7  Impact of Funeral Directors as First Responders to Grieving Bereaved
Presented by: Carl Becker, PhD, DPsych
Funeral directors are typically the first professionals to have quality time with the bereaved, freshly wounded by their loss of a loved one. Their first impressions and interactions can strengthen or scar them for years thereafter.  Japan has the world’s most elderly population, meaning that deaths and funerals are rising—as will soon happen worldwide. Our year-long survey of thousands of Japanese bereaved confirms that funerals and rituals affect the bereavement trajectory—including their dependence on medical and social services—and more importantly, sheds insights into the services most appreciated by or helpful to the bereaved.


*Indicates virtual webcast/live-streamed session presented in the large plenary room.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Thu, April 27
10:50 AM - 11:30 AM and 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM Poster Presentations and Exhibitors

ThA  Coping and Bereavement Outcomes in a U.S. College Student Sample: Examining the Moderating Role of Generational Status
Presented by: Jacob Sawyer, PhD
This poster will examine how college students cope with the loss of a loved one, and the psychological outcomes of these coping methods. Additionally, this poster will examine generational status (i.e., first-generation vs. continuing-generation) as a moderator. Using a theoretical perspective of the Dual Process Model of coping with bereavement, we suspected that forward-focused coping, trauma-focused coping, and a combination of these two coping methods will be related to symptoms of prolonged grief, depression, and general stress in undergraduate students. Furthermore, we anticipated that first-generation college students will experience higher levels of symptoms of prolonged grief, depression, and general stress.

ThB  Determining the Experiences and Support Needs of Bereaved Students in Higher Education
Ashton Hay, Psych
Bereavement is a common and distressing event for students in higher education. Up to 55% of students in higher education report being bereaved in the previous 24 months. Bereaved students are at psychological and educational risk. Despite this, bereaved students are not more likely to seek support through their institution and find barriers to accessing support. Our study aims to understand the experiences of bereaved students in higher education to inform how higher education institutions can provide better supports. This is the first Australian study on this topic and preliminary findings from a large sample will be presented.

ThD  Loss, Disruption, and Study Attrition During the COVID Pandemic

Colleen Murray, PhD
University students participated in a 4-wave longitudinal study, pre-pandemic through the peak (November 2019, April & November 2020, and May 2021). Of interest was loss of participants after Time3, without completing the Time4 final wave. Demographic variables, DASS scores (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales), testing COVID-19 positive, and death of loved ones from COVID were explored in relation to attrition between T3 and T4. Nonparent students were more likely to dropout if they had high overall disruption scores. However, high parenting disruption scores increased the odds student parents would complete Time4. Factors involved with parenting disruption and retention will be discussed.

ThE  Nursing Education about Death during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Brazilian Experience
Regina Szylit
Amid learning how to care for the victims of COVID-19, reinforcements had to be provided concerning death education to prepare the students to deal with dying patients and families. This work aims to report the experience of educating nursing students about death during the Pandemic. We share some strategies implemented with students, as part of their formal preparation. Concepts related to death education and grief were discussed in groups, students had also the experience of talking to families about their loss. The pandemic context proved the importance of preparing these professionals to deal with death and to assist bereaved families.



ThF  Suicide Bereavement: Identifying the Impact of Loss and Applying Skills and Interventions for Effective Treatment
Amy Vogel, MA, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern, NCC, CT, CCTP
Each suicide impacts approximately 135 individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 45,855 suicides in 2020. These numbers would mean roughly 6 million people dealt with a suicide loss in 2020. Suicide bereavement consists of normal grief with added shame, guilt, responsibility, and rejection. This poster presentation will assist clinicians, and suicide loss facilitators in identifying the impact of suicide loss, the need for effective grief counseling, appropriate language, and applications in assisting their clients in their grief journey.

