The poster presentation details for ADEC's 2021 Conference are included below. Conference participants will be able to view these posters at any time. Additionally, there will be a designated time each day of conference to give participants the opportunity to connect with the poster presenters and ask any questions. 

Experiences with the Deceased: Normalizing the Extraordinary
Extraordinary experiences occur when the bereaved have spontaneous and unintentional sensory experiences with the deceased. Graduate programs tend to neglect teaching how to work with clients who report these events. Panel members will share their own personal and clinical accounts of extraordinary experiences, as well as offer suggested interventions for normalizing client experiences.   Learning Objectives:  1. Recognize extraordinary experiences in their client sessions and/or personal lives.  2. Explain to clients what extraordinary experiences are, and provide psychoeducation.  3. Facilitate dialogue to help normalize extraordinary experiences for bereaved clients through application of clinical interventions.
Presented by: Huma Amin, BA; Maureen Walls-McKay, PsyD

The Meaning Co-Construction Model
This poster will offer a new model for addressing family meaning-making in bereavement that integrates Meaning Reconstruction and Emotionally Focused Therapy. Attendees will be able to understand the role of coregulation in the meaning-making process, learn new therapeutic strategies to incorporate into practice, and discover the power of relational connection in the grieving process.
Presented by: Jessica Barboza, MA, LAMFT

Women’s Perceptions About Losses in the Context of  Spinal Cord Injury
Little attention has previously been given in the published literature to the connection between spinal cord injury and subsequent psychosocial experiences, especially in women. This presentation therefore seeks to shed light on how such physical and neurological changes may be associated with perceived losses and changes in perceptions of the self, one’s place in the larger society, social and emotional functioning, self-concept, gender identity, and subsequent coping. Therapeutic methods that facilitate the development of appropriate coping skills, increased quality of life, navigation of changes in identity and life roles, and personal growth after experiencing spinal cord injury will be discussed.
Presented by: Ivelisse Burgo, PsyD, LPC, NCC; Janna Henning, J.D., Psy.D., F.T., B.C.E.T.S.

A storm in a teacup? A qualitative investigation of General Practitioners’ reactions to the DSM bereavement exclusion criteria
Presented by: Jennifer Chen

Bardo: the Tibetan Buddhist Way of Living, Dying, and Being
The present topic contributes to the cross-cultural study of death, dying, and bereavement.  Bardo, literarily translated into “intermediate state” or “in-between”, captures the essence of the conceptualization and guidance for living and dying from the Tibetan Buddhist perspective.  Many misconceptions and incomplete accounts exist in both Asian and Western societies about this concept. This proposal intends to provide a more comprehensive picture of the concept of Bardo based on the authoritative classical and contemporary Bardo texts and teaching. I argue that the Bardo is not just a state of dying but also a state of living and being.
Presented by: Yan Ciupak, PhD

Controversies in Physician-Assisted Death
With seven states in the United States that have legalized physician-assisted death, there continues to be discussion and controversy regarding the “right to die.” As approval rates rise in the United States, the purpose of this poster will be to promote an understanding of a few of the key controversies, with an emphasis on the unique demographic and psychosocial characteristics of individuals who are seeking physician-assisted death as found in the literature. The presence of depressive symptoms, the overlapping predictors of suicide and physician-assisted death, and the experiences of minority groups will be highlighted.
Presented by: Mary Clemons, PsyD

Resilience and Life-threatening Illness
The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of people coming to terms with HIV diagnosis and come to a greater understanding of the trajectory of adjustment and beyond. This study is a narrative analysis of the lived experiences of individuals diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Interviewees were invited to reflect on their experiences with and beliefs about HIV prior to diagnosis, their personal experience of receiving a diagnosis, and their social, emotional, and spiritual experiences following diagnosis.
Presented by: Oren Cox, PhD, MAEd, CT, GC-C

