SALINAS VALLEY — Expanding programs within its Heal Together initiative, Coastal Kids Home Care has announced upcoming grief training sessions for mental health providers and community members.
An already wide scope of programs now includes free upcoming training sessions from Dougy Center, a national center for grief in children and families. The training is designed to expand the ability of the whole community to respond to the grief and trauma during difficult times.
All training will be led by Donna Schuurman and Monique Mitchell, both respected experts in the field of grief. Training is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Training for licensed and pre-licensed mental health providers (LMFT, LCSW, PsyD) takes place over three days from April 5-7 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at California State University Monterey Bay’s Vista Room in the Salinas City Center, 1 Main St., Salinas. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
The objective of the three-day Dougy Center training is to educate mental health professionals in the language of grief. Facilitators will cover how to personally and professionally respond to those who are grieving and tools for individual and group grief support.
The training will provide an overview of how to serve bereaved clients of all ages, with a special concentration on working with kids and teens. Facilitators will conclude with a robust module on how professionals can take care of themselves as they serve bereaved clients.
In addition, Dougy Center will conduct two separate one-day training sessions for interested community members, one in Soledad and the other in Salinas. This training targets school counselors, peer counselors, teachers, medical professionals, community health workers, nonprofit professionals and other individuals working with the grieving community.
On April 9, training takes place in the large multipurpose room at the Soledad Community Center, 560 Walker Drive, in Soledad. On April 11, the training moves to Hartnell College in the John Steinbeck Student Center, 411 Central Ave., in Salinas. Each session, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include a light breakfast and lunch.
Facilitators will discuss professional and personal responses to loss, grieving styles and group facilitation. There will be education regarding serving bereaved of all ages, with a special emphasis on the challenges of serving kids and teens. Dougy Center facilitators will be available for specific questions regarding grief.
The Heal Together program led by Coastal Kids Home Care offers bereavement care for the entire family. A wide scope of programs allows individuals experiencing grief to meet others who are experiencing similar emotions and coping in a variety of ways.
Heal Together was established by Hospice Giving Foundation and provided CKHC a financial boost to develop such programs, awarding the nonprofit a $1.1 million grant to help expand grief and bereavement care throughout Monterey County.
The Heal Together Hub at CKHC now offers a central source of information on community resources to respond to grief, loss and anxiety. For more information, visit heal-together.org.