ThG  The Scandalous Widowhood and Reputational Entrepreneurship of Mrs. Warren G. Harding: 100 Years Later
Harold Ivan Smith, DMIN, FT
On August 2, 1923, President Warren G. Harding died unexpectedly. Florence Harding, first lady/widow, had bragged that she had “made” Warren president. Now she would “make” his reputation. For five nights she burned the contents of his White House safe, Oval Office desk and files --anything she thought "could be misconstrued.” Mrs. Harding’s behavior demonstrates Gary Alan Fine’s (1996) construct of “reputational entrepreneur”: individuals who attempt to manipulate memories of the deceased. Today “Reputational entrepreneurs” attempt to control narratives, particularly about cause of death (suicide or drug overdose) or behaviors that blemish the deceased’s desired reputation.

ThH  The Table to Console: A Singaporean Culinary Grief Intervention
Geraldine Tan-Ho, MSoc.Sc
Table to Console is a first-of-its-kind evidence-based, meaning-oriented grief therapy infused with culinary arts and legacy-building through food identity. Led by counsellors and chef-facilitators, participants engage in grief-based psychoeducation, mindfulness practice and culinary work to understand their grief, and to celebrate the life of their loved ones. At the end of every session, participants share their stories and the meals that they have created with other grieving individuals. Findings show that Table to Console is effective in facilitating meaning-making, legacy-creation and continuing bonds, as well as enhancing personal wellbeing, all in a structured, safe and socially supportive environment.



ThI  Transformed by Loss: Art Therapy Self-Portraits of a Redefined Self
Sarah Vollmann, MPS, ATR-BC, LICSW
This presentation, grounded in Meaning Reconstruction theory, introduces the use of art therapy self-portraiture with grieving clients. Any significant loss can cause a crisis of the self (Jakoby, 2015). The creation of a self-portrait may be transformational, allowing the bereaved to explore a shifted sense of self while owning, expressing, and authoring a revised identity and life story. Art therapy case studies of a child, adolescent, and adult will be presented, and theoretical conceptions of the impact of loss upon one’s identity will be reviewed. An experiential component will allow participants to creatively explore aspects of the self.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Fri, April 28
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM and 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM Poster Presentations and Exhibitors  

FrA  Analyzing Trauma-Informed Fiction for Children Who are Grieving
Katheryn Markell, PhD
Children often experience trauma associated with a death loss. Trauma-informed care seeks to focus on what has happened to someone, instead of what is wrong with them, and seeks to reduce re-traumatization. Bibliotherapy can help children to express and deal with their own grief and loss issues. The present work analyzed 15 fictional books for children in terms of how well they met the “Six Guiding Principles of Trauma Informed Care” (developed by the CDC and SAMHSA). Four of the most highly rated books were selected to develop activities and questions to help a child to deal with a loss.



FrB  Ethical Conflicts In Nursing Care in Children End-of-Life
Maiara R Santos
This study aimed to explore ethical and moral conflicts arising in children's end-of-life in pediatric oncology from nurses' perspective. This qualitative secondary analysis was conducted with 10 nursing professionals from a pediatric cancer hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using thematic data analysis. Two themes emerged: (1) living with conflicts intrinsic to the relationships and (2) developing moral resilience. The results highlight the challenging work environment of pediatric oncology, recognizing the multiple natures of sensitive topics to nurses during clinical decision making and the incipient strategies in dealing with ethical and moral conflicts.

FrC  Good Vibes Only: How Spiritual Bypassing Impedes the Grieving Process
Laura Vecchiolla, PsyD
New age beliefs are rising in popularity and are integral to how people make sense of their losses and felt grief. New age spirituality has appealed to those seeking an autonomous and affirming spirituality. Yet, some practices have found their way into assemblies where they’ve been generalized and dogmatized. Spiritual bypassing, or the tendency to use spiritual ideas as a way to evade painful issues or emotions, is a byproduct of this phenomenon. Spiritual bypassing can create shame-based distress and further complicate the grieving process. This presentation will offer tools to work with bereaved individuals who are experiencing spiritual bypassing.