Coping with Death on Sports Teams Through the Lenses of Dual Process Theory
According to Balk (2011) approximately one-third of a college student body is grieving during any given year, potentially creating academic, social and mental health problems.  Many students participate in college sports teams, which are not immune from suffering loss of members of their team.  In the present study, 40 members of collegiate teams (athletes and staff) who had experienced the death of one of their members responded to an on-line survey. Open-ended questions were coded based on dual-process theory (Stroebe & Schut, 2001). Qualitative analyses indicated that meaning making and oscillation between emotion-focused and restoration-focused grieving were primary coping strategies.
Presented by: Illene Cupit, PhD; Janaina Fogaca, PhD; Matthew Gonzalez, MA

The Iconography of Grief:  A study of U.S. and Italian Social Media Postings
Few studies have examined the photos accompanying postings about deceased loved ones on social media, especially in a cross-cultural context. Users of Facebook in the U.S. and Italy were invited to submit photos they posted about a deceased loved one, and to answer survey questions regarding the reasons and reactions to such postings. Qualitative analyses indicated both samples posted photos to remember and to supplement what they had written with an image, suggesting that the imagery used for the expression of grief in social media sites is an important means of expression for grievers in the U.S. and Italy.
Presented by: Illene Cupit, PhD; Ines Testoni, PhD; Paolo Sapelli, MA

A Holistic Approach to Conceptualizing African American Women’s Infertility
Researchers have examined reasons for the scarcity in Black women seeking care for infertility, and Black women’s experiences with infertility. However, many have not conceptualized Black infertility through a holistic model, nor counseling interventions specifically centered on Black women’s infertility. Our presentation conceptualizes Black fertility in women through the Brofrenbrenner ecological model.  Additionally, we will discuss counseling interventions, provide implications for the profession of counseling, and explore areas of future research and advocacy.
Presented by: Lea Dickinson, BA; Jennifer Matthews, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS

Narrative e-Writing Intervention (NeW-I) for Asian Parents facing their Child’s Chronic Life-Threatening Illness: Rationale and Preliminary Evaluation of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Presented by: Oindrila Dutta

Austim Spectrum Disorder & Grief
Understanding grief and loss among those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is imperative to helping them properly healing and come to terms with the loss of a loved one. Because involvement in the funeral process is an important part of the grief process, the clinical effectiveness of a grief training program for funeral directors working with people with ASD will be explored. A basic knowledge of grief and ASD is needed for this presentation.
Presented by: Gabrielle Frohlich, BA; Rebecca Morse, PhD

A Pubic Health Approach to Advancing Bereavement Care During COVID-19
This poster highlights a practice model that virtually connected a University and local bereavement organization with healthcare providers, social care professionals, students, and community members in advancing public knowledge of grief and community capacity to provide bereavement care during COVID-19.  The poster reviews the relationships and processes vital in bringing the death education model to fruition and sets the stage for research-in-progress.  Techniques will also be shared for hosting a firsthand account documentary and interprofessional panel discussion online.  This model supports a growing initiative to advance the compassionate communities approach and build community capacity around bereavement care.
Presented by: Julie Guistwite, PhD, LSW

Comfort at the end of life: Introduction to end of life doulas
End of life (EOL) doulas have emerged as providers and companions to help provide spiritual, emotional, and psychological care to the dying person as well as family and loved ones (Fersko-Weiss, 2017). However, much like EOL care, these doulas are often underutilized and misunderstood. This study aimed to explore the experiences of twelve EOL doulas through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Using thematic analysis, researchers identified 3 overarching themes throughout: motivations to become an EOL doula, the roles of EOL doulas, and challenges as a EOL doula, and subsequent subthemes. Findings have implications for research, policy, and practice that evaluate EOL issues.
Presented by: Sarah Hahn, PhD; Kimberly Ogle, PhD

Impact of pre-clinical humanities seminars with thanatology content on second-year medical students’ attitudes toward death and caring for dying patients
This poster reviews a recent cross-sectional study of the influence of small group humanities seminars that include thanatology content on pre-clinical medical students’ attitudes toward death. Second-year medical students from a Midwestern suburban medical school were provided the opportunity to participate in one of four small group humanities seminars that included thanatology-related content. Students were later administered a survey which evaluated their death attitudes using two scales, the FATCOD-B, and the CADS.  Results from this study are expected to yield useful insights to educators on the effectiveness of incorporating death education for pre-clinical medical students in the future.
Presented by: Kevin Hickey, MSHP, MA, CT; Sara Margosian, BS

