Grief is a natural response to loss, yet children and adolescents often express grief in ways that can be misunderstood or overlooked. Whether the loss involves the death of a loved one, family separation, illness, trauma, displacement, or other significant life changes, young people need caring adults who can understand their unique experience and respond with confidence and compassion.

This two-day experiential workshop is designed for counsellors, social workers, psychologists, child and youth care workers, educators, and other helping professionals who support grieving children and teens.

Drawing on current neurobiology, attachment theory, developmental understanding, grief research, and expressive and play-based approaches, participants will deepen their understanding of how grief unfolds across childhood and adolescence. Together, we will explore practical, developmentally responsive interventions that help create safety, foster emotional expression, strengthen connection, and support healing without rushing or “fixing” grief.

Participants will have opportunities to engage in experiential activities, case discussion, reflection, and hands-on practice using creative and nature-informed interventions that can be integrated into a variety of practice settings.

Participants will learn to:

• Understand grief through developmental, attachment, and neurobiological lenses.

• Recognize the diverse ways grief is expressed in children and adolescents.

• Differentiate typical grief responses from trauma-related presentations.

• Support children, teens, and families using evidence-informed and expressive interventions.

• Build confidence in companioning young people through complex grief, ambiguous loss, and cumulative loss.

• Leave with practical tools, activities, and resources ready to use in clinical practice.

This workshop offers a balance of current theory, practical application, and experiential learning, creating space for professionals to deepen both their knowledge and their capacity to walk alongside children and teens as they navigate loss.