FrD  "I was desperate for a hug": Culturally-Based Disenfranchised Grief of Ultraorthodox Women Post Pregnancy Loss
Rivi Frei-Landau, PhD
Pregnancy loss (PL) often results in disenfranchised grief. Although much is known about women's experience of PL, less is known about it in diverse backgrounds. The study explored the experience of PL among ultraorthodox Jewish women, whose role is defined by childbearing. Qualitative analysis of 14 interviews yielded five themes within two arenas: marital struggle (restricted physical support due to religious prohibitions, challenged emotional support); social struggle/ conflict regarding sharing (PL as taboo, perceived failure of women's role, and yearning to grieve). Findings highlight that PL-grief may be disenfranchised for sociocultural reasons, underscoring the need for culturally-sensitive inquiry and therapy.

FrE  Loss of Social Support Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jordan Reuter, MA
To explore university students’ experiences with non-death related losses during COVID-19, we used a longitudinal study and analyzed the subsample of 21 students who experienced an initial loss of at least one of three forms of social support at the onset of COVID-19. A single-case multiple participant analysis suggests a curvilinear shape to the loss (and gain) of social support across special person, family, and friend social support among our sample during the pandemic. Those who experienced an initial loss were likely to experience a subsequent gain in social support, although this gain did not carry throughout the pandemic.

FrF  Parental Beliefs and Definitions of "Being a Good Parent" for Their Dying Child
Regina Szylit
Parents of children in end-of-life care can base their decisions on the recommendations of health professionals or on their inner beliefs. This study aim to understand the parental definitions and beliefs related to the construct of "being a good parent" of a child in end-of-life care. This qualitative study, still in progress, has interviewed parents of children in a presumed situation of end-of-life care. For the analysis, semantic content analysis, and the Communicative Theory of Identity (CTI) has been used. Partial results show that parents' definitions seem to shape the decision-making process and the relationship with health professionals.

FrG  Psychosocial Impacts of Suicide Loss: Highlighting Grief Rumination
Julia Kirsch, MA
Although suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, there is much left unknown about suicide-related grief. Due to the potential for guilt and self-blame among suicide survivors, they may be more likely to experience impairing grief rumination, or repetitive and circular thinking about the causes and consequences of the loss. Given that grief rumination may be associated with bereavement-related mental health challenges, routine bereavement support may be insufficient for this grieving population. By evaluating the relationship between grief rumination and psychosocial outcomes, this presentation will help provide guidance on potential areas of intervention to support suicide survivors.

FrH  The Effects of Loneliness, Kinship, and Perception of Burden on Older Adult Suicidality

Kathryn Agenbroad
Older adults (65+) die by suicide at a higher rate than any other age demographic. Transitioning into long-term care (LTC) creates a period of especially high risk. We conducted two survey studies, one among community-living older adults and one among those in LTC, to examine whether distance from direct relatives, self-perception of burden, impaired health, and loneliness predicted depression and suicidality. In the long term, we hope to leverage the findings of this study to build clinical innovations that reduce older adult suicidal ideation and behavior.

FrI  When Grief Meets Disbelief: How Sociopolitical Beliefs and Inability to Hold End-of-Life Rites Impacted Pandemic-Era Grief Experiences
Rachel Weiskittle, PhD
This study investigated whether institutional social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as hospital visitation restrictions and limited in-person funeral services, impacted grief processing of bereaved family members. This study also examined whether pandemic grief was affected by individual difference factors such as sociopolitical beliefs about COVID-19. Participants (n=89; 18yo+) completed an online survey between April and December 2022 (data collection and analyses are ongoing). We examined whether PGD is predicted by ability to visit loved ones in the hospital and hold end-of-life rites, political affiliation, and individual differences in COVID beliefs.

This schedule is subject to change, per unforeseen adjustments that arise.