I’m Sorry for Your Loss: Undergraduate Responses to Grieving Peers
Many college students (22% to 30%) are within a year of grieving the death of a loved one (Balk, Walker & Baker, 2010). Friends may be the most accessible source of support for grieving students and friendship support was a positive predictor of adjustment for bereaved students (Cousins, Servaty-Seib, & Lockman, 2017). However, some peer responses may be problematic (Bergene, 2013). This presentation will summarize findings from a qualitative study of college students’ knowledge about grief, responses to grieving peers, and campus resources. Recommendations will be made for interventions to educate college students about how to respond to grieving peers.
Presented by: Erin Hill; Karen O'Brien, PhD

Miscarriage and Disenfranchised Grief
This poster presentation will focus on a new, four-hour family life education program designed for those who have experienced disenfranchised grief related to miscarriage.  The program educates women and men on intuitive, instrumental grief, and dissonant grief, valuative and grounded meaning, and disenfranchised grief, encouraging women and men to reflect on their experience and establish rituals and remembrances to cope with and recognize the loss of life.  The purpose of this specific content is to foster knowledge, awareness, and a sense of much needed recognition among participants.
Presented by: Beth Hockenberry, BS

End-of-life Care in Correctional Settings: A Scoping Literature Review
This poster presentation will reveal findings from a scoping literature review of end-of-life care in correctional settings. This presentation will also present a conceptual diagram of “dying well” in correctional facilities, barriers to end-of-life care, benefits of hospice-based programs, and the integral role of social workers within prison hospice systems.
Presented by: Shivani Kaushik, MSSW, RSW

Mercy Doulas for People with Disabilities: Findings from a Pilot Study
The unprecedented pace with which people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are reaching advanced age, coupled with the uniquely complex issues they face when diagnosed with serious illness, suggests the need for innovative end-of-life care interventions. This poster will present findings from a pilot study that aimed to address this gap by evaluating the acceptability and feasibility of a mercy doula program, which trains volunteers to provide comfort and support to seriously ill people with ID and those who care for them.  The intervention will be described within the poster, presenting opportunities for program replication beyond the pilot site.
Presented by: Ashley Keagle, LMSW; Jacqueline McGinley, PhD, LMSW

Childhood Loss and Depressive Symptoms in Adulthood: The Mediating Effect of Positive Relations
Abstract  Introduction: According to the life course perspective, childhood loss can lead to negative adulthood mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression. However, the pathways between childhood loss and adulthood depression have not been well investigated. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the mediating effect of positive relations on the relationship between childhood loss and depressive symptoms in adulthood.   Methods: The data were drawn from the 2012 Korea General Social Survey (KGSS), consisting of a nationally representative sample of 1,396 Korean adults aged 18 or older. Childhood loss was measured with the Early Trauma Inventory Self-Short Form (ETISR-SF), depression was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and positive relations was measured with the Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales (PW-BS). SPSS Process Macro was used to analyze the mediating effect.   Results: The study results showed that childhood loss was positively associated with depression, but this association was partially mediated by positive relations.   Discussion: This study confirmed one of the pathways between childhood loss and depression in adulthood. Since an individual can gain the emotional stableness and sense of belongings, positive relationships may be an important coping resource for those who have childhood loss. In addition, this study suggests interventions for childhood loss and education on grief and bereavement in childhood.    Key words: childhood loss, positive relations, depression, Life and Death Studies
Presented by: Jiyoung Lyu, ; Kyunghee Kim, MA

