Supporting Children, Teens and Young Adults

In this introductory course, Dougy Center offers an enriching grief education curriculum addressing how to support children, teens, and young adults who are grieving. This course provides a class bundle of 7 grief education classes! In addition to learning about loss and grief for children, teens, and young adults, you will have access to classes such as Becoming Grief-Informed, Grief Myths & Misconceptions, and Parents/Caregivers & Grief. 

This self-paced course can be accessed anytime (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and completed in your own timeframe. Each of the 7 classes will take approximately an hour to complete depending on your pace. The estimated time to complete the course is 7.5 hours. You can stop and resume your work at any point in a class. When you successfully finish the course, a Certificate of Completion will be issued to you within a week.

Pricing & Promotions

Dougy Center is pleased to offer discounts to students and Community Partners trained by Dougy Center.

Classes Included in This Course

  • Class 1: Becoming Grief-Informed

    Becoming Grief-Informed, students are introduced to disparities and biases in grief education, practice and policies, and the ten core principles of grief-informed practice.

  • Class 2: Grief Myths & Misconceptions

    Grief Myths and Misconceptions, students unpack three common myths about grief and explore alternatives to the everyday grief response, “I’m sorry.”

  • Class 3: The Youngest Grievers

    The Youngest Grievers, students learn how to support preschool-age children, explore developmentally appropriate activities for young children who are grieving, and hear from two young children who are grieving the death of their father.

  • Class 4: Children & Grief

    Children and Grief, students learn how children talk about and express grief. Students also learn 12 essential tips for supporting children who are grieving.

  • Class 5: Teens & Grief

    Teens and Grief, students hear teens talk about grief and learn what to do (and not do) when teens are grieving.

  • Class 6: Young Adults & Grief

    Young Adults and Grief, students hear from a young adult who talks about the sudden death of her mother and learn what young adults have to say about grief and ways to support them.

  • Class 7: Parents/Caregivers & Grief

    Parents/Caregivers and Grief, students learn how to support parents who are grieving and hear two caregivers discuss the challenges and experiences of parenting children after their spouse’s death.

Additional Courses and Bundles You Might Like

Meet Our Grief Educators

Chief Program Officer

Alysha Lacey, MA, LPC, ATR

Alysha Lacey, LPC, ATR, FT, is the Chief Program Officer at Dougy Center. As Chief Program Officer, Alysha provides organizational oversight for Dougy Center’s expansive programming and training initiatives. She coordinates peer grief support groups for both the Bereavement program for families who have experienced a death and the Pathways program for families living with an Advanced Serious Illness, facilitates community responses after a death, and trains professionals and community members on various grief-related topics. She has worked in the non-profit sector supporting youth and families since 2004, initially supporting families who had experienced suspected abuse or neglect.

Advocacy & Education Manager

Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW

Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW, is the Advocacy & Education Manager at Dougy Center. Since 2002, Jana has coordinated peer support groups for children, teens, young adults, and adults. She also provides consultation and training for grieving families, students, community members, and professionals locally and nationally. Jana is the host and producer of Grief Out Loud, Dougy Center’s podcast, which features interviews with other professionals in the grief world and those with lived experience of grief. She has also facilitated community responses for schools and community organizations after a death.

Director of Training and Program Equity

Cristina Chipriano, LCSW-S, FT

Cristina M. Chipriano, LCSW-S, FT, has been in the field of childhood bereavement since 2015. Her work has focused on overseeing the programming for and outreach to historically marginalized children, teens and families. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Oregon and Texas. She currently contributes to the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Membership Committee, and the Multnomah County Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition, among others. Her previous roles include serving as a grief professional for Sesame Street Community Grief Project, she served on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief and the Executive Board of Latino Social Workers of Greater Houston.

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Learn how to support children, teens and young adults who are grieving.

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