Community-Based Grief Support: The Work of Creating Compassionate Communities
This grounded theory study documents the work involved in the formation and running of community-based grief centers that provide peer-to-peer support for children and their caregivers throughout all stages of the grieving process. Through semi-structured, active interviews with staff, volunteers, and adult clients, I explore how workers and clients understand and do their work in relation to Covid-19, gun violence, the opioid epidemic, the medicalization of grief, their own life stories, and their communities. Participants position these within accounts of their own experiences of loss and perceptions of wide-ranging struggles to re-conceptualize grief and death as natural certainties. In general, workers in this field see their efforts as parts of their own grief journeys and as part of a social movement to remove the stigma associated with grief and loss. This work also adds to current understandings of why people pursue this work and what they see it as accomplishing.
Presented by: Deeb Kitchen, PhD; Emily Abriani

A Systematic Review of Death Education Programs in Korea
This study was aimed to systematically review the literature on death education programs by developmental stage using 34 Korean articles published between 2004 and 2018.    As a result of examining the contents of death education programs, improving recognition of death and death anxiety were prevalent in childhood. In adolescence, the need for death education, understanding death, legal wills, inheritance, funeral ritual planning, and bucket list planning were prevalent. In adulthood, the meaning of life and death, medical decisions, and understanding of hospice were prevalent. In older adulthood, elderly life, loss and healing, and understanding of aging and disease were prevalent.
Presented by: Nayoung Lee, PhD completion

Imagine if we could communicate with the dead: Recent Media Portrayals
Media portrayals of communicating with the dead can help illustrate grief concepts like continuing bonds and meaning making.  In Onward, a 2020 Disney movie, the main character has the chance to go on a quest to spend time with his dead father.  His journey establishes new bonds with his father and helps him understands his brother’s grief.  In the 2020 TV series Upload, people can have their consciousness uploaded into a virtual world after they die and can still communicate with the living.  Both the living and dead need to negotiate new continuing bonds between the two worlds.
Presented by: Kathryn Markell, PhD; Marc Markell, PhD

The Role of Spirituality for Late Adolescents Coping with Grief and Loss
Late adolescence is a transitional time period where changes are occurring within the individual until adulthood. Experiencing the death of a loved one is life changing and learning ways to cope is a part of the healing process. In this poster presentation, the presenter will discuss research regarding late adolescents’ experiences coping with grief and loss and the role spirituality played in their grieving processes. The researcher will also discuss spiritual practices being a conduit in them finding meaning. ADEC members working with late adolescents will learn tools to use in helping adolescents grieve healthily while creating a new normal.
Presented by: Dana Matthews, PhD

You have mom’s crinkly ears: A pilot program for grieving preschoolers
The period between 0-5 is critical for the development of social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral functioning. Close familial death during this time period is a significant and potentially traumatic adverse life event that has been shown to increase the susceptibility for short and long-term effects.  Despite this, few grieving programs exist to support preschoolers often leaving them highly vulnerable, often forgotten, and lacking capacity to manage early grief on their own.  This poster presentation will explore a virtual pilot peer support family program for grieving preschoolers developed at the Highmark Caring Place using trauma and attachment-informed practices and activities.
Presented by: Patrick McKelvey, MS, LPC, NCC; Andrea Lurier, PhD, CT

Disenfranchised Grief in Mixed-Document Status Immigrant Families
Immigration can result from human-made and natural disasters, resulting in many concurrent types of loss. In the U.S., members of mixed-documentation status transnational families  (families including both documented and undocumented members) experience ambiguous loss, fear of future losses, and may lack social acknowledgement or recognized legitimacy of their grief. This study explored experiences of disenfranchised grief with participants from mixed-documentation status immigrant families of Mexican and Central American origin. They reported messages from citizens, residents, and other immigrants that they had no right to grieve, no need to grieve, and no ability to grieve the many losses that they incurred.
Presented by: Colleen Murray, PhD

Examining Grief Reactions via a Familial Case Study
Positive parent-child communication and a strong therapeutic alliance serve as protective factors against complicated grief and psychopathology following loss. However, the strength of the therapist-client relationship and levels of communication within the family system may vary between children. The current case study follows two teenagers in the year following the loss of their mother. Reports of the therapeutic alliance, parent-child communication, and mental health were taken at two time points, 6 months a part. More parent-child communication and a stronger therapeutic alliance were associated with reduced grief symptoms, but levels of depression and anxiety did not differ between timepoints.
Presented by: Taylor Napier, MS; Taylor Napier, MS

The educational needs of State Tested Nursing Assistants in long-term care regarding end-of-life care
Almost 25 percent of U.S. deaths occur annually in long-term care facilities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017),  it’s imperative frontline workers are given training and support they need to deliver good, person-centered care at the end of life.  Nursing staffs have knowledge gaps and low confidence regarding end-of-life care and they may underestimate its complexity (Pfister, Markett & Muller, 2013). This research explored the needs of State Tested Nursing Assistants (STNAs)working in long-term care about EOL care.  Based on this research, workshops were developed to educate the STNAs regarding care of the dying and to enhance the EOL care of residents.
Presented by: Kimberly Ogle, PhD; Sarah Hahn, PhD

EMDR and Grief Puzzle: beyond a systematic literature review
This paper presents the pathway of theoretical research about EMDR applicability to grief work and will lead to current references about this subject. Findings: a) there is evidence about efficacy of EMDR as a grief psychotherapy; b) EMDR proved to be good indication for dysfunctional memories; c) the Grief Protocol is the Basic Protocol applied to grief targets; d) EMDR does not suppress the proper and expected healthy emotions that arise after a loss; e) it facilitates adaptive healing and resolution of bereavement”: the ability to remember and think about who died with positive emotions.
Presented by: Daniela Reis_e_Silva, FT, PhD; Maria_Helena Pereira Franco, PhD

September 16, 1920: The Day “Hell Broke Loose” on Wall Street
On September 16, 1920, the heart of American capitalism was New York City’s Wall Street. Around noon, thousands of clerks, receptionists, bankers, stockbrokers and messenger boys, flooded the streets for lunch, shopping, or a walk. At 12:01, a cart containing dynamite and metal exploded in front of J.P. Morgan & Company. Debris rose to the 34th floor, then rained down on the dead, the injured and the dazed. Thirty-eight died, hundreds were injured! Morgan & Company wished the incident “forgotten.” Overnight mounds of rubble (and evidence) disappeared! The next morning Wall Street reopened. 100 years later, the bombing remains unsolved.
Presented by: Harold Ivan Smith, DMIN FT

LOSS AND GRIEF ASSOCIATED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND SIBLING CAREGIVERS
Caregivers of loved ones suffering from a prolonged mental illness, such as schizophrenia can suffer from chronic sorrow, ambiguous loss, disenfranchised grief and complicated grief. Loss and grief may happen both during the lifetime of the loved one, as that person gradually diminishes cognitively as a result of the illness and again upon their death. This viewpoint is examined from a personal perspective based on my own experience of being a secondary caregiver to my sister who has suffered from schizophrenia for over 30 years.
Presented by: Janice Taylor, MCoun

Better End-of-Life Conversations: A Mutually Beneficial Educational Experience
This educational session provides skills to give voice and meaning to life’s most crucial conversations. Students and communities face systemic challenges and a lack of training for engaging in difficult conversations. Design thinking, as a collaborative process for generating and testing innovations to complex problems, prepares students for the crucial conversations they will face throughout life. This poster shares an example of engaged learning that partnered students with community members to design a space for holding difficult conversations and to practice skills needed for empathetic listening and generative thinking to prototype more vulnerable and respectful conversations.
Presented by: Tracey Thurnes, EdD, MPAS, PA-C; Dianne Person

A Study on Application of Bereavement Experience and Coping Process by Life Cycle
A Study on Application of Bereavement Experience and Coping Process by Life Cycle: Focusing on the Dual Process Theory of Stroebe and Schut.  This study is to investigate perceptions of bereavement by stage of life cycle and verify  the dual process model of coping with bereavement. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 400 people in relevant institutions including hospice institutions, schools, social welfare institutions, psychological counseling institutions, and nursing care centers across the country.  With the results, this study reviewed the theoretical significance of Stroebe and Schut dual-process model of coping with bereavement by stage of life cycle and proposed practical ways to address bereavement presented.
Presented by: JunSeok Yang, PhD; Hyun-Jeong